Frequently Asked Questions…

Do you do editorial work?

Yes! I would love to work with other creators on editorial and documentary projects!

Do you take product photos?

Yes! I especially love working one-on-one with small business owners. As you might guess, I like to keep my product photos natural and life-like. I don’t do product photos in light boxes or with plain white backgrounds, but if you’re looking for product photos featuring people, nature, or home-like settings, I think we could work wonderfully together!

Do you shoot weddings?

At this time I do not photograph weddings. Being a work-from-home mom, I want to spend as much time as I can with my little ones. Weddings, though amazing and beautiful, take full days and weekends away from my family.

I am willing to make exceptions for very small, intimate, outdoor weddings or elopements. If you want to talk more about your special day and see if it's something I am able to do, give me a call or send me a text!

Where do you take photos?

Each shoot I do is on location. This means you and I work together to decide on a place that is a perfect fit for you! The beach, the lake, a park, or in the coziness of your own home- I love photographing you where you love to be.

Is my home okay for an in-home session?

Yes! If your home is meaningful to you and you want to capture memories within its walls, then it is absolutely okay for an in-home photo session! Your house does not have to be flawless, it doesn't have to be grandiose- it just has to be your home and haven. Keep reading to know how to prepare for your in-home photos!

How do I prepare my home for a lifestyle session?

Great question! I have two short answers, but I also do an in-home consultation prior to any on-location setting to help you prepare and feel more comfortable. Here are my quick tips:

First, I recommend you watch your home for a few days to see where the best natural light comes in. It might be a picture window in the dining room or a set of french doors in the living room, or even just a hall with the front door standing open. Those places where the light floods in will make beautiful photos.

Second, prepare those rooms for the session just by picking up clutter and stashing away unnecessary things. It doesn't have to be dusted meticulously- believe me, you won't see dust in the photos! But objects that don't play a part in your story will distract from the picture as a whole.

That's it!

What should we wear?

If you follow these 3 simple steps, you will be set up for success! If you want more personalized wardrobe help, though, definitely send me a message. I love making suggestions, and many clients will text me pictures of their outfit ideas in advance. That can help both of us plan better, too.

1. Wear something that you feel comfortable and confident in!

2. Avoid words and distracting symbols or characters on clothing.

3. For groups, try to coordinate your colors and style, but don't match exactly. (Why? I'll give an example: If you are wearing tan pants and a blue shirt, and your toddler is wearing a blue dress in the same shade, she'll just blend right into you and not stand out in the photos.)

(As a personal added note, when I style my own family for a session I think about our location and I try to coordinate with the season, the feeling, and the natural colors of the place. For a lighthouse session, we wore dark blues, tans, and whites- all with a coastal feel. For a session at our home with a field, old barn, and clam flats, we wore simple neutrals that coordinated with the colors of nature around us. I hope this extra tip helps you be creative!)

Can we have pets in our session?

Absolutely! If you want your horse in a senior photo or a picture of the kids hugging your family dog, let's do it! I'm an avid animal lover, and I would love to capture your whole family. Just make sure to check out pet policies for specific locations before we make our final location decision.

Do you edit your photos?

I have a fairly traditional view of post-processing my photos. Sometimes I will erase a distracting background object (like that car that happened to drive by at just the wrong moment!), and I usually adjust the lighting a little bit in Adobe Lightroom. However, I don't do face swaps or other adjustments to how people look. I want to capture your amazing life just how it is, as genuinely as possible.

In my landscape and fine art photography, the same principles hold true. I don’t do sky-swaps or edit a moose onto a different landscape- what you see in my images is actually what I saw in real-time.

Do we have to order prints from you?

No, you don't- I like to keep it simple. After your session, I will process the photos and then send you a link to an online album where you can download your photos. Once they're downloaded you will have full rights to share and print them however you like! If you would like help choosing what prints to order or knowing how to use photos throughout your home, though, I would be happy to provide guidance.

Where should we have our photos printed?

There are many places you can get prints of your photos, and there’s a huge price range. There’s also a huge quality range, though, and it does make a difference. For cheap, smaller prints, I think retailers like Walmart, Shutterfly, and CVS can get the job done, but they often skew the color of your images. For important photos and bigger projects, I recommend investing in quality printing.

Nations Photo Lab is my number one pick! I have personally ordered prints (big and small), cards, and canvases from them and I have been delighted by the outcome every time. They are very reasonably priced, and I can't say enough good things about them.

Other high-quality labs I recommend include Mpix, Pinhole Press, and Artifact Uprising.

Do you travel?

Yes! Islesboro, Maine is the place I call home, but I travel off-island for sessions (these have to be worked around ferry and family schedules, naturally) and even around the state and country.

What are your cancellation and rescheduling policies?

I really want to work with you. And often this means working with all that life throws at us. Weather and sickness (you, your kids, or even me!) can keep us from having an enjoyable session, so when this happens I reschedule without it costing you anything extra. I do require advance notice to change our plans, and I will charge the whole session amount for a session that a person cancels without due cause or does not show up for.