Dear Families,
Does the thought of planning your family photos stress you out? Do you put off booking your session year after year because time runs away from you and thinking about wardrobe, and prints, and scheduling, and vision for your photos just takes a back burner? Trust me, anxiety is my default and I worry about every detail sometimes to the point of just not being able to get started at all, so I feel you. Knowing this to be true for me, I have tried to take all of the guesswork and worrying out of the process so your family photos can be an adventure full of memories that are authentic to your family. Scroll down to find out all the deets and read through my FAQs. If you still have questions, I love answering them so please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can’t wait to adventure together!
— Mikayla
What You Get
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indoor or outdoor: you choose!
Indoor: if intimacy, authenticity, and coziness are the vibes you seek, an in-home session might be your jam. My indoor sessions have a real-life, raw, documentary feel and are perfect for capturing a day-in-the-life snapshot of your family.
Outdoor: if playfulness, adventurous, and natural are more your style, an outdoor session is probably the best fit for you. Sonoma County has no shortage of breathtaking environments to explore. Outdoor family sessions are the perfect excuse to pack a picnic and head to the redwoods, coast, or rolling golden hills.
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You get high resolution images and web size images delivered in an easy to navigate gallery.
What’s the difference you ask? High resolution images are really big and they are perfect for printing your images nice and big or in albums. Web size images are just that, smaller files sized just right for sharing on social media.
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A WHOLE BUNCH!
I don’t put a time cap on our session together. Every family is different. Some littles have energy for days and others lose patience in an hour or less. If your family is down to hang, I will shoot until we lose the light or patience runs thin, whichever comes first. That means lots of moments to deliver when gallery day comes.
The Price
All Inclusive. $600
Covers 60+ minutes of shooting plus a whole bunch of images delivered in an online gallery.
A $200 retainer is due at the time of booking to hold your date. The balance is due 48 hours before your session.
I don’t have many pictures of my family growing up and as I get older, more and more gaps pop up in my memory. I so long for images of my happiest childhood memories so I can spend evenings pouring over photo albums with my kiddos. So, I’ve made it a goal to deliver my families a whole bunch of album worthy and wall worthy photos so those gaps don’t exist for you.
Add-Ons
Video: Would a 3-5 minute heirloom memory video to remember the sweet moments from your session suit your fancy? I've got you. Add a video to your session for $200.
Print products and albums: I’ve partnered with some rad professional print companies to provide you with art-quality prints and albums straight from your gallery.
Second Session: Book twice in one year and your second session will be $200 off.
FAQ’s
What should my family expect from you during our session?
I like to approach my sessions like they are a movie and I am saving all of my favorite scenes. I want to capture you as you truly are, quirks and all. So don’t expect me to perfectly pose you for each shot and make sure every single lose thread is accounted for. Real life isn’t perfect and posing is awkward. I like to let moments unfold as they would in real life but don’t worry, I won’t leave you standing around with your mouth agape wondering what to do. I use gentle direction to position you where the light is dreamiest and I’ll engage with you to prompt you into moments that are totally picture worthy.
I am quiet and reserved but that doesn’t stop me from joking around with you and playing silly games with your kiddos. I do whatever I can to add joy and playfulness to your session. Its not uncommon for me to do some walking and talking with my families. How awkward would it be if I didn’t connect with you on a real level and just had a camera in your face for the entire hour!?
Sometimes I will get real quiet and silence can be awkward because we have this nagging voice telling us we should fill it. Don't! If I am quiet it just means I am loving what is unfolding in front of me and I don’t want to interject and ruin the authenticity.
How do you help us prepare for our session?
video call or in person meeting: this is a big investment for you. I recognize that and I want to make sure I am fully equipped to make it worthwhile. To make sure I deliver you the best service possible, its really important that we chat before your session. This gives me the opportunity to break the ice and get rid of the “new person nerves” we probably both have. It also allows us to collaborate on the vision for your session to make it special and unique to you. If needed, we will have follow up phone calls to touch base as we plan for your session.
questionnaire and vision board: each of my families gets a questionnaire to fill out to provide me with a glimpse into who you all are and what you all like. Using your answers, I create a vision board with some vibes that I think suit you. Looking over the vision board ahead of time gives us some creative inspiration and some excitement about the session and all of the possibilities.
styling advice: see the next FAQ but in a nutshell, I don’t leave you high and dry, wondering what the heck to wear.
How do we know what to wear!? Will you help?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you! I’ve spent years studying art theory and color theory and have learned what colors and materials photograph well and fit with my editing style. And, I am eager to share that expertise with you so you are confident your photos will be cohesive and what you are wearing will enhance and not distract from the moments. Please please please lean on me hard as you choose your outfits. Send me pictures, ask me questions, heck, I’ll even search the web and send you links to pieces that fit your vision. I have found that the more my clients trust me and follow my styling advice, the better the images turn out.
That being said, these images are for you and we have some stylish families around here. If you are set on wardrobe already, let me know. I am here to capture you authentically and that includes making sure you are comfortable in what you are wearing during your session.
Should I bring Props?
A chair in the middle of the field? A chalkboard sign with a trendy saying? Shirts with cheesy matching sayings? PLEASE NO!!! Props are better left in the studio. I find that they take away from the authenticity and timeless character embedded in my images.
However, I LOVE incorporating special traditions into our session together. Does your family love dancing with scarves, reading a special book every night, snuggling a favorite blanket or plushy, or having a picnic? Lets definitely talk about how we can incorporate those things into your session in a fun and special way.
What do you mean by a whole bunch of images?
I can’t give an exact number of images because every session is different and even giving a range feels wrong. I can say though that I know that my favorite images and your favorite images might be different. We all have different tastes and different perspectives. So, I err on the side of giving more to make sure your favorites make the cut. My sessions don’t have a time cap and I want to deliver something from each of the memorable moments we experience at your session. So, I deliver a lot of images, more than enough to fill an album. I can also say that it is always more than 50.
