FAQ for clients
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How long does this process take?
From start to finish, the process for a custom family portrait session can actually take several months, depending on your schedule and my workload. It’s definitely an investment of time, but the end results are well worth it. Here’s a timeline for a typical session:
- 2 weeks to several months – booking, planning, and getting ready for the session.
- 1-3 hours – the session itself
- Up to 4 weeks after the session, you’ll receive your images!
- 1-4 weeks after that – design work, revisions, & organizing your final order
- And then 1-4 weeks after all design work/revisions are done, you should receive any remaining shipments.
How much does it cost?
See here.
Do you do weddings?
At this time my focus is on lifestyle portraiture for children and families, so weddings are not in the cards right now. I *do* however, offer engagement and bridal sessions if that’s something that interests you.
Do you photograph births or offer birth photography?
Yes. Only in Austin and the surrounding areas (Round Rock, Pflugerville, Westlake, Lakeway, Lake Travis, Bee Caves, Tarrytown, etc.)
When should we hold my maternity photography session? When do I get pregnancy portraits done?
I usually try to do maternity photos in the 3rd trimester.
How do I schedule my newborn photo session when I don’t know when s/he will be born?
Just tell me your estimated due date and then I’ll block off some time around that. When your baby finally does make his/her entrance, contact me as soon as you can and we will set a specific date from there. I ask that newborn sessions are held within 10 days of birth…that is when you’re going to get the most cooperation for all those adorable newborn poses. The MOST important thing, however, is to book your session as soon as you can WHILE you’re pregnant. Please don’t wait until your baby is born as my schedule fills up very quickly and I don’t want you to be left without newborn images.
Do you offer a “Baby’s First Year” package?
Mini sessions are a perfect way to supplement your Pinkle Toes newborn session to mark those milestones as your baby grows into a toddler. These mini’s are *only* available once you book your newborn session with me. Most clients do the following: mini session for maternity pictures, a full newborn session within 10 days of birth, a mini session session at around 4 months, one at 7 months, and then one at 1 year to get the full representation of your baby’s first year. You also have the option to purchase a beautiful, custom “Baby’s First Year” book featuring your favorite Pinkle Toes images from throughout the year.
I specialize in sessions for members of the same immediate family only (ie. mom, dad, plus children). I do not offer event photography or sessions for large family groups/extended family.
At this time, my schedule does not allow for this.
How did you get started? What kind of training did you have?
I got started much like every other mom who does photography: taking pictures of my kids. I did have a fascination with photography growing up (I used to dress up my dolls and hold photo shoots with my mom’s Polaroid camera), but I didn’t really know what I was doing at all. And then one day I saw an image from the uber-talented and infinitely inspirational Jinky and decided that I wanted to do that, too. And I just dove in. I bought my first SLR (a Rebel XT), joined groups on Flickr, read EVERYTHING I could, and played, and played, and played until I started getting results I liked. And that’s that. I just learned by reading and doing and making a lot of mistakes along the way. You can read more in Meet Michele.
What should I/we wear to the session? How can I pick the right clothing?
I will send you a complete clothing guide when you book your session. If you still want help, you can certainly give me a call or I can look over all of the clothing options at the session itself to help you decide what outfits will look the best on you and in your images.
Where will we hold the session? Do I come to your studio? What are some good locations?
We will hold the session wherever we want ;-), but it’s very important that we work together to determine the best location.Once your session is booked, tell me about the kind of feel you want to your images or let me know which images speak most to you on my website and we can determine the best location for your session. The Pinkle Toes studio (examples here) is an option in some cases. Newborn photo sessions are almost always held within your home.
I’m nervous about dealing with the digital files. Will you tell me how to print them and where to go to get prints made?
No worries. I provide very simple instructions along with my personal printer recommendations on your image CD.
What size can I print the images?
These are high resolution images so you can pretty much go as big as you want.
Do you offer holiday cards or birth announcements?
Yes! I do create cards and announcements for session clients. These are custom designs and almost always, I create them from scratch so that they are unique to you and your images. But of course, since you are also purchasing images on CD, you can certainly create your own cards and announcements as well.
Where do you get your business cards, thank you cards, albums, books, etc. printed?
I use several different printers and vendors, but they do not serve the general public.