What time is our session?
Can I choose an afternoon session instead of sunset? My kids go to bed early/will be monsters.
Do you photograph extended families?
What happens if it rains?
What if my kids don't look at you and smile?
Can we bring our dog?
What if there is a heat wave or cold snap at the time of our session?
Can my husband or son wear their hats and sneakers?
Can we wear jeans? Plaid? Matching clothes?
Can I have all of my RAW images?
Can I download my PROOF gallery?
Can I have every single image you took during our session?
Will you edit me if I am unhappy with my body, makeup, hair, skin etc?
I don't like our outfits or the weather - can we re-do the session?
I want more images than what are included in the session I booked.
I'm not happy with my images - I want a refund.
I don't like how you edited my images - can you re-edit all of them?
My baby was awake/fussy during our session.
All outdoor sessions are done at sunset - within approximately an hour of the sun hitting the mountain. This will vary for each location and time of year. During the fall and winter, this can range from 3-5pm. During the spring and summer, the timeline ranges from 6-8:30pm. These times are approximate. Studio sessions will take place mid-morning during the sunny months and late morning to early afternoon during the colder months. The only outdoor sessions held midday are Motherhood and Maternity if we have explicitly chosen a harsh light, midday vibe.
The simple answer is no. The reason behind this is that afternoon (or midday) light is much harsher than sunset light. Shadows are deep and harder to work with. Sunset light offers soft golden dreamy light. Studio sessions are done during the day because the brighter light allows more brightness to come into my studio windows. The only time an outdoor session would be done before sunset, or "Golden Hour", is when we are shooting on a day that is very overcast - we would then meet a bit earlier as it will become darker quicker than it would on a sunny day.
If your kids usually go to bed before sunset (most do!), please adjust your schedule for the day. It is worth it. Add in an extra nap, or give a later than normal nap. I don't shy away from bribes either - feel free to bring some, just avoid sugar as they'll crash and burn quickly. If you want those golden hour images, you have to work with me for your littles. If they crash and snuggle you halfway through the session - roll with it! Some Maternity and Motherhood sessions can be done during midday using harsh light - but these will be discussed, and are not for family sessions.
I do, on occasion. My package for extended families is $699+GST. Your full gallery is included.
I will shoot in most weather! If it's pouring rain, I will reschedule. I could make a stormy, light rainy session work (kids love puddles right?) but I understand that most families will not want to be drenched or looking like drowned rats, and my camera and gear doesn't like it either. If the day is overcast or lightly raining off and on or storming in the distance, I will not reschedule. Wind will depend if it'll blow us away or not. If you choose to reschedule due to weather, I will allow one reschedule. After this, another retainer fee would need to be paid if you chose to reschedule a second time. Keep this in mind during those hard to predict seasons like spring and fall.
Good! That's perfect and how it should be. We will always get the traditional "look at the camera and smile" image. However the rest of the session will be focused on your family connection. The kids are fine to look at me, however I want Mom and Dad to keep focus on each other and your babies unless I ask you to look at my lens. Let your kids run wild and free. Pick them up. Twirl them. Kiss them and cuddle them. Dance with them. Smell their hair, rub their cheeks. Kiss your spouse. These are the types of moments I want to capture. This is where the magic lies. I want you to ENJOY this time with your family and ENJOY them. When you're "in it", the normal moments between you and your family come out.
Absolutely. However I do want your dog to be able to be off leash and roam as they please for the most part. So your pooch must have good recall. It will just stress you (and me) out if you are constantly yelling at your dog to come back or sit, or pulling on a leash. We will make sure we snuggle pup and love on them, but for the most part they will be in and around you, so they must be well behaved enough to roam.
These are things we cannot predict. Just like rain storms that fill our gutters in an instant. There won't be a penalty to reschedule if we are dealing with intense weather, cold or hot. We will make the judgement call together. However keep in mind that we live in an area that experiences four true seasons, so we WILL shoot when it's hot or cold at times! Dress for the weather! Bring water or gloves!
No, no, no. No hats (unless it's a cute fedora, cowboy hat, sunhat, or a bonnet for a baby) for anyone. Absolutely no other types of hats. I will ask that it be removed, and if they have hat hair, they will have hat hair in your photos. This is because they create a shadow on the face, and they can get in the way of snuggling.
