WHAT TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY DO YOU OFFER?

I am known for beautiful portraits of women, but I also photograph men, business head-shots, professional branding images(where I bring equipment to your place of business and take photographs showing your work), and small families.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

Clients come from all over Idaho as well as travel in from all over the US and beyond!  I have a beautiful studio in Burley, Idaho.  The address is 113 East Main Street, and you can reach it from either direction easily, as it is at the main intersection in the center of town!  There is parking in front of the building or around the corner.

DO YOU TRAVEL?

Yes and no.  I will travel a certain distance for business or corporate head-shot sessions for offices, but I do not travel for portrait sessions.  It is impossible, as I have loads of equipment and backdrops and props which would take a bus to load up and days to set up—if I could find a studio with the amount of space and ceiling height needed!  So travelling for portrait sessions isn’t feasible. That said, it’s always fun to take a little getaway for your portrait session anyway, so plan on getting a hotel or AirBnB if you are from out of town and take a day away to relax and have an experience that you will remember for the rest of your life at my beautiful studio here in Burley!

I also do dream shoots in amazing outdoor locations in Europe. If you would like more information on that, please reach out!

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD I SCHEDULE?

As soon as possible!  I am sometimes booked out months in advance, but if there is a particular deadline, please let me know and we will try to make it work.

HOW LONG WILL THE PORTRAIT SESSION TAKE?

If you just want business head-shots, plan to take about an hour.  Most women go for the portrait experience, however, which starts at 10am with hair and makeup for about an hour, then we take photographs for a couple of hours, then have lunch together, then photograph some more.  This experience includes 5-6 outfit changes and multiple backdrops. We are usually done by 3pm.

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR MY PHOTO SHOOT?

I know it can seem overwhelming at the start, but I promise that I’ve got you and will guide you through the process.  Be excited, but please don’t overthink or become anxious.  Once you have gone through the booking process and are on the calendar, you will receive both digitally and in the mail a beautiful welcome packet that will explain everything to you. I am extremely thrilled to offer a memorable experience to my clients, so the process is well thought out, and you will be well informed and guided through everything—including all instructions and some homework!

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

This is probably the most asked question!  The welcome packet explains exactly how to prepare for your session and includes a wardrobe guide as well.  Since my style is timeless, chances are you have things in your closet that will work just fine—although if you love to shop, you may certainly use your portrait session as an excuse for some retail therapy!  A couple of weeks before your session we will meet either in person (preferably at your home) or via Zoom where we will go through wardrobe options and decided exactly what you should bring or perhaps shop for.  I also have a studio wardrobe of gowns and accessories which you are welcome to use, if you’d like.  For the portrait experience, we will do 5-6 different looks, and I will guide you every step of the way.

WILL WE PLAN THE SESSION TOGETHER?

I love the collaborative process of these types of sessions, so yes!  When we meet for the wardrobe consultation, we’ll also talk about how you would like to be photographed.  If you are inspired by anything you see online or in magazines, please share them with me and we’ll use those as a spring-board for your session.

WHEN AND HOW WILL I SEE MY PHOTOGRAPHS?

We can view your photos one of three ways:

You may see your images almost immediately after your session.  Go have a cup of coffee somewhere--or take a nap at the studio! In the mean-time, I will download your images to the computer and edit a couple of them, so you can have a sense of what the finished product will be.  This way you will be able to see all of them almost right away and I can get to work on them and get the products to you faster.

If you are local, we may view your images together at the studio a week after your session.

If you are travelling and cannot come back to the studio, we will get together on a Zoom call a week after your session, and I will share my screen and you will be able to see and choose your images that way.

In person viewing is much easier, safer, and more efficient than doing an on-line gallery.  I love that we can go through them together.  It makes decision making easier less overwhelming for you. I've gotten really good at helping clients decide between images, showing similar images side-by-side for easy selection, doing some slight editing tweaks right then, and assisting clients with getting the most variety for their package and/or the perfect wall art pieces. Because we do show a LOT of images, it can be overwhelming to navigate on your own and I don't want my amazing customer service to stop at the photoshoot. The in-person photo reveal is much appreciated by my clients and is my favorite part of the whole process!

WHAT IS YOUR RETOUCHING PHILOSOPHY?

