Enjoy my portfolio (view it here on a mobile device), then scroll down to read about my portrait photography rates and other FAQs!
What sets you apart as a photographer?
As you can see from my portfolio above, I’ve found my passion is to photograph the female face and form. I love exploring your expressions and the light around you to create emotional portraits that unveil your unique beauty. This excites me more than pursuing unusual or high-fashion poses and angles.
I’m told that I am approachable and relaxing, and I make photography experiences refreshing and even healing. My relentless focus on the female portrait results in images that are thoughtful, inviting and timelessly feminine.
What will I invest in portrait photography with you?
Your portrait session starts with a $200 creation fee for photography of 1 or 2 subjects at locations we will choose together. There are a few kinds of shoots we can do:
- A session preceded by a salon makeup application, hair styling and clothing consultation. It’s all about helping you look and feel your best!
- Two 1-hour weekday sessions. This is wonderful for senior girls who want more hairstyle and outfit changes.
- A session with up to 5 subjects. Perfect for grabbing your girlfriends or capturing the generations with your mom, daughters and/or sisters! Add $10 per additional person.
- A session with $25 print credit. If you just don’t want any of these other options.
To enjoy your pictures for years to come, you can purchase beautiful products during our in-home ordering session (or online, if you prefer) about 2 weeks after your photo shoot.
Gift prints start at $15 and wall prints at $75. Custom-designed photo albums start at $475. Also available are mini-albums and selected proofs in a keepsake box. And while you have the option to purchase digital negatives of your images, a file on screen or Walmart print just can’t compare, I promise!
Most clients can expect to spend $400 to $2,000 total on their custom portrait photography.
If you like, you can view a la carte prices here, then take a look at my collections for a way to save even more during your ordering session. I’d suggest not spending too much time trying to crunch numbers and decide on exact print amounts before you’ve even seen your images (and I’m a person who loves to crunch numbers). That’s time you could spend shopping for a killer outfit for your photo shoot instead! :)
I want photos with you, but that range is not in my budget right now. Do I have any options?
You sure do! On several weekends in the fall and spring, I’ll offer an on-location marathon of mini photo sessions, each with 30 minutes of shooting for 1 to 3 subjects and about 10 final images to choose from. For just $175 total, you get the fully retouched digital negatives with reprint rights of your 3 favorite images, in both color and black-and-white, plus a proof print of each image so you see just how awesome your prints can look.
The mini-session package is perfect for professional headshots, a Sweet Sixteen (or any other “sweet” birthday…no number too high or low!), a wedding anniversary or just getting a much-needed new picture for your Facebook and Twitter profiles.
Sign up for my email list to get word of the next mini-session marathon!
You can come to me, or I’m happy to come to you! We’ll just add $1.50 for every one-way mile over 25 from central Wichita (i.e., for a session 75 miles away from Wichita, we’ll add $75 to your session fee). Want a session more than 200 miles from Wichita? We’ll customize your portrait photography purchase to account for travel time and expenses, including overnight stay.
Good news! Because of family and friends living throughout the country whom I love to visit, I’m able to provide portrait photography for much lower travel costs in and around these cities: Kansas City; Colorado Springs; Denver; Chicago; Baltimore; Washington, DC; Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Organize a mini-session marathon in your city and get a full portrait session for half price!
Why do you charge more for a photography session with more than 3 people?
I’ve found that my specialty is focusing on one or two subjects and their interaction with my lens and/or each other. I particularly love photographing women, from little to grown-up, because I want to help them embrace and share their beauty with their world.
There are other photographers who specialize in family portraiture, both traditional and more contemporary, and it’s possible that your investment for family photographs may be better spent with one of them. I’m even happy to make a couple recommendations. I want you to work with the best person for your specific photography needs!
What should I wear for my session with you?
Hugely important question, women! I’m no fashion or style expert, but I’ve done my homework and I do have some tips for you. First, if you’ve ever watched TLC’s television show What Not to Wear, whether or not you like their approach, consider at least following their rules for your session! (Most of the following info is from their show and books.) They give great advice for choosing clothes that create long, lean lines and still emphasize a lovely hourglass shape without pulling or revealing in the wrong places. That’s what most of us want, right?
