Fequently Asked Questions

We’re often asked some of these basic questions in email correspondence and unfortunately due to client & life commitments cannot always answer each person individually.  We hope this photographer FAQ (frequently asked questions) helps some of you.

WHAT DOES THE SESSION FEE COVER?
The Session Fee covers our time and talent during the session, post production work, your private online gallery, and your viewing/ordering session.

WHY PRINTS AND DIGITAL IMAGES ARE EXPENSIVE?
We have some clients asking us why photographers charge so much for prints or for digital files. The explanation is quite simple. When you go to let’s say HMV to buy record you don’t just pay for cost of producing the CD, DVD, cover, etc. You pay contribution to the artist, their hard work needed to produce something, that you will enjoy every time you play the record or watch a film. It takes great amount of talent, hard work, time and resources to create something unique. The same rule applies to the photographers.
When you buy a digital photo, or even a print, the bulk of the price is not for the cost of the CD or the paper the photo is printed on. Both of those are very small costs. You are paying for the years we spent learning and perfecting our photography craft, the way we know how to get your cranky baby to smile, the way we have learned to pose you so you look your best, the tens of thousands of pounds worth of camera bodies, lenses, lighting, backdrops and props in our studio, utilities, insurance, taxes, our computers and massive hard drives needed to store so many digital files, child care, marketing, continuing training and education, and so much more.
Consider that for every shoot in the studio, which, with us, lasts up to three hours, a photographer will spend around four or five more hours before and after the session, communicating with the client, preparing for the shoot, then after the session, sorting through all the shots, backing up the files, editing the images for the perfect crop, colour, saturation, removing imperfections, blogging the images or posting sneak peeks on Facebook; then, during the ordering process, creating a proof gallery and publishing it to the web, uploading orders to the print lab, packaging prints and shipping them to you. It’s A LOT of work! The session fee only compensates the photographer for a fraction of the work they do in creating your images. We depend on sales after the session for our income. It’s kind of like the waitress who gets paid less than minimum wage by her employer, but earns her living off tips. Her tip income depends on how well she does their job, and a photographer’s print sales are the same.
So, remember, you pay your photographer not just for the price of the paper your images are printed on, or the CD they are burned to, but for their artistic eye, creative heart, and the hours of their life spent making portraits that you will cherish until you are old and gray and bouncing great-grandkids on your knee. And they are worth much more than a £1 CD.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
We only use Nikon Professional equipment.

IF I BOOK A CHEAPER PACKAGE CAN I CHANGE MY MIND AND ADD ANYTHING ELSE?
Of course, we will provide anything you require.

WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR?
The clothing you wear will greatly impact your images. When dressing for the session it’s best to avoid plaids, busy patterns or any large logos, it detracts from the photographs focus, you! The ideal clothing is plain, classic and comfortable. Solid colors work best as do long sleeve shirts. Jewelery should be minimal, it’s best to avoid wearing watches. Group and family portraits are most pleasing when the colors compliment each other—color variations in clothing add interest without being overpowering.
Our only suggestion is that you avoid graphic patterns, such as checked shirts, clothes which are fussy or will look dated in a few years. Just avoid anything that has a strong contrast to it. Please have a look on our WHAT TO WEAR GUIDE

WHY SHOOT OUTSIDE?
Natural light photography is portrait photography with a difference. Instead of the confines of a studio, we use the real world as our backdrop. Whether it’s in a favourite park, on the beach or in a wood, we work with the natural surroundings and light to create refreshingly relaxed, informal portraits of you and your loved ones.

WHEN DO I GET MATERNITY PORTRAITS DONE?
We usually try to do maternity photos in the 3rd trimester.

HOW DO I SCHEDULE MY NEWBORN PHOTO SESSION?
The best time to schedule your newborn session is during your pregnancy. We will add your expected due date to our schedule. Just tell us your estimated due date and then we’ll block off some time around that. When that day arrives give us a call and we will finalize your session date. Because this magical stage of life passes in the blink of an eye, newborn portraits are captured during the first 14 days of life (and around 6-10 days of age is ideal) when they are most relaxed and sleep a majority of the time. Most of the newborns shown in our gallery are about 10 days old.
The most important thing is to book your session as soon as you can while you’re pregnant. Please don’t wait until your baby is born as our schedule fills up very quickly and we don’t want you to be left without newborn images.

WHAT HAPPENS IF MY CHILD IS ILL?
Life happens. If something should arise preventing you from making the session please contact us at least 24 hours in advance. If your child is ill then we can reschedule your session.

CAN YOU RETOUCH SCARS, WRINKLES, BLEMISH…?
Yes, and our clients love this extra service! We always review each photo and edit with software to enhance natural beauty.

WHAT IF IT RAINS ON THE DAY OF OUR PHOTO SHOOT?
Don’t worry about the weather! It is what makes your photos unique. If it’s OK with you, we love taking photographs in rain or snow as children always look really cute in their waterproofs, hats and scarves. They really do love splashing around in puddles and having a great time. Chunky scarves and colourful knitwear look wonderful in portrait photos.

ARE PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS INCLUDED IN THE PORTRAIT SESSION FEE?
We’re happy to include parents and grandparents in your photo session.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER OUR PHOTO SESSION IS COMPLETE?
Once the session is complete, our creative process continues as we hand pick each of the final images for your gallery.  After narrowing it down to the very best images (amount of images depending on the package you’ve chosen), we retouch and edit each individually, finding color in the most unexpected places and turning your photographs into unique pieces of art. The editing process takes approximately two weeks.

 WHAT IS THE ORDERING APPOINTMENT?
At the end of your session, we will schedule an ordering appointment to take place approximately three weeks after your session. Your proofs will be available in a private online preview gallery for five days prior to your ordering appointment. The ordering appointment gives you the opportunity to look at our product samples and ask any questions you may have. We are also there to help you make your selections. Payment is due at the time of the order.

PRODUCT COLOUR: We use the best professional labs for our products and produce photographic results as accurately as possible. Products and print colours may differ from what you view online due to client’s individual computer monitors. We cannot be held responsible for this.

CAN I MAKE  COPIES / SCAN MY PRINTS?
It is illegal (and not nice!) to reproduce professional photographs. Some people mistakenly think that it’s fine to copy a print once they have paid for it, or that copying is permissible if they don’t plan to sell the images. Both are false . Copying images without the artist’s permission is illegal. Scans create embarrassingly low-quality images that can unfairly harm our reputation.

DO YOU ARCHIVE SESSION FILES?
We archive your purchased images for one year. Images that are not ordered are purged from our system, in order to make room for new clients.

If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact us.