The Liberated FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions

What should I expect on a Liberated shoot?

A freakin good time. But seriously you should be prepared to have a ton of fun. Get ready to laugh lots, share good conversation, and to have one of the best experiences of your senior year. Senior shoots are dear to my heart. You guys are my favorite subjects, and I never take any senior shoot lightly. I prepare weeks in advance with creative ideas and concepts, cool locations, and other ways to make sure you get memorable photographs.

I’m ready to book a shoot, what’s the next step?

Take a celebratory lap around your house, yell uncontrollably. Nah, you don’t have to do what I do every time I book a liberated shoot. But you should email, text, or call me. It can be you or your parents. Texting is the best way to get a quick response.

When you text me, we’ll lockdown a shoot date that works best for you. After we set a date and get you booked, I’ll ask you a series of questions to get to know you. Where do you go to school? What do you do in school? Do you participate in school functions or activities? Do you play sports? Are you in Theater? What are your hobbies? What are you passionate about right now in your life? What’s the plan after graduation?

I ask these questions to get to know you, break the ice, but most importantly they help me generate ideas on what we can showcase in your shoot, and how we can be really creative and unique in capturing these likes & interests. For example, when Sarah text me two years ago to schedule her shoot, she mentioned she loved reading, and wanted to highlight that passion. It was something she was in love with at that time. So I dreamed up an idea specifically for her reading love. This is what we did:

Here are a few more examples of showcasing talents and passions in really fun ways:

Dancing

Harry Potter Obsession

Drumming Talent

Faith In God

What exactly does unlimited clothing changes mean?

I don’t put a limit on how many outfits you want to wear in your shoot. Ever. I had a senior wear seven different dresses, plus another two outfits. But I would always suggest having at least 3-4 clothing changes.

Also, I occasionally am I asked where do I change? Most seniors change outfits in their own car or once in awhile there is a close bathroom nearby, but that is rare. I also will have a new pop up changing tent for shoots in 2014. So you have options!

What should I wear? What looks good in pictures?

First and foremost, wear something you feel good in. You should pick outfits that you feel happy and confident in. It will reflect in the photographs. Additionally, I tell my seniors to bring a variety of styles from casual to dressy. Girls that means cute skirts, pretty dresses. Guys that means nice buttoned up shirts, long sleeves, bow-ties. Casual is easy but if you can pull off the real dapper look of dressy, your photographs will have a bold and powerful feel to them.

How do you choose locations?

I pick locations that I think will work best for your personality. Additionally, locations will be chosen based on the creative concepts that I come up with for the talents that you want to showcase. Locations are either Nature or Urban oriented. Below are examples of both. If you have a preference, you can certainly choose!

Examples of Nature & Urban:

NATURE:

URBAN:

Do you offer any in-studio photography?

I would highly recommend shooting outdoors with natural light, and unique locations, but I have a small studio setup inside my home and would be delighted to provide a studio photography experience for you. With anything I do, I strive to provide different and powerful images and my studio work would have a fresh perspective. Basically, don’t expect Grad’s. Expect more in the realm of Gap Ad’s.

I want to do something BOLD. I really want to be creative in my senior shoot and do something most others wouldn’t, what can we do?

That comment, is one of my favorite things to hear from a senior. That just shouts, ‘Let’s get cray cray’. I have a TON of wildly different and creative ideas involving props, concepts, locations, and actions that I’m just waiting for the right senior to come around to say they want to do something bold. Most of these ideas require a certain level of open-mindedness, and a tiny bit of ambition. But if you want something completely unique and possibly legendary, please let me know, and I’d love to share with you my thoughts. Here are some BOLD and CRAZY shoot ideas from the past few years when seniors asked this question:

Examples of BOLD and CRAZY photos:

Personal Food Fight:

Fountain Swimming in a Tuxedo:

Clothes On Cliff Jumping

Body Paint

She was obsessed with the feeling of "Floating in Water"

Can I bring anyone on the shoot with me?

I would highly suggest bringing someone with you on your shoot. Some of the most memorable shoots I’ve experienced have occurred when a friend tags along. Usually, bringing a best friend will help put you at ease, you’ll feel more like yourself, you’ll laugh more, and the photographs will show that. I can promise you that. If a best friend isn’t available, Mom’s are always great. Boyfriends and girlfriends are fine too!

I also strongly recommend only bringing ONE person. I’ve found when there is Mom, Dad, and a friend all watching you as you get your photo taken, it becomes harder to relax, and be yourself. The idea is to get you to forget that I’m taking your photograph and just have fun. That’s harder to achieve when you have 3 or 4 sets of eyes watching your every move, hovering.

What’s the copyright free CD mean?

This is a huge deal in professional photography. If you’re paying for professional photography services, almost always will you be required to pay for individual photos. Some photographers will offer a disc but will put a cap on how many images will be on the disc. Their cap might be 8, 10, or 25 images. Sometimes those images will be in low resolution or web resolution, meaning they’re fine to share online or to have on your computer, but aren’t high enough quality to print. Photographers will then charge unreasonable prices for prints, and print packages, on top of a limited disc, that is if they offer one in the first place.

I offer a copyright free CD, meaning you own the photos. All the images will be in high resolution, large enough for you to print as big as you can imagine without quality loss.

How many photos will I receive on my CD?

It varies per shoot, but you can expect to have over 90 corrected photos on your disc.

Do you do prints?

I do not offer prints at this time. I would though, love to recommend a few local small businesses that do amazing print work. Feel free to ask during our shoot.

How long does it take to get my pictures after the shoot?

Two weeks or less.

When do we pay you?

I don't require a deposit before the shoot, and I receive payment from you when I deliver the CD.

Do you do announcements or invitations?

I certainly do. Check out the new Liberated 2014 Announcement Designs. They’re only an additional $75 for 50 announcements with envelopes.

I have a question not listed on here, what do I do?

Give me a ring, holla at me. I’d love to answer any additional questions you may have! My cell number is 623-695-8930. Also feel free to leave a comment below with your question and I will be sure to answer it for you.