What To Expect
What to expect from your portrait session:
Thank you so much for choosing Studio Byrd Lowe for your photographic needs. I hope that this will help to walk you through what a typical session is like with me. As soon as you are ready to book, please call or email me to do so. I typically book 4-6 weeks in advance, and in spring and fall book up further out due to a high demand during these times. That being said, it is never too early to book your session!
Prior to your session:
After contacting me to set up your session, I will email you a questionnaire for you and your family to fill out. This gives me a better idea of your family’s interests, the personalities of your family members and just the essence of what you’d like me to capture for you to remember this time in your life by. I require a $50 booking fee to be put down to reserve your session date for portrait sessions and a $500 booking fee for weddings. This booking fee is applied to the total of your session, which is due the day of your portrait session or 4 weeks prior to your wedding date. After receiving your form and booking fee I will email or call you to go over location ideas and dates that work for both of us. I will then send you a contract and an invoice for your session. You will also receive a detailed session prep sheet, based off of which package you choose so you have more of an idea on what to bring for your session and tips on what to wear.
Locations:
I usually only shoot outdoors in the evening hours just before sunset, this is so we are able to get that gorgeous golden light in the photos and avoid harsh shadows that the high sun can cause. I’m open to trying new places to shoot outdoors, but if you’re stumped for ideas I can suggest some locations that I love using for portraits. If you’re wanting indoor sessions at the studio, I typically don’t shoot over 5 people indoors, as the photos feel cramped and most of my backdrops are sized for children and small families. Newborn sessions are usually held inside at my studio.
Weather/Illness:
Rescheduling is usually a last resort due to my full calendar, however, if someone is sick, please let me know as soon as you can so we are able to reschedule. I will always reschedule newborn sessions if I am ill. Weather in Nebraska can be raining one minute and sunny the next, so I never fully judge the weather reports. If it’s storming or extremely cold or hot outside, we will find another day to shoot, if it’s just cloudy we will definitely shoot outside as an overcast is great for photos! Unless you hear otherwise from me, our sessions are still on.
During your session:
I hope that you have a fun and relaxed time during your session with me. I like to do both posed shots and candid shots to give you a little bit of variety in the types of images you will receive. I will bring a blanket, chair or bench and if you’d like to bring any of your own props or have a prop that you’ve seen in my photos you’re interested in using let me know and I can bring that as well! Sessions last anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the session you have chosen. With toddlers and children I know they can get fussy, and sometimes have a meltdown, that is just fine and I completely understand! If you need to take a few minutes to calm or soothe your child, please do so! Staying calm and at ease, will make the rest of the session go smoother. Just know that it is not just your child that has meltdowns, it happens more often than anyone wants to know! Bringing a child’s favorite toy or snack may make these situations a little easier. Please don’t bring chocolate or sticky foods, as they can be a real pain to try to clean up afterward!
After your session:
Typically it will take 3-4 weeks to get your images back from your session(in high volume seasons it may take a bit longer). I go through each image and make sure they are all color corrected and edit each photo by hand. I touchup minor blemishes and scrapes and bruises, however larger blemishes and other editing will be an additional charge. I then upload all of your images to an online gallery for you to view and download. I will email you this link and your download pin. You are then able to download the set number of images from the session you chose and I do give a print release, however, I do not allow printing at Walgreens, Walmart or CVS(or any other similar large chain store). If you don’t order prints through my high-quality lab, I suggest printing through mpix online. I can show you the difference in prints from Walgreens versus my print lab if you’d like to see why I don’t allow prints to be made through the chain stores.
It is my goal to give you beautiful images and capture your memories and personalities at this stage in your life. I hope that looking back at these timeless treasures will be something you cherish forever. I feel that clean and simple editing of your photos will keep them timeless and not date them like any trendy or highly edited image will do. Through all of this, I want to capture your true personality and relationships with your family. You will get the standard everyone looking at the camera, all smiling photos, but in addition you will also get photos of you laughing, interacting and being silly, and the true essence of your family. When you’re at home, not everyone sits straight in a line and smiles in one direction, you interact and smile at each other, and those types of images speak so much more of your family than a standard posed shot!
I really hope to make your experience with Studio Byrd Lowe as easy as possible, if you have any questions, concerns or comments, please don’t hesitate to text/call me at 402-525-5370 or email me at casey@byrdlowe.com I am happy to help!