Frequently Asked Questions...
+ HOW DO YOU HANDLE PAYMENT?
Everything is handled digitally. A non-refundable retainer of 50% is required to secure & hold your session date. The remaining amount is due one week prior to your session.
Once you are booked in, you will receive a text with reminders awaiting your session. An email will be sent with access to your exclusive client guides. These include:
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A Florida Guide of favorite restaurants, adventures, and beaches to help you plan your adventures!
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A complete 'What to Wear' guide to help you select the best outfits for your session.
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A guide that goes over what you can expect before, during and after your session.
+ I LOVE YOUR WORK BUT IT IS A LITTLE BIT OUT OF MY PRICE RANGE...
Ask us about payment plans!
You can start by putting down as little as $250 to hold your session date and space out your payments in a way that is comfortable for you. As long as your session fee is covered before your session date, we would be more than happy to work with you on spacing out your payments in a way that works best for your family and finances.
+ WHAT TIME DO SESSIONS TAKE PLACE? - WHAT ABOUT KIDS BEDTIME SCHEDULES?
Sessions take place exclusively at sunrise or sunset in order to get the best possible light. Harsh shadows and very hot weather are a recipe for photoshoot disaster so by scheduling only at sunrise or sunset, we are better able to guarantee quality images like what you see in our galleries. I understand that for some families the limited session times might mean a one-time adjustment in your child's schedule, but we assure you it will be worth it in order to achieve images that look like what you see in our galleries!
Sunrise Sessions start at sunrise and you can expect empty beaches, calm waters, and softer pastel colors. If you are booking a session towards the beginning of your visit, sunrises may be perfect as you adjust to the time change. You can easily check the start time of a sunrise session by doing an internet search of ‘sunrise + date’.
Sunset Sessions start 1-hour before the sun sets and on sunny days you can expect warm, vivid colors, ocean waves, and more location choices. If you want those images with the golden sun setting right over the water, sunset is what you’re looking for.
+ WHAT SHOULD I WEAR TO MY SESSION?
Upon booking you will receive an email with you exclusive "what to wear guide" that will give you key tips and pointers to outfits for you and your family to wear. I recommend to stay away from neon colors, logos, stripes or plaid. Find something true to you and what you feel comfortable, yet fabulous in. Additionally you can always send me pictures and request my feedback!
I am here to help you, here are some guides:
+ HOW DO YOU DELIVER FINAL IMAGES?
I meet with you in person to give you a better look and feel with my sample wall art, prints, albums, and more before placing any product orders of your photos within your gallery.
I do offer ZOOM call reveals if you are out of state so, don't worry. You will utilize your $50.00 print credit for booking with me within your reveal.
+ DO I GET TO SEE ALL OF THE FINAL IMAGES FROM MY SESSION?
I deliver the best of the best from your session. We remove any images with closed eyes, strange faces, improper lighting, etc..... Not all shots come out as planned and my job as the professional is to deliver a stunning final gallery that tells stories and has you all looking your absolute finest!
You can expect to see about 45 image per hour or more. Every session is different so I cannot say exactly how many, but averagely my galleries are from 45-75 images. All images will be seen within your reveal!
Each image in your gallery is individually edited and optimized to match the work you see in my online portfolio. This editing includes color correction, removing people from backgrounds when possible, and optimizing exposer and contrast properly.
+ WHO SELECTS THE FINAL IMAGES WITHIN MY PACKAGE? - HOW DOES THAT WORK?
Great question! You absolutely get to choose your final images, along with any extras you might want to purchase beyond that. When we meet for your reveal or have your online ZOOM call (I will share my screen) you will be able to favorite the images and we view them and then we can go back and decided which package is best for you and what you have selected. There is never a rush for reveals!
+ CAN I GET THE RAW FILES? OR CAN I SEE THEM?
No. It is my policy not to deliver or sell the raw, unedited image files. As these files are unfinished products, they are not an accurate representation of my work or brand. Raw files require special software to open and edit and take time to process and convert into a beautiful final product.
+ WHEN DO I GET TO SEE MY GALLERY?
