Frequently Asked Questions

I think having both posed and candid photos make for a well-rounded session. I will ask about your vision for your portraits before the session. This will help me guide you through the session to get your preferred style of portraits. I aim for at least one posed family portrait with everyone genuinely smiling right at the camera. However, sometimes this can be tricky especially with little ones but I have several fun tricks up my sleeve to engage with the kiddos.

Yes, I think including your pets in a few of the photos makes for an extra special session. We love our pets and they should absolutely be included in a few of the family portraits. I recommend bringing a leash and a few treats to keep them happy and safe.

Yes, I think picking a few colors for your family's' wardrobe works well. I will send along a wardrobe suggestion guide when you book your session. This will help prepare everyone for the session and looking their best.

If your priorities are beautiful lighting and mountain backdrops with eyes that are not too squinty you will want to go with a sunset session. It’s important for the best lighting to photograph in the hour around sunset. Sunset in the summer can be 8:30 or 9 pm and if you have young children I recommend planning a full and active day so a nap is in order. Start the day earlier if needed to get them ready for a good afternoon nap. I find that after a big nap and some dinner even the toddlers are eager to get outside and play with me as the sun sets on our mountain backdrop.

Often kids stay up late for the 4th of July and other special events and as long as we keep it fun, they will be happy. We can certainly do a morning session, especially if your priorities are NOT mountain backdrops. We can schedule a 9 or 10 am session in the shade of some evergreens or aspens. I can choose a location that provides shade so that your eyes are not too squinty but we will have to forgo the mountain backdrops. However, we may be able to get a few mountain backdrop portraits in a morning session but know that you will have squinty eyes. Note: most of the portraits you see on my website were taken around sunset. See the image at the top of this page.

No. I am very careful about selecting only the 30-40 best images. Anything that is not included in your online gallery is an image with eyes closed, duplicates, or simply unflattering. Other than that I edit them and include them all in your online gallery. You will see all of the images that meet my quality standards. For your convenience, I go through all the images and select only the very best photos for you to see. This leaves you with usually 30-40 images for your online gallery and much less decision fatigue.

I usually choose about 40-50 images per session to artistically edit. I edit in a natural true-to-life style. Light retouching to the face is included in most close up images in your gallery. I will remove some acne and soften some lines, for a natural finished look. If you would like more extensive retouching, I can give you a quote for any additional retouching per image. With proper lighting, camera angles, and flattering wardrobe suggestions, I'm confident you will like the way you look in your images. It's so important to know that you are beautiful right where you are now and when you look back on these portraits in 10 or 20 years you will smile at your younger self and see nothing but beauty.

I like to aim for quick and engaging sessions so you can get back to enjoying the mountains. It depends on the session and how many family members I’m working with, but I spend anywhere from 30-60 minutes on average per session. I aim to get your images in the online gallery and ready for you to see within 2 weeks of the session but this can depend on the time of year. I am faster from February-May and slower from summer-New Years. I can sometimes get a little backed up due to the busy season. If you are in any sort of rush it’s best to let me know and I can try my very best to meet any deadlines you may have.

They always say "If you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait 10 minutes." The weather is constantly changing here and luckily the weather is beautiful more often than it's not. I always confirm my sessions 24-48 before the session and this gives us a better look at the weather. Usually, the best thing to do if the weather looks bad is to reschedule the session. If rescheduling is not possible (because you are visiting from out of town). I may suggest we head indoors in your home or vacation rental. If this will simply not work for you I will refund your deposit and cancel the session. And sometimes stormy or snowy weather can look really beautiful in your photos!

I've lived in the Winter Park area for almost 20 years now and I know all the best scenic locations. My priorities in choosing a location are that we have the proper directional sunset lighting, mountain backdrops and that it is easily accessible. I usually choose the location based on those priorities. But, if you have other priorities such as photographing at your home because it's special to you or it's simply more convenient, I can certainly come to you and I will work with the lighting and backdrops available to me. My sessions are held in the Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Granby, and Grand Lake areas.