So you've booked your first session with me. YAY!

One of the most common things I get told when someone has booked a session with me, is "I have never done professional photos before so you will have to tell me what to do". Haha don't sweat it, that is literally why you hired me. So here is a little synapse of what to expect when you book a session with me!

1) You can ask me ANYTHING. No question is a bad question. Send me pictures of the outfits, I will help you decide what to wear, send me inspiration pics and poses you love!

2) But what will I wear?! Neutral colors are my jam lol! If you look through my images you will notice very bold, vibrant colors. Any neutral will be STUNNING with my editing style. Tans, browns, rusty orange... chefs kiss! Trying to decide how to dress your family? Find a patterned outfit, like a patterned dress for your little girl or a cute patterned shirt for your son. Coordinate the rest of your outfits to that dress/shirt, have each person wear hints of the same color or shades of the same color. Like I said above, if you aren't sure, send me pictures!

3) You will receive a questionnaire and a contract via email, please take the time to fill these out! (Contract must be filled out). I love getting to know you/your family better before our session. This is also important so I can prepare how to make the littles smile!

4) Speaking of littles. 80% of the time, your session will not go as you envisioned. Now, DO NOT let that scare you lol. Here is what I mean... Likely your toddler is going to be over taking pictures in 0.5 seconds haha. And that is perfectly normal and perfectly ok. I do not judge you, my toddler is a sh*t head sometimes, and is the epitome of a toddler who is not into taking pictures lol. Do not stress. Do not be embarrassed. I will, one way or another, get images that you will love.. Sometimes I can't get kids to smile, even with my best efforts, but that's real life. I will get images of you interacting, I will tell a story with the gallery you receive. Just breathe. Play with the kids, pretend I am not even there. I promise you, it will work out. But just know, I am not judging you nor will I make you feel judged if things don't go as "planned".

5) Posing. Yes, you will probably feel awkward at first lol. I always tell my clients "I know this pose feels awkward but I promise you the most awkward poses always turn out the best" lol! That being said, most of my "posing" is prompts, meaning you won't just be standing there frozen in front of me the entire time. Yes, I will get the classic "look at the camera and smile" poses, but I will also ask you to spin your girl like you are dancing, I will ask you to dance, I will ask you to hold hands and run or walk towards me, I will ask you to look at the family member who is the funniest. By the end of our session I promise you will leave feeling comfortable with me and leave having at least a few laughs!

6) If you have to reschedule- I am very flexible and understanding. Yes, I do require a non refundable retainer, but this can be put towards other sessions unless you no show. In which case, you will have to pay another retainer if I decide to book you again.

7) After our session, you will receive an online gallery where you can go through and pick all of the images you would like- and extra can be purchased if you wish! If there is something you don't like about your images, please reach out! If you want a black & white in color, or a color in black & white, I can do that no problem! If you want additional editing (such as skin smoothing, editing out acne, etc) I can also do that, but depending on the extent of editing, it may be an extra charge per image.

8) Editing. I do very basic skin retouching. I have always maintained the mentality that I want to make you feel comfortable in your own skin. I don't like editing out "double chins" or "making your stomach smaller". This just kind of goes against my morals and beliefs. As someone who has struggled with body image since my teens, it just doesn't sit right with me physically altering your appearance in an image. Everybody is beautiful and unique and I truly mean that! If you are wanting heavy photoshop and wanting to totally change your appearance in images, I am probably not the photographer for you!

9) Not sure where to take the pictures? I will ask you what you envision. Treed area, open field, industrial, at sunset... And then I will let you know of a few different places, and you can decide where! If you aren't sure, I will just tell you where to meet me. Especially when it comes to low light sessions, I have a vision, and usually I will just tell you where to meet me, trust me! Haha.

10) If you are unsure if we are a good fit or not, schedule a meet and greet! If you don't feel we are a good fit, I will not be offended. In fact, please ask me and I can give you some recommendations on other photographers!

Cool. Thanks for taking the time to read my first blog! Stay tuned for more random blogs :)

Xo

Amy