What do we wear?
For family sessions in a nature based setting – plain, light and non-patterned clothes tend to look best, generally these shoots are bright and airy so clothes that fit this setting are best.
For commercial portraiture attire is important, uniforms are often the best for most staff but management may want to consider more formal attire.
In any case, just ask me for advice if you would like to.
Should we do hair and makeup?
Not necessarily, obviously you should present yourself as you wish to be photographed – if cracking hair and make up is what you want then go for it, if you’re after a chilled, natural kind of shoot then prepare yourself accordingly.
As a general rule for women matte make-up always provides a good result as it helps eliminate shiny skin and evens skin tone. Keep makeup to a minimum and consider having it professionally done before the shoot.
As a general rule for men clean shaven or beardy is great, in between less so.
What do I need to do before our session?
Get everyone dressed and as wrinkle-free as possible before we meet. Make sure everyone is prepared for a one hour session and has been fed, watered, and napped if necessary (this includes husbands). I will take care of the rest, including managing children and pets while they’re on camera.
Can we bring our pet to the session?
Of course! Pets are an integral part of the family and I find that people are often more at ease when a pet is present.
Do I need to bring anything to our session?
Sometimes it is good to have something to occupy people (especially children) such as favourite toys, soccer balls etc, using props like these allow people to forget they are being photographed and create more natural looking images. Other than that bring yourselves and your smiles, if you are bringing your pet, bringing their favourite toy to get their attention would be great.
What kind of products do you offer?
I can supply a range of beautiful, Australian made products including folio boxes, canvases, framed or unframed prints, and albums. I can bring samples to check out on the day or at any time before or after the shoot, alternately you can view the full range of products on my Products page.
What do we get for our money?
You will receive both high resolution and email friendly images, archival quality prints are also available.
How many images can we expect from our session?
Between 30 and 40 of the highest quality images will be selected from the photos taken at the session, these will be the best of the best, including some funny shots of course.
I don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera and I’m worried about how I will look in the images.
This is far more common than people think, normally at least one person feels this way. If It helps I hate being photographed so I really know how you feel. The good thing is that this has really helped learn how to make people feel at ease and create beautiful, candid images or to help them bust out some model poses.
What if it’s raining on the day of our session?
If you want to continue your session on that same day, we will find an alternative location and make the pictures beautiful regardless of the weather. However, I am happy to reschedule for a sunnier day pending availability.
How long will the session last?
A session usually lasts an hour. I will meet you about 15 minutes before your session to say hi, meet the family, and ease everyone into the session. These shoots are not a matter of “clocking on” and constantly taking photos – it feels a bit unnatural so I tend to let everyone relax a bit whilst I shoot some candid shots before getting a few natural looking posed shots.
Can we reschedule if someone is sick on the day of our session?
Yes, of course. Please let me know as early as possible, we can reschedule according to availability.
How do we see our photographs?
Once edited I will upload your images to an online gallery for you to check out and download.
When will we receive our images/prints/albums from you?
Please allow up to 2 weeks for your online gallery to be available, most prints can be done a few days after you’ve made your choices, albums can take longer depending on the manufacturers workload.
Your portraits are an investment and an heirloom that will be done to a standard rather than a timeline.
I have some questions you haven’t answered.
Please feel free to get into contact with me via email or phone to ask any questions you may still have.
