A session can last anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour or more. Sessions take place in the comfort of your own home, yard, or in a location of your choosing. Area parks or gardens make great settings. Locations farther than 30 miles from me will incur an additional charge for travel time and costs. 

The session fee of $75 is due on the day of the photo session.

View an example of a photo session here.

Before our session
Before our session it is helpful if you can tell me what ideas you have for  your photos.  Where would you like to take photos? In your yard, at an area lake, indoors, etc.  What do you plan on dressing your children in?  formal, casual, dress-up, etc. Do you want to do any outfit changes?

When dressing your child for their portraits choose simple clothing. Avoid busy patterns or shirts with logos and characters that could distract from your child’s face. For black and white photographs, think in terms of shades and textures rather than colors. Colors will either look light, medium, or dark. I would be glad to help you with your choices.

If we are unable to take photos outdoors due to weather, would you like me to bring backdrops and lighting to take photos indoors at your home, or would you rather reschedule and hope for a better weather day?

I do have props that work well for babies such as a large basket for newborns or a washtub for babies who can sit up well on their own.  Let me know if you have something special to you that you would like me to use for the photo. 

How I differ from portrait studios
I started Photography by Kelli because I was frustrated with the cost of portrait studios and the limitations of ordering packages and never really getting all the photos I really wanted.  It gets very expensive to order other desired poses separately.

Here’s how I’m different.  With my fee of $75 you are paying for my creative services as a portrait photographer.  You also get a CD with approximately 50-75 images from our photo session.  (You might get even more than this.) These are yours to keep forever.  You can go to your favorite photo developer and order exactly what you want.  I also do not imprint my name or logo in gold foil in the corner of your photo.  Your images will be a pure untouched photo. 

On your CD I offer a color and black and white version of all the photos from our photo session.   I believe that photos in black and white truly capture the beauty of your child and eliminate distractions of cluttered backgrounds or brightly colored clothing, etc.  They can be truly timeless.  Some photos are wonderful in color, especially when the blue in the dress is the same blue as your little girl’s eyes, you don’t want to lose that effect to a black and white photo…so I offer both versions of each photo.

Extras
If you want special effects to your photos that require more special editing, i.e. part of the photo black and white and part in color, or if you would prefer a sepia tone, these services will require an additional charge per image.  Of course, this is an option for any image on your CD.

If you are not familiar with placing an order for digital photos I can help you with the process for an additional charge.  

If you would like an extra copy of your photo session on CD to give to grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.  there is a $5 fee for each additional CD.

The First Year Special
If you would like to capture those precious moments of the ever-changing first year this package is for you.  I will photograph your new baby (preferably in the first 2 weeks) and then we will schedule photo sessions for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year.  This is 5 separate photo sessions.  It would normally cost $375.  But if you book this in advance, the cost will be reduced to $300.  If you are expecting, please contact me with your due date so that we can schedule a time near these first two weeks.  A down payment of $150 will be required when booking your first photo session. 

Also, if you tell an expectant friend about this package and she books a session with me, I will take $15 off your child’s next portrait session fee.