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So...how does this work?

You reach out to me on this website, direct email at dcimageworks757@gmail.com, Facebook, or Instagram and tell me what sort of session you're looking for.

I'll connect with you, and we'll set a date, time, and location.

We'll chat about your session and answer any questions either of us has: what everyone should wear, anything special we need to include, considerations that need to be made for anyone in your party, etc.

We meet the day of the session (I'm usually there early to scout and meter), and have a good time taking photos. Any remainder of your session fee is due at this time as well.

In approximately two weeks, you'll receive a link to view your photos on a web album, and receive a PIN that allows you to download them. At this point, they are yours to share, print, and enjoy.

You notify me of your choices for any free prints that come with your package, and I'll place the order.

In 2-4 weeks (shipping is awful these days...) I'll let you know I have your prints and we'll arrange how to get them to you.

How do you choose times for sessions?

Ultimately, it's all about the light. When a want a certain date, the first thing I do is look up sunrise/sunset data for that date.

High light angles (from late morning through early afternoon) create lots of shadows around eye and noses, and bright mid-day light created contrast (difference between the brightest bright spot and the darkest dark spot) that's very difficult to expose and process in an attractive way.

Because of this, photographers prefer to stay within 1-2 hours of sunset and sunrise for outdoor photography, or indoor photography that relies on predominately natural light. In the summer, that means early AM, and late evening. By winter, I rarely start a session after 3pm.

On top of considering the light, I may pad that 1-2 hours to get to know you a little, give your young children a chance to warm up to me and settle in, and give your baby time to fuss and get a fresh diaper (even though you JUST changed them) without loosing the light we need to shoot.

What happens if it's rainy the day of my outdoor session?

I watch the weather like a hawk right up to the morning of your session. If we know a couple days in advance that rain is highly likely, we'll reschedule, no additional fees.

If rain sneaks up on us an hour or two beforehand, I usually leave it to the client whether to gamble and maybe get rained out, or reschedule for another date. I won't charge you anything extra either way.

I do not refund for weather conflicts. The exception would be if we're scheduled to coincide with visiting out-of-town family, and the weather makes us miss that window to include them.

In 8 years, I've only rescheduled for rain twice.

What should we wear for our family session?

Bottom line: wear something you feel comfortable and confident in. Don't wear something that looks good, but feels bad, and we don't just mean fit. If you don't feel great in blue, don't wear it. If you can't hold your baby in that blazer, don't wear it. Jeans and a nice sweater can photograph just as well, sometime better, that an expensive or tailored outfit.

Loud prints on more than one family member (especially an adult) will make the images looks busy. Any prints that are large and/or colorful will draw attention to that person. Saturated colors (like bright red, and orange, or neon colors) can take over or be difficult in editing. That doesn't rule them out, but we should have a chat if you're feeling any of those colors for your session.

Resist the urge to make everyone match. This can result in a sea of legs and heads that isn't much fun to look at. Coordinating colors across everyone's outfits in solids and prints of different types/sizes is much more effective - for example, dad has a shirt with blue and green checks, mom wears a blue dress with a green jacket, kiddo number one has a blue and green argyle sweater with a green shirt underneath, and kiddo number two wears a green flowered dress with a blue sash and shoes. Pick a color palette rather than a matching outfit for everyone.

Pinterest is our friend! There's loads of ideas about color palettes that work well together and how to use them across outfits, and I will never be offended by by being shown your Pinterest boards.

What payment methods do you accept?

Credit cards can be run remotely or swiped on-site via Square.

We also accept PayPal (dcimageworks757@gmail.com) and Venmo

Personal checks are not accepted at this time.

Will I be able to see the images you don't edit? Can I have the RAW files?

In short, no, and no.

I have a tendency to go over the image count on my packages because I often give my clients every image worth editing and having. I frequently edit and include "outtakes" or candids that happen during the session as well. Trust me, you're getting the best image selection possible from your session. Everyone has a fear of missing out on something, and it can be unnerving to let someone else make choices for you. Photography isn't cheap, and I feel a responsibility to make sure end up with every image I'd want to see if I were on your side of the camera.

As for RAW files, these files are large, unedited, and require specific software to even view them. Transferring them is difficult, and they're not of much use to anyone that doesn't edit photography. As a rule, I do not release RAW files for any reason.

I don't like the way I or my child looks in one of my edits - what can be done?

Short answer - I'll do my best.

Long answer - it depends. Again, I don't turn images loose in any condition I wouldn't want to receive them. Some things - boogery noses on kiddos, flyaway hairs, discolored teeth, weird arm pooches, forehead shine, glare on glasses - I fix automatically. Some things - birthmarks, visible scars, wrinkles, traits linked to body type - I don't fix unless I'm asked to. Some clients want to be left as they are, and would find some offense in being 'shopped without permission. They've done the work to be at peace with the skin they have on, and I'm here to honor that. Some clients want me to make the double chin and 10 pounds digitally disappear. I'm here to honor that too, when asked, preferable ahead of editing. But, if you find you're uncomfortable with your appearance, I'm hear for you, within reason.

Kids are a different story - I often shoot fast and heavy to have enough images of kids to get good smiles, eye contact, hands in focus, not blocking another family member, etc. Even the most cooperative of kids are still kids, and kids NEED to move. I'm going to make every effort to make sure you've got good images of your child(ren). But sometime, they just smile weird. Sometimes they blink every time. Sometimes they're just not going to look up for me, and we have to find other ways to capture them. I rarely have a real issue throughout a session - I'm nearly always able to find a couple of "good ones". I can do a lot with technology, but somethings just can't be altered in a way that looks attractive and natural.