I want you to look like you.  I truly believe that all women are beautiful the way they are.  Posing, angles, and lighting minimize things that you may be concerned about. That said, modern cameras DO add a lot of contrast to images, which I address while retouching.  I will smooth skin, even out skin tone, and minimize wrinkles and dark undereye circles a bit to compensate for that, as well as remove skin blemishes.  Anything that is a permanent part of who you are I want to leave.  It tells your story and, I think, should remain. 

While my signature retouching process subtly minimizes the appearance of wrinkles, stubble, stretch marks or other scars, please be sure to request more or less at your photo viewing if you have an opinion on that. My masterful techniques are more focused on color correction, contrast, skin smoothing, sharpening, etc. I avoid morphing your body into what it is not. You're absolutely fine just the way you are. 

WHAT ABOUT BLACK AND WHITE?

All of the digitals your purchase will come in black and white as well as color.  We will decide together which images you would like printed in black and white.

CAN I REQUEST CERTAIN EDITING TECHNIQUES OR ADDITIONAL TWEAKS?

Yes!  Sometimes you might like a fine-art edit.  This takes more time and incurs an extra charge, depending on the depth of the project we create together.

Please note that any additional signature edits MUST be addressed at the viewing.  We will work together so that I know which additional edits you would like, if any.  If you request any other tweaks after the digitals have been delivered, there will be an extra $20/image charge for additional edits. For example, I see you as the beautiful woman that you are, but we all know that there are certain areas that we hone in on when we look in the mirror that I might not notice!  For example, you might want your hands to look smoother, while I look at them and think they look just fine!  These are things you will need to let me know at your viewing.

CAN I PRINT PHOTOS MYSELF?

While yes, you can, chance are you won’t!  This is why I make sure that every digital that leaves the studio comes with a 5x7 print, beautifully matted.  Your digitals should print to 8x10 easily, but I cannot guarantee the quality from anywhere else.  I work closely with my professional labs to be sure the color is calibrated perfectly and the papers used are of the highest quality. Enlargements require master retouching on top of the regular signature retouch. With master retouching, I make sure that everything will be perfect once enlarged to show significant pore detail. Beautiful framed enlargements of wall art are absolutely stunning in your home, and everything needs to be absolutely just so, as every speck of dust or fleck will show if not gone over in fine detail.

CAN I POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

Absolutely!  I love seeing everyone’s photos floating around socials!  Just be sure to tag the studio in them, please. Giving photo credit is the cool thing to do.

WILL YOU BE PUBLISHING MY PHOTOS ONLINE?

With your permission, yes. When you book you will sign an image release, but ultimately the decision is yours which images you would be comfortable with me sharing. Of course, I would love to use images from our session together to show other women your amazing photos! But, I also completely understand if you prefer to keep certain images private. I will not share unless you grant me permission to do so. Most clients are so proud of their images that they give me full discretion to choose images for my portfolio and social sharing, some clients prefer to choose the images that are posted, and other clients are comfortable with anything being posted. Just let me know how you're feeling about this subject once you receive your photos and I will honor your decision.

WHAT IF I NEED TO RESCHEDULE?

As much as I understand that stuff happens sometimes, the amount of reschedules last year almost ended the studio.  For a client with an emergency it’s just one emergency, but multiply that by 30 clients, and that’s 30 emergencies for the studio!   Unlike most businesses, I cannot quickly find someone else to take someone’s session date.  There are at least three weeks of lead time with planning and consults and getting ready, so when you reschedule or do not show up, the studio stays closed that day.  Also, your rescheduled date makes less space available for others.

 The current policy is that I will take and store your credit card securely on Square upon booking.  If you need to reschedule within 30 days of your session, a rescheduling fee of $300 will be automatically applied to your card. We will try to find someone to take your date, and IF someone can hop in on short notice, the rescheduling fee will be applied to your purchases at the reveal.

CAN I BRING A SPOUSE OR FRIEND TO MY PHOTO SHOOT?

It is super fun to bring a friend with you! Bringing a friend can be AMAZING and exactly what you need to help you feel good and safe and calm your nerves.  I don’t mind at all if there is one friend with you. That being said, I ask that the friend not interfere with the shoot at all. No directing, telling you how to pose, etc... that's my job. I got you! I do not allow any more than one friend in the studio with us. On that note, I do not allow male identifying friends either. That’s firm. (No offense guys, it just changes the dynamic). But you know what's even better than having a friend there for moral support? Book your shoots back-to-back or together so you can both enjoy the experience! 

