You are interested in letting me capture a slice of your life as a family? Fantastic! I strive to freeze time – to photograph your family just as they are. Right now. The highest compliment I can be given? Well, as much as I love when a client tells me the pictures are beautiful, I consider it more of a compliment when a client tells me “you caught my child’s personality perfectly.”
I don’t really do “poses” and I’m not looking for perfection – I’m searching for love, for interactions, and for the relationships that are already there. I don’t give complicated, boring posing direction, other than an occasional “sit near him” or “go over there and cuddle” or maybe a “tickle her and make her laugh like crazy.” I want your pictures to be an active, living, loving thing. A spontainious outporing of what your family is all about. I want to tell your family’s story.
A few words of preparation:
Be prepared to relax, to enjoy each other for an hour, and to let the magic happen. Don’t be afraid to get in front of the camera and show me what your children mean to you – remember that love photographs beautifully.
For the children, please DO NOT tell them to “be good and smile at the camera, and do exactly what Ms. Cara says or else.” I find that this approach often backfires with littles – they rather enjoy a bit of misbehavior. And I’m going to misbehave a little with them. I’m a champion belcher, and I like to jump on the furniture. Also, I don’t usually grab my camera and start clicking away the moment you arrive, either. I love to start my sessions with some games and fun, and as the kids warm up, then we get the ball rolling with some wonderful pictures.
In general, you can expect signature family sessions to last about an hour, although I’m not strict with the time – sometimes things are going well, and we all stay long past the hour mark. Other times, the littles are just done in 40 minutes. Sometimes it is best for everyone to take a little break from the session, get a little snack and relax for a bit… that’s ok too! I play by the client, not the clock.
Signature sessions are ideal for children 3 months and older, as well as immediate families of any size, however if you are looking for a multi-generational or extended family session, it may be best to book a longer session time. The session fee for weekday Signature session is $100, weekend Signature session fees are $150. Session fees do not include prints or digital images, and my clients plan to spend $600-1200 on their purchases after the session