As soon as you book a session with me I send you my Portrait Session Style Guide, filled with great tips, tricks and examples of what to wear for your session! Some general thoughts to keep in mind as you start planning are to wear something that makes you feel confident to be you! Clothes that fit your personality and body-type well will help you feel comfortable in front of the camera. Aim for classic, timeless and a touch dressier than your everyday go-to outfits. You want to be able to proudly display these photos in your home for years to come. Small choices can make a big difference! Start by choosing a color palette or scheme with a solid base color and then add in a little pop of variety. Don't have everyone wear the same exact shirt with blue jeans! Give each person a chance to shine within the parameters of congruency.

For a small portrait or maternity session, we want to maximize our 45 minutes together, so I suggest keeping it to one outfit. The all-inclusive session gives us a lot more time to play with, so if you’re hoping for two looks this would be the best fit for that!

This is dependent on which session you book! A mini session includes 10 images, a small portrait session includes 30, and an all-inclusive or newborn session includes the entire gallery (a minimum of 60). After our time together, I look through each and every image, sorting out ones where your eyes are closed, someone is sneezing, the lighting isn't right, etc. Your gallery contains the best of the best, with plenty to love!

We will discuss and decide upon a location together. Lots of factors go in to what I suggest, such as which type of session you’re booking, weather, how many people are involved, season of the year, etc. I am conveniently located in central Phoenix, giving us plenty of variety to choose from! We’ll stay within the greater Phoenix area for regular sessions, but I would love to go on adventures and explore new places with you for a small travel fee. Just ask!

The best time for beautiful light is within the first two hours after sunrise or before sunset!

We'll meet at our agreed-upon location in the valley, or I'll come join you in your home. We'll chat and get to know each other throughout our time together, and if you have little ones we'll do a lot of running around, silly faces and even play some games. My goal is to allow you to be your real selves, so interaction & conversation are both key for me and my style! I'll give you lots of direction & help with how to stand or position yourselves, and we'll be sure to get photos of everyone looking at the camera and smiling, but I really value leaving space for laughing & playing & being yourselves, too.

In a word - nope! Once I've sorted through all of the photos and narrowed it down to the very best, then I edit! My style of editing really just enhances exactly what's already in the photo - like lighting, natural colors and what my clients really look like. I don't do any major changes to the environment or people, such as: swapping heads, removing large objects, slimming body parts, erasing tattoos, etc. If there's something small that’s out of your control and/or isn't normally part of "who you are" (like a noticeable blemish), I'll do little touch-ups here and there, but I have no interest in making you look like someone you're not! Major edits can be outsourced to an editing company for a fee when requested.

It typically takes three weeks from start to finish for a one-hour session to be completed. Once all the photos are done, I upload them to an online gallery so you can share them with friends & family (if you wish).

Do I hope your kids are polite and listen well to direction? Sure! Do I want them so threatened to SMILE PRETTY and BE GOOD that they're dreading this time and not able to be themselves when you show up? Of course not! The best way to prepare your kids for a session with me is to tell them it's going to be so fun! We'll try to choose a time of day when they are naturally their happiest little selves (don't even think about taking pictures of me first thing in the morning and expecting me to smile). Bring them with full bellies, but feel free to have special treats on hand to help encourage listening well. And try your best to keep your expectations at kiddo level!

Plan to let me know as soon as baby is born! The best timeframe for newborn sessions is between 4 and 14 days old. That's when babies are their absolute sleepiest, and you're still on that newborn high. :). We'll choose a time of day when there is lots of natural light in your home. Newborns don't tend to have much of a schedule at this point, but plan on feeding your little one just before your session start time, so they start out full & sleepy and we can maximize our time together! There will be flexibility for stopping to feed and change baby during our session, too. Turn the temperature up a few degrees in your home so they are as cozy & comfy as possible, and have a few different swaddles picked out ahead of time. Oh, and send me your coffee order!