Portrait session reminders
I started writing a fb post about these little reminders {that I seem to type up every fall}, and then I realized, I can just write a blog post and include this link to all my clients.
Brilliant.
So here it is.
Session only goes on the calendar once a retainer + contract are received. I do not email people to remind them to fill this out, as I have 20+ emails a day come through already. Which means if you forget to do one of these steps, the date never makes it onto my calendar. Insert a million sad faces here.
Please please email me becky@stonekingphotography.com with inquiries, questions about your session, etc. I am bad at texting {number one worst}, very bad at fb messaging {never check it}, and forget about instagram messages {for weeks}. I check my email 100 times a day, and I wish I was joking. Also, please be mindful of business hours; M-F 9-3pm. That means if you message me in the evening or on a weekend, please know I may not get back to you until the following business hours.
OUTFITS are one of the most important part of the session {connection is being most}. And I'm not even the slightest kidding. Now, if you are just looking for updated portraits of your family and kids and aren't picky whatsoever in that regard, what you wear won't matter as much, however, if you look at my images that I post and love what you see, I highly encourage focusing on your outfits to really make your family pop. In this regard, I always say to stick with earthy neutrals, different textures, layering, etc. Check out my Pinterest board to see what looks great together:
Client closet: This is available to my full session clients free of charge {small fee for mini sessions} and is always growing. Here is the link: https://www.pinterest.com/stonekingphoto/client-closet/
Location. I will always choose the location that we shoot at which is always a nature area in Hamilton county unless I have told you otherwise. I send this information out {as well as time of session} 1-2 days before as things can change and I love for us to check in with one another before our session.
Timing; time will always be in the evening and if you are the full session of the night, you will start 45 minutes-1 hr before sunset, and minis {depending how many} start before that.
Late is late. In fact, showing up on time= late. Your time given to you is when the first photo should be taken. Late= less photos. Plan for traffic and needing to get out of the car to fix kiddos hair or outfits and then walking to where I am at. For a mini session, a 20 minute mini cannot have you be late 5-10 minutes. That is half the images that you won't receive because I cannot run over with others scheduled after your session. Fall is crazy as it is, please plan to arrive 10-20 minutes early.
Session reschedules only take place due to rain/extreme weather conditions. A little wind or a little chill in the air or clouds in the sky will not mean a reschedule.
Family illness/emergency waived. Things happen, and I completely understand. A second retainer will be required to book a new session {will come off the total}, and if the second session is cancelled, client will be required to pay an additional $100 fee {that is not part of the session fee} to reschedule. Please note if requesting a reschedule in the fall mean that you may have to reschedule to a less than optimal time for your family's schedule {morning on a Monday, etc}.
Don't yell or criticize. I am guilty of this with my own family/husband. Photos stress me out. But from my own experience, anytime this happens the mood completely shifts and it's harder to get kiddos to smile. Let me do all the work in getting all the magic, just sit back and enjoy your beautiful family.
After the session, please remember that turn around is contracted 3-4 weeks, but on average, take about 7-14 days. In the fall, it will be closer to the 3 weeks mark, which is the longest it has ever taken me to get a gallery back. Sneak peeks will be random and not promised.
Your gallery will be delivered via pixieset. An email will come through directly from them and your gallery will stay up for 30 days. Please remember to download your images to at least 4 spots as I do not guarantee your gallery after it has been deleted. In the even that I do have your gallery available, there will be a fee to upload it back up.
Black and whites are a little extra perk. I do not make every image in bw and not every image that is bw is in color. If you do not have one in color it's because it was only suitable in bw or there is a near duplicate in the gallery. If a conversion is requested, please note there may be a fee to do so.
Filters. Please don't apply a filter to your images {you can, I'm not one to hunt people down about it}, but it just looks bad. Like really bad. Part of the art of photography is that your images are edited in a way that is tasteful and compliment your skin tones best.
Print your photos. All the money spent on outfits and session and planning…. don't let your photos sit on the computer!! Print print print print!! Mpix is one of my favorite places for clients.
I know this may be information overload, but I know a lot of people don't open up the portrait guide I email over so this is another way for me to stress the *little* details that can really help {I think}.
At the end of the day, rules are meant to broken right {EXCEPT being late, haha}, and I want you to go into this having fun and enjoying the moment so that I can capture your family in a real, raw, type of way.
Also I know everyone is all about that fall look, but for real, winter is where it's at with the dead look, cooler temperatures, and soooo much more flexibility in getting that perfect evening.
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