Frequently Asked Questions
I know that choosing a photographer for your family’s special moments can be a big decision, and i want to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible. Here you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions i receive from clients, including details about my services, pricing, and policies. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, please contact me directly. I’m always here to help!
Before you Book
What type of sessions do you offer & how would you describe your style?
I offer lifestyle photography services for family and motherhood portraits (this includes maternity and newborn sessions). I like to take a relaxed, and natural approach during my sessions. While I do pose my clients, I try to do so in a way that doesn’t feel too forced or non-genuine. As for my editing techniques, I love bright and well-lit photographs; full of color.
How do I book a session? Do you offer payment plans?
To begin the booking process, please contact me through the contact form on my website. I’ll reply within 1 business day! I’ll send over an informational video and scheduling link. Once you choose your date, I’ll respond with the booking proposal and invoice to finalize. (Bookings are not official, until contract is signed and invoice is paid!)
To finalize booking, you’ll pay a nonrefundable session fee to reserve your spot. This covers my time, talent, and session preparation. Collections start at $375 and are bought separately, allowing you to select your desired number of images after reviewing your session. Please note: The session fee is not applied to the cost of your collection.
I want you to be able to document these fleeting moments with your loved ones, which is why I also offer Afterpay and payment plans to help make it happen. Please let me know if this is something you’re interested in, and I’m happy to provide more info.
When should I book a session?
As soon as possible! As a busy mom along with small business owner, that means my schedule can often fill fast. Ideally, to allow time for thorough planning, no less than 8 weeks before your ideal session date!
Where will my session take place? Are there travel fees involved?
I am located in Bowie, MD and serve families from throughout the South/Central, Maryland area. We will work together to choose a location from a list of my preferred locations in the area including places like Kinder Farm Park, Patapsco State Park, and Beverly Triton Nature Park.
Locations that are not listed or have a drive time beyond 30 miles from my location will be subject to additional travel fees. (This is a nominal fee to allow for addt’l gas, driving, and scouting time)
*I AM NOT CURRENTLY OFFERING SESSIONS AT MEMORIAL/MONUMENT PARKS IN DC/VIRGINIA
What time will my session take place?
My outdoor sessions are scheduled for sunset, and occasionally sunrise. I do not shoot midday as it doesn’t align with my artistic preferences.
(I know in the spring and summer months, this is often past kids’ bedtimes. I want to reassure you, that with some minor adjustments, I find that young children almost always do very well; regardless of the later time. Don’t let this fear alone prevent you from booking.)
Can I reschedule if it’s cloudy or rains? If someone is sick?
Yes, sunset light is beautiful. But overcast skies provide lovely even light and can add a layer of emotion, too. What’s most important to me is that I highlight your family’s loving connections; I want that to be the focus in your images. I will of course prioritize the best weather for your session, as my schedule allows. I will not reschedule for humidity, cloudy skies, wind, or rain earlier in the day. I will reschedule if it is actively raining/storming during your session.
You can find my weather rescheduling policy, here.
Please reach out to me to reschedule if you or your kids are sick. As a mom as well, I want to prioritize my family’s health and protect my children from sickness too. Plus we don’t want to document y’all looking sick in your pictures. Take time to get better, and we will absolutely make up your session.
What if my kids refuse to smile or cooperate?
I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make the most of the time we have. A few proactive tips: be sure you’ve tried on clothing before the day of your session; do your best to ensure your kiddo gets enough sleep and is fed beforehand; and offer a special incentive once the shoot is over (go out for ice cream together!). I also highly recommend that you do your best to clear your schedule for the entire day; make your photoshoot the star!
However, don’t stress if your kiddos are a little shy or acting a little wild at the session. As a mom and former preschool teacher I have worked with so many children over the years and I have seen it all. We’ll follow their lead. So perhaps a shy kiddo gets extra snuggles, whereas the wild one gets more time to be active and explore. It’s all about who your family is in this very moment. I want you to embrace that.
Reschedule requests due to uncooperative participants will be honored at the discretion of the photographer. A reschedule fee may apply.
Do you ever host mini sessions?
I love spending time with my clients and providing galleries that highlight beautiful and emotional family moments. This happens much more naturally when we allow time and space for it during a full session. I do plan to offer very special mini session events a few times a year. I recommend signing up on my email list, so you can be first to know when these become available.
Can we bring our dog?
Sure! Dogs are always welcome as long as the location allows them. You’ll want to be sure they are groomed for the session, well behaved, and on a leash. Bring plenty of treats and a few chew toys, to be safe. *Consider if there is a way to safely tether them while we take different photo groupings.
Before you Book: Newborn
How are newborn sessions scheduled?
