1. SCHEDULING A PHOTO SESSION WITH ME
To save your date, I’ll have you sign a few papers and pay a session fee of $199 — We’ll compare schedules over email or you can call/text me with a few dates that work for you. When we’ve found a date that works, booking is 100% online and takes as little as a few minutes.
As you pull out your calendar, here are a few things to consider:
- Weekend [Friday-Sunday] dates are limited and popular, and it’s a $50 fee in addition to the session fee and choice of collections. Those who work regular business hours typically schedule sunrise sessions or late afternoon sunset times to work in a weekday session.
- Given the beautiful colors and temperate weather, Spring and Fall are the busiest times of year for outdoor photos. If you’d like a session during one of those times (ESPECIALLY if you want a weekend spot), please get in touch as soon as possible!
- If you have a particular date or holiday by which you need prints or gifts by (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.), be sure to book a date at least 1 – 2 months in advance of that date to ensure sufficient processing and printing time.
- Mornings almost universally allow for the most energy in photos, which just so happens to be a great time of day for beautiful light. If you have children under five years old, I encourage you to consider a session at or as close to sunrise as you can reasonably be ready.
- Otherwise, late afternoon/early-evening [usually around 1.5 hours before sunset] OR city-lit night sessions and colorfully lit sessions in my studio are your next best options…
- Weather can bring beauty a photo, but I understand the downsides to be photographed in the pouring rain or freezing snow. We can reschedule sessions for inclement weather OR have a plan b in place to use my little studio OR your home as a backdrop location for indoor or semi-indoor sessions.
2. Doing The Photo Session
When our session time and date are officially saved, I’ll send the prep guide that walks you through everything from choosing outfits to strategies for getting others to cooperate. Over years of experience, my guide typically answers 90% of questions that come up, with that in mind, I’m always happy to set up a time to chat more.
A few days before our session is scheduled, I’ll reach out to confirm our time and location… at that point, if the forecast is questionable or someone’s sick, we can discuss a reschedule. Otherwise, that’s the time to chime in with last-minute questions or fun photo ideas yet discussed.
On photo day, block off 2 – 3 hours [3 – 4 hours for newborns or difficult locations.] Typically, we’re done within 90 minutes, but I don’t charge by the hour, so if there’s some kind of wardrobe malfunction or child meltdown, I’m flexible. If something comes up and you’re on a time crunch, let me know ahead of time so we can move efficiently.
Finally, take a breath and relax… time for taking breaks is built in [to warm up, snack, change, stretch, laugh.] I wholeheartedly encourage eating, hydrating, dancing a little and/or sharing a celebratory drink before your session to loosen up and get hyped for photo-time.
3. Seeing Your Photos
Within a month of your session, you’ll receive an email from me letting you know that your photos are ready — at that point, they will be edited and your slideshow will be waiting for you to hit play. Once you’ve had a chance to see them and marvel for a bit, you’ll let me know which collection you want to purchase. After that, you’ll have a full month to select the specific digital files and print items you want to use to fill that collection…it really feels like opening gifts early!
4. Choosing Your Photo Collection
Decide how you want to use and display your photos — What is the point of a photo session if not to share and display them? — Now is the time to consider whether you want to download all of your photos to use after your gallery expires, or if you’d rather extend your time to access the gallery. You will have the option to sign up for the online backup plan, for continued access to share your gallery with guests; print, and view the digital photos for as long as you want. It’s the best option to print frequently for holiday gifts and can be added to any collection.
Think about how many photos you actually want to print and how – if you want to print something on the pricier side, like a photo book or album, you’ll definitely want to choose the collections with more print credits now to save on the cost and time it takes to go elsewhere, later.
Compare The Photo Collections Below:
BASIC COLLECTION: $580 | STANDARD COLLECTION: $760 | PREMIUM COLLECTION: $936 |
|---|---|---|
> Pre-session consult > Session prep guide > Your choice of 10 high-resolution digital files with print release > $75 gift print-credit toward your choice of anything in the gallery store: prints, frames, albums, additional digital files, etc. | > Pre-session consult > Session prep guide > Your choice of 25 high-resolution digital files with print release > $230 gift print-credit toward your choice of anything in the gallery store: prints, frames, albums, additional digital files, etc. | > Pre-session consult > Session prep guide > A complete set of high-resolution digital files with print release > $460 gift print-credit toward your choice of anything in the gallery store: prints, frames, albums, additional digital files, etc. |
5. Printing Photos In Your Gallery
What to do with your photos is perhaps the most important aspect to consider when planning a photo session, but it’s all too often the aspect that’s overlooked… all that time and money invested deserves a better return than photos gathering dust on a hard drive somewhere. You’ll never get the same feeling looking at your photos on a screen as you will seeing them on your wall or flipping through the pages of an album, so I include a substantial print credit with every collection.
Below is a sample of some of the print items to choose from:
CALENDARS:
Beautifully designed, yearly calendars; starting from any month. Printed on rich, matte paper with high-quality ink; the smooth tones and true-to-life colors will certainly make your day any time of the year. Available in a variety of sizes and arrive ready to hang.
6×9 / $66
8×10 / $96
11×14 / $176
PROFESSIONAL LAB PRINTS:
Your favorite images are professionally printed on recycled matte photo paper with archival inks and your choice of finish. These full bleed prints are available in a variety of sizes and are perfect for framing and giving as special gifts.
8 wallets / $13
8×10 / $12
11×14 / $24
MATTED-FRAMED PRINTS:
Modern, box-style hardwood frames come pre-matted, & ready to hang. A stunning photographic print on semi-gloss, fine-art paper that comes with a front sheet of acrylic for added protection. Frames come in your choice of white, black, walnut, natural, and barn wood.
10×10″ / $280
11×14″ / $284
20×24″ / $548
LAY FLAT PHOTO-ALBUMS:
Glamorously printed on high-quality photo paper with thick, sturdy pages that truly lay flat. With self-customizable layouts, sleek design, and your choice of covers, the photo-album options are limitless.
8×8″ / $1740
10×10″ / $1964
12×12” / $2192
