Captured By Lindsey Photography: Blog

2020-Right where I want to be...

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 17:22:33 GMT

It only took 8 years for me to actually figure out what I wanted with my little business. Two, three, four plus years ago, I didn't know that it would take me several years to know what I wanted from photography or that the process could change and evolve so much. All I knew then is that in order to succeed, I better look at least as good as all of the other photographers' work I was seeing on Facebook, Pinterest, and the list goes on.....and it wouldn't hurt if I bought all of the things these photographers had in their photos. I didn't know that there were photographer groups and organizations that had training videos, tutorials, q&a's, and support groups. I really had. no. idea. Of course in the beginning you want to start getting experience doing ALL kinds of photography.....even if you maybe have no interest in a particular area. That's how everyone starts their career, right? Work from the bottom up! I get it, and I'm glad I did because I met so many people along the way and some of them I am grateful to still work with today and consider a friend. It wasn't until about a year ago or so that I started hearing other photographers talk about the value in doing what you truly love and if that meant cutting a part of photography out of your business that you didn't really have a passion for, then you go for it and embrace what you KNOW you want to do. WHAT!? How can I possibly do that?? I run the risk of missing out on a client who wants this, or a client who wants that or not being the photographer that has all the things or uses this particular setup, etc. etc. It took a LOT of soul searching to finally define what it is I wanted to deliver to my clients. These are the things I KNEW for sure: 1.) I wanted to capture real, authentic, genuine moments with not a whole lot of "clutter" distracting from that. 2.) I wanted to stick with using natural light in my studio because it's what I knew best and it can just be oh so dreamy when it filters in through my studio windows. 3.) I knew I wanted to continue to offer digital images for my clients. This is something I've struggled with for years....well, actually struggle is the wrong word. I've felt peer pressure to stop offering them. Everything I've ever watched, read about, and learned from other photographers was to not do this, that it's "giving away" your work. I just can't....I've said from day one, if my client is paying for a session, then they should have something to show for it, right? Nothing about that is "giving away" in my mind. 4.) I also knew that I LOVE design and probably spend far too much time and money with this hobby of mine around my house and my studio, so I tried to think about how I could incorporate this into my job instead. Ta-da!- The idea of creating and selling photo products was born! I can help my clients come up with what things would look great in their house, what sizes, how to organize, them, etc.! I have heard SO many times from family and friends that they love their photos but can't pull the trigger on what to do with them beyond their digital format and have no idea what to do with them in their home and to please come help them-LOL! SURE THING! I would LOVE to help with this and get those photos displayed in your home so you can actually enjoy them on a daily basis! After all, you paid to have your photos taken....don't let them hide out on your phone or computer where you'll end up forgetting about them!

Also my love of shopping and helping others put together outfits brought me to the idea of offering a photography wardrobe, primarily for kiddos, for in- studio sessions that will help take the guesswork out of outfit choices for sessions. Did y'all know I have a Masters Degree in School Counseling? I feel like between working with children and counseling clients on location, clothing, and product options, I pretty much use my degree on a daily basis with this gig....wouldn't you agree? In all seriousness, I love my job and now, eight years in, having taken the time to figure out what it is that I want out of all of this, I love it even more...and I HOPE, even if you HATE having your photo taken, you'll allow me to help guide you through this process, and come out, in the end, having photos you'll cherish forever!

