F.A.Q.

I hope that this page is helpful in answering many of the most common questions that I receive.

What things should we consider when booking a session to be held on a beach?

• You will want to consider the age of the child(ren) to be photographed.  Many children 1 years old or younger spend the majority of the time at the beach looking down at the sand, playing with the sand and putting the sand in their eyes and mouth!  Children who are just learning to walk may want to get up and run and consequently fall on their front/face a lot!
• Water and Dirt. Everyone has the potential to get wet and/or dirty during a beach session.  Kids will be kids and that is what I want to capture the most, so if them getting dirty or wet is something you wouldn’t want, a beach session is not for you.
• Bugs. Many beaches have bugs or sand flees.  If you know the beach you are considering, check it out during dusk to see if this is an issue.  Often times bug spray will go a long way, however there are times when the bugs are just too annoying to deal with.
• Wind.  Most beaches are windy.  If anyone being photographed has long hair, this could be problematic with their hair flying either up in the air or in their face.  Sometimes people who are not used to their hair off their face also do not like how they look with their hair blowing off their face.  If hair cannot be tied back or pulled back, you may want to reconsider.
• Squinting.  While I try to schedule beach sessions during the least harsh light conditions, there are people who are very sensitive to direct sun and squint.  This is most common in people who have light colored eyes.  Also those who have deep set eyes tend to get shadow pockets in their eyes.
• Light. Because the beach is open (without shade most often), there is a limited time in which the light is not too harsh.  This time is 1-2 hours after sunrise (which is extremely early in the summer months) or 1-2 hours prior to sunset.  Check with the sunrise/sunset times for the date you are considering.  Consider if this time will conflict with your child’s schedule in any way.
• Beach Goers.  Unfortunately the beach is a very popular place to be in the summer.  Especially in the tourist areas of Cape Cod.  While I can shoot around them to a degree, there is the potential of having other blobs of people in the background.  You may want to notice what is the quietest time of the day at the beach you are considering.

If after reading all of that, you still question if the beach is the best choice for you, please do not hesitate to call or email and I would be happy to discuss it with you.

Where should we go for our outdoor session?

Often people look at the big picture too much when looking for a location for a session.  Look through my galleries and take notice just how much of the background you see in the images.  Most often it is very little and what is seen is blurred.

For newborn/baby sessions, I only need a very small area either inside your home or outside.

So, if you don’t have a park, beach, or other area in mind….consider a place that has some meaning to you or your family.  Your backyard, your home, a favorite ice cream shop, downtown, etc. etc.

Consider the unexpected.  Urban shots are a lot of fun with the use of colorful doorways, cobblestone sidewalks, fountains, brick walls, alleyways, etc.

What is the best time to book our session for?

Indoors:  It will depend a little bit on where the best light in your home is (or the indoor location) coupled with the best time of day for the children being photographed.

Outdoors–predominantly open shade:  The best time will be whatever the best time for the child(ren) is because with open shade, there is typically no time/light constraints.

Outdoors–predominantly open sun:  2 hours after sunrise or 2 hours prior to sunset.

Is there any types of sessions that you do not take?

Yes.  I do not photograph family reunion type of sessions that involve large groups.  I do not photograph extended family type of sessions.

I do not do formal, traditional studio type of sessions.

What do I need to know for our session that is held while we are vacationing in the area?

In the summer months, I receive a lot of bookings for sessions for families who are vacationing here.  With consideration to the fact that I cannot re-shoot a session with out of town clients, I will schedule a rain date for sessions that are to be held outdoors, so you may need to keep 2 days/times free instead of just one.

You will want to give your family a few days of settling in to vacation before having your session but you also don’t want to schedule it too close to the day you leave in case we need a rain date or some other issue arises.

I will NOT conduct a session with a sick child.  If your child becomes sick and will not be healthy again before you leave from your vacation, you will be issued a refund for your session fee.  You must contact me as soon as possible to cancel your session.  If I arrive to your session and your child is sick, I will not conduct the session and you will forfeit your session fee.

Is there anything special I should be sure to let you know of?

Yes!

• Is your child allergic to anything (grass, bugs, etc.)
• Does your child have any aversions such as bare feet on the grass or sand? Does your child have any fears?
• Does your child wear glasses? If so, are they non-glare? Are they transition lenses (changing to sunglasses in the sun)?  If your child wears transition lenses, you may want to consider that if the session is outdoors, they will have sunglasses on for all their pictures.

F.A.Q. regarding High School Senior Portraits

Q. Do you offer High School Senior portraits?
A. Of course!

Q.  Do you offer special “packages” for Seniors?
A. High School Senior sessions are commissioned at the same rate as other portrait sessions.  Those rates may be viewed on the website under “rates”.

Q. Do you charge more for more than one location?
A. No

Q. Do you charge more for multiple clothing changes?
A. No

Q. Do you charge less for studio only sessions?
A. No and I do not recommend studio only sessions

Q. My school has strict guidelines for the yearbook picture, can you accommodate?
A. In most cases, yes.  I do not have “drapes” which some High School’s require.  However, I can accommodate most other requirements.  Your selected image for your yearbook is complimentary (4 wallet prints) with your session.

Q. Do I have to have my Senior Portraits done by the school’s photographer?
A. In most cases, no.  Some schools do have a contract with a specific photographer for their yearbook pictures.  Typically this is to ensure consistency in all of the pictures.  However, that does not mean that you cannot go elsewhere for your Senior Portraits that you want to display in your home.

Q. Can my friend come with me to my session?
A. Yes! and I usually encourage it!

Q. How long will the session last?
A. A typical session will last approximately 1.5-2 hours.

Q. I do not see wallets listed on your price list, do you offer them?
A. Yes, a sheet of 8 wallets is 30.00.

Why don’t you offer Digital Files?

This has been a hot topic among many photographers.  It’s a hard business decision to make in “this day and age” of digital technology.

One of the main reasons that I do not offer digital files to my clients is because the life expectancy of CD’s and DVDs is largely unknown.  There have been reports of it being anywhere from 25-100 years IF the CD or DVD is kept in the optimal conditions.  However, the fact of the matter is that most people are not going to or even be able to keep their DVDs or CDs in the optimal conditions for 25-100 years!!

Of course a client can take the files and put them onto a hard drive or external hard drive for further protection, but again, these devices can and often do fail at a relatively young “age”.  Would the client then just keep transfering the files after a certain amount of years to ensure that the files are not lost, damaged, corrupt or lost?  What is the genuine likelihood of that?

The fact is, that many clients believe that they would like the digital files so that they have a permanent record of a session or because they have a false sense of security by having the files.  The truth is, the only true way of preserving the images is in printed format which has proven the “test of time”, if you will.

Look how fast technology has evoloved just over the past 10 or so years.  We used to record so much on VHS which has a very poor life expectancy.  Where are those tapes now?  I am not sure about you, but I video taped my middle son a lot because he was a baby when video cameras were “hot”.  I couldn’t tell you where those tapes are today, let alone the condition (readability) of them.  So, in a sense, that is completely “lost”.

And finally, I actually do offer high resolution digital files as well as low resolution (web and email only) digital files.  Available to all my clients.  Please inquire for pricing.

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