The Portrait Experience | Your Questions Answered
How much does a FAMILY portrait session cost?
I believe in being totally upfront and transparent about cost, with no surprises.
A family portrait experience costs £75 for a weekday session. Your session fee includes your pre-session consultation, your photo shoot and your viewing & ordering online gallery, delivered to you around 7 business days from your shoot day.
Your session fee does not include any products. These are selected and purchased separately via your viewing and ordering online gallery and you can read more about this over the next few pages.
Are there any prints included in my session FEE?
Your session fee includes your pre-session consultation, your photo shoot and your post-shoot viewing & ordering online gallery. Any products you which to choose, to showcase your photography are purchased separately, via your gallery, in the comfort of your own home.
ON WHICH DAYS CAN I BOOK A PORTRAIT SESSION?
Your family portrait session can be held at any time, Monday to Friday. Depending on the time of the year, I will advise the best times to run the session, on enquiry. This takes into consideration things like the weather, the light and other factors that come with certain seasons.
We can only make weekends - is this ok?
Like you, I have a young family who I just adore spending my weekends with. As they’re now in school my time with them is limited and so I choose to dedicate this precious time to them and so only book sessions Monday to Friday.
To help with this, I encourage you to think about your shoot like any other weekday appointment and arrange a few hours off work. After all, documenting your family's legacy is a special occasion!
During the summer months, an after school session is possible due to the lighter evenings. The light can be really gorgeous at this time of the day and this is one of my favourite times to run sessions.
During the rest of the year, my shoots must take place earlier in the day, in order to maximise the available light.
I only want digital images to print myself - do you offer this?
Absolutely! In fact all my digital portrait packages include high-resolution digital files. It just depends on how many you would like to invest in. All purchased digital images come complete with a full personal usage license which gives you permission to share, print and post as you wish!
Packages including digital images are available to buy in sets of 5, 10 or the whole set (approx. 20) and are not available to be purchased as single files.
What is more, for every digital file purchased, you will also receive a beautiful 5” x 7” gift print of the same photograph and so you really do receive the best of both worlds.
How much can I expect to spend on my products?
It really depends on how you decide to showcase your photography. My clients spend anything from £400 to £2500+ and beyond (session fee + products).
For products, there is a minimum spend of £325 (The Classic Collection - Digital Portrait Package).
A detailed product and price guide is available on enquiry, so you can get a true understanding of the gorgeous wall art displays you can get for your investment.
Why are you more expensive than other photographers?
This is something that sometimes comes up, but it's not so much about me being more expensive, I'm just offering something very different. Let me walk you through.
Your Unique Story - Would you like your photography to reflect your family? Your family is so different to every other family so of course, your images should reflect this! This is why I love to shoot on location. My clients want to move away from the white studio backgrounds that they get from their school photography session and instead head to the beach, the park, their garden space - the possibilities are endless. Your family is unique so lets go to the places that make you uniquely you.
Walls To Wow - If you're reading this, I'm pretty certain that you love and appreciate great photography. And I've also got a hunch that you also love to display your photography proudly and stylishly. Maybe you have an eye for this already, however, many of my clients come to me for help with this. I specialise in professional-grade printed photography, that will add the wow factor to your home. I have curated some of the very best suppliers in the industry and they’re ready to create your new art pieces.
Commitment to Service - From the moment you book, to your pre-session consultation, to your shoot, to the delivery of your online viewing & ordering session and finally to your bespoke product design and delivery, I am there for you every step of the way. Making sure that you have the very best experience possible. I am committed to providing you not only great photography and art pieces for your home, but also the highest standard of client service.
What is a pre-session consultation?
Your pre-session consultation is a phone call with myself. This will be arranged for a convenient day and time so that you can chat for around 15-20mins. This can also happen over Skype or FaceTime if you prefer.
During this call I like to find out more about you, your family and what you would really love to achieve from our time together. I love it when families share as much as they can about their individual personalities, so I can assist in making these shine in your photography. I will also help you decide where you would like your photographs taken and what you are all going to wear.
By the end of the call you will be really excited about your shoot, fully prepared and ready to have some fun!
Do you only work outdoors?
Most of my clients come to me for location based shoots. However, I do also run family sessions in the home too (where space allows) which works well, particularly when there are young babies in the family. If this is something that appeals to you, this can be discussed on your consultation call.
Do you do newborn posing or cake smash shoots?
Newborn posing, where the baby is asleep in various different poses, sometimes with props is a very specialist genre. Although I appreciate this kind of photography, it is not the way I like to capture babies. My personal approach is much more natural. I like to capture young families in a more relaxed manner. If this is more your thing, then great! If not, I would be happy to recommend some fantastic newborn posing specialists in the area.
