The Location
This session took place at Holliday Park in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is known as Indy's oldest park, donated just before the purchase of Turkey Run State Park (Marshall, IN) at the 1916 Centennial Celebration. The park is 94-acres and contains playgrounds, hiking trails, and the Holliday Park Ruins.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA | HOLLIDAY PARK | THE RUINS
HOLLIDAY PARK RUINS | COUPLE PHOTOGRAPHER | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
The Ruins
The building from which this piece of architecture is from was originally located in New York City. In the 1950s, the building was torn down to make room for a skyscraper. An outstanding sculptor of his time, Karl Bitter, had designed the building and the three massive statues, which can still be seen today (not pictured). The statues called "the Races of Man" are made out of Indiana limestone. While in New York City, the owner of the building held a competition of U.S. Cities in order to find a new home for the statues. Indianapolis was chosen the winner with its plans to display and preserve the sculptures. It took 20 years to remove the arboretum, that once stood in it's place, reconstruct this part of the building, and add a fountain.
COUPLES PHOTOGRAPHER | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
HOLLIDAY PARK | COUPLE PHOTOGRAPHY | INDIANA
COUPLES PHOTOGRAPHER
The Process
These two gave me complete creative control for their session. I got to choose the location, as well as style both of them. The dress choice was easy, as it was a new addition to the client closet and I had to use it. When deciding on a location, I knew I wanted to photograph somewhere new. When looking at central locations between myself and the couple, I stumbled upon Holliday Park and fell in love with the ruins. That evening, I took a drive to see the park in person. Upon arrival, I found the ruins to be even more beautiful in person as well as tall grassy areas, gorgeous trees, and even a flower patch. With all the different scenery options, I was convinced that this was the perfect location.
THE RUINS | COUPLES SESSION
FLOWER PATCH | HOLLIDAY PARK
KALIB + KAYLEN | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
COUPLE PHOTOGRAPHER | CHEYENNE MICHELLE PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC
The Couple
I sent pictures, specifically of the ruins, to Kaylen and she agreed that they should have their pictures taken there. A week and half later, she was attending a small concert and realized the area looked familiar. I received a text message from her that evening "Walked in and thought this place looked familiar! It's so PRETTY here" with pictures of the ruins to follow. She loved it and neither of us could wait for the day of their session.
HOLLIDAY PARK | WILD FLOWERS | COUPLE PHOTOGRAPHER
The Session
During the session, we're walking through the park, dancing, posing, and telling stories when Kalib says "You want to know something funny? Kaylen's dad helped put bricks back together!" He went on to tell about the building coming from New York as well as many other facts he'd been told from Kaylen's father. I was shocked to find out that I had randomly picked a location that had other significance to my client, than just another park for pictures.
