What to expect.
Preparing for your photo shoot.
BEFORE YOU BOOK:
Consultation: Don’t worry, I don’t bite! And I won’t push you to buy anything! I want to just chat with you, learn a little about you and what you want to get out of your session. That’s it! You can ask me any questions you’d like at this time and review the pricing guide to see what Collection is the right fit for you. We can conduct this over phone, zoom, email, or even in person.
Booking: When you’ve decided, just let me know! We will figure out the date, time, and location(s) at this point. At booking, you’ll also put down your session fee, which acts as my non-refundable retainer, and sign the session contract, which keeps us both protected.
BEFORE YOUR SESSION:
What do I wear?!
What you wear will depend on what kind of session you are wanting, but there are a few good rules to stick to when deciding outfit choices.
Find what you’re comfortable in. While we want to look our best, we also want to find clothes that are a good fit, let your personality shine, and that let us feel comfortable in front of the lens. Wear what you feel beautiful in!
When in doubt, go neutral. While I want your personality to shine, there are a few things that are usually best avoided—bright primary colors or neons are harder to edit, and graphic t-shirts (unless for a particular purpose) or anything that might look odd when cropped (as images will be at all angles—full body, legs and up, head and shoulders, close ups, etc).
Don’t feel like you have to match. Sometimes it’s easiest to pick one ‘for sure’ out fit and build around that. When you’re dressing several people, it can feel very complicated but it’s best to keep it simple and complimentary. Shades of one color work well, or find 2-3 complimentary colors.
What should I bring?
Whatever you’d like! Give me a heads up if there are any particular props or things you’d like included in the images so I can plan for how best to feature these items. I do have some select props but prefer to use what describes you best or the surrounding environment.
What if my kids don’t cooperate?
Sometimes, they don’t! But there are several things we can plan for to get the best results. Before a session, try to make sure they get the best sleep they can (I know, this might be a miracle but just keep it in mind!), and full tummies. If you think about it, our worst days as adults are usually due to sleep and hunger! And second, we want to approach the session with the right attitude. Kids under a certain age don’t really know how to give a good smile without a good reason. They NEED a reason to laugh—and that’s what we want our sessions to be about—having fun! For you and them. While we do spend some of the time smiling for the camera, we will also spend a lot of time with particular prompts that will help encourage genuine interactions among you.
If we absolutely don’t get one single image, we can definitely talk about rescheduling or alternative options. But all I need is a fraction of a second to catch a smile! :)
What if the weather doesn’t cooperate?
That’s okay too! We can discuss alternative settings—your home, an open business that welcomes photography, like a coffee or book shop, bowling alley, or an event site. I do have the portable studio lighting equipment available to do a wide variety of locations!
But, if your heart is set on the outdoors and we end up with a rainy day, we can simply reschedule.
AFTER YOUR SESSION:
How does it work afterward?
After we part ways, it can take up to two weeks or less to edit your session. I’ll send you a sneak peek as soon as possible! Once finished, I’ll uploaded your water-marked gallery for you to go through and you can make your final Collection decision. Once you’ve chosen your images, and paid, I’ll place your print order (which only takes about 2-3 days!) and upload your high resolution gallery for download.
You are free at that time to share your digital images on social media or with family, and I really appreciate it if you help get my name out along with your images. Word of mouth is the best way to get great new clients like you! As a courtesy, I appreciate if no filters are applied to my images when posting on Social Media.
I look forward to getting to know you and your family. Thank you so much for taking the time to check out me and my work!
