The Portrait Experience

Our goal is to provide a relaxing and fun portrait experience for you. Sessions typically last less than one hour, but we always allow plenty of time for play, snacks, and getting to know one another. We're really interested in learning more about you, or your child, children, or family, because we've found that this helps us to capture the most natural expressions.

You are never rushed - often the best shots occur when everyone has forgotten about the camera and can truly be themselves. Photo shoots can take a short amount of time or as long as 90 minutes. We will not stop until we're confident that our artistic vision for your portraits has been captured.

What to Wear
Several changes of clothing during the session allow for a variety of looks. Solid color clothing is recommended as it keeps the focus on expression; avoid logos or busy patterns if possible.

If we are photographing families or groups of children, please have everyone dress in similar toned clothing for a more unified look. Bare feet photograph much better than shoes, and, of course, children find this more fun as well! Long sleeve shirts with scoop or V-necks tend to be most flattering.

Babies look wonderful in simple, one-piece outfits - or nothing at all. White cloth diapers or diaper covers are timeless and wonderful. Tank shirts look fantastic on little girls and white undershirts are great for little boys. If in doubt, bring several options, and we will choose when you get here.

We stock a few basic props for children, but use them minimally as to not distract from the natural expressions. Bring anything that is very special to your child such as blankets, books, or toys.

For Maternity sessions, please keep elastic waistbands off your belly for at least an hour before the session and avoid lotions and oils on your skin the day of the session. Elastic waistbands can leave marks, and lotions and oils reflect light on the skin and may leave a shiny residue in the photograph.

Session Preview
About 1 week after the photography session, we will meet again at the studio for a personalized proofing and ordering session. You will get to see the results of our work together in a custom slideshow presentation that beautifully showcases your portraits. These sessions are always fun, and sometimes, very emotional, too.

We will also look at the custom DVD presentation of your originals - many clients say this is their favorite part, as you get to see your portraits on a large screen. We will prepare a custom movie slideshow - just for you - that's set to music. Then, we will use specialized software to help you narrow down your favorites and take a look at different creative options.

Quality takes time so please allow 4-6 weeks for your final prints to be perfected for you.