Kid & Family Sessions
Kid, Siblings, or Family Session: $150 weekday
Your session fee includes:
- Phone Consultation to design your session experience
- The photographer’s time and talent for 2 hours
- Immediate family, up to 4 people ($25 for each additional person)
- Post processing of each individual image, including the Photographer’s artistic hand editing of each image you order
- Approximately 20-30 proofs from which to choose
- Private online viewing gallery to share with family and friends
- Private ordering session
NOTES: Minimum $300 purchase required. Session fees are non-refundable and are due at booking to reserve your date. If you need to reschedule, 24 notice is required. Payment by phone with credit card is most convenient for booking. Prices subject to change without notice. NC Sales tax of 6.75% is added to all session fees.
Print Pricing
All prints and products are priced individually and are printed through a professional print lab.
Desk Prints: 5×7: $35 8×10: $55 Wall Prints: start at $95 and are mounted
Specialized Custom Artworks available:
-Gallery Wraps, Story Boards, Display Books, Albums, CD of images, Birth announcements
Where should we have our session?
Every photo session is unique. During your phone consultation we will work together to design a session to best meet your needs. You will have the option to have your session in the studio or on location. Together, we will decide which location will help us to reach our goals. We have several special site locations to recommend if needed.
When should we schedule our session?
Young children are best photographed when they are well rested and fed. This may be early morning or after an afternoon nap. Sessions last between 1 to 2 hours, so a snack before is recommended. You should think about the temperament of your child. Most young children are in their best mood during morning hours.
What should we wear?
If we will be working with one individual child, anything goes. You can have them wear the same cute, fun, clothes they’d wear ordinarily. Clothes changes are acceptable. If you can’t decide, then bring a few options and we can look at them together.
When working with a group of three or more, please don’t be afraid of color or pattern. The key here is to keep things similar, but not the same. You do NOT have to wear all white shirts or all khaki pants. There are lots of options out there. A quick look at family wear in catalogue ads can give you some ideas. And remember that in black and white, the colors don’t matter that much. AND, you can change clothes! For your feet, anything goes, even bare feet. Please avoid clothes with large logos. Other than that, have fun with it!
What will we do?
The main goal for you is to enjoy this session with your family. We encourage hugs, snuggles, kisses, and laughter. Be silly with your children. Let things unfold naturally. Your photographer will give some direction as far as good places to stand or sit on location, and how to position yourself for flattery in the studio. It is the true character of everyone involved that we want to capture. With relaxed time constraints and permission to have a little fun, your session should be something everyone enjoys.
A few parent tips: 1- Please avoid threatening your child to smile or “say cheese.” Children are so beautiful, even when their expression is serious or unsure. Give them time to warm up. Being silly is the best way to coax out a smile. 2- Don’t be afraid to leave your child alone with the photographer. She comes with years of elementary education experience in her bag of tricks and is familiar with almost all personality types and typical behavior patterns in children. In many cases, children act up more with mom watching.
What should I bring to the session?
Nothing is required, but you could bring something your kids love to play with. For example, bubbles, a ball, tea set, a stuffed animal for comfort, etc. Choosing just one or two things will be plenty. If the weather has left the ground damp and your session is outside the studio, a simple blanket might be of good use. Colorful chairs are cute as well. It’s best to let your photographer know what you have in mind at the beginning of the session. Save those special extras for when they’re needed or as a nice surprise for the kids towards the end of the session.
What if my kids are wild or temperamental?
Don’t worry. They are normal. Here are a few things to keep in mind for children that are not as laid-back as others. Preparation is key, so start talking to your child in the days before the session. Let them know where you’ll be going and what you’ll be doing. Give them your simple expectations: have fun, play together, be yourself, hug mom and smile. Show them a few images you already have of them and maybe where you plan to put these new ones so they have an idea of the purpose of our activity. For kids old enough to understand, show them this website and let them look at the other children and families.
Do you offer a baby package like most photographers?
Yes! We are now offering a Beautiful Baby Plan that includes THREE sessions between birth and 24 months of age. This package includes a discounted session fee and a Mini Story Board to display three images, one from each of the three sessions. You can begin the Beautiful Baby Plan anytime up until their 1st birthday.
Why choose a Professional?
-The ability to personalize your session.
-1-2 hours of time to complete your session = low stress and snack breaks for kids. No 20 min quick takes.
-Multiple clothes changes.