I also love it when women include their spouse in their session.  Your spouse can either hang out in the waiting area OR they can go and explore the somewhere and come back around lunchtime.  They can have lunch with us and then we will shoot some images of just them as well as of the two of you together in the afternoon.

WILL HAIR AND MAKEUP SERVICES BE PROVIDED?

Camera ready hair and makeup is provided as part of every session (except for office head-shots where I am photographing multiple people in a short amount of time).  My hair and makeup artist is amazing and calm and will make you feel awesome. During our consult, if you have any allergies or other issues, I will pass them on to her or connect you with her prior to your session to alleviate any concerns you might have. She will go over everything with you and help you achieve the look you desire, whether it’s a really natural look or totally glam.  It’s up to you!  She will help to achieve that look in a way that will give you the look you’d like under the studio lighting.

 Be sure to plan an evening out afterwards, because you are going to look and feel amazing!

CAN I ORDER ADDITIONAL IMAGES AT A LATER DATE?

Of course! I keep everything stored and backed up. However, there will be a $100 de-archiving fee.

HOW DOES THE BOOKING FEE WORK?

The booking fee is $1500. This includes the non-refundable retainer of $500 which retains a date at the studio for your session, as well as a $1000 credit to be used towards a package of your choice. You will be surprised at how many of your photos you will love, and having a credit towards your images is really helpful!

YOU’RE KINDA PRICEY. WHY? AND WHAT IF I LOVE THEM ALL BUT CAN’T AFFORD THEM ALL AT ONCE?

Yes, compared to many photographers I AM more expensive. Consider it like the difference between getting a handbag from Walmart or Target or from Prada! The experience, my reputation and qualifications, and the quality of the product is worth every penny. The products are of the highest quality available and are sourced from North America and Europe. Fine art paper, beautiful mats, gorgeous windowed folio boxes, and absolutely stunning albums are options for displaying and storing your beautiful images.

I am constantly making tweaks to offer only the best products, value, and services to my clients. For example, I no longer offer individual photos, only packages. Why? Because only one or two people purchased individual images, but they wanted more! Everyone loves more images than they expect, and on average clients spend $3000 with me. People are always drawn to the middle or top packages, so I have crafted the pricing to make it easier for people to purchase what they love, with a booking fee that now includes an image credit. This makes it easier to purchase what you love during the reveal and ordering session, as a portion of the package of choice is already paid for in advance!  

I also offer financing if desired through either Synchrony, where if you are approved you may receive your photos as though you have paid me directly, or through a payment plan, where your credit card on file is automatically charged each month until paid in full, at which point you will receive your images.

I also offer perks if you pre-pay for a package at booking. Extra images, luxury products, and more!

WILL YOU SHIP MY PRODUCTS TO ME?
If you are not local, yes, I can have your photo package delivered to your door via UPS! If you are in another country however, there will be an additional shipping charge. 

CAN I JUST GET THE DIGITALS?
My philosophy has always been that photographs are meant to be handled, shared, and passed down for generations.  We are in a time when there are more photos being taken than ever before, but in 100 years people will not know what we look like, as digital storage changes and is lost.  I don’t know how many people I’ve spoken to that have been in tears because their precious photos have been lost because they haven’t printed them.  And we all know that we have great plans to print but chances are we don’t get to it.  For this reason, all images leave my studio in both digital and print for the same price. When you are gone and people are looking for photos of you, what will they find?

WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND AFTER ORDERING?

Once digitals are delivered to you, there is no way to return them.  It’s just the nature of a digital product!  So let’s work together to make sure your order and your images are the way you’d like them before digitals are delivered.

CAN I GET A COUPLE OF HEAD SHOTS DURING MY BEAUTY SESSION?

 Yes! I do this all the time. :) 

DO YOU SHOOT WEDDDINGS OR LARGE FAMILIES?
Nope. Wedding photographers have a completely different set of skills! It is really outside my wheelhouse and I specialize in the one-on-one magic that happens with one person at a time. Or maybe a small family! I love mothers and daughters coming in together to spend the day creating memories. I also love spending the day with mom making her feel fabulous and then having dad and 2 or 3 kids coming in for a quick photo at the end.