Sneakers are also a no IF they are in rough shape or super colourful. They don't photograph aesthetically. Ever. I hate to be blunt, but you are paying a lot for memories, make those memories count. It's only an hour out of your day to take my suggestions on styling.
*Sometimes a backwards cap will work - but it HAS to be styled correctly!*
Jeans for Dad and boys are totally fine! But moms and girls, I suggest to wear something with movement (this is also part of my photography style that you're hiring me for). Step out of your everyday style for these photos. A long skirt or maxi dress are 100% my go to choices for mom. Denim rompers and overalls are totally fine for littles! As for plaid - if it is a very soft, sort of vintage small type plaid, you can totally add this in for one person in the crew to add some pattern to the style. But please, please avoid the chunky lumberjack or country type plaids! PLEASE DO NOT COME DRESSED MATCHING! Coordinate. Don't match. Compliment. Don't match. This is where my styling guide will come in handy. And you can ALWAYS ask me for help!
No, sorry. I keep the RAW images, b ut all clients receive edited JPEG images. RAWS and unedited images will not be given under any circumstances.
No. Your proof gallery is watermarked and unedited and is solely used for you to view which images you'd like to choose for your Mini session for me to edit.
No. I use my artistic ability and eye for my style and keep all images I deem worthy of being in your gallery. All other images are disposed of. Generally I am only disposing of poorly exposed images, out of focus images, missed focus images, closed eyes and duplicate images. So don't worry - you are not missing anything within your gallery. You may not have the images I don't choose to keep - they are immediately deleted.
This is a complex question. I do not - and will not - photoshop my clients to change your appearance - facial or body. I WILL automatically remove acne, blemishes, scrapes etc. Kiddo tattoos and colouring on their bodies - I will try my best to remove these automatically. I will not change your face or body shape or size. I cannot change the way your makeup or hair looks. If you have a rogue fly away hair, I'll remove that. But I can't change hair colour, style or direction etc. Dads with a little less on top - I cannot add more hair to your noggin (I have to remind my husband of this as well when he asks!). I pride myself on photographing my clients in the time of life they're currently in - and that includes the way your bodies look.
Sorry, but no. If you want to re-do because we have a cloudy day instead of a sunny sunset, I cannot simply do another session for you. You're welcome to book another session (and receive 10% off) but I cannot guarantee the weather on the new session date either. As for outfits - I cannot change this once you're at your session. It's your responsibility to make sure you like what you and your family members are wearing. I will not re-do a session if you're unhappy with clothing, makeup or hair etc. Again, you are welcome to book another session with a 10% discount.
Then you are welcome to purchase individual images for $29/each or upgrade to the full gallery. I will not give additional images within a mini just because you want them. Just like the rest of my clients - you can pay for upgrades.
First of all, let's chat about why. Is it something I did (or didn't do)? Or are you unhappy with something on your end? I am not in the habit of refunding clients (honestly I've never had to, and clients are very very rarely unhappy with their session/images). So let's talk it out before we go any further. My time is still worth payment regardless - if you worked an 8 hour job in an office but the boss didn't like the way you filed the papers and wanted to dock your pay - what would you say? Same same.
Honestly? The answer will likely be no. You have seen my work, and know what to expect for editing. I don't edit all of my sessions the same because not all sessions are the same. Even sessions in my studio are different every time due to lighting, skin tones and clothing colours. I edit each session with how I feel the session feels to me. And I will always stand by this.
That's life! For newborn sessions, it's adorable when baby is asleep, but I adapt to baby through the whole session. He/she is my boss and I do what they say! So if baby is asleep - great! If baby is awake - great! If baby is fussy - we feed, snuggle, rock etc as needed and get what shots we can. I may resort to swaddling in this case (I'm not a great swaddler - beware!). But in this case, we just do what we can. I've always been able to get a full gallery, even with fussy newborns. This is why I also include parents and siblings in newborn sessions - sometimes babe needs their people.
© Embrace Studios | Kelowna Maternity, Newborn & Family Photographer Serving Kelowna, BC and the Okanagan Valley