-A professional can adjust camera settings to suit artistic vision. No one size fits all shooting.
-Creativity. No carbon copy images.
-Post production editing is included. Child has a recent scratch on there face? No need to reschedule.
-20+ images to choose from. No 6 pose limits.
-Custom designed products available.
-Quality prints and products. No gray/muddy black and white prints. All wall portraits are mounted.
-Tailored low pressure ordering session.
-Personal customer service instead of mass production.
Ordering Questions:
When can I see my proofs?
Generally, it takes about two weeks to edit and prepare your images for you to enjoy. Digital files will be uploaded, narrowed to a gallery of 20-30, and then hand edited one at a time to near perfection. Black and white conversions will be made from those color images with the best contrast for this style of print. After your session is complete we will look at the calendar and select an Ordering Session date and your proof posting date.
Why do I have to come to you? Can’t I just see them online?
Vanessa G. Photography is a custom portrait service. In order to better serve you and provide top quality customer service, you will be asked to attend an ordering session at the studio. This is to your advantage. You will have the opportunity to see and touch all products offered. Some of which cannot be fully appreciated by viewing online. In addition, you can see sample wall galleries on display to help you visualize the possibilities of your own images. You will have a professional at your side to answer any questions you might have about prints or products offered. You will be able to view your own images in the exact size you might want to order. If needed, you can compare two or more images side by side and zoom in to see details. Should you select a custom product like a Storyboard or Birth Announcement, it can be edited to your satisfaction during your session. You will be able to approve the final proof during this time. None of these are possible when viewing online.
To maximize our time, you should invite all of your decision makers to your ordering session. Rest assured that there will not be any pushy sales tactics involved. You are expected to enjoy this experience and leave feeling happy and satisfied.
Do I have to place my order NOW? Can I wait until later?
Your contract agreement requires an order within 30 days after your images are available for viewing. If your session includes a print credit, it will expire after 30 days. If you have not placed an order within 30 days, a $300 deposit is required to keep your digital files available for an extended 30 day ordering period. After these 30 additional days, your $300 deposit will expire. Images not ordered are still purged regularly.
Can’t I just scan my smaller prints and make copies for extended family members?
NO! It is very illegal to scan prints and make copies of them. You need to purchase as many images you need. All images taken by Vanessa G. Photography are copyright protected by federal law. No reproductions, print or digital, should be made without written consent of the photographer. At your session you will be asked to sign a Session Contract and Model Release form acknowledging these facts. Violations of our copyright will be taken seriously and are punishable by law…even without a signed contract.
To be very clear, the following are not permitted and are in violation of our copyright:
DO NOT scan images and reprint them.
DO NOT scan images and post on line (Facebook for example). If you have the disk of images, you have permission to use them online.
DO NOT take photos of your prints with your cell phone and post those images on line (Facebook for example).
What happens during an ordering session?
First, you will be invited to explore the studio galleries and gather a few ideas for the prints and products you might be interested in having. You will enjoy comfortable seating and be offered a light refreshment. Kleenex’s will be available at that time of your viewing because happy tears are expected. The next step will be narrowing down your list of favorite images and deciding how to use them.
I want my family to see the images too. Can you post them online?
Yes! The images will be posted in a private online viewing gallery for 7 days.
How long will it take for my order to arrive?
Generally, you can plan to pick your order up within 3 weeks.
Do you offer a payment plan?
Yes! When you reach a certain investment level, you can choose the 3 payment plan option using a credit card. Two payments are required before your order is processed.
Can I order more prints at a later date?
Yes and No. Because digital images require digital storage, images not ordered in 30 days will be frequently purged from the storage system. Any image ordered during your 30 day window will be kept on file for as long as possible. This may be up to one year. As long as your images are on file, you may order additional items. All non-ordered images will be deleted to conserve storage space, as they will be considered unwanted.
I want a CD of my images. Can I order that?
Yes! Low Resolution files, for digital sharing only, are FREE and are gifted at multiple investment levels. High Resolution files, for printing your own images, are available for purchase. Find more about this topic under the CD of Images tab under Session Information.
Copyright Notice: All images taken by Vanessa G. Photography are copyright protected by federal law. No reproductions, print or digital, should be made without written consent of the photographer. At your session you will be asked to sign a Session Contract and Model Release form acknowledging these facts.
The TEXT found on the website and blog is also copyrighted to Vanessa G. Photography. Photographers may link to this page if needed, but should not COPY our text.