Cancellation Policy

Your photography session means a lot to me.  I want to get you  plenty of high-quality images.  To do this, I reserve the space for you and often do some preparation and setup ahead of time .  When someone cancels at the last minute, there is often no way to find another client to fill that time slot, which greatly affects my week.

I typically work rain or shine.  Even though it's not always the type of weather you wanted, we can get some great shots in rain or snow!  In the case that the weather is truly dangerous (lightning storms, blizzards, hurricanes, etc.) – I will reach out to allow you to either reschedule or cancel the session free of charge.

Please make sure you are on time for your session. Often I have someone right after your shoot and can't extend your time.  I want you to have your full time so that we can make beautiful pictures together!

Sorry, I can’t do that; here’s why. When I finish your shoot, that’s when my work starts! For every hour I shoot, it takes approximately 30-40 minutes to download to my computer, then another 30-40 minutes to cull the photos (where I take a closeup look at each photo and eliminate the ones that are blurry, mid-blink, duplicated, etc), and then approximately 60-90 minutes to edit all the photos. Multiply this times several shoots in a day, and it all adds up.

To create a sneak peek, I need to stop my flow of work and look for and separate several photos, and edit those before resuming the rest of the gallery. It also makes it more difficult to get color and brightness consistency between the photos. This actually ends up taking me longer to get the gallery finished, so you will receive it later than you would have. My turnaround time is typically quicker than most, so it’s much more beneficial to let me get you your gallery as quickly as I can with the normal process.

That being said, if time is of the essence and you need the whole gallery sooner than my typical turnaround, you can get an expedited gallery for a fee, and I’ll have my team of editors help me get it to you quicker.

 If I still have the photos, I will do this, but there is a $50 reactivation fee.
 

I love the online gallery program I use, but it’s not free! It takes me time and money to be able to deliver and store your photos, even for a short period of time. This is why I have a deadline on photo downloads. 

I keep wedding galleries up for a year, and all other sessions for 60 days.  I also do my best to let people know about the deadlines.  In my gallery delivery email, I usually give the deadline, and also there are notices that go out prior to the expiration so that hopefully no one is caught offguard.

But once the gallery expires, there are extra steps I have to take to make the photos available to you again. Since I use a separate storage for my long-term archive, I have to spend time finding the particular gallery, then re-uploading the photos to create another gallery in order to make your photos available to you again. This takes time out of my workflow. It’s not unusual for me to have 5-10 people each week that want reactivation! If each one takes on average an hour or so to complete, you can see how much time this takes away from my editing and delivering current clients' galleries.

All the pricing is listed on my investment page.    However, I always say that the pricing listed here is a starting point in our discussion.  I pride myself on being affordable for every couple.  I like to talk over coffee or champagne, or a zoom call to talk about your budget and give you some general guidelines about my pricing strategy.  The rule of thumb for me is this:  If you value high quality photos and are willing to be transparent with me about what you can afford, I want to work with you!  If you love my work, I will make it happen. 

For weddings, I require 50% down and 50% a month before the event.  (This will all be listed in your contract). 

For all other photos (headshots, family, and business branding), I require 50% down as a non-refundable retainer, to hold your date, and the remaining 50% at the completion of your shoot.  I accept cash, personal checks, venmo, paypal,  Ca$hApp, and Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.   For more information please see our cancellation policy above and check out our investment page.  

I'm happy to discuss other payment options if you have budgetary considerations.

For wedding photos, expect at least three weeks for galleries and another three weeks for any retouched photos. These times are not a guarantee; each session is unique and may take more or less time. 

For all other (non-wedding) photos, your edited photos will typically be available one week after your shoot. These are not proofs, but fully finished photos.  Many people find that these images are great as they are, and no further retouching is needed. For those that do want additional retouching, you will choose the number of photos according to your package, and then you can expect an additional week for your photos to be ready, depending on the amount and scope of edits. 

For e-commerce product photos, allow 10 days for initial delivery of your gallery, and 10 days for delivery of photos if additional retouching is required.

If you have a deadline, please share that information at the time of booking to ensure we can meet your needs.  Additional charges may apply for faster turnaround. 

Guess what?  This is one of the most common worries I hear from my clients!  Once we start working, I will direct you and tell you exactly what to do - where to sit or stand, how to position your arms - everything.  So you can just relax and not have to think about a thing except having fun at your shoot!

To me, editing and retouching are two different things.   I do NOT send you proofs.  All photos you will receive in your gallery will have had complete editing, for things like brightening, cropping, white balancing, straightening, etc.  

Retouching, on the other hand, would be things like removing a blemish, smoothing skin or a stray hair, removing a street sign behind your head.  I will do some minor retouching in the course of editing your photos.

Major retouching, however, is time-consuming and may result in additional charges.  Therefore, I suggest making sure that everything is photo-ready before your shoot.  Your outfits have been thought out and are pressed and clean, hair is styled, shoes are shined.  If you need hair and makeup services, I offer that as well.

You can see a guide that explains all this in more detail here.

While Photoshop can work wonders, it can take hours to do what look like simple edits.  A better way to approach your photos is to make sure you, your hair, makeup, nails, and wardrobe all look just like you want when you arrive.

If you really want something changed afterward, I can often do some of that fine detail work.  However, major retouching is not included in your package and will mean  extra fees.  (See the Editing and Retouching tab).

When having professional photos taken you want to look authentic, confident, and beautiful. A key way to feel comfortable in front of the camera is to know you look like yourself, but also that you look flawless.

Maybe you are a natural beauty and never wear makeup.  Or maybe you may know great tips and techniques for your everyday makeup application already.  But makeup for the camera is very different. It actually requires more makeup and coverage than one would think to look “natural” on camera.  As an esthetician and makeup artist, I know how to best accentuate your features and what products/finishes you need in order to be camera ready.  

Men, we are talking to you, too!  A little concealer or powder can make quite a difference!

Makeup is also important because of retouching.  It is sad to me when people are unhappy with photos only because they feel they look washed out, or they don't like their hair or makeup.  I can correct some of this through editing, but it is time-consuming and will cost you a lot extra.  Just spend  the extra time and money on a hair and makeup session!

See why we recommend  adding a makeup session to your shoot!

I do hope to make you happy with your photos.  That being said, I highly suggest that before we schedule your shoot, you look at my galleries to see if you like my style.   It isn't always possible to duplicate a look you want.  And even if it is, it may take extra time to edit in a style I am not used to.  I'm not saying it can't be done, but let's talk about your expectations before we get started.

You absolutely do NOT need to look like a model, and I can work around anything about your appearance that you’re uncomfortable with. If you have something specific that you’re self-conscious about, (as well as anything about your body that you LOVE and want to focus on!) let’s chat about it so I can be aware of it as I shoot.  Often, the angles we shoot from will make you happy with your body!

Yes.  When you get your gallery, you will get all the information on how to order from my high quality lab or your own processing center.

It's just me, so I will personally be doing your photo session.  I do work with a network of second shooters, so in case you need additional coverage for your wedding or in case of emergency, I've still got you covered!

We take your privacy seriously.  To read our entire privacy policy,  click here.