Client Lounge
Welcome!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for choosing me to photograph your memories. I know how valuable your time and investment are and I do not take this privilege lightly.
In order to be as prepared as possible for your upcoming session, please take a look at all the info below. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or your client portal. I can’t wait to work with you!
I am so excited to work with you. I truly believe that capturing our memories is incredibly important, especially as time goes by. My goal is to give you beautiful art that will capture you and your loved ones, exactly as you are, at this time in your life. Please read the below tips to help you best prepare for our session.
LOCATION: Your session will take place in the backyard at my home in Orchard Park, NY. The address will be emailed to you.
TIME: These session will be scheduled to start approximately 1 hour prior to sunset for the best outdoor light.
WHAT TO WEAR: Time for one of the most important questions - wardrobe selection! I know this is a worry that many families have. Here are my best recommendations based on years of experience!
Be comfortable. My number 1 recommendation. If you’re not comfortable, you’ll be worried about adjusting your clothes during the session. We don’t want this, we just want you to enjoy being with your family. Comfort is key for both adults and kids!
Be Yourself. Now isn’t the time to make a wild fashion change. You want your photos to reflect you and your family.
Choose coordinating colors, not matching.
Choose a base color and mix in some neutrals and a simple pattern or two if you’d like.
If you Google “family photo color schemes” there’s some ideas to help get you started.
I am always happy to help too - feel free to reach out!
Choose colors that reflect your aesthetic. The hope is for some of these photos to be displayed in your home - so think about what may look good hanging on your walls or displayed on your tables!
AVOID: Clothing with large logos or letters, bright/florescent colors (these can create unflattering color casts on skin), anything with tiny checkered or lined patterns as these create a weird, wavy effect in photos.
Don’t forget to think about your shoes!
Check out my BLOG POST for more info on what to wear and please feel free to contact me at any time. I am happy to help and offer suggestions.
Preparing for your session
Tips for your Kids
Adults, keep smiling: Rarely do things in life go exactly as planned and photo sessions with kids are no exception. It’s best to embrace this and go with the flow. Many times, the best photos happen when kids are just being themselves and the adults are looking on, smiling. Kids pretty much look cute no matter what, so if you keep your smile on, we’ll end up with beautiful images.
Prepare them ahead of time: Let your entire family know ahead of time what to expect. Tell your children that your family is going to have fun, explore, and be playful together while a photographer takes their photos. Let them know that we will be taking some photos while standing, sitting, and exploring. I find that preparing kids and even spouses ahead of time is very helpful so that everyone knows what to expect.
Hanger Management: Make sure your kids eat before the session and bring some favorite dry snacks (so it’s less likely to mess up their outfits).
Bring a special small toy or stuffed animal for comfort. Sometimes, these are a big help if a child is feeling nervous.
Most importantly, please don’t stress if your kids are running, playing and don’t want to smile. Kids can read their parents’ energy so easily and if you’re stressed about their behavior, they will pick up on it. My best advice is to allow them to just be themselves. Some of the best photos are of kids doing little things unique to them that we might otherwise not remember. This is what is important, even more so than everyone looking at the camera and smiling.
What to expect after your session
AFTER THE SESSION: After your session, I will get to work on editing your images and getting them up into your gallery. Once they're ready, I'll be in touch with the link to your online gallery. You will receive the link to your gallery about 2 weeks after your session. It will be hosted on my website for 1 month.
ONLINE GALLERY: Once you click the link to view your gallery, you will be able to access it for 48 hours. You can view it as many times as you’d like within the 48 hours. Once you purchase a collection, you’ll be able to view the full watermarked gallery for 30 days. When you download your images, the watermark will be removed.
DOWNLOADING YOUR FILES: You will have the ability to download your images directly from your online gallery. I recommend you then save 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.).
COPYRIGHTS: Once you've got your digital files in hand, you are free to print them when, where, and as often as you wish - you can use them to make holiday cards, share on your social media pages or personal blog, etc. The only things you can't do are related to the resale of your photos or use for commercial/business purposes. For instance, you wouldn't be able to enter one of the photos into a contest and win prize money for it. Otherwise, you've got free reign.
PRINTING YOUR IMAGES: I offer professional prints and products that can be printed directly through your gallery, so be sure to utilize that print credit! When you view your gallery, you will be able to see those options and have the ability to purchase additional items if you’d like.
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.com for online prints. Be sure to de-select any color correction options, and be sure to upload the original files you downloaded, not copies. The files you receive from me should allow you to print up to 20x30" at minimum.
You will receive a questionnaire for you to complete prior to your session. This really helps me to get to know your family a bit and I encourage you to be as thorough as possible.
Please let me know if you have additional questions! I can’t wait to work with you and your loved ones!