Here’s a quick list of some clothing choices that can help most women accomplish this goal:
- Dark denim jeans or trousers that go straight down from the hips
- Graceful heels for a sexier leg line and posture
- V-neck tops with detail at the collar or neckline
- 3/4-sleeved cardigans to slenderize arms
- Belted dresses and tops to define a waist
- Structured jackets to nip your tummy
- A-line or straight pencil skirts that go to the knee
- Wrap dresses (faux is easier to wear) for an instant hourglass
- Good-fitting bras that keep everything high and fully contained
- High-waisted opaque tights to slim the legs and midsection
- Some amount of color that you love (completely monochromatic is not necessary for a slimming outfit)
And here’s a list of looks that most, if not all, women should avoid for the most flattering portraits:
- Bare upper arms (unless they are quite thin or you’re comfortable with them drawing attention)
- Lots of bright white, beige and pastel pink near the face (Caucasian women especially)
- Cleavage and nipping out (not as flattering in non-boudoir portraits as some might think)
- Gapping button-downs
- Shirts that are tight on your lower waist (cinch them higher instead)
- Tight pants and bras that create various “muffin tops”
- Skinny jeans and other tapered pants, unless paired with boots to balance out your hips
- Oversized, slouchy clothing items (almost always make you look larger)
- Horizontal stripes (we’re looking to stretch most of us vertically, not the other direction)
- Turtlenecks, unless your neck is really long (we have other tricks for hiding a double chin)
- T-shirts with writing, sweatshirts and other athletic wear
- Cargo pants, overalls and most cropped pants (hard to find ones that hit at just the right length)
- Chunky and/or scruffy shoes
Ready for some ideas of complete outfits that I think could look great in your portraits? I’ve created an online picture board with my favorites!
Want to keep learning (with images) about flattering clothing choices? I recommend the following Real Simple articles:
- Dress to Flatter Your Figure
- How to Dress to “Lose” 10 Pounds
- The 4 Universally Flattering Clothing Colors
- How to Play Up Your Waist
- Avoiding Wardrobe Blunders
Finally, if you choose a makeup application and hair styling before your session, my stylist and I can also take a quick peek at your wardrobe to make sure we’ve got your best pieces to use for your photo shoot. We’re here to help you look your best in your pictures!
How does the booking and ordering process go?
After you contact me, I’ll reply by phone (unless you ask me not to) and we can talk about any questions you have. We can even get together for coffee, tea or drinks if you’d like to meet me before deciding…I’d love that, too! Once you’ve decided you’d like to book a photo session and we schedule a date, I’ll send you an electronic contract and invoice with a link to PayPal (my clients have loved this option). The full creative fee is due to book your photo session and is non-refundable (but may be partially applied to another session if we have to reschedule).
When we schedule your session date, we will also schedule an in-home ordering session if possible for about 2 weeks later, to view and order your images together (for full portrait sessions only, not minis).
Once I’ve finished your images 7-10 days after your session, I’ll send you a link to an online, password-protected gallery where you can start to decide on favorites. A few days after that, we’ll have our ordering session in your home (or mine, if you prefer). We’ll look through your images together, and I’ll help you choose your gift and wall prints, albums and other products like digital negatives, canvas wraps and mini-books. All print products purchased at this session are 20 percent off the a-la-carte prices, as I’ve found that most of my clients are happiest with their ordering decisions when I’m there to offer guidance! If you need more time, you and loved ones can make additional orders for up to 30 days from your online gallery. With your print order, you’ll also receive a proof book with a small thumbnail of each image for long-term ordering.
For each image you get in print or file form, I’ll also post on my Facebook business page or send to you a low-resolution, discreetly watermarked version of it, ready for the oohs and ahhs of your friends!
Smaller prints will be shipped to you after I give them a a onceover. Your albums, larger prints, canvas wraps and other photo products will be hand-delivered by yours truly if possible, or at least checked over and then lovingly repackaged and sent to your doorstep.
All rates and prices are subject to the Kansas sales tax for state residents.
If I purchase “digital negatives,” what will they be? Just files straight out of your camera?
