What kind of portrait sessions do you offer?

We specialize in natural light, on location photography.  We do not shoot in a studio or work with with black, white or colored back drops.  All shooting will be done with actual locations, props and backgrounds available or provided by the participant.

We offer a variety of different sessions for our portrait clients . . .

• Engagement – see FAQ: Engagement Sessions
• Family – typically a combination of posed shots and lifestyle portraits of you interacting with each other – we recommend families with small children focus on mostly lifestyle shots
• Seniors – more formal, headshot style sessions geared toward graduating high school or college students (1-2 changes of clothing permitted)
• Maternity – can be done with mommy-to-be alone, as a couple or family, shot on location or in the home depending on the desired look  (32-36 weeks along)
• Pets – lifestyle sessions shot in the home or other environment where the pet will be comfortable and free to roam
• Headshots – available for business, actors, models, etc.
• Other – have an idea for a unique portrait session?  Contact us to discuss the details! studio@simplyknotphotos.com

What do you mean by a lifestyle session?

Lifestyle photography is a focus on creating artistic photos from real life situations.  For instance; when you take your child to a traditional studio they will be put in front of a backdrop with props and asked to pose, creating a “portrait”.  A lifestyle session with us may include meeting you and your child at the park to capture them playing and interacting with you and their environment.  On a lifestyle shoot we will make some suggestions for ways to interact or situations to recreate, but the goal is to capture actual moments as they happen.

How do we choose a location?

The location is entirely up to you!  The most important thing to keep in mind is that we want YOU to be a big part of the process!  We want you to have a great experience and end up with photos that reflect who you are and tell your story.  When we start to brainstorm ideas for a location we will ask you things like, “what do you do together for fun?”, “are there any places that are significant to you?”, “what type of settings have you seen in other photos that appealed to you?”, “what do you consider your personal style, individually or as a family?”  We can make lots of suggestions based on areas where we like to shoot, but our ultimate goal is to come up with a place that fits YOU!

What should we wear?

Wear something that reflects YOUR personality and style!  Because our standard portrait session is only an hour, we allow for changes of clothes only during Senior and Engagement sessions or if an extended session is purchased.

For family sessions, we DO NOT require that you wear matching clothing, but we do suggest that you all dress with the same level of formality in mind.  A parent in a suit and child in jeans and a t-shirt may look a little funny :-)  Choosing a common color palette and incorporate it into everyone’s clothing choices creates a very put together look without being too “matchy-matchy.”  We suggest that this palette consist of several neutral tones (black, white, brown or gray) and one or two brighter colors (red, green, blue, orange, etc.)  We’ve created a Pintrest board that visually illustrates what we mean and shows you some examples of what this can look like in photos. CLICK HERE to check it out!

Our only real preference is that you avoid tops that have a really strong pattern that would draw a lot of attention away from your face.  Your clothing choice is entirely up to you, but we recommend that no matter what you choose it should to be something you’d be ok sitting on the ground in for a short period of time.

Can we include our pet in our portrait session?

Yes!  We are open to including pets during portrait sessions, but as they are a bit unpredictable we ask that a family member or friend that will NOT be included in the photos come along to help look after them.  We suggest that we include the pet during the first 15 minutes to half an hour of the session and then the family member or friend can keep watch over them so we can spend the rest of the time focused on the main subjects without any distractions.

When will I get to see my photos?

Three to five days after your session, we’ll post a preview of your photos on the blog.  We encourage you to forward the link to family and friends and share your images with others.  There’s even a comment section under each post where people can leave you messages.  The rest of the photos will be edited within three to four weeks and put into an online gallery where you can purchase prints and other items.  Within a week of your gallery launch, you’ll receive a customized disk of low resolution images in the mail which you can use as you wish.  Full resolution images can be purchased separately or by individual image from the proof gallery website.

Can I buy an Album?

You sure can!  Albums are a great way to showcase your portraits.  Feel free to contact us for pricing!