Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you recommend a location?
Yes, my location recommendations will be influenced by: whether you are pregnant or bringing small children, whether you want the beach, mountains, or fields; what part of the Bay Area you live in; and which locations are the least crowded. After I get some more information from you, I will distill (literally) hundreds of hours of experience photographing and exploring various Bay Area parks, and recommend a great spot for your family.
If you are undecided on a location, I am happy to choose a location for you, that I know will photograph well!

At this time I am not photographing San Francisco locations due to safety concerns, regarding targeted thefts towards photographers at popular and photogenic spots.

Can we bring our dog?
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’m a huge dog lover! You are welcome to bring your dog, but keep in mind that only some of my locations allow dogs. Dogs aren’t necessarily included in every single shot we take. When they aren’t actively in the photos, some families opt to put them back in the car for a few minutes, tie them to a tree, or bring a friend to hang on to the dog.

Can we bring our grandparents?
I love the idea of bringing grandparents along! It is so important to have photos with multiple generations of family. Just note that there’s a $100 add on for extended family to attend.

Another important thing to bear in mind for outdoor photos with the extended family is that I will narrow down my location recommendations to just 2-3 spots that are appropriate for grandparents or larger extended families to attend. To make the experience enjoyable for everyone, I will prioritize locations that are flat and accessible, with well maintained trails and easy parking.

Can I have the .RAWs?
.RAW files are muted, dark, unedited files that cannot be printed or posted on social media. They are massive file types that require specific software to process and convert to a usable format. .RAW files are an unfinished product. 
All clients receive high-resolution, professionally edited .jpeg files—this is a file type you’ll be able to post online, as well as print. 

If you are already familiar with how to operate a .raw file, and would like access to your raw photos anyways, I am now selling raws for an additional $150. Just let me know and I’ll add that into your invoice, and deliver the raws with your final gallery link as well.

How long does it take to receive our images?
I usually take around 7-10 days. If you haven’t heard from me within two weeks, message me to make sure nothing got lost in the mail!

If we schedule our photos at sunset, won’t it be too dark?
No :) On a sunny day, if we start shooting too early, the light will be too bright— resulting in dark shadows, blown-out highlights, and squinty eyes. Thus, the sunset start time! Shooting at Golden Hour gives the soft, ethereal glow that you see in my portfolio.

I will adjust our start time if I know I’m shooting at a location that is more shady, or if the weather calls for clouds. I will finalize your start time after we’ve confirmed our location.

What happens if it rains?
I typically won’t cancel a session until ~3 hours before our start time, because forecasts change quickly and weather is unpredictable. When rain is predicted, we explore potential options such as changing locations, moving the start time forward or back, or rescheduling dates.

I don’t want any of my images posted online. Can you change the contract?
Being able to share my work on my website & social media is how I stay in business.
I never share identifying information, clients names or tag my clients in any images.
I do take a very limited number of bookings per month, so at this time, I’m keeping my calendar available for clients who allow me to share the work that I create.


Can I request additional edits after the gallery is received? // Can you photoshop __?

It depends! I am very good at Photoshop and usually am able to edit things like removing people from the backgrounds, recomposing the subjects within the frame, enhancing sunsets, natural and subtle skin smoothing, etc. I routinely do many advanced photoshop edits without you having to ask!
But some edits are more complex or time consuming, like: defrizzing hair, editing bra straps, or headswaps.

Please note I do not do extremely detail-oriented skin retouching that involves zooming in 300+%, a process that would be prohibitively labor-intensive given the large size of my galleries.
Instead, I apply a broad skin smoothing that still keeps things natural.

I want to make sure you love your final images hung up in your home, but Photoshop work takes a lot of time. If you would like to request special Photoshop edits, I am happy to accommodate basic requests for 3 favorite photos. Additional requests beyond those three complementary photos, or any complex edits, are $5-10 per photo, depending on the nature of the request.

What should we wear?
You will receive a detailed Style Guide after you are booked!

All this sounds great! What should I do next?
Fill out the questionnaire linked at the bottom of my Welcome Email. Once I receive that questionnaire, I’ll send you a link to my booking calendar to schedule your date, as well as custom location recommendations for your family.

Can’t wait to work with you!!