St. Paul and Minneapolis family photographer – professional family photography in St. Paul and Minneapolis

How long is the session?

Your session will usually be 1-1.5 hours. Time will be taken to ensure that you, your partner and your children are comfortable and at ease with the camera.

Sometimes sessions with babies & toddlers can extend. I will always try and make time for lots of short breaks, to give little ones a rest. I will also discuss baby and toddler’s routine with you before hand, to see when would be the best time in the day to hold the session.

We don’t like having our picture taken. What can you do about this?

Having your picture taken isn’t something that comes naturally to most of us. So please don’t worry! It’s perfectly normal to feel a bit apprehensive about it. I aim to put you at ease and make the session as relaxed and fun as possible. Some of the best images are often taken when you’re unaware, achieving a more natural and intimate look.

Clothing Advice

I'm often asked by clients about what they should wear for a portrait shoot. So hopefully the following tips will help & not offend.

I would recommend a few changes of clothing or use of different accessories on portrait shoots (where possible). This is to make sure you get a varied look across all the images taken on the day.

The weather will also naturally play a part, especially if outside on location. Dress to be warm and or comfortable so that you enjoy the session.

When more than one person is in the portrait then I would suggest that clothes ideally try and compliment each other if possible, to avoid clashes of colours and or too many patterns at once. I'm happy to help with some suggestions, when we arrive, should you want us to.

Young children look great in bright vibrant colours, as well as more muted pastels. Funky hats, scarves, coats, boots, umbrellas can all look fantastic on an outdoor portrait.

For shoots at home with very young children and babies, then bare feet tend to work better than an odd assortment of socks and shoes. Ultimately if you would prefer your child to wear shoes then this is fine.

For adults, we suggest that you wear what makes you feel great! When you feel comfortable and at ease, then this will be reflected in your pictures. Different accessories can work well & add interest where appropriate. 

What location can we use?

A great portrait is primarily about people, but wherever possible it is better to give some consideration to the background and overall setting.

If you may have a special place that means a lot to you or a favourite location that we can meet at? A beach, national trust parks, countryside, or maybe you want some different like an urban environment – these can all work well. It depends on the look you want? We’re happy to discuss options and help advise you.

Illness

If you are or anyone in the family is ill, then please let us know and we will reschedule your appointment for you.

When do we get our images?

I aim to turn these around in terms of editing them for proofing on your private online gallery within one week. Basically as soon as possible, depending on how busy I am.

Do you airbrush?

Portraits should aim to show you as you are. But we will make a few tweaks if we feel this enhances the image, for example we’ll smooth skin and remove the odd blemishes if necessary. Generally we edit a picture to show you at your best.