I've noticed that a lot of potential clients have had similar questions about photo sessions lately so I thought I'd start a blog post with some of the most frequently asked questions. (Literally cutting and pasting from client inquiries)
"There are many area photographers offering sessions at a similar price, but they don't include high-resolution images. You must buy prints from them at an additional cost and if you want high-res files, they're extremely costly. So, for pretty much the same price (if not cheaper) I can get the high-res images from you? What's the catch?"
I promise…there's no catch! I offer high-res images at a reasonable price because I think doing it any other way is outdated and unfair. I'm a mom too. If I were hiring someone to photograph my children, I would want the high-res files, period. I would want to share those images on social media with friends and family without a watermark. (Although it's always super nice when clients credit my work on social media…your recommendation is my best marketing tool.) I would also want the freedom of ordering photo products from whatever outlet I choose. And I feel that if I would want those things, it's only fair for you to want them too!
"I'm interested in booking a session but I have three young kids with very short attention spans and I'm worried we won't get a single good shot of all three kids smiling. What happens if we don't have any perfect images after the session?"
It's a very valid concern but I promise you, it's never happened! I'm very experienced in working with children and I fully expect short attention spans. I have many little tricks to make sessions fun for kids and to keep them engaged long enough to get great shots. Also, while I have no problem doing a classic portrait for you, I mostly shoot in a more casual, photojournalistic style. I'll stand back and capture your children in their natural element, which results in photographs with much more meaning than the typical "stand here and say cheese" style.
Still not convinced? I'm also a Certified Adobe Photoshop Expert. As crazy as it sounds, I very often piece together an image from several shots when I have multiple young kids who have trouble focusing. In fact, when I'm doing a session I always think in terms of post-production. If I know I have images I can piece together, I move on to the next pose/set-up. I'd rather piece together an image and keep kids happy and upbeat. Here's a great example of how I use Photoshop in a typical session:
I promise…there's no catch! I offer high-res images at a reasonable price because I think doing it any other way is outdated and unfair. I'm a mom too. If I were hiring someone to photograph my children, I would want the high-res files, period. I would want to share those images on social media with friends and family without a watermark. (Although it's always super nice when clients credit my work on social media…your recommendation is my best marketing tool.) I would also want the freedom of ordering photo products from whatever outlet I choose. And I feel that if I would want those things, it's only fair for you to want them too!
"I'm interested in booking a session but I have three young kids with very short attention spans and I'm worried we won't get a single good shot of all three kids smiling. What happens if we don't have any perfect images after the session?"
It's a very valid concern but I promise you, it's never happened! I'm very experienced in working with children and I fully expect short attention spans. I have many little tricks to make sessions fun for kids and to keep them engaged long enough to get great shots. Also, while I have no problem doing a classic portrait for you, I mostly shoot in a more casual, photojournalistic style. I'll stand back and capture your children in their natural element, which results in photographs with much more meaning than the typical "stand here and say cheese" style.
Still not convinced? I'm also a Certified Adobe Photoshop Expert. As crazy as it sounds, I very often piece together an image from several shots when I have multiple young kids who have trouble focusing. In fact, when I'm doing a session I always think in terms of post-production. If I know I have images I can piece together, I move on to the next pose/set-up. I'd rather piece together an image and keep kids happy and upbeat. Here's a great example of how I use Photoshop in a typical session:
"I follow you on Facebook and have noticed that you don't post previews of sessions on a regular basis. Why is that?"
There are many reasons. First, I don't always have time to upload previews, especially if my client would prefer I dedicate the time to getting their images done a little quicker. Also, sometimes clients will request that they purchase full rights to the images from me - this means that I will sign off all rights to use the images to promote my business as part of my portfolio. I have clients that (for a variety of reasons) want their images to be completely private and are willing to pay for that.
One other thing I've noticed happening is that even if you "like" a business page on Facebook, you won't always get all of the updates from that business in your news feed.
"I would prefer to order images and/or photo products from you. Can I do that?"
Absolutely! I have access to a professional print house and would be more than happy to take an order for you. My computer is calibrated so your prints will arrive 100% color-corrected. I also have a giant catalog of some pretty awesome photo products that I can go through if you're interested. Here are just a few of the things I can offer:
There are many reasons. First, I don't always have time to upload previews, especially if my client would prefer I dedicate the time to getting their images done a little quicker. Also, sometimes clients will request that they purchase full rights to the images from me - this means that I will sign off all rights to use the images to promote my business as part of my portfolio. I have clients that (for a variety of reasons) want their images to be completely private and are willing to pay for that.
One other thing I've noticed happening is that even if you "like" a business page on Facebook, you won't always get all of the updates from that business in your news feed.
"I would prefer to order images and/or photo products from you. Can I do that?"
Absolutely! I have access to a professional print house and would be more than happy to take an order for you. My computer is calibrated so your prints will arrive 100% color-corrected. I also have a giant catalog of some pretty awesome photo products that I can go through if you're interested. Here are just a few of the things I can offer:
More FAQs to come...
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