When you book, we will set a tentative date (just so you are scheduled and on my calendar) for your due date. Once your baby is home safe and sound, please contact me immediately to let me know the wonderful news. I will work closely with you to find a day and time that works for everyone. I aim for about 10-14 days after birth. Newborn sessions are typically scheduled for around 10 am, and last for about 2 hours.
How do I book a session? Do you offer payment plans?
To begin the booking process, please contact me through the contact form on my website. I’ll reply within 1 business day! I’ll send over an informational video and scheduling link. Once you choose your date, I’ll respond with the booking proposal and invoice to finalize. (Bookings are not official, until contract is signed and invoice is paid!)
To finalize booking, you’ll pay a nonrefundable session fee to reserve your spot. This covers my time, talent, and session preparation. Collections start at $375 and are bought separately, allowing you to select your desired number of images after reviewing your session. Please note: The session fee is not applied to the cost of your collection.
I want you to be able to document these fleeting moments with your loved ones, which is why I also offer Afterpay and payment plans to help make it happen. Please let me know if this is something you’re interested in, and I’m happy to provide more info.
My baby is a month old, is that too late?
Not at all! That’s the great thing about lifestyle sessions; it’s about documenting you and your newborn while you hold and cuddle with them. We can still use wraps and get some minimally posed images; we may just have to modify a bit; as older babies are transitioning away from that more sleepy stage.
Do you offer in-home newborn?
I do offer in-home newborn, but have found a studio to rent in Annapolis. I find I prefer a few things working in studio vs. in-home.
Primarily, working in studio means that I have more lighting control which lends itself to more consistency in the images I can deliver to clients. I want clients to have confidence and know what to expect when receiving a gallery from me. Additionally, this means you don’t have to worry about things like cleaning your home or rearranging things to work with the natural light in your space. Looking back on my own time post birth, I would have welcomed an opportunity to leave the house; maybe grab a coffee and interact with another adult without the expectation of playing host in my own home.
That said, I know there’s are lot of unexpected things that can come up post birth; which is why even though we are working in studio, we still have a lot of flexibility. There’s no rush to get in and get things done until you feel healed and ready to come in.
Where is the studio located?
I rent the Annapolis Studio; located in Annapolis, Maryland. You can find more information on their website.
What precautions do you take?
Having had the experience of having my own twin preemies; safety is always my number one concern. Along with working towards my safety certification from APNPI; I am also completing an in person mentorship focused on safe handling; along with pursuing additional newborn safety courses from industry experts. I am up to date on flu, TDAP, and Covid-19 vaccinations. I wash hands and wear a mask during sessions. All items are sanitized after sessions. While I work hard to consider and take every precaution I can, as their parent you remain ultimately responsible for your baby’s safety. I encourage you to ask questions, and feel comfortable enough to communicate with me regarding working with you and your baby during our session.
What expectations do you have for siblings in studio?
I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make the most of the time we have. A few proactive tips: be sure you’ve tried on clothing before the day of your session; do your best to ensure your kiddo gets enough sleep and is fed beforehand; bring an small activity to play with during down time (i.e. color wonder drawing or a tablet…save the tablet for the end); and offer a special incentive once the shoot is over (go out for ice cream together!). I also highly recommend that you do your best to clear your schedule for the entire day; make your photo session the star!
session prep
What should I wear?
Check out this blog post I wrote to help answer this very important question!
How does your styling process work?
I am building a client closet; currently featuring women’s gowns and accessories. After booking, fill out your styling questionnaire, and I will begin building styling boards for you. Then we’ll chat on zoom so I can help you finalize your outfit choice and fill in styling for your children and partner based upon their preferences. Clients who trust me to style them always love their photos and utilizing my assistance takes the stress off of trying to tackle the task all on your own. (If you choose a dress from my closet and are not local I have a changing tent I bring on location that makes changing into outfits so easy – plus you don’t have to sit in a dress for an extended car ride risking potential wrinkles/stains)
What can I expect during the session?
Bottom line, to love on your family and have fun!! We’ll start with the “cheese” and get those shots out of the way – then move on to poses that are full of snuggles, laughs, and connection. I want to document YOUR family’s unique story through my artistic photography style. This is why I incorporate a thorough questionnaire in my pre-session process…so I can plan my prompts and suggestions to your family to document moments that are most meaningful to you.
The best thing you can do to prepare; is to communicate with each member of your family the expectations – that we’re coming together to enjoy one another, appreciate the beauty of the natural environment, and showcase family connections…NOT trying to get that perfect looking at the camera image; but a perfect representation of the love you and your family share BETWEEN one another (not between you and my camera 😉). I want to show you how beautiful you are as a parent/partner and that requires letting your guard down and just being in the moment with your family. Trust me though, I know the feeling of being in front of the camera too – so I wont leave ya hanging! As the “creative director” of the session, I’ll be sure to set the “scene” so to speak- and keep your mind focused on the fun.
post session
Do you do sneak peeks?
