Cook Studio · Georgetown, Kentucky
The pageant photography studio behind hundreds of competition wins. Medium format imagery crafted to command the judges' table.
We showed pageant directors and judges two versions of the same image. They didn't know which cost more. Every single one chose the same image. That image was our Competition Finish. When the people who score your competition choose one image over another, that matters.
Cook Studio · The Difference
With hundreds of contestants, the photos that win aren't just beautiful. They're strategic, polished, and impossible to forget. Pageant photography is all we do. We know what judges look for.
NAM, Amerifest, Miss Kentucky USA, Kentucky Festivals, Universal Miss, Crown Above. We know what wins in every system, and we build your images to match.
World-class pageant makeup artists handle your hair and makeup so you arrive and relax.
Review and choose your favorites immediately. One visit, fast turnaround.
We shoot on the same technology used in high-fashion advertising - not a Nikon, Sony, or Canon. The larger sensor captures skin tones and fine detail at a level that simply isn't possible with a standard camera. You'll see the difference the moment you see your proofs.
Cook Studio · What We Offer
Every detail is intentional. From lighting to pose to final retouching, we build images designed to win.
Strategically crafted images that command attention on the judges' table. Whether it is your first competition or your tenth, we build the image that gets you noticed.
Our pageant makeup artists create camera-ready looks that photograph beautifully. Arrive, relax, and feel pampered. We handle every detail so you feel picture-perfect.
Complete competition portfolios tailored to your pageant system's requirements. Multiple looks, styled wardrobe changes, and images that tell your story.
Cook Studio · The Record
Our clients don't just compete - they win. Across every major system, at every level of competition.
Where Our Clients Compete
Cook Studio · Our Work
Cook Studio · Simple & Seamless
From booking to receiving your finished images, we make every step effortless.
Call Michael to schedule. We'll discuss your competition schedule, your goals, and make sure we're the right fit.
Walk in and relax. Our makeup artists get you camera-ready while you enjoy the experience.
Review your images same-day with your family. Pick your favorites together. No waiting.
Get professionally retouched images delivered fast. Ready for competition.
Your Photographer
Second generation photographer with a family built around the industry. Michael brought his father into the pageant world - and together they built something bigger than a studio. His father develops technology used by pageant directors across the country, giving Cook Studio an insider perspective that goes beyond the camera.
Over 40 combined years of pageant expertise between Michael, his father, and their award-winning team. From posing direction to portfolio strategy, Michael works with clients and coaches to build competition portfolios that win.
Step in, have some freshly baked cookies, and let's build something that wins.
Cook Studio · Client Stories
Cook Studio · Traveling In
Pageant families cross the country for Cook Studio. Here's everything you need to make the trip, and the headshots worth it.
Why families nationwide fly to Kentucky, the systems we shoot, and the look that wins on the judges' table.
Explore →The anatomy of a winning headshot. Lighting, expression, styling, and retouching, from the studio behind 200+ photo wins a year.
Read the Guide →Airports, how the fly-in session day works, and hotels minutes from the studio.
Plan the Visit →
New · Summer 2026
One girl. Five looks. One day at the studio, styled head to toe, hair and makeup done for her, and photographed like a cover story. Every session ends the way a magazine does: with her own issue.
Read the IssueCook Studio · How It Works
You do not need a title, a sash, or a prize certificate to book with us. Anyone can call and get on the schedule. Plenty of our girls are shooting their very first headshots.
Your session is one on one. Sessions never overlap, so nobody else is in the studio while you shoot and there is no line out front. Bring up to three outfits and we will get through all of them.
Sessions start at $150. You will see your images the same day, and you pick the ones you want after you have seen them. There is no package to buy ahead of time.
Cook Studio · Questions
No. Anyone can call and get on the schedule. Plenty of our girls are shooting their very first headshots and have never competed before.
Sessions start at $150 and include up to three outfits. You pick your images after the shoot instead of buying a package ahead of time, so what you spend depends on how many finished images you want. Call and we will walk you through it.
No. Your session is one on one and by appointment only. Sessions never overlap, so nobody else is in the studio while you shoot and there is no line out front.
The same day. You review them with your family before you leave and pick your favorites together.
Yes. Professional pageant hair and makeup artists work on site, so you arrive and get ready here. Ask us about the options when you call.
Yes. Families fly in from around the country. Hair and makeup, the shoot, and choosing your images all happen in one visit. The studio is about thirty minutes from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, with several hotels close by.
Most likely. Our clients compete across National American Miss, Amerifest, Miss Kentucky USA, Miss America Presents, Miss Volunteer, International Junior Miss, Universal Miss, Crown Above, Miss Earth USA, Miss High School America and more. Different systems reward different looks, and we build your images to what yours is looking for.
Ready?
Pageant families come to us from around the country, and a lot of our girls are booking their very first headshots. No title needed. Call and we'll get you taken care of.
Book Your Session105 Montgomery Ave · Georgetown, Kentucky 40324