What if the weather is bad?
Wouldn't it be amazing if we could all have beautiful weather on demand? If the weather isn't on our side and you are happy with indoor images, we could run the session in your home.
However, most of my clients have their hearts set on the outdoor locations close to them, that have been discussed at their consultation. As long as it's dry we can head out. If it is cold, we can dress appropriately. However, any heavy rain, high winds or fog would mean that we would need to reschedule.
I will always keep an eye on the forecast in the run up to your session. If it is looking like the weather is going to be lousy, I'll be in touch the day before to discuss our options.
Where will we go for our shoot?
During our pre-session consultation, we will discuss the ideal location for our time together. This could be a beach, a field, a park or indeed somewhere else that is special to those you love. I can also recommend some great locations nearby if you would like some ideas.
Can we go further afield?
The majority of my sessions are in the Ipswich area, where there are many great locations close by that I love to use. However, if you have your heart set on a location further afield, I would be more than happy to discuss this with you. For locations beyond 10miles from IP1, additional travel is charged at 45p per mile.
We don’t live locally. Can you travel to us for our shoot?
For clients that live far away, I usually ask that you travel to me. However if this is not possible for any reason, I am open to discussing the options with you.
What if my children misbehave?
They more than likely will, a little! Please don't worry about this. Believe me, I know what it's like. With two small children of my own, I know what its like when it all goes pear-shaped when you're with company. So if it does happen, let me run with it. I'll often turn it into a game and before you know it they'll be back to being your little darlings again!
As a parent I know its really hard to take a step back and bite your tongue in these situations, but it is harder to run the session when the parents are angry with the kids and so let me take the pressure off you and we'll just go with the flow.
Do you retouch the photographs?
Editing each selected image is all part of the service, in order to make the images really shine. However, most clients do not even notice as it is always my goal to make things as natural as possible.
How many images will you show us?
I aim to present you the best 25+ images from our time together. These selected images are hand-finished and processed before being delivered to you via your online viewing and ordering gallery.
Why can’t I see all the images TAKEN from our session?
It just wouldn't be helpful. For every great shot, there will be plenty of blinks, strange facial expressions and other shots that are just not pleasing. I only want to show you the very best and ask that you put your trust in me to achieve this.
I only want one photograph taken - can you do this?
During the session, I will take lots of photographs of everyone, in lots of different ways. Often the best images come in the last part of the shoot when everyone is fully relaxed and having the best time and so taking one photograph just wouldn't be giving you the best experience.
I am very camera shy. Can you just take photos of the kids?
If this is what you would like, then no problem. I love it when parents are part of the session but it doesn't always happen.
I just ask that you think carefully about it. Maybe you feel that you aren't photogenic, but remember your children don't care about any of these things and more importantly, photographs with their parents will be one of the most important things they cherish in the future. Do you wish you had more photos with your parents?
How long after our session will our images be ready?
I know that you will be really excited to see your photography and this is why I always aim for a quick turnaround. Your photos will be ready for you to view within 7 business days.
How do we view our images?
Within 7 business days of your session date, I will send you an email with a link to your personal online viewing and ordering gallery. Here you can view all the presented photographs from our time together and then make your selections for your purchases. Purchases can be made by either BACS or debit/credit card.
On delivery of your gallery, my digital packages are available for 48hrs at a special reduced rate. After this time, the prices return to my usual rates. Please check out the pricing page for full details.
Can I pay in instalments?
As all orders are personalised products, all purchases need to be made in full, at the time of booking.
How will WE decide on outfits?
I can help with this too. We will have a great discussion about outfits during your pre-session consultation. The main thing is that your clothes choices are true to who you are. If you are outdoorsy people who love being in the countryside in your wellies and jeans, lets go for that! Or maybe you love style and co-ordinating your colours. Whatever your preference, just let me know and we can discuss this in more details during your call.
Can I share the cost and invite extended family along?
Of course! Lots of my clients arrange a session with the wider family and it can be a great excuse for a get together! I will ensure that we capture all the individual family groups within the wider family as well as some fantastic individual portraits too. The booking will always be made with one person only, (you - the lead person from your session) and all post shoot purchases will be dealt with in the same way.
How do we book?
If by now, you have decided to go ahead and book your family in for a session, thats such great news! All you need to do is get in touch and I will do the rest. Just click the button below.
So don't put it off any longer! Get in touch today and let's start planning your session. I'm really looking forward to meeting you all.