What happens after our photography session?

Congratulations!

You’ve done it!

You are a miracle worker, dream maker! You mastered the logistical challenge of scheduling a session (and figuring out what to wear!) and showed up! Yay to you!

So now what?

Once your session has ended, you will have a small widow of waiting. I know this can be the hardest part, more so than getting the session on the calendar or getting your teen in clothing you both agree on! This is where you have to continue your trust in me – your photographer – to fulfill the last part of my responsibilities.

My process, after your photography session

After EVERY session, I immediately back up the cards to a few places. While technology is a wonderful thing, it can also be temperamental and having your session images stored in multiple places makes me so very happy.

Fun fact: I don’t look at your images! Well, I do eventually but not right away. For most sessions I wait 3-5 days to pull off the back up and start culling. Why? Simply put, it’s part of my artistic process. Putting space between me and your images allows me to view each frame with fresh eyes, slightly detached from the session itself.

Once your session is ready to be pulled, I look at each image and it’s either a yes or a no; a quick look is all I allow myself. The “no’s” are not precious gems you’d want to see – think closed eyes, mid-blink, mouth opened in a weird way; basically ALL THINGS unflattering and duplicates. This is also a huge component of trusting me and remembering why you hired me.

I then go back over all the “yes” images with more precision and detail. I love movement and the progression of storytelling that naturally happens with my sessions. This is why I deliver more robust galleries – something beautiful was unfolding and you should have it!

What edits do you include our photography session?

To be honest, not much! This reason is two-fold. The first being I have spent a decade mastering my craft and getting your images right in camera. The second is my approach is about authenticity, true to life colors, moments, and embracing our perfectly imperfect lives.

Yes, I will edit out items if they are a true distraction, and NOT part of your session; items that are unavoidable and do not lend to the session.

Yes, I will absolutely straighten the horizon or crop images as I feel need.

Yes, I will remove the scratch your toddler got the day before your session.

Yes, I do include images in color and black & white.

No, I will not change anyone’s body size or shape.

No, I will not fix every flyaway hair on your head; same goes for touching up roots/grey/hair color.

Much of our pre-session communication covers the above, and I promise I will equip you with ALL the details you need – allowing you to avoid even thinking about the edits!

When will we see the gallery from our photography session?

Most sessions are contracted for 1-3 weeks depending on the session and scope of work (example: Fresh48 would be much sooner than marketing/branding).

Can we get a preview of images before we see the full gallery? In the past, this was something I would do but have changed my policy on sneak peeks. Previews are not conducive to my editing process – pulling images to simply edit for social media isn’t beneficial to my work flow or you final gallery.

We need just one image sent over for (fill in the blank) later this week, is that possible? No, it’s not (see above about editing). While I fully understand the excitement of seeing anything from your session, and sharing it with every person you’ve ever met, you’ll need to schedule your session with your needs/deadlines in mind. When we do our session consultation, we discuss timelines and needs will absolutely be addressed.

What should we be doing while waiting for our photography session images?

There isn’t too much you can do, and I know waiting is the hard part! After your session you will be sent a follow up questionnaire about the session and working with me. I’d be forever grateful if you would take a few minutes to fill it out! And if you’re so inclined, a Google review/recommendation is always welcomed.

do your home work! As in actual work in your home! Look at your walls, sort through the pile of empty frames in your office, list all people you’ll be sending prints to. Your session images should NOT take up residency on your computer! Read that last line again.

Are you ready to book your next session? Let’s chat!