Prepping for your Session

Hey there! 

I am looking forward to seeing you soon! I just wanted to get in touch and send out a bit of information to help you prepare for our time together. I want to maximize every minute together and make sure that you both truly enjoy the experience.

CLOTHING

If you're unsure of what to wear

Just avoid super bright or neon clothes and you're golden. 
Neutral colors go with anything, and splash of an accent color can help! (White/Ivory, Brown, Tan, Gray, Black, Mustard, Burgundy, Sage, Rust, Blush, etc all go great with my editing style).

If you have babies or toddlers, I suggest switching them into their outfit once you arrive at the session to prevent any oops accidents.

- Please be aware of the location that we choose for your photos and what additional items you might need to bring like: water, shoes, sunscreen, change of clothes, applying bug spray etc. 

- Come prepared with the right shoes for walking or mud/snow depending on the time of year.
You can always change out of your walking shoes for your photo ready ones! 

Locations / Time of day

If you have another location that is near and dear to your story, please don’t hesitate to tell me about it. I am true believer in telling your story in a way that is meaningful to the two of you but also remember that the session is about you as a family.

Whether indoor, or outdoor, there are many beautiful places all around us! Let me help you find the perfect spot.

Your session could also include:

- Family picnic
- Painting together / Paint Fight
- Cozy Beach Day / S’mores
- In home, day in the life 
- On the family farm
- At grandma + grandpa’s
- Dance party in the living room 
- Baking cookies 
- Camping
- Cozy beach session, campfire, s’mores?
- Apple picking at an orchard
- Pumpkin Carving
- Decorating for Christmas
- Bedroom family PJ’s

Especially with little ones, it’s best to try and keep them occupied and less focused on there being a camera the entire time. Playing around and doing familiar activities will help your children’s comfort level and focus be more on being in the moment, vs smiling and saying “cheese”. (Don’t worry, we will still get some of these!)

Accessibility:

I value you! If you are sensitive to hiking, high elevation, get car sick, or need a location that has a path that is accessible, I am happy to help. In my location guide below, I have some locations tagged for what locations are and aren’t accessible.

Please try to arrive on time!

Being a lover of natural light, my timing for your session is scheduled so that we have the best lighting for your photos. I love to begin shooting about an hour before sunset aka golden hour. This is the time of day that produces that soft and warm sunset light. If shooting during the day when it’s sunny, it can cause very harsh and uneven lighting within your photos.

If you are trying to work around a nap time, I usually suggest choosing a spot that is shaded like a forest or an indoor studio. If you are wanting those golden hour photos, we may need to switch up some nap times! Sometimes kids look forward to staying up past their bedtime ;)

Please allow enough time when you find yourself planning and include time for travel or traffic. Try to leave 15 minutes earlier to allot for unexpected traffic. If you are late, this can cut into our session time especially with sunset lighting.

Feel free to check out my location guide below if you need any ideas.

IMAGE DELIVERY

Your final images are delivered between 2-4 weeks depending on the time of year. If you have a time sensitive date that you need photos by, please let me know ahead of time! Such as: Senior Photo Deadlines, Maternity Photos, Birthdays, Anniversary, etc. I’ll be sending you your full gallery via email.

You'll be receiving edited high resolution images provided through a downloadable Online Gallery. Your image gallery is available for 1 year and Is backed up for 5 years, but please make sure you download them! You will be able to download the files to your phone or computer.

The best places for printing include:

Mpix, Smallwoods, Shutterfly & Costco.

SESSION TIPS

Fur Babies

 If you are bringing your dog - make sure you bring a leash for your dog incase they need to be on leash. Please also bring spare poop bags and treats to help! If you’d like to bring any other animals, please feel free depending on the location of course! I love cats, guinea pigs, horses, etc. I have worked with horses before as well and am happy to suggest horse friendly locations for family photos.

Leave No Trace

Smoke bombs and sparklers may be limited to the beach during fire session. Fireworks are not allowed in national forests.

If you decide to use any confetti or include a set up of any sort, please make sure you clean it up when we are done! I'm a firm believer in leaving no trace, please pack in & pack it out. Please respect the our land and keep it nice for our future generations.

I’m Nervous?!?

It’s more than okay to feel nervous! My job is to direct you in a way that helps you relax, feel natural, and be your true comfortable selves in front of my lens. I do not want to force you into poses or make you do things that you find uncomfortable. I will ask you questions about your family during our session to get to know you and warm you up in front of the camera :) If there are any details like music or topics of interest that you feel may help, just let me know.

 We will get the posed group smiling photos out of the way first, then we will spend the rest of our session playing, having fun, and letting the kids play. 

Relax, unwind, and don’t rush getting ready. Start early guys!! There’s nothing worse than arriving at a shoot absolutely frazzled and rushed and disconnected. If you’re able to take the morning off, do it. Sleep in, have breakfast together, take your time getting ready.  Sing karaoke on your way to our shoot. Put yourselves into a good mood prior and don't stress the little things! Leave expectations in the car, and be open to adventure. Embrace the spontaneous and whatever unfolds. 

*Playing music really helps - I usually suggest creating a playlist of your favorite/meaningful songs to play during your session. Download the songs to your phone in case we are in a no service zone. If you don't have a playlists prepared, no worries! I can totally play my own music if you prefer!*
 

Again, I am so excited for your upcoming session and cannot wait for our time together! Please let me know if I can help you at all in your preparations! 

Thanks,
​Amy Booker