Portrait: FAQ

Why should we book you?

Feel free to read a bit more about me, have a look at my images and hear what my clients have to say!

What is your photographic style and approach?
I take natural, spontaneous portraiture that captures real spirit and personality, and I love capturing all the details and expressions that make people unique. I always photograph on location in natural light, which often means starting off in your home, then a fun few hours out and about somewhere where you'll all have lots of fun!

What type of packages do you offer?
I offer a range of different packages. If you're not sure what kind of products you want, or want the flexibility to decide later, you can just book the basic session and then choose your own selection of products after the shoot from the product menu. I also offer a range of all-inclusive packages with various combinations of wall art, albums and digital files. See prices for more details.

What should we wear?
Casual clothes that you feel comfortable in and that show your individual style. Brighter, bolder colours and accessories look great, and if possible let your kids choose their own clothes and play dress-up if they want to, so they are happy and comfortable and their genuine character and tastes can be captured. By all means bring one or two outfit changes to add more variety within the photographs. We can discuss this before the shoot and I'm happy to advise. Often children and their parents have very different ideas about what to wear - if this is the case, it's often a good idea to allow the child to decide if at all possible - if children feel comfortable and happy in their clothes this will show in the photos. You can always bring an outfit change to keep everyone happy!

Should we bring anything?
Often bringing 'props' is a great idea, particularly with children and teenagers, as they often have favourite items that mean a lot to them and that show their individual style and interests, such as skateboards, teddies, costumes, footballs, bikes, toys etc. These can all really help to build a visual story of that individual at that point in time.

Where will the session take place?
It could take place anywhere! Before the shoot we will discuss what type of shoot you would like - for example, something romantic, fun, sweet, funky, gritty, natural, homely, dramatic etc - then together we can choose a location that will work well with this. You may well have a special place in mind that you would like to use. It might be around your home, a park, woodland, a beach, the city, industrial buildings, wherever!

How do you approach photographing children?
By letting them have fun! One of the things that I love most about photographing children is that they usually have very few inhibitions and show you their individuality and character very openly, so it's very easy to just let them play and be themselves and get some great, authentic shots. Jumping, grinning, whispering, gamboling, running, fiddling, hiding, giggling, pretending, climbing... children do all of these naturally with no encouragement whatsoever and it's my job to capture them in all their glory for you to keep! Because I always photograph on location, often around the family home or a favourite park or place, children find it very easy to relax and just have fun. Particularly with younger children, we always stop for regular snack, drink or relaxing breaks, and I fit in around your family routine, so that no-one becomes uncomfortable or fed up!

Can we purchase the digital images?
Yes, after a minimum print order of £250 or after booking any of the all-inclusive packages, you can either purchase all images from the shoot or smaller numbers of images if you prefer. There are a lot of cheap high-street printing labs around these days, but not so many that will consistently do a great job with your files. So as much as I am delighted for you to have your digital files (something which many portrait photographers do not offer at all), I also want to make sure that you have some really gorgeous professional quality prints for your home.

Can I print from these digital images?
Yes! You can view and print them as many times as you wish, in whatever size you wish, in whatever format you wish.

How long will it be until I get my pictures?
Your finished images will be ready within 2 weeks of your session, when we will meet up for a consultation where you can decide which products you would like and/or which images you would like to use. After the consultation I will put all images in an online gallery for one month so that you can decide in your own time and share with friends and family if you want to. If you have selected an album option, you will receive this within 8 weeks of confirmation of the images you have selected for the album. Any wall art or products will be ready within 4 weeks of placement of order.

Are the images in colour or black and white?
All images are digitally captured and at no extra cost are individually edited in the digital darkroom to ensure that they are presented to optimum effect - I am a real Photoshop nerd and really love the creativity of this part of the process! The final images are presented in a mixture of colour and black and white.

What areas of the country do you cover?
Anywhere and everywhere! I am more than happy to travel anywhere, including abroad. I am based in the North West and primarily cover Manchester, Leeds, Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Peak District. I also frequently work in Birmingham. I do not charge for travel within a 50 mile radius of Manchester or Leeds.

What products do you offer?
Lots! I offer lots of different kinds of wall art, such as framed fine art prints, canvasses and box frames, as well as gorgeous albums, digital files, vouchers and personalized greeting cards. See products for more details.

When do the sessions take place?
Between October and March, any day of the week between 09.00 and sunset. Between April and September weekend bookings incur a supplementary fee of £50, due to the volume of weekend wedding bookings I take on during this time.

I'd love to book you, how do I do this?
Wonderful! Drop me an email or phone call to let me know what you want to do and when, and we can fix a date. A booking fee of £100 (equivalent to basic session fee) is payable to secure the date. The remainder of the balance (either the cost of your a la carte products or the remainder of your package fee) is due before any products can be put into production.