Vancouver Family Photographer – FAQ

So you have some burning questions for this Vancouver family photographer?! I have compiled some of my most asked questions below. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions!

What does planning for our family photos look like?

After you have booked with me and have filled out my initial questionnaire we can start planning! First you choose your session type and a few dates you are hoping for. And you can share whether you have a spot in mind for your session or choose from my list of favourite spots to shoot. Next we can move on to the next planning steps!

Family photo locations in and around Vancouver

The location where we end up taking pictures can be entirely up to you and what you are hoping to achieve!

Your place: If a day-in-the-life is more your jam let’s plan to stay in, read and drink some tea!

Outdoor family photos: If you and your family are up for an adventure, a trip to the beach or mountains might be in the works.

Studio family photos: as a photographer in Vancouver, I’m proud to welcome clients in my beautiful indoor studio in Gastown. My studio is available by appointment.

Best time of day for family photography

The time of day makes a huge difference in what your photos look like at the end of a session. I have over 10 years of experience shooting families. This has allowed me to gain knowledge around shooting in every lighting situation. That being said there are still preferable times of days for photos to be taken.

One thing to keep in mind with timing and young children, often littles have times of day they are tired and overstimulated. Working around these times AND the light can often be tricky. I recommend booking your session for a time of year when the sun sets earlier or early in the morning. That way we can take advantage of the light and make sure your little ones are enjoying your time with me!

What about the weather?

The weather in Vancouver can at times be not at all what we had planned for. If the rain just won’t stop pouring, we can always fall back on an in-home or studio lifestyle session. Lucky for us Vancouver has many hidden in-door gems we can shoot at if the rain just won’t hold out!

Can we re-book our session?

I try to not re-book sessions based on the weather, as my year is usually booked up far in advance. That said, if your family is sick or an unforeseen emergency comes up I can make room to re-book!

What do we need to do to prepare for our family photo session?

Wondering how I keep the kiddos from running wild? This isn’t something I worry about! I choose to embrace the messy, chaotic and the imperfectly perfect moments. This is exactly what you’ll hope to remember in 20 years.

That being said, getting ready for your session doesn’t have to be stressful! I am here to help with anything you might need to make sure our time together captures who you and your family are.

There are a few things we can do to make sure you are ready when your session begins.

Wondering what to wear?

Planning your outfits in advance and not waiting till the last minute will help with not bringing stress with you to your session.

I am here to help with that! After you book your session we can take some time to plan out your outfits together.

Comfortable clothes

The most important thing to keep in mind when picking clothes for you and especially your kids, make sure they are comfortable. I have shot many a session where parents picked out clothing for their children they felt uncomfortable in. Not only does your child being uncomfortable make your session feel stressful in the moment, it also shows up in the photos in the end as well!

Some things to think about:

Tags or scratchy clothing
Clothing that is too tight (rides their legs)
Clothing that is too big (falls down when they are running around)
New clothing they find unfamiliar

Which colours to choose

The second thing to keep in mind after comfort is colour. I’m all for colour, though one thing to keep in mind is colour can bounce when there is a lot of light! Often photographers suggest wearing neutrals for this reason, but its hard to say no to colour and so I encourage you to wear what brings you joy!

Sustainability

And last but not least, I am a huge supporter of sustainable practices. This includes not running out to buy a new thing just because. Choosing outfits from what you already own, or from a local designer can be a great way to prioritize sustainability.

Client closet outfits

I also offer a few dresses in my client closet. You are welcome to borrow when booking a session with me.

What should we expect on the day of our family photos?

Depending on the time of day your session will take place will dictate what your final images will look like. If there are images in my portfolio that stand out to you, let me know and I can reference the time of day we captured them!

The weather of course plays a huge role in a portrait, but what we think of “bad weather” doesn’t always translate to a final image.
All of that to say, there is no need to reschedule on an overcast day!

When preparing your kids ( and even your partner!) for getting photos taken, I would recommend referring to the session as a family adventure or outing to get the kids excited about getting their photos taken. This helps to ease the nerves that sometimes come with cameras as well! I will do my best on the other side of the lens to make you all feel comfortable. And sometimes that includes silly noises – the occasional farting noise perhaps (mimicked farts via my lips of course!)

You can expect a combination of stillness, emotion and movement to be something I’m after, and if accessibility may be a consideration please let me know ahead of time so I can make sure everyone getting their photo taken feels welcomed and included.

How can I prepare for my newborn session?

I love photographing newborns and their parents. Taking time to make sure you all are comfortable is my highest priority. If this means taking as much time as we need to feed and change baby (and parents! ). We will make space for that!

Make sure to bring things your baby might need during the session, like an extra outfit, diapers and burp cloth to catch all those glorious baby drools.

Babies thrive in their own environment where they feel comfort and assurance. If you are worried about your home not being right for our session, let me know. I can help walk us through the best option for you and your baby! You might consider the use of my lifestyle studio for your newborn photos to capture a sense of being at home but not having to worry about cleaning up before the session.

When can I expect to receive my photos?

Once our session has ended, I head home and upload the images from the day! Next I back them up to an external hard drive and also to cloud storage. This is a way for me to make sure your photos never disappear from my database. I do recommend making backups of your images for yourself. Although I do have access to all the images I have ever take, it takes me a while to go back and retrieve them. That’s why I charge an archive retrieval fee to create a new gallery after your gallery has expired. If you need some tips for backups I would recommend, please reach out!

The editing process

After the backed-up, they go through my editing process where they receive colour correction, cropping, soft edits to remove things that just don’t belong and resizing. This makes sure you can access the photos without any fancy programming and can share them with your family and friends quickly and easily.

This is also a huge part of my artistic process as I care a lot about how an image looks even after I have composed and set it up in my camera. I find this to be the area current trends take the biggest role. And for myself, I have chosen an edit that mimics classic film photography. The cool thing about how film was created, is its ability to adapt to different lighting scenarios.

Different film types were invented for different needs. I am able to use the same concept in my work primarily using my digital camera, photoshop and occasionally real film itself!

The delivery time

Because I take my time making sure each edit is perfect, you can expect to receive your photos between 2-4 weeks after your session. If you’d inquire with another Vancouver family photographer, you’ll find this is a standard delivery time.

How will you deliver our family photos?

Once your photos are edited, they get uploaded to an online gallery and sent to you via e-mail. Why an online gallery vs. USB/cd/floppy disc?!

1. The environment: single-use devices require a lot from the environment. And I would like to do my part in taking care of the earth! Buying an external hard drive or using a cloud storage option that you can store ALL your digitals on from all your memories is what I’d suggest. Even better, get all your photos printed and on your wall!

2. Expiry date: USBs have a shorter shelf life, around 10 years on average. Our goal is to have your images last a lifetime!

3. Accessibility: One amazing advantage of online galleries is their integration with social platforms. This means easy sharing with your loved ones online and quick access to printing. Prints, cards, calendars and books in your hands way sooner!

How much does it cost to work with a family photographer in Vancouver?

You can find the my starting rates on my investment page.