Playdate Turned Photoshoot- A 2 Year Impromptu Session

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:03:54 GMT

Loved taking a few moments during a play date today with this sweetie and her mama to take some photos for her 2nd birthday! I thought maybe I was going to have to let her warm up to the idea of taking pictures, but she walked right into my studio and got comfortable so we went for it! It may have only lasted a few minutes, but that's all we needed to capture her sweetness.....and those PIGTAILS! So. in. love!! Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

40th Anniversary/Family Session- Butler University

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 03:30:00 GMT

I had the pleasure of spending some time with one of my client's extended family on this chilly day at Butler. They were all celebrating my client's parents' 40th anniversary with a Butler basketball game and then a photo session around campus with me. Even though I've lived in the Indianapolis area for over 10 years, I've only been to Butler's campus a couple of times, and never had the opportunity to take photos there. Winter can be a difficult time of year for pictures outside, not just because of the colder temperatures, but finding spots that are "pretty enough" to be a backdrop for your photos. Butler, however, did not disappoint and there were plenty of photo worthy spots to choose from! Throughout this session you could definitely feel the love this family shared for one another AND for Butler University! Go Bulldogs!

Oh TWOdles!- A 2 Year Old Themed Session

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 03:15:00 GMT

Who doesn't love Mickey!? I don't typically do themed sessions for birthdays except for cake smashes, BUT this was my Godson's photos and I knew mom wanted to incorporate a large Mickey in the photos, so I got creative! I also knew that he wasn't going to want to sit and have his pictures done for too terribly long, so I knew I had to work fast. I was hoping having Mickey all around him would get him excited and distract him for a bit, and it sure did! LOVED how it all came together and loved how much he loved it! Happy Birthday!!

Never Grow Up- A One Year Cake Smash Session

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 02:45:00 GMT

Never grow up.....this handsome fella's one year old session was certainly fun to plan! Mom and I decided to go simple and natural for his non smash photos, incorporating neutral tones, just a couple of props, and the dreamy natural light coming in from the studio window. What a sweetheart he was giving us cute tiny smiles and plenty of "serious" looks too. I always tell parents who might be concerned that their little ones aren't giving a lot of smiles during their session, that it's often times the non smiling serious poses that end up being the ones that leave you speechless! After these pictures we moved over to the smash set up. Mom had requested a "Never Grow Up" theme.....awesome! Mom was coming prepared with babe's outfit so I just needed to come up with the background and props. It was the first time I had really used shades of green in a setup and I was loving it! I hadn't done this theme before so it really made me think about props and search for items I may have already had around the house too. My favorite may have been the jar of pixie dust! Little man was very interested in his cake and definitely made a fabulous photo worthy mess! Sometimes you just can't be sure how a kiddo is going to react to cake for the first time or really getting their hands messy. Often times, when I feel like kiddos are starting to become uninterested, I will give them a plastic spoon to dig into the cake too, and that really works! Overall, a successful smash! Happy birthday!!

A Grandparent Mini Session

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 02:30:00 GMT

Thought I would kickoff this whole new blogging thing by showcasing a session that is near and dear to my heart! Sometimes I get so busy taking everyone else's photos, that I put off updating my own family's photos. We haven't had professional photos taken of my little family of 3 since my little guy was 1......he'll be 10 this year!! So while I'm still struggling to make the time to have those photos updated (because there's always a reason I'm not ready, right?...my hair hasn't been colored in awhile, or we don't have outfits ready, etc. etc., bad excuse after bad excuse) I need to at least make sure I'm making time to update some photos for other family members! We are very close to my parents and spend a lot of time with them, and they just ADORE spending time with my little guy, so why not take 10 min on a random day spent together to capture some photos of the three of them. That's how it needs to be done....don't spend time coming up with a date in the future to have a "session" that may or may not end up happening, or worry about making sure little guy's hair just got cut.....lets just do it! Lets make this simple and spontaneous! With my little guy, it doesn't even pay to tell him too far in advance, because that's just that much longer that he's going to ask "how long will this take? Do I have to dress up?"...etc. etc. So on this particular day, we had actually promised him a jammie day....his favorite! We decided we were going to try and do just a few photos so as a compromise, I told him lets just change your shirt to match Grammy's and you can keep the p.j. pants on! DONE! These photos turned out adorable, and I think 99% of them I was able to avoid the p.j.s....WIN! Maybe next time we should just embrace the jammies and have one big jammie session....... :)