I am committed to delivering the highest quality final product to you, which takes a little time. Every final image that you see in your gallery is individually edited. The standard editing time is 2 weeks. During the busy seasons (Thanksgiving through New Year and May through August), editing time is 3 weeks.
If you need your gallery right away for Thank You cards, holiday cards, or a special announcement, let us know right away, and we can advise whether this is possible or not. A rush fee of $350 is applied to these requests.
+ WHEN THE WEATHER IS BAD WHAT DO WE DO? - CAN I RESHEDULE?
Cancellation or rescheduling due to weather conditions is at the photographers' discretion. But we’re ready to shoot, rain or shine!
In the unlikely event that the weather does not cooperate we'll work to find a time to reschedule your session during your trip. Best case scenario is finding a backup location (hopefully at a nearby beach!) where it is not raining and meeting there, but we would make those plans on the day of your session if the weather is not looking good. Leave a little wiggle room in your schedule on the day of your session if it looks like rain so we can be flexible with our plans. If we are unable to find a time to reschedule with your original photographer, another associate photographer may be assigned to you. However, if we cannot find a time in your schedule or one of our photographers’ schedules before you leave the island, you will receive a full refund!
Heavy rain is unusual, every now and then we will get overcast skies but that actually makes the sunset pictures look even better!
+ WHAT IF I AM RUNNING LATE TO MY SESSION?
First, please text or email me right away.
Please do your best to be on time for your session. Your session is scheduled according to light. Once the sun is down and gone, the session is over regardless of start time.
I suggest arriving early and even having a drink or bite to eat nearby so you don’t begin your experience in a rushed or frazzled state of mind.
If you arrive late for your session, any time that has passed beyond the original start time is forfeited, and we will still shoot for the remainder of the time that is booked. Additionally, the number of photos delivered may be adjusted to reflect the actual time spent together.
+ WHAT IF MY KIDS DON'T COOPERATE?
I know we don't always get families on their best days. Firstly, please don’t put unfair expectations on them. They are just kids. Moreso, they are meeting a stranger in a strange location, and expecting them to stand still and smile nicely for 60 minutes is setting yourself up for disappointment.
There is a lot you can do as parents to set children up for success beforehand. Ensure they are well fed. Ask them to help decide what they'd like to wear so they feel included and comfortable. Bring some "bribe snacks" as an emergency backup in case a tantrum happens.
In the end, we'll be doing lots of snuggling and laughing and playing. I try to keep sessions low stress and easy and if a little one doesn’t want to pose, we simply go with the flow and let them lead. This happens all the time and I am trained in how to still get beautiful images even when kids do not want to cooperate. We'll do our best!
+ CAN YOU PHOTOSHOP ME?
First, you should know that every image you see on my site is classically edited. This means enhancing the colors of photos, removing distractions such as people and objects from the background of your images, and fixing little things like that scratch that baby got on his face just before the shoot. I do small touch ups to things that are less then 30 days (acne, scraps, bruises. etc). I do not airbrush or 'nip and tuck', wrap or liquify any subjects. I also don’t do high detail editing such as removing bags under eyes, wrinkles around eyes or mouth, whitening teeth, intense skin smoothing, etc (unless requested). I believe in capturing authenticity, not perfectionism. If you typically use FaceTune, Instagram, or TikTok filters that alter your appearance and are hoping for that same type of editing of your images, I are not the best fit for you. If you are interested in these services for a small handful of your final images after receiving your final gallery, we assess those requests on an individual photo basis and the starting costs for such edits are $75 p/image.
+ I SAW THESE CUTE PICTURES ON PINTREST, CAN WE DO THEM?
Here's a secret: those Pinterest dream images you’re envying… those families didn’t plan them exactly that way. We can't plan for spontaneous moments. If you feel strongly about some ideas, tell your photographer beforehand. But you may find that when you see these in your final gallery they will feel forced and out of place with the rest of your images.
The photos you'll cherish the most will be the ones where you are engaged as a family and genuinely loving each other. And then who knows! Someone may be pinning one of your magical family pictures in the future!