Prepping for a Lifestyle Session | Indianapolis Family Photographer

Thank you so much for booking a lifestyle shoot with Kelly Martin Photography!  I LOVE lifestyle photography because it really captures the true essence of the family members.  Real life – in the raw – no posing or fake smiles – truly candid moments.  My goal is to capture your family “as is” and show the personalities of each family member as well as the interactions and emotions between each of you. 

Here is some information regarding your upcoming lifestyle shoot as well as some tips to help you prepare:

• Space and light - Make sure there is space and good light coming through windowns in the rooms you want to utilize.  I suggest opening all of the blinds in the rooms we’ll be in before I arrive (and turn off all overhead lights).  I’ll take a quick tour of the house with your assistance to get acquainted with my surroundings and to make suggestions about the rooms with the best light. IMPORTANT: If you do not have good natural light in your house, results may be compromised and/or we’ll be confined to certain areas next to windows. If it is a super cloudy and dark day, we may discuss rescheduling.

• Plan a few fun activities for your family – ideally things that you normally do with each other.  Each activity doesn’t have to be a big ordeal – simple things like baking cookies, playing a quick board game, giving the kids horsey rides, & playing catch are great photo opportunities. If you need any suggestions, don’t hesitate to ask me beforehand or we can discuss when I arrive.  Don’t feel like the whole family has to be involved in each activity either – girls can bake some cookies while the guys wrestle around in the living room (or vice versa)  (: 

• Even though planned activities are key – so is some downtime where the kids can do their own thing and play like normal.  I love watching kids play and find it provides some really fun pictures when they are in the zone. 

• Most of the session will be done indoors in your house.  If you want to plan some outdoor activities, let me know and we’ll work with any shade we have or we’ll strategically deal with the sunlight (direct sunlight does not make for very flattering photos).  If it’s a cloudy day, then we’ll have an easier time getting good outdoor shots. 

• I will try to be a fly on the wall as much as possible, but I may make suggestions or subtly ask that you move slightly into some better light.  I may strike up some conversations with the kids to get them to open up a bit, if needed. 

• Plan on the session taking 1.5 hours.

• Tidy up and declutter – I’m not talking about a massive spring cleaning but a room full of scattered toys can cause distractions in photos.  You might even put away some items that are normally out in the open – just to ensure that your family will be the focus of the photos, and not the clutter.  This is when it IS okay to shove stuff in the closet (:

• Details and angles – I love getting creative with shots so you may find me standing on a chair hovering over you to get a shot or laying on the floor to get down to the kids’ level.  It’s all about the angles.  If I’m taking too many liberties in your house, let me know. 

• Let Loose! I know your house may be chaotic, especially if you have young children.  Don’t worry about it!  I’m here to capture your family and its candid moments – even the crazy moments.  So take it all in stride and relax.  Pretend I’m not even there and I’ll do my best to be as hidden as possible. 

If you have any further questions about your lifestyle shoot or prepping for it, please don’t hesitate to message, call, email, etc. 

I look forward to spending some quality time with you and your family!

Connection | Indianapolis Family Photographer

The fall is such a blur. Every fall. Session, Session, Session, Edit, Sleep, Repeat. Sometimes I have a hard time processing it all until it’s over. I took this session in though - this session moved me. At the time of shooting this last fall, Susie and John had been together over 51 years. They have had a lifetime of ups and downs and I think the photos speak for themselves that they have made it through it all, and they continue to love unconditionally. In my back and forth emails with Susie, I commented how much of an inspiration their marriage is to many and she gave me some wonderful words of wisdom: “Please remember that when you have a family your time is very divided between children, work, caring for your home and your spouse.  Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the inertia of it all and the spouse usually ends up being last on your list.  Just remember not to lose touch with each other.  When the kids are finally in bed, the dishes are done and all is quiet in the house……make time for each other.  Stay connected.”

If you are looking for a family photographer in the Indianapolis area, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388. 

Grayson | Zionsville Family Photographer

I first met the Jones’ when I traveled to their house last March for Grayson’s newborn session. They were super cool and I loved talking with Laura about their new son and their experience thus far. They had to spend some time at Riley after Grayson was born as he was having complications and not eating well. I won’t pretend I understand exactly what his diagnosis was but he has a metabolic issue where he can’t break down proteins. So he’s on a special diet with a strict feeding schedule and it will impact him the rest of his life. But the way they were handling it with such grace is what I remember most. There is so much to deal with and worry about when you bear a child, and when you throw a wrench like this in the plan, it can cause alot more stress. The Jones’ accepted it, dealt with it, and their love for this new human trumped everything. We met for a 6 month milestone session in September at one of my favorite parks (and seriously on the most gorgeous night ever) and then again for Grayson’s one-year milestone in my studio. I love each session to pieces and I hope to keep seeing Grayson grow and flourish through the years.

If you are looking for a family photographer in the Indianapolis area, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388. 

Since the Beginning | Carmel Family Photographer

We photographers like to talk about the clients that have been with us since the beginning. We feel we owe a piece of our success to those that came to us when we were still figuring things out, still learning, still growing our businesses and still come back year after year. The Bellamy’s are one of those “with me since the beginning” clients. Jessica is a great friend of mine, and her family’s first session was back in 2015 - a portfolio building session. I used things like a wagon and pinwheels to engage the kids. There was so much I didn’t understand about lighting and posing and session flow back then. But that’s what hundreds of sessions gives you: the experience to know what works and doesn’t and how to see light and how to engage kids without busy props.

Below is the Bellamy’s session from fall of 2019. I’m super proud of this one as I scoped out two new locations for their session (when you photograph families over and over again, you start to run out of locations) and it was absolutely perfect. And location #2 was fun and colorful - perfect for their kids’ vibrant personalities (:

I may have include a few shots from Session #1 at the end of the blog for some extra entertainment.

And let’s flashback to 2015 (:

If you are looking for a family photographer in the Indianapolis area, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388. 

The Kirkpatrick Family | Coxhall Gardens Family Session | Carmel Family Photographer

Sometimes it’s funny to me how the first time I meet many of my clients is the day I photograph them. It’s pretty standard in the industry and I guess it takes a certain type of person to drum up conversation with all types of people (the little humans and the adult humans) to help the session go well. I have to win clients over and make them smile, and be playful, and have fun in a short period of time. Something like this would completely stress me out several years ago but now, it’s all part of this gig. My planning helps. I get to know my clients by sending a questionnaire where they share their kids’ interests and their hopes and dreams for the session. This planning portion has been so key in helping me create a vision for a session before it even happens.

I met the Kirkpatrick family for the first time on a PERFECT evening in May. It not only was a perfect evening but they were the perfect family. We played, swung the kids around, tickled, adored the baby bump on mom (baby #4!!), and most importantly, had fun. The vision I had for a playful, candid session came to life. Amazing clients make amazing pics….

If you are looking for a family photographer in the Indianapolis area, please contact me at kellymartinphotos@gmail.com or 765-749-4388.