Frequently Asked Questions

That's a tricky question! Schools typically have an "official photographer" so yes and no. Schools will often contract photographers who capture various photos for the school yearbook. While you are required to be photographed by them for the yearbook drape tux shot, the cap and gown, and sometimes even in a casual outfit in order to be included in the yearbook. You are not required to purchase those images and they're fine for the yearbook.

But for your custom portraits, the ones you've been waiting all this time for, the ones you excitedly share with family and friends, and of course, the ones that parents will display of their "baby" on the wall for years to come... you deserve more than a standard cookie-cutter school picture! Seniors and parents who want quality, variety, and the best senior portrait experience around Linn and Johnson County, come to our senior studio! 

Typically the summer before your senior year and the fall months are our most popular for senior sessions. Because of that, it is also the toughest to get on our calendar. We encourage you to book early as you begin your senior year! 

It sounds so early, but your stress levels will be so much lower if you do book early. If you would like us to submit images to your yearbook for a senior ad, please be mindful of your school's deadline which is usually right after Christmas break. We need time to plan, shoot, order and edit for yearbook submissions.

Well, being that we live in Iowa, sometimes our weather can be downright unpredictable! Sometimes it rains. Sometimes it might be insanely windy. And sometimes we might have a few flurries! As much as we would like to control the weather, we haven't figured it out just yet! We do watch the weather closely if it looks iffy though and we will stay in close contact with you the day before your session to make a judgement call. If we need to make changes due to weather, we will reschedule your session for another day/time as soon as possible!

I provide realistic retouching such as removing blemishes, evening skin tones, removing the occasional stray hair, and applying moderate skin smoothing. I believe that skin should look natural, well-blended, and free of unevenness. I promise that you will never look fake, blurred, or plastic-like. I will make sure that your natural features look just that, natural!

That is entirely up to you and the style of senior portraits you're looking for! Some of our favorite locations to travel to for beautiful scenery include Palisades Park, Lake MacBride, and Kent Part. Downtown Cedar Rapids also offers some unique modern backgrounds and areas as well for stunning photos. We can take photos are your high school if you want to include a football field, locker room, basketball court, or anything else that's been meaningful to you during your time at school. All of your locations will be discussed and decided on during your style consult!

*Additional travel fees will apply for specific locations requested more than 20 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA* 

Our professional editor will digitally retouch every single image you choose by hand. We are considered a boutique studio and would NEVER give you an unfinished product! We will enhance your images as needed with color adjustments, skin smoothing, blemish removal, teeth whitening and anything else we see that needs to be done. We aim to post some sneak peeks 24-48 hours within the time of your session then have a completely edited gallery returned to you within three weeks!

We recommend scheduling your pre-booking consult at least 4 months in advance of your desired session date, but we're occasionally able to take last-minute sessions if our schedule allows it! The best thing you could do is BOOK YOUR SESSION EARLY! We book 5-6 months in advance and usually have to turn seniors away every year because we're completely sold out by the spring of your graduating year!

Most of our senior sessions take place on either a weekday morning or late afternoon. Evenings and weekend appointments are extremely rare (especially during the school year!) and those have an additional fee. When booking your session, keep in mind how hot and humid our Iowa summers can be. May and June are excellent times to book if you plan to choose an outdoor location where there's some lovely flowers in full bloom and lots of greenery around. September through November is when we often have cooler temps and the beautiful fall colors. The actual time of day for the photoshoot will be discussed during your style consult and will depend on what time of year it is. We have also had seniors do a split session - half in the summer and half in the fall/winter! Those are fun too and we are always happy to accommodate seniors who want the variety of weather to change how their senior photos look!