Outdoor Family Minis - Portraits in Toronto (GTA) & Pickering (Durham Region)

 

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IMPORTANT -  **Immediate family only. Cousins are welcome to book back-to-back mini sessions or a full 1-hour session.  Mini sessions are short 20 minute sessions and are designed for smaller groupings of families. 

 

LOCATION - Once your session is booked, I will provide you with details about the location, where to meet, and everything you'll need to know. We wait until shortly before your session to determine the exact location, once we get a feel for what location is looking nice for that time of year. However, we always announce the type of location up front (rustic, architecture, etc.), and locations are always in Toronto, within a 30 minute drive of my studio. 

 

WHAT TO WEAR - We know figuring out what to wear is one of the most stressful parts of booking a session, and we have to say, it is important. The right outfit elevates an image from so so, to one that looks timeless, coordinated and intentional. Wardrobe is very dependent on the location of your session. What works at home doesn't necessarily work in a rustic location or a modern, architectural spot. We'll provide you with specific guidance based on where your session will be help. In the meantime, check out my Pinterest board for tons of ideas and tips.

 

ARRIVAL - Our mini sessions are booked back to back. It is important that you arrive a few minutes prior to your scheduled time so that we can spend the full amount of allotted time with your family. Late arrivals will receive the remaining time in their session, and arrivals over 20 minutes late will forfeit their session and deposit (exception made for emergencies!).

 

ILLNESS - If your child is sick or otherwise under the weather, please let me know before 24 hours so that we can reschedule. They will most likely be unhappy so in order to achieve those beautiful images, rescheduling is crucial. I understand the desire to "power through" at times due to scheduling constraints, but it is very important that we reschedule if your little ones aren't feeling their best. Rescheduling/cancelling less than 24 hours in advance will forfeit your payment/ deposit.

 

WEATHER - I try to avoid harsh noon light so all outdoor sessions will take place after 3pm. Some weather conditions that are not conducive to shooting outdoors - rain, high winds, bitter cold, therefore a "rain date" might be necessary. If we are planning to shoot outdoors, we will make the call on weather (if the forecast is looking iffy) the night before or the morning of your session. Please trust our judgement when it comes to determining if the weather is suitable for outdoor portraits. Mini sessions will be rescheduled to a specific rain date. If you are unable to make the raindate, your deposit may be applied to a future session..

 

While mini sessions are short and sweet, you’ll be amazed at how quickly and efficiently I can capture all those smiles! Here are some things you can expect with each age group.

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babies
6-12 months is a wonderful time to incorporate sweet outfits and fun items such as wooden toys or their favourite book.  If we are shooting in an unfamiliar place, they may be very enamored by the new sights and sounds. Its helpful to bring a neutral blanket along when shooting outdoors, as many babies don’t love the feeling of grass or will try be distracted by putting things in their mouths. If baby is going through a stranger anxiety phase, I’ll ask mom or dad to stand behind me to help elicit smiles.

 

toddlers
Be prepared for an active session! Toddlers between 1-3 are often much more interested in being on the go than sitting still... and that is ok! I adapt by capturing them in motion, or containing them on chairs, sitting on blankets or outdoor rocks, etc.  Bribery for after the session isn't a bad thing by any means, but please avoid any snacks or candy during the session (chewing pictures or M&M stained teeth aren't ideal!). Bringing along your child’s favorite toy, lovey, a wagon, or bubbles are great ways to keep them still and occupied. Its not uncommon for the session to feel chaotic, especially when there are siblings involved, but rest assured that we shoot quickly and can capture even those brief glances and smiles.

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kids 3+ and teens
Each age group comes with its own wonderful aspects and challenges. Shy kids operate best with one parent close by, while elementary age kids to preteens often warm up best and give more natural smiles when mom and dad aren’t watching. Avoid threatening or asking your child to sit still and behave, etc. Most of the time it is best to let me interact with them to get those real smiles. For kids who are old enough to follow commands, we usually employ some posing and positioning to ensure that the light and backgrounds are ideal.

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MOST IMPORTANTLY... every little one is different, and we ask that you think honestly about your child and their personality to ensure our best chances of success. Mini sessions are a wonderful option for short attention spans, and for getting just the right amount of images to capture various milestones. With that said, children who are very shy, slow to warm up, exceptionally active, etc., are typically not great candidates for these sessions. Many parents with little ones that fit this description feel a classic session would be way too long, and go with a mini session instead. Contrary to that belief, classic sessions are not a solid hour of shooting time. Many times, a large chunk of the session is spent getting your child warmed up, acclimated, and ready to be captured at their best. Classic sessions also involve advanced planning re: time, location, etc. to ensure what is best for your little one. In order to avoid an unsuccessful session (and an invariable reshoot!), we appreciate you thinking about these points in advance. We're always happy to answer any questions and point you in the right direction!

