McKinney TX + Surrounding DFW Portrait & Wedding Photographer -

PORTRAIT EXPERIENCE

MY STYLE // is on location, natural light, stylized lifestyle. I want you and your family to look like the very best versions of yourselves. One of my favorite things about shooting families is getting to know each and every member of your family. I want to hear all about your favorite things to do together as well as what makes each member of your family unique. This helps me get inspired to choose a location that best suits your family and personalities. I am a bit eclectic and like a variety different spots like deep in the city, big open fields, old run down rustic spots, fun bubbly streams, and even pretty white washed studios. But my main goal is putting your family into a location that is special and unique to you!

Whether you're looking for a maternity, family, or newborn session, our time together will be laid-back, FUN and personalized. I'll pose your family naturally, and guide you and prompt you to interact candidly and authentically so that your images reflect your family just as you are. We'll make sure to take a few "everyone-looking-at-the-camera" shots along the way, too.

Having a young family with small children can be altogether chaotic at times. As a mother of young children myself, I am prepared for this and as a photographer, I welcome it!! It's my job as your family photographer to bring out the beauty in the chaos. As the years go by, these will be your truly cherished memories!

::THE FULL COLLECTION::

Full collection is $350 plus tax.

This will include up to 90 minutes of session time at an outdoor location, 40+ beautiful images and a personal password protected gallery to download the images. Gallery also includes a print release, so you may print your images at a lab of your choice. I do offer prints, canvas, and other products though my professional print company if you would like to order through me.

There is a $150 session retainer fee is required at the time of booking to secure your date. Retainer fee is non-refundable, and is required to secure a date.

The $200+8.25% sales tax is due no later than 48hrs prior to session date.

::THE MINI COLLECTION::

Mini collection is $200 plus tax.

This will include up to 40 minutes of session time, 10+ beautiful images and a personal password protected gallery to download the images. Gallery also includes a print release, so you may print your images at a lab of your choice. I do offer prints, canvas, and other products though my professional print company if you would like to order through me.

The full $200+8.25% sales tax is your session retainer fee is required at the time of booking to secure your date. Retainer fee is non-refundable, and is required to secure a date.

::THE LIFESTYLE NEWBORN COLLECTION::

Newborn collection is $375 plus tax.

My style for newborn portraits is simple, natural, and timeless. Instead of props, backdrops, and costumes, the focus is just you and the love you have for your new baby. This 1.5 to 2 hour session is baby at home with family, featuring subtle posing/positioning assistance from me. The surroundings are your home, your things, your pet(s), your spaces. I encourage you to incorporate family heirlooms or personal items in the shoot if you wish. Included is 40+ beautiful images and a personal password protected gallery to download the images. Gallery also includes a print release, so you may print your images at a lab of your choice. I do offer prints, canvas, and other products though my professional print company if you would like to order through me.

There is a $175 session retainer fee is required at the time of booking to secure your date. Retainer fee is non-refundable, and is required to secure a date.

The $200+8.25% sales tax is due no later than 48hrs prior to session date.

::THE MATERNITY+LIFESTYLE NEWBORN COLLECTION::
Maternity+Newborn collection is $500 plus tax.
This will include a maternity mini session; 40min session and a Lifestyle Newborn session to follow once baby is born. You will receive a personal password protected gallery to download the images. Gallery also includes a print release, so you may print your images at a lab of your choice. I do offer prints, canvas, and other products though my professional print company if you would like to order through me.
There is a $160 session retainer fee is required at the time of booking to secure your date. Retainer fee is non-refundable, and is required to secure a date.

The remaining $340 is broken down into two payments of $170+8.25%sales tax is due no later than 48hrs prior to session dates.

::THE FRESH 48 COLLECTION::

Fresh 48 collection is $275 plus tax.

This is a 90min session photographed at your baby's place of birth, whether it be a hospital or a birthing center, within the first 48 hours of birth. These sessions are lifestyle journalistic sessions, capturing all the special details of your sweet newborn baby. These help to capture those fresh moments after your little one arrives because days later they would look nothing like this. Their hair would be freshly clean and there would be no leftovers of the labor of love that got them here... This is why I love Fresh 48 sessions. Babies change so quickly. I want to help you remember the freshness of them. These sessions are not posed. It's just you and your family in the moment together. Your gallery will include no less than 40 images in color and black & white. You will receive a personal password protected gallery to download the images. Gallery also includes a print release, so you may print your images at a lab of your choice. I do offer prints, canvas, and other products though my professional print company if you would like to order through me.
There is a $150 session retainer fee is required at the time of booking to secure your date. Retainer fee is non-refundable, and is required to secure a date.

