Wedding Advice & Photography

Two things we are confident in: Wedding Planning & photography. Van Elk & Co is made up of a team of photographers who love to create portraits of love & happiness and share advice for wedding couples.

This isn't your typical photography blog. We share useful info for couples who are getting married and those who are heading that direction. Let us show you pretty things while you fill your head with all things wedding planning.

August 2, 2022

FILED IN: Weddings

a woman hugs another woman from behind in front of bokeh during their lockerbie engagement session

A set of fairy lights twinkled softly on a small tree as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon. On the sidewalk in front of the tree, Danielle and Erin hugged and laughed. Because of the pandemic, these two moved their wedding ceremony with friends and family from the bay area to Indiana. I think […]

July 29, 2022

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman hug on top of star floor at bottom of circular stairs during their bottleworks engagement session

A set of circular stairs follows the wall in a foyer at Bottleworks Hotel. The room has beautiful stone walls with golden tones. Rob took Kristen by the hand and led her down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs, they danced in the circular room below. We love this beautiful Bottleworks engagement session […]

April 25, 2022

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman in front of beautiful graffiti mural on the Indy Canal during this downtown indy engagement session

This wonderful Indianapolis engagement with Sarah and Jeffrey went all over downtown. We started at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Monument Circle. After getting some shots around the monument and in front of the fountains, we headed down the cobblestone street toward the Indiana Statehouse. We hit the Statehouse grounds during golden hour and […]

September 10, 2020

FILED IN: Engagements

young couple dances in front of blue wall during their downtown indianapolis engagement photos

In downtown Indianapolis there’s a beautiful building across from the Indiana War Memorial that has brilliant blue, pink, and yellow walls. In front of the blue wall, I asked Kara and Nick to dance. Usually couples get together and slow dance when I give this prompt. But Kara and Nick took it up another notch. […]

August 21, 2020

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman kiss passionately in steam during white river park engagement session

Steam was venting out of a grate in the sidewalk. As we walked past the steam, Jon and Nicole stopped for a second to kiss. It was a magical moment and I’m so glad I was able to capture it during their White River Park engagement session. This engagement session was so much fun. It […]

August 7, 2020

Man and Woman sit in boat in one of the Best Indianapolis Engagement Photo Locations

Throughout Indianapolis, there are lots of hidden gems when it comes to portrait session locations. Whether it be the outdoors, with beautiful foliage, or an urban setting with colorful walls, it’s hard to go wrong in Indy. If you’re looking for a place to do your engagement session but don’t already have something in mind, […]

November 7, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman stand under wine club sign for their Louies Wine Dive engagement portraits

Big tungsten bulbs lit up a sign that read, “Wine Club” on the wall of Louie’s Wine Dive. Standing under the sign, and under a chandelier made of empty wine bottle, Ali and Eric stood with glasses in hand. They were sharing a drink at one of their favorite places in Indianapolis. I had so […]

October 3, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

man and woman sit under tree with two dogs for white river state park engagement picture

Amanda and Patrick’s engagement shoot at White River State Park had everything I love! They brought their dogs. There was an outfit change where they put on their formal wear. They also popped champagne and drank it in the park! But seriously, how cool is it to have clients that want to get some puppy […]

February 14, 2019

FILED IN: Engagements

woman in red dress kisses man in suit jacket on cheek during rain on sunny day during downtown indianapolis engagement session

The sky, free of clouds on the drive to downtown, had taken a turn for the worse. Dark clouds seemed to sprout out of nowhere and clog up the sky, blocking out the sun. Usually, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but I was meeting with a couple to do a downtown Indianapolis engagement session. […]

August 8, 2018

FILED IN: Engagements

a man and woman with black hair stand on the side of the reservoir hugging at their eagle creek engagement session

The cool water in the Eagle Creek reservoir rippled lightly from the force of a gentle breeze. These ripples distorted the rich red reflection of the leaves on the surface. On the edge of the reservoir, Gauri walked up behind Om and gently hugged him. Looking over his shoulder at his fiance, Om smiled during […]