 

after your session

Most of the work takes place after your session. I carefully select the best images and by doing so, ensure that every image you receive is a perfect image... no throwaway shots with closed eyes or strange and funny facial expressions. I  understand the desire to see all of the images from your session, but we feel strongly that a big part of our job is narrowing down the best images so that you don't have to sift through hundreds of outtakes. Any images that are not shown in your gallery are not retained, but trust me when we say, I would never leave any fantastic images on the table! My clean, classic editing process keeps your images looked polished while also looking realistic and timeless. Your high resolution images will be ready to download within 2-4 weeks of your session date. Each client will receive their own private client site in which they can select their images and later on download their digital images and prints and enlargements if they wish.

 

a word about digital images

In todays world, many clients wish to purchase digital images from their photographer. I personally believe that owning the digital images from your session is a valuable option, and this is why I am pleased to include them in all of our session offerings.  Digital images are an extremely economical option for creating small prints, multiple copies of prints, cards and photo gifts. It is important to keep in mind that when purchasing digital images, you are assuming the responsibility for the outcome of the finished product. Please be sure that you are willing to take the steps to ensure that your images are printed correctly (i.e. using a high quality lab, NOT a drugstore). Also, do keep in mind that like the hundreds of snapshots you have taken yourself, professional digital images often end up sitting dormant on your hard drive . I hate to see that happen, so it is important that you take the time to print and enjoy your images to the fullest! By offering digital images to our clients, we are granting the ability for the client to reproduce the images countless times and retain all of the images from their session.

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Our digital images are the highest quality and include basic professional retouching. The digital images come with unlimited printing rights. Once you make your selection from the proofs, each image will be professionally edited - not only for color/tonality correction, but also for skim blemishes, scratches, bruises, under eye circles, background clutter, etc.  I'm happy to accommodate additional editing such hair editing or a digital “nip & tuck” to help everyone look and feel their best for an additional fee.

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Looking for some heirloom quality, larger prints for your walls? Or perhaps you'd like to use your digital images more for archival purposes and don't have an interest in printing on your own. Our beautiful wall portraits, available as custom framed prints or fine art canvas, are perfect for such purposes. I will upload your images to my print fulfillment site which links to our professional lab. This printer is North America's top pro-level lab, so they will match the color calibration information in the files and properly print the images. Their prices are competitive with consumer labs and they ship right to your front door. Easy! But Don’t worry! We know this can be intimidating for some clients, so we will hold your hand and help you print should you need it. We are a full-service studio and if need be, we can help.

 

the fine print

As custom photographer, I strive to be as flexible and accommodating as possible for my clients. However, there are some policies that we have in place to ensure that all of our clients receive our full attention, and the very best customer service. Please take a moment to read through them thoroughly. Thank you!

 

copyright

Like any other artist, the format and quality in which my work is presented is important to me. I retain exclusive ownership and rights to all images. Images may not be edited, altered or reproduced without explicit permission. Digital images are for personal use only. Commercial or editorial usage, sale, or entering images into contests or publications is expressly forbidden without written our permission.

 

deposit

Your non-refundable deposit is due upon booking. Your time slot is not reserved until this time. Should you need to reschedule, your deposit will be held and applied to a future session for illness or emergencies only. No show appointments forfeit their deposit. Should we need to cancel your session due to unforeseen circumstances, your deposit will not be refunded.

 

images

You will receive a fully gallery with between 5-10 professionally retouched images from your session. These are high resolution images, though the exact final size will vary based on cropping. Images that are not selected for proofing are purged and not available for viewing. Due to the nature of on-location sessions, we cannot guarantee certain images and use our artistic judgement to select the images presented.

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payment

If your payment was not made in full, the remaining balance of your session (50%) is due the date of your session before you receive any of the image proofs.

 

prints

Prints may be ordered up to (1) year from the date of your session, and you may do so through me. Due to the custom nature of these products, please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery of wall portraits. Orders may be shipped or hand delivered, depending on the size and fragility of your products.

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refunds

Once the balance of your session is paid your proofs will be sent and your order is non-refundable. Due to the custom nature of photography screenshots and digital downloads, no refunds will be given. Print orders are considered non-refundable once payment is received. Rest assured that all prints and products must adhere to our strict quality standards before being delivered.

 

rescheduling

Rescheduling/cancelling less than 24 hours in advance will forfeit your deposit. For outdoor sessions, we will make every effort to make the forecast determination as soon as possible, but sometimes we are unable to do so until a few hours before your session. I do not recommend hair or makeup appointments the day of your session for this reason. Thank you for trusting my judgment regarding optimal weather conditions. I do make every effort to reschedule you as soon as possible for weather/illness cancellations, but dates are subject to availability.

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reshoots

I 100% guarantee my work, however, if for some reason I was unable to accomplish all of our goals of the session, a mini follow up session will be scheduled at the photographer’s discretion. If you are unhappy with the images from your session as a whole, you will be given the option for a reshoot. Please note that all images from your first session will be purged and unavailable for ordering.