So you booked a session! Now, what?
Via email, we will discuss location selection, wardrobe selection, and answer any questions you may have.
I am excited to capture you and your loved ones. Lifestyle photography is unique and different from traditional posing. I feel that it truly captures you as your are and children’s personalities truly shine through their images. I aim to capture honest photos of your family and children. The goal is not get a stiff and posed shot with everyone looking at the camera, but to capture the true essence of your family.
What locations can we shoot my session at?
While Las Vegas doesn’t have too many options for professional photographers to shoot at, there are a few good options.
Due to the high price of permits for professional photographers, I do not shoot at Valley of Fire, Redrock, Calico Basin, or Neon Boneyard.
How long is my session?
For family sessions, roughly 45 minutes to an hour. High school senior sessions run from 1-2 hours, with outfit changes. I aim to be quick and keep the smooth flow going, especially with little ones. We will go through a variety of relaxed poses.
Do you edit pictures in black and white?
Yes! Your gallery of images will include color images, with various pictures edited in black and white.
What if I need to reschedule?
We are blessed with sunny days for most of the year. Overcast days can make a difference in lighting and editing of your pictures. Las Vegas can get some strong windy days which makes for a hard photo session. Please, if possible, let me know 24 hours before your session if something comes up; sickness, emergency, etc. Your non-refundable retainer can be transferred to another date. You will not need to sign a new contract.
Online documents to be signed:
A contract will need to be viewed and signed online for your session. Within the contract, is a model release which gives me permission to share your pictures online via my website, Instagram and Facebook business account. I never use full names when doing this. Some families may wish to not have pictures of their children shared online, and I completely respect that.
I also like to email a quick questionnaire for my families to fill out, either the Mom, Dad, or guardian to sign. Just some helpful info is needed to make the best session for you!
What do I do if my kids are unruly?
Don’t stress. Kids are kids, and sometimes they just do their thing. I completely understand. I am not looking to photograph the perfect posed portrait. I will be patient and we will go on their timeline. If they need to take a quick break and compose themselves, we definitely have time for that.
Sometimes, especially with little ones, kids just don’t want to do pictures. They just need to be held. I know that you may have spent hours getting hair, clothes, etc, ready for your shoot, but it is just fine to hold them for a picture. Breathe and let go. They just might need that extra love, and the picture turns out to be incredibly tender.
What should we wear?
Comfortable clothes that make you feel your best. Lighter colors will result in a softer, clean edit. Dark colors may create a color cast on your skin and will effect skin tones. Here is a blog post I created about this topic.
http://www.erinhatchphotography.com/blog-1/2022/7/20/neutral-clothes-for-photo-session-las-vegas-family-photographer
Don’t stress about clothing too much. It’s all about the connection. I’m a very visual person, so I created a Pinterest board to help you out!
Before your session
I will email you the week of your session to check in and see how you’re doing, and if you need help with anything. The remaining balance invoice will be emailed to you that week as well.
After your family session
Within two weeks or less after your session, you will receive an email with your gallery to view and download your pictures.
As soon as you download your images, I urge you to back them up asap either on an external hard drive, or an online source such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon Prime photos, etc. If you have a membership to Amazon, you have unlimited space for photo storage. It’s quite nice!
I will include some helpful information on the best places to print your pictures on your gallery email. As the photographer, I keep the copyright to all my images, but you have permission to use the images from your session for your personal printing use. Any editing or altering of images is prohibited. I do not release unedited pictures, as it does not reflect my style.