Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions:
- Where are you located?
Although I was based out of Morgan City for 4 years, I now live in Houma. I do still travel to the Morgan City area as well as New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
- Where should our session be held, do you have specific locations you travel to?
The main areas I work in are Morgan City and Houma but I often travel to New Orleans since that is where I am from. For Morgan City, there are a few parks and “green” places that I like to use as well as some beautiful fields I have scouted out but often I like to just wander around downtown, Front Street, etc. to find some interesting places. Its not unusual for me to choose a rusty old alleyway to shoot in!
- What should we wear for our session?
For newborn sessions, I typically shoot the babies au natural! If you have some hats, headbands or diaper covers that you’d like to use, go ahead and bring them along. I have plenty of my own, however, if you don’t have any. If you will be joining baby for some shots, I shoot these in black and white, so simple dark clothing is best. For babies and small children, its best to keep it simple and comfortable. Depending on what you are going for you can do bright and vibrant or soft and neutral. Just try to stay away from large logos, busy patterns or clothing that will “date” the photos. This goes for older children as well. Just try to keep them in clothes they are used to. Babies under a year old can also just bare it all and we’ll be careful to keep the “parts” nice and covered. Headbands, tutus, leg warmers and diaper covers are great for this age. If you are doing family portraits, again, try to stay classic and stay away from trends. Go for coordinating, not matching. White or black shirts with jeans makes everyone blend together, which isn’t want you want. You want each family member to be an individual and unique. When planning my own family portraits I usually find either a dress for myself or a dress for my daughter that I love and pull colors for the rest of the family from there!
- What are digital files and how can I use them?
Digital files are the high resolution files that I print from myself which you will get on a CD and have unlimited printing rights to. This does not mean you own the copyright; that still belongs to me. If you plan to use the photos commercially in any way, you must get permission from myself. But if you want to create prints, cards, books, etc. you are free to do so. I recommend using a reputable online lab such as MPix. Their prints are high quality and professional looking. High volume places such as Walmart or Walgreens are not consistent and will not give you the same quality photo. You are paying for these files, you should want them to look the best they can!
- What does the session fee include and does it apply to my prints?
As a professional photographer, I spend a lot of time driving to and from locations, setting up for various shoots and countless hours uploading, editing, copying, printing and packaging prints and files. The session fee covers all of this time as well as my professional eye and talent. The fee is not applied to your print order.
- What are collection prices and a la carte prices; what about a print credit?
One of the benefits of purchasing a collection instead of individual prints is that you get discounted pricing on prints. This allows you to get more for your money, so to speak. A la carte prices are the prices you pay when you choose to purchase your prints individually instead of in a collection. The print credit within a collection is the amount you have to purchase prints and products.
- Do you offer specific packages such as 1-8×10, 2-5x7s, etc?
No, I only offer collections with print prices because I don’t want you to feel limited or stuck in a package that you can’t really utilize. With this method, you can also mix and match as many different “poses” as you want, there are no limits on that either!
- Do you have a studio or office space?
I wish I did and there are plans for one in the near future. I used to have a studio / office in Morgan City but when we moved to Houma we closed it. I still have a 3 year old at home and don’t want to dedicate the time it would take to run a studio until she’s in school. For newborns and babies, however, I do have a studio set up that I use in my home. All other sessions must be done on location somewhere. As far as a meeting space, I am happy to come to you, wherever that is convenient!
- Do you take maternity portraits?
Maternity portraits are only offered within my Belly to Baby package. Maternity sessions are never very big “sellers” and so I combine the 2 so that you can have digital files from both maternity and newborn together.