Family NEWBORN & LOVERS Session Information

STEP ONE: SCHEDULING YOUR SESSION

In order to reserve a date, you will sign some paperwork and pay a session deposit. Then, if we haven’t already, the easiest way to compare calendars is for you to email or call me with a few dates that wok for your family. I always try to be as flexible as possible and as you pull out your calendar, here are a few things to consider:

• Weekend dates are very popular and thus book out quite far in advance.

• Given the beautiful colours and temperate weather, spring and autumn are the busiest times of year for outdoor family photos. If you would 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 (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, etc.), be sure to book a date at least one month in advance of that date to ensure sufficient processing and printing time.

• Babies and young children are almost universally at their very best first thing in the morning, which just happens to also be a great time of day for beautiful light. If you have children under five years old and are wanting an outdoor location I encourage you to consider a session at or as close to sunrise as you can reasonably be ready.

• If you have older children or have one of those rare babies that doesn’t do mornings, the other time of day that gives us great light is late afternoon/early evening… Usually around 1.5 hours before sunset.

• For newborns under four weeks old I strongly recommend an in home session to allow as little disruption to the baby’s routine as possible.

STEP TWO: THE SESSION ITSELF

Once we’ve decided on a time and date and officially put your session on the books, I’ll send you a getting ready guide that will walk you through everything from choosing outfits to strategies for getting kids to cooperate. That guide has been created and refined over years of experience, so it typically answers 90% of the questions that come up, but I’m always happy to set up a time to chat if you want additional help.

A few days before our session is scheduled, I’ll reach out to confirm our time and location… at this point, if the forecast is questionable or someone seems to be coming down with the flu, we can talk about our rescheduling options. Otherwise, that’s the perfect time to ask any last minute questions or let me know if you’ve come up with a fun idea we haven’t discussed.

The day of the session, please block off 2-2.5 hours for the session. Typically we’re done within 90 minutes or so, but I don’t charge by the hour, so if there’s some kind of wardrobe malfunction or child meltdown, I like to stay flexible. If a parent has to leave for an important business meeting but the rest of the family is still available, that’s fine… just let me know ahead of time so I can focus on getting that parent in the frame more while they’re still available.

Finally, take a breath and relax… I promise to give the grown-ups (and kids) breaks throughout the session as needed, and to make it as painless as possible for everyone involved.

STEP THREE: THE FUN PART!

Within just a couple of weeks of your session, you’ll receive an email from me letting you know that your online gallery of photos is ready. After you have had a chance to scroll through them and share them with your family you can then start to decide on your final image choices and how you are going to spend your print credit.

The lab I work with has a beautiful range of products. Scroll down to view a small sample of the amazing products on offer. Once you have narrowed in a little on what you want to create then I can start to help you with design and costing.  Albums are a really lovely way to preserve all your images in one and I can create the layouts and send through proof versions for you to consider. The options really are endless so once you decide if it’s prints, an album or something for the walls then we can start to look at the finer details together. Alternatively you can simply pick and choose from the online store.