Scott Barnes: Indianapolis and Chicago Photographer for Headshots, Portraits, and Fine Art

Looking your best for a photo session
Here's how to look your best before we get together:

Be well-rested and avoid alcohol and cigarettes the night before. Both are bad for your skin.
Be well hydrated (dehydration also affects skin). Some fitness and figure models avoid water for a few hours immediately prior to a shoot, if water-retention is sometimes an issue. If this is an issue, drink a small black coffee or glass of red wine 30 minutes before the shoot.
Make no drastic changes to your appearance within three days of your photo shoot, like tanning or shaving your body hair. Tanning dries out your skin, and shaving leaves razor bumps even on the best skin. If you're changing your hair, get it cut at least a week before the shoot so it has time to adjust to its new style.

What to wear
Feel free to bring a few outfits to the shoot and I'll help you pick the right one(s). For headshots and most portraits, bring comfortable pants, even jeans or shorts, as I don't have to shoot you below the waist. For headshots, shoes usually don't matter, at all, unless you specifically ask for a full-body shot.

Make sure your clothes are comfortable and fit well — nothing baggy! For men especially, a shirt that seems a little too tight is better than a shirt that's too baggy. (A shirt generally fits right if the seam where the sleeve starts sits exactly on the bend of your shoulder; short sleeves should always end at least an inch or two above the elbow, long sleeves should end just below the bend of your wrist.)

For caucasians and light-skinned people, dark colors are better than lights, but African-Americans and Pacific Islanders and can get away with clothing lighter than their skin tone. For most everyone, solid colors look better than prints (plaid is never flattering). But please remember that these are all rules of thumb — some men look great in a clean, white t-shirt, and some women can pull off a subtle print. Use your best judgment. Men should not wear jewelry and women should wear it conservatively. Dressing in layers always looks good. Try to think of something that you'd wear to an art-gallery opening or on a first date.

Skin care and make-up
Digital photographs pick up every pore and blemish. If you don't moisturize, your skin can have a red, cracked surface. Exfoliation helps, allowing the moisturizer to penetrate the skin. If you don't currently have one, please start following a skin care routine for a week before your appointment. Personally, I'm a big fan of The Body Shop, which has various skin care regimen for women and men. Trader Joe's also carries good products, and even Neutrogena or St. Ives products (available at any grocery or drug store) are better than nothing. Also watch your lips (chapped lips can't be retouched easily in a photo). Use lip balm.

If you decide to do your own make-up, wear just a little more than you would normally, but do not cake on heavy foundation or a ton of rouge, or lipstick that's two shades darker than what you normally wear. Come with your hair as close as possible to the way you want it. I have basic makeup available at the studio for women and men, base to cover blemishes and powder to cut down shininess. I also keep two makeup artists on retainer and can have either available at a shoot. Both are great with either men or women. The makeup artist requires you pay an additional fee, which varies (from $60 to $150, depending on which stylist is available). This fees ise due to the stylist at the time of the shoot.

The Shoot

Locations
In Indianapolis: I currently have a 330-square-foot studio in my home on the northeast side of Indianapolis. Weather and time permitting, I am open to shooting outdoors in urban, rural, or park settings. I'll even shoot in your home as I understand that sometimes being there can make you more comfortable.

In Chicago: I am open to shooting anywhere within the Chicago city limits, and can rent theater space for a "studio" setting.

Lighting
I work with both natural light and studio lights, depending on the specific requirements of the shoot. For headshots, I have a strong preference for using natural light because it creates a more flattering headshot. To that end, I strongly suggest scheduling headshot appointments during daylight hours. Regardless of the lighting during your shoot, I want you to be relaxed and believe that keeping the equipment needs to a minimum helps achieve that.

Time requirements
A typical photo shoot takes about 30 minutes for each look the client wants to capture. But I will spend as much time as necessary with each client. My shoots are casual, we'll talk a lot and I'll be taking photos of your natural expressions. We can take as many breaks as you like. My work is guaranteed. If you cannot find a great picture I will shoot you a second time at no extra charge.

Sitting fees
Here are the general rates that I charge for various photo sessions:

Models posing for my own fine art projects may qualify for reduced rates on other photography. The rate reduction depends on the individual circumstances and/or my ongoing art projects at the time. If you have any questions about my rates, don't hesitate to ask. I am negotiable in special circumstances.

What you'll get for your sitting fee
In addition to the time for the shoot, your sitting fee will include the following:

A pre-shoot consultation if you request one, either in studio or at a location of your choice.
A minimum of 100 images per look.
A private, online proof page of retoched images. These shots can also be used by you afterwards for online display, as long as SCOTT BARNES PHOTOGRAPHY is credited.
Your choice of one final image per look that will be retouched and sized to 8x10, ready for you to have printed for display or for your portfolio book.

You can purchase additional images for retouch for only $8 each. I can do the printing for you with an additional charge, but it's actually more cost effective for you to do that yourself as I'd recommend you go to the same printers that I use. You can also purchase a disk of all the shots (original and unedited) from your session for an extra $25.

A word about retouching
With the right lighting, makeup, and posing, my photos require very little editing. That said, I've seen other photographers completely ruin a perfectly good image by over-Photoshopping, and it's easy to recognize. I'll generally only do the following light retouching:

Brightening the whites of the eyes
Cleaning up loose hairs
Softening of lines
Smoothing of skin/reduction of pores
Whitening of teeth
Removing of blemishes
Changing color to black and white, or other toning
Softening of background
Cropping the overall image

The Final Details

Scheduling
I generally need no less than a week's notice to schedule a shoot (two weeks is ideal). But if you have an immediate need for your photos, don't hesitate to contact me and we'll see if I can get you in.

Rescheduling, or failure to cancel a shoot
I understand that things come up and sometimes you're going to have to cancel a shoot, and I am very flexible when a client communicates with me. But please note that failure to tell me you're not going to show up for a shoot will require you to pay a non-refundable $65 no-show charge before you rebook a future appointment(s). This applies to all clients. The $65 will be applied toward the cost of your rescheduled shoot, but will not be refunded if you cancel or don't show again.

Copyright
I own the copyright to all images that I create. As a model or subject, you are allowed to use the photos for marketing and personal purposes and make (and distribute) as many copies as you like, however you are expressly forbidden from selling any images taken by me, for any reason, without my written consent. These rights may be purchased, per image.