Digital negatives are not the original files from my camera…they’re much better! They are full-resolution JPEG files that I have technically and artistically enhanced for composition, color or black-and-white toning, contrast and sharpness. Most final images will also undergo mild retouching such as removal of blemishes and softening of facial lines, before you ever see them.
My enhancement and retouching choices are usually enough to please my photography clients, but I am happy to provide additional retouching at your request for an added fee. I want you to still look like you, but I also want you to feel like your most lovely self!
If I don’t purchase the digital negatives, can I make prints from online images or from scanning my own prints?
Sorry, but no, for a couple reasons. First, being photographed or ordering prints of these photographs doesn’t give you ownership or rights to reprint images, even in this digital age. Ownership always stays with the photographer, but a client may obtain reprint rights for personal use only by purchasing digital negatives. Any low-resolution JPEGs I post on my blog or Facebook are only for sharing online or displaying in slideshows and on electronic devices!
Secondly, the quality of prints from online images or scanned prints will be much lower than that of the professional prints I can provide, and even the prints you can make from digital negatives. Online images have a resolution (pixels per inch) too low for printing and will contain a lovely but visible watermark, and prints you purchase will have a beautifully textured finish that makes them look great but scan poorly.
So, if you want to print an image in any form, including cards, please order the product through me or go ahead and purchase the digital negative!
Will you photograph my wedding?
I’m not currently marketing myself as a wedding photographer, though I would be thrilled to provide you with bridal or couples portraits before or after your big day. I am experienced in wedding photography coverage, however, so if you absolutely must have me photograph your special event, get in touch to see my portfolio and discuss my prices. Or, ask for my recommendations for other Wichita photographers, and ask them to contact me about being their second shooter!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I’m so excited to help you capture this amazing time for your family. The best time for maternity photography is around 30 weeks. We can go a little sooner or later, but this gives us the most noticeable bump we can get before you start getting too uncomfortable for a shoot. I suggest planning at least one outfit that can show off your tummy (we can airbrush stretch marks) as well as others that cover but still feature your bump.
Once you give birth, we’ll schedule your in-home newborn photo session for when your little one is 5-10 days old. Newborn acne and colic often appears around 2 weeks. This timeframe also allows us the best opportunity to have a sleeping baby that we can gently arrange into natural but precious poses for part of your session, as well as allow some time for me just to provide fly-on-the-wall documenting of you caring for your lovely little one. A super-clean home is totally not necessary, so don’t stress!
My maternity/newborn collection is $475 and includes up to 5 hours of photography between the two sessions, and your choice of three high-res digital files or a purse-sized album with your favorite 20 images. See the FAQs above for more details about the booking and ordering process.
Do you offer boudoir photography?
Yes, I do! Please note that because of the intimate nature of these images, I won’t ever publicly show your photographs without your specific permission for each image, and even then only during in-person consultations or password-protected galleries for other women interested in boudoir photography.
I’m still in the portfolio-building phase of this kind of photography, so if you’re interested in scheduling a discounted session or helping me organize a hotel-suite boudoir party in exchange for a half-price session, please get in touch!
What if I’m not happy with my session images for some reason? Or with any of my prints/products?
If you’re not happy with any of your photos, I’ll do a reshoot at no additional charge. If anything is wrong with one or more photography prints or products, we’ll fix and replace it at no cost and as little trouble for you as possible.
I want you to absolutely love your portraits!
Why are your rates higher than when you did a photography session for my friend?
When your friend booked me, it was likely I still had my day job to help us pay the bills as I built my portfolio, skills and equipment on the side. The portfolio-building phase of my business has ended, and I’ve implemented my full-fledged pricing for custom photography and prints. Fees and prices are still subject to change, but are unlikely to drastically increase in the near future.
I understand that I’m not the least expensive photographer around, and I’m not intending to be. My clients are women who value a highly customized, personal photography experience, and I understand that not everyone does. However, you can trust that I’m requesting carefully chosen, market-competitive prices that will enable me to continue providing women with lovely portraiture and “I’m here to spoil you” attention for the long term. It’s truly my mission to serve you the best I can.
If my style and methods resonate with you, get in touch so we can start planning our photography session together. I can’t wait to hear from you!
