FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where are you located?

We are located in Payson, Arizona, about 1 ½ hour North East of Phoenix. We are nestled below the Mogollon Rim in the beautiful Tonto National Forest. Whether you’re planning a family portrait, a senior session, or a destination wedding, our area offers gorgeous backgrounds that will complement your memorable moment.

What will the investment be?

Sessions begin at $250, and clients typically spend, on average, between $750 and $1,500 on wall portraits, albums, gift prints, and specialty items.

What does the session fee include?

The session fee covers the creative time to photograph your family and includes the design consultation, viewing and ordering session, along with the retouching of your images. It also includes travel expenses to your chosen location. Travel to areas outside Nicole’s 100 miles radius will incur additional travel fees. This gives us a wide variety of locations we can do your session at.

The session fee does not include any image files or prints.

Session fees are paid at the time of session booking and are non-refundable, as we have set aside an appointment time, especially for you. Sessions can be rescheduled with no penalty for illness or inclement weather. There is no minimum order required.

How long does a portrait session usually take?

Session times will vary depending on the type of session we are doing. A family session with very young children will go much faster than with a large family session or a senior session with multiple outfit changes. Depending on the type of session, times can range from 1 ½ hour to 2 ½  hours.

During our family sessions, we capture photographs of the whole family, individual portraits of the kids, and capture images of Mom and Dad. If your family is large, we will also capture the different family groupings, along with the individual images.

With our extended senior sessions, we may change locations and clothing several times, adding to your session length. Please ask about your type of session, and its typical length, when you book your appointment.

Do you offer in-studio sessions?

For family and senior sessions, I do not offer in-studio sessions; I am an on-location photographer. I have a mobile studio with professional lighting and backdrops; I can come to your space to do studio-type portraits. Executive headshots can be done at your office or my home. Please inquire about this type of service.

What should I wear?

We want your clothing to be comfortable, timeless – not too trendy, and coordinate with your home and chosen location. We have created a style guide to help you prepare for your session. Once the session is booked, we will email you a copy. During our complimentary portrait design consultation, we will go over outfits, coordinating colors, and accessory recommendations that will give a polished look to your images.

How do I book my session?

You can fill out the contact form on my website, send me an email, or give me a call. At this time, I’ll answer any questions you may have, talk about your vision and pricing. After we speak and have determined we are a good match, we will get your session scheduled. Your session date is reserved once the portrait agreement and payment are received.

I work with a limited number of clients each month; I give every family or person personalized service and attention. Session dates are often reserved many weeks or even months in advance. Reservations are on a first-come basis. At certain times of the year, sessions are in high demand, such as fall. Session dates can be held for 48 hours and will only be reserved once payment is received. After 48 hours, the spot will be made available again for others to book.

Once I book my session, what happens next?

After you have selected your session date and payment has been made, you will receive an email with information about your session, a payment receipt, and a portrait guide, along with our styling guide. About two weeks or so before your session, we will have the pre-session design consultation. At this time, we will discuss your clothing, accessories that will compliment your outfits, and the location where we will be doing the session. We will go over what type of products you are interested in and where your art will be displayed. This is a great time to get to know each other and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

We had our session. When do I get to see my portraits and place an order?

About 1-2 weeks after our session, we will meet for your in-person viewing and order session in the comfort of your home or at my home studio. This is where you will finalize your portrait order. All the decision-makers must be there. During our time together, we will go through the professionally edited images from your session, select your favorites, review the options for wall portraits, albums and gift prints, etc. I will help guide you through the process, collaborate and provide expert recommendations on ways to display your images.

Clients typically place their orders at the viewing and ordering session. Payment in full is due when your order is placed. Payments can be arranged for any orders over $1,000, and outstanding balances must be paid before final delivery.

Can I purchase the digital files from my session?

While I do offer digital files, I don't highly recommend them. Here's why:

• I use the best print labs available to assure that you are getting a quality product with the best print quality available. I guarantee the work that comes from my labs. So, if you are not happy with how a print turned out, I will work with you to find a resolution. If you use a digital file with a lab of your choice, I will not guarantee the quality, cropping, or coloring issues other labs will have.
• Think about the last time you only bought the digital images. Where are they now? More than likely, you saved them to your computer or burned them to a disk and only looked at them once or twice a year. Why invest so much into something that you don't get to enjoy every day. I believe it is important to display portraits in the home and pass them down through generations. Professional fine art photo paper can last a hundred or more years, and digital files can easily corrupt.
• As a gift to my clients for any artwork or album purchased, I offer the corresponding low-resolution, watermarked digital file.
• If you truly only want digital files, I offer a discount on the digital files from your session with any purchase of a wall piece or album. I also have A La Carte digital packages. All digital files come on a crystal USB drive along with the corresponding 4x6 printed image in a beautiful, reclaimed wood box.

What if I need to reschedule my session or we have bad weather the day of our session?

We understand life happens, and some circumstances may require the session to be rescheduled. We appreciate as much notice as possible if you need to reschedule; however, we do understand that if you or someone else wakes up sick, we definitely don’t want to proceed with portraits until you are feeling 100%.

Since our sessions are outside on location, we check the weather days in advance of the session. If it looks like it may rain or be very windy, we will reschedule the session. Wind and hair are not pleasant to deal with, and we want you to look your absolute best and not fight wind or other adverse weather conditions.

How are your albums different from something I would create on my own?

We custom design all our albums, making them professional while keeping them personal for your family, high school/college senior, or wedding. Our album pages are made of high-quality thick photographic paper instead of magazine-type paper that is easily damaged. The albums have lay-flat pages, so there is no gap, which allows us to incorporate full spread images. All our albums are archival for over 100+ years with proper care and handcrafted in America. We do all of the design work for you and make changes as needed from your feedback.

Do you accept payments?

We understand that the experience of hiring a professional photographer to create portraits for your family is an investment, so we can offer payment plans. Please note that final payment must be made before the delivery of the product.

Do you take credit cards?

Yes, we take Visa, Mastercard and Discover