FAQ — Brand Photography

My workspace is messy and not pretty! Where should we shoot?

The location is a very important part of telling your story. Odd colors, clutter, and lack of space quickly change the mood of the image. If your home or office is not ideal for your brand aesthetic, then I highly encourage renting a studio or Airbnb! These options are perfect for a light and bright, yet stylish look. But don’t worry if your own space doesn’t belong in an interior design magazine. We can go over these details in our strategy consultation!

Why is hair & makeup included? Do I have to use it?

Having professional hair and makeup is less about making you look good and more about making you feel good. I feel that this is essential to the brand experience. Your confidence will radiate on set, which will ease some of the pre-shoot anxiety. And you won’t have to worry about doing it yourself in the morning! Just leave it to the professional.

If using professional hair and makeup service is not a good fit for you, we can use the credit towards a studio/Airbnb rental or additional shoot time. Your other option is to purchase multiple mini-sessions for how many hours you may need.

Do you have content memberships?

I love that you’d like to work with me more! I give returning clients 10% off my service cost — not including expenses like rentals and make-up services.

How long does the process take?

If you know what you want, the process will move faster. I know from experience that not everyone knows what they want, as we are all at different parts of our business journey. Plus, some folks are just busy! The time between booking and completion primarily depends on how fast we get through the pre-shoot assignments. Planning is crucial to this experience, and it’s a collaborative effort.

The vision board and questionnaire are self-paced, but ideally, a few days to a few weeks.

Once the assignments are completed, we will schedule our creative/strategy consultation. During this meeting, we go over the assignment details and schedule the photo session — likely a week to a month depending on availability.

After the shoot, I will send the proofing gallery within 1 week. Once you choose your final images, it’ll take me up to 2-4 weeks to deliver the final gallery unless noted otherwise.

Do you do video?

I have some video experience, but I am not offering it as a package option quite yet. Feel free to pitch me your idea, and we can talk about collaborating if the idea sparks my interest!

What’s the difference between a content/branding session, portrait/studio session, or a food/product shoot?

All of my sessions fall under the commercial photography umbrella, geared towards entrepreneurs, small businesses, creatives, professionals, and artists. Some of these categories might blend together depending on your intent and needs. If you are having trouble choosing a category, let’s talk and I’ll point you in the right direction!

Content & branding sessions are for you if you need a variety of images such as headshots, lifestyle portraits, and documentary-style photos for your website, social media, digital marketing, and/or promotional materials. Typically for entrepreneurs, creatives, and businesses with a small team.

Portrait & studio sessions are for you if you need creative portraits for self-promotion and/or headshots for your website/social media. Usually for artists, professionals, and local businesses.

Food & product shoots are for you if you need product or food photography for your website, menu, or publication. Shoots can be as simple as a white on white product photo to something complex and creative such as flat lay photography.

What can I use my images for?

Brand, content, and portrait shoots will have a copyright release for commercial and personal use. You CAN post them on social media, upload them to your website, use them for print and advertising materials. You won’t have to give me written credit (although I love when my client’s tag me!) but you cannot take the credit either. You CANNOT sell or give them to another business for their own use. All third parties must inquire with me for copyright release/fees.

Do you write or design things like websites, social media posts, or other marketing things?

While I have a degree in advertising and five years of professional experience doing marketing work of all kinds — writing content, building websites, and designing this or that, I’ve decided to put my primary focus on the photography aspect of the marketing mix. While I’ll gladly give you a few pointers here and there, I’d like to pass the torch to other local professionals who are passionate about helping you, too!

How much is your deposit/retainer? Do you offer payment plans?

My 50% non-refundable retainer goes towards our planning and prep time, blocking out my calendar for your shoot, and paying vendors up front.

With that said, you may choose to do a 3 or 4-month payment plan. We will not move forward with any planning until the 50% retainer has been paid.

All sessions must be paid in full prior to our shoot day.

What’s your rescheduling policy?

Sometimes sh*t happens (especially with the recent pandemic).

My rescheduling fee is $100. However, if we are working with any third-party vendors (like a studio or hair & make-up), you must pay their fees in full, again. If this is the case, then I’ll waive my rescheduling fee.

If you need to reschedule a second time, then you’ll have to pay the 50% retainer fee again.

If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact me and ask!