I know from my own experience as a photography client how excited you are after your session and how motivated you are to see the images we got. I prioritize delivering the full gallery over sneak peeks for a few reasons. First, I prefer to focus on editing one gallery at a time. If I have to stop my editing process for one family and jump to edit photos for a sneak peek and then come back; this disrupts the flow and slows me down. I find that fully focusing on one gallery from start to finish actually accelerates the editing process and allows for more editing consistency within your gallery. Another reason comes down to perspective. Images that you prioritize that you love from your perspective; might be a little different than mine. I don’t want to deliver sneak peeks you feel just ok about; when I’ve caught plenty of amazing images that you’ll love!
I like to think of it a little bit like your birthday….one thing that enhances the excitement and joy of your birthday is that all the aspects of that experience are jam packed into one day. If you got a present here, and there, and did a little thing to celebrate here, and there….it’s not that there isn’t still excitement involved, but it’s not nearly as exciting as when it happens; all together on that one day. This is exactly why I love waiting to share all your images all together when I deliver your gallery…it really just enhances the WOW factor, and I think leads to a better experience, overall.
When will we see our images?
I deliver images within 30 days (but always prioritize sooner). The 30 day countdown begins the 1st business day after your session.
Do you edit in Black & White?
I include a complimentary set of black and white images with my final galleries.
What type of retouching do you do?
I edit out most non-permanent marks I find; such as minor bruises, scratches, blemishes, acne, etc. I do a touch of skin smoothing to enhance softness. I also minimize the appearance of under-eye circles but do try to keep facial retouching to a minimum so as not to erase the natural features of your face (lines, freckles, etc.) For newborns I will do the same with non-permanent marks, but I will not edit out anything related to the umbilical cord; and can only do so much about peeling on newborn hands/feet.
Anything that is preventable by the client; including, but not limited to, sunburn/suntan lines, extensive bruising, untidy hair/makeup, chipped or brightly colored nail polish, unclean face, dirty/creased/ill-fitting clothing, tattoos/henna, etc. will incur an additional processing fee if the adjustment is possible. I occasionally do some body-shaping if needed due to posing or lens distortion; but strictly cosmetic body contouring requests will not be honored.
What can I expect in terms how I’ll receive my images?
Your photo session images will be initially delivered to you in a soft proof gallery. This means you’ll receive a curated selection of lightly edited, watermarked images, allowing you to review and select your favorites for final delivery. Soft proofs are not the final images but rather a preview to facilitate your choice of the photos you love most before the final editing and delivery process. (Comprehensive editing, such as cropping, background corrections, skin-smoothing, blemish removal, and tone adjustments, will not have been completed yet). You will use this gallery to choose the images you’d like to keep and purchase your collection.
The soft proof gallery will be available to you for 1 week to make your final selection.
Once your collection is purchased, your chosen images will undergo thorough editing and retouching. Upon delivery, your gallery will be fully available for you to download your images.
How can I access my gallery and download my images?
Once your images are ready, I’ll be in touch with the link to your final gallery. Your gallery and print credit will be available for 30 days.
Once you’ve accessed your gallery, I encourage you to download your images right away. The process is simple: select the images and use the down arrow in the upper right corner of your gallery – click on that and the system will walk you through the download process. The images will download as a zip file, which you can double-click on to expand. I suggest you make a second copy of the expanded files, then save the two copies to two different locations – I generally recommend that one copy be saved to an easily accessible drive (either on your computer or on an external hard drive), and that the other get saved to the cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
How does my print credit work? Can I print photos on my own?
Your print credit is complementary; and a THANK YOU gift for choosing to work with me. It is available to use for 30 days after you purchase your collection. There is no requirement to utilize it OR purchase anything from my online store. While everything that I offer in my store is printed in professional labs and guaranteed to be beautiful, I also recognize that you may want to print your images yourself, and thanks to those digital files, you absolutely can! I recommend MPix for online prints and Artifact Uprising and Small Woods Home for things like books and wall art. Be sure to de-select any color correction options, and be sure to upload the original files you downloaded, not copies or screenshots. The files you receive from me should allow you to print up to 20×30″ at minimum.
With our Print License Agreement, you are free to print your digital images when, where, and as often as you wish – you can use them to make holiday cards, share on your social media pages, etc. The only things you can’t do are related to the resale of your photos, using images for commercial/business purposes, and editing or altering your images. For instance, if you authored a book, you’d need additional permission to use one of the photos on the dust jacket, and you wouldn’t be able to enter one of the photos into a contest and win prize money for it. If uploading to social media, ensure no filters or modifications like Facetune are applied. Otherwise, you’ve got free reign to do with them what you wish.
more
QUESTIONS?
Please contact me! I’d love to connect and answer any other questions you might have!
