Frequently Asked Questions
What locations do you serve?
In short, I serve most of Northeast Kansas! My operation is based in the little town of Eskridge, which makes it a GREAT location—because I am almost smack dab in the middle of Topeka, Manhattan and Emporia! Which is a wonderful place to be. But does that mean you’ll be traveling far for me? No! Definitely not. I am used to this commute and I love to see the Kansas countryside! It also means I’m open and knowledgeable about a huge range of locations. In addition to these locations, I also provide photography services as far as Lawrence and Kansas City, and I am totally open to discussing additional locations if you are wondering about your own. Feel free to ask!
How would you describe your style?
My sessions involve a mixture of both posed and prompted images. This means I will guide you into a comfortable yet photogenic position, and provide a few directions to encourage family interactions that result in genuine laughs and sweet smiles—in you and your kids! What I love best about this style is that it focuses on your real interaction with your family, and not cheesy jokes from me (though I’ve got plenty of those too! lol) This authentic interaction will translate into images that are truly special to you for years to come.
What’s the best time for a session?
I don’t like to be restricted by the time of day! For this reason, I do use flash photography in my sessions to fix lighting situations or even just enhance what’s available. However, there are times of day that allow for a softer, more flattering light, such early morning, and late afternoon/evening. For that golden touch of light, sunrise and the hour just before sunset are best. I can help guide your choice toward what works best for your family schedule and the ambient light.
What happens if it rains?
We will watch the weather closely! As they say, in Kansas—if you don’t like the weather, wait 30 minutes! If we find that it doesn’t clear up in time, we will reschedule the session to better weather, or we can try to arrange an indoor session at a creative location or in your home! While I know some people are willing to have a rainy day session, even my rugged Fuji can’t handle a full on downpour and rainy days can provide some very dreary light. Now if it snows—that might just make for the most fun, memorable session ever!
What do you do to protect my images?
During all my sessions, I work with multiple cameras, lenses, batteries, and SD cards. In fact, each camera uses 2 SD cards and records to each simultaneously, so even if my SD card corrupted, I automatically have a back up. Once I return home, I upload the images to my computer immediately (and keep them on the SD card), as well as on 2 external hard drives.
How long does it take to get our images?
Return on your digital proof gallery is 2 weeks or less from the time of your session, at which time you’ll have 1 week to choose your images and/or final product. Once the order is place, delivery is 1-2 days from completion of the lab processing. For weddings, due to the volume of images and editing involved, return of digital images can take 2 to 12 weeks. However, we do our best to include a sneak peak within 24-72 hours of your beautiful wedding day so you can share your day as soon as possible.
Do you use flash?
Yes! Flash is a great way to create consistency and enhance any lighting situation. We may use it for the entire session, half or none at all, just depending on all the factors involved. A common misconception is that flash can hurt your eyes or be too bright, but I use lots of modifiers and use the lowest light necessary—you might not even notice it! And the result is a gorgeous photo that is unrivaled.
What happens if my kids don’t cooperate?
I love kids! I love wild and rowdy kids! lol After 8 years of running my own home daycare, as well as having 4 wild things of my own, I am well versed in kid convos and I’ve worked with all varieties—shy, stubborn, grumpy, and the energizer bunny. Kids aren’t really uncooperative—they just don’t generally smile for no reason at all—especially when someone tells them to stop playing! So we’ll do everything we can to showcase your kiddos’ beautiful personalities, no matter what comes. Before we start each session, I let kiddos take the time to warm up to me, explore the environment and even check out my equipment. And then our focus will be more on interacting with you—their parents!—the people who know them best, and make all their memories better.
If we absolutely just can’t get a single image out of a session, I have no problem rescheduling for a day or time that’s better, and trying again.