The remaining $125+8.25%sales tax is due no later than 48hrs after your session is shot.

Retainer fee is non-refundable, and is required to secure a date.
The remaining balance is due no later than 30 days prior to your wedding date.
**Payment plans are available!
**Travel fees will apply for sessions more than 60 minutes outside of McKinney TX.

FAQs

Are digital files included in your packages?
YES! I try to make everything as simple as possible.

Do you offer print products?
I do! Though you have the right to print through a vendor of your choice, my lab offers beautiful, high-quality, professional prints at reasonable prices.

Where are you located?
McKinney Texas ... if you are outside the McKinney area please see the next question!

Do you travel?
YES! There are travel fees for any location 60 miles from McKinney.

Do you use props?
Nope! I bring a couple of antique quilts and an old crate to outdoor sessions, and to my newborn sessions I bring my camera and a step stool, but that’s it. Props just don’t make my photographer heart tick, and if you’re looking for that style, I’m probably not the best photographer for you. However, I’m happy to give you a referral because there are certainly many photographers who use props beautifully.

Where and when do you do most of your portrait shoots?
I prefer to shoot outdoors about an hour or two before sunset. Most of the photos you’ll see in my galleries were taken during “the golden hour”, the hour that precedes sunset and brings gorgeous, soft, golden light to your images. Because I am based out of DFW and many of my clients are from this area, the majority of my shoots take place at parks and locations in the immediate DFW area. However, I love shaking things up and shooting at new places, so if you have a particular location in mind, I’d love to hear it!

How far in advance do you book?
Weekend sessions are generally booked a few weeks in advance between the months of February thru June - I book out at least a month in advance between the months of September thru December - But it never hurts to reach out to see what I have for availability!

Can I see/have all of the images you took at my session?
Unfortunately, no. Most of the images captured at your session will not end up in the final gallery. I capture many more images than we actually need to complete a gallery. Some are going to be unusable because of things like blinking, movement, etc. Some are simply duplicates. I take great care to only choose the best images for your gallery, and adding images that do not meet my standards would not improve your gallery.

Do you edit all of your work?
Yes! First I weed through your photos and eliminate the not-so-great. Then I carefully edit each and every remaining photo. I play with color, exposure, sharpness, and I generally try to give each photo a subtle film-like feel. Some images will also be converted to black and white. In-depth re-touching such as skin smoothing, wrinkle removal, hair fixes, and stain and object removal is not part of my regular editing service. I am happy to do provide retouching to one or two images as a complimentary service, but beyond that, images will be outsourced to a re-touching company for an additional charge.

I see my gallery comes with a print and posting release. What does that mean? Do I own the copyright to my images?
A print and posting release means that you will have permission to post your images online and print them anywhere you’d like. Your images are delivered in high resolution, so you can print them the size of a billboard, if you want! This does not mean, though, that you own the copyright. The copyright always stays with me, as the creator of the images. What does this mean for you? It means that you can’t make changes to the images. You can crop to print at a certain size, but other than that, editing my images in any way is a big no-no! Instagram filters, editing apps on your phone, etc., take away from the images I created for you, and can seriously misrepresent my work to those that see it. It’s like a guest at a restaurant stopping a waiter on his way to deliver a meal to a table, cutting up the food, adding a bunch of salt, pouring on some sauce, and sending the food to the table. You may think the food is better that way, but the chef most certainly doesn’t agree! Please don’t do this to my images!

How/when will I receive my images?
Portrait sessions are usually done withing 21 business days. This could be a shorter or slightly longer depending on the time of year... Fall is always crazy busy so please give a little grace with that timeframe as I am not just a photographer but a wife & Mom as well and home life can be crazy at times. For weddings it takes between 12 & 16 weeks.

What should I wear?
I get asked this question A LOT, so I’ve finally decided to make a Pinterest page with outfit inspiration for my clients. You can find it HERE. In a nutshell, you should certainly pick outfits and colors that are complimentary to each other, but leave the matching for Sears portraits :). In general, pastel color palettes photograph well, as well as earthy and neutral palettes. Deep, rich colors such as burgundy, plum, and mustard yellow can be beautiful for outdoor fall images. I generally encourage my clients to avoid bright, bold colors, as well as dressing too many family members in black or white. Also, layering and accessorizing can really spruce up photos!