how to select the perfect photos from your session

Just about every photo session with us includes an in-studio review session about a week or two after your photo shoot. We know that a lot of photographers simply send an online album with photos to choose from, but I think it’s important to go the extra mile to help our clients.

If you’ve ever had professional photography done you know that we take a ton of photos during your session. This is great, because as a photographer I have so many more photos to choose from when looking for the perfect poses, lighting, smile, etc.

But if you’re looking through an online album of photos it can be really hard to choose between hundreds of different options. That’s why we are right there to help you.

This is one of the biggest reasons I make your review session a priority. My team is experienced in the art of finding and selecting the best photos from your session.

So here’s a  little behind-the-scenes look at how our white-glove review session works.

It starts as soon as your photography session is finished.

That’s right, as soon as I’m done photographing you (and/or your family) I begin going through the images and selecting the best first round. This usually ends up being several hundred photos.

A little while later, after I’ve had a little artistic space from the images, I go back and get a little pickier, looking for the best poses, the best facial looks, smiles, etc.

Then we start editing.

From there, I select my favorite twenty to twenty-five images to edit. This is when my team and I tap into my nearly twenty years of photo-editing experience to optimize lighting, smooth wrinkles, or remove blemishes, or even shave off a few pounds.photo editing

High-quality portrait prints.

After we’ve made these gorgeous images absolutely picture perfect, we print them on our high-quality, archival photo paper and put them in mattes to display on our reveal wall. I’ll explain what that is in just a bit.

Your Review Session.

A week or so after your photography session we’ll call to set up a good time for you to come by our studio and see your photos in three amazing ways.

Slideshow.

We always put together a beautiful slideshow to show you some of the best pictures from your shot, sometimes with a little video from your shoot as well.

 

Reveal Wall.

When you first walk into the studio the reveal wall will be covered, but during your session we’ll pull the curtains aside to reveal those painstakingly edited images, matted and ready to be framed. You’ll be able to see your beautifully printed images, hold them in your (white-gloved) hands, and even take some home!

Digital Selections.

We’ll also have a selection of close to a couple hundred favorite photos on our flat screen display. We’ll work with you to narrow down the best shots, by comparing your favorites side-by-side and helping you understand the differences (even the minute ones) to each photo so you can pick ones that you’ll love for years to come.

You can always order individual images, but our best offerings are in our wall art, artisanal albums, Italian photo boxes, and other professionally printed packages. No matter what your taste, needs, or preferences, we’ll help you choose the perfect images and even edit them to your specifications.

We know that our clients come to us for a top notch experience and so we strive to give you the best photography experience of your life, along with the portraits that you’ll cherish for generations.

Want to see the behind the scenes video for this photo session? Click here to view the video.

fall-family-portraits


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Reflecting back on 2017, the main word that comes to mind in reference to my portrait photography is growth.  Last year, I focused my attention on improving the studio experience for my clients, creating a better product line, improving communications, improving my website and social media platforms and continuing to push myself to learn complicated lighting techniques.  I attended an amazing conference, Portrait Masters, on my own (which for me was a real challenge as I am intimidated by large crowds of people I don’t know) and I participated in an amazing SEO optimization class.

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Since our photography year is winding down, we thought it would be fun to do a roundup of some of the fun photo ideas we’ve seen all over the internet. There’s still time to order or make these great gifts.

Holiday Photo Frame Wreath

Make a holiday photo wreath with photos of your family. You could even include a photo of each Christmas.

holiday photo wreath

Get more info on how to make this wreath of frames on Pinterest

 

Cookie Photo Prints

The family will love this special treat! Get your photos printed on cookies.

To order your cookies, visit Zazzle.

Wooden Photo Box

This wooden box of photos is just darling, make it as a Christmas present or even  a Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day gift.

wooden box of photosClick here for instructions on how to make this gift.

 

 

Put those Portraits on Display

Do you have too many wonderful photos to  hang individually on the wall? Make the most of your space by displaying your photographs on photo shelves. display your photos

Image from Pinterest.

Photos on Rustic Ornaments

Photos printed on ornaments have been around for a while, but this fresh, rustic take is just adorable.

wood photo ornamentOrder your custom wood photo ornament on Etsy.

Make a Stamp from Your Photo

Who doesn’t want to stamp things with their face? These could be a great idea for for wedding save-the-dates, holiday cards, senior graduation announcements, or even individual family member stamps.photo stamp

Order on Etsy.

Albums, Canvas Prints, and More

gorgeous albumsWe hope you’ve enjoyed this round up of fun photo gift ideas. If you’re looking for something more elegant we also offer an array of archival quality photo products. Check out this blog post which features some of our great photography products.

 

 

 

Just a quick sneak peak at these two absolutely amazing humans!  I can’t gush enough about how amazing it was to photograph their wedding and feel the love and friendship from all who attended.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!

 

I am an avid reader.  I mean, I absolutely love books.  Each morning I start the day walking my dog and listening to a business book on audible.com.  Each night, before I go to sleep, I get lost in a good novel on my Kindle.  And really, I have been this way since I was a small child.  My favorite thing to do growing up with my Dad was go to Crown Book Store (remember than discount books store?).  I would go through the books for literally hours.  He would always give me a limit, like, you can buy three books and that is it.  Somehow, I always talked him into five.  I would take those home and dive in.  My punishment if I didn’t finish a task, was to take my books away…..

One of my very favorite books when I was a child was “Where the Wild Things are”.  I probably read it at least 100 times.  So when Brittany asked me to do a styled session with her boys inspired by the book, I was all in.  I think these type of sessions are perfect for kids of any age, because it help tell their story and define who they were at that period in their history.  Also, looking back on those sessions, it helps your child know that you wanted to capture images that defined who they were in their development.  It opens up dialog and great memories.

So here is our Where the Wild Things Are” session with these two gorgeous boys and seriously the red hair kills me! Enjoy!