I get asked a number of questions over and over again from my clients so I thought it was a good time to write myself a little FAQ.  I’ve posted this (sans photos) to my website but thought a share here would be in order as well.  Here are my most asked questions…

How do you pronounce your name? Jenny but you can also call me Jen.

How long have you been doing this? I went into business on October 1st, 2010, but have been interested in and working on portrait photography for the last 20 plus years.

Are you a member of any professional organizations? Yes!  I’m a proud member of Professional Photographers of America and the National Association for Professional Child Photographers.  I’m also a featured member of LPG | Photographers which features the work of the highest quality pre-screened photographers from across the nation!

I’m interested in a newborn session.  When should I contact you to book it? The sooner the better!  I book newborn sessions according to your due date and then hold a spot each week in the month surrounding that date for you.  I also make every attempt to squeeze in a newborn should the need arise.  It is best to contact me early in your pregnancy to get you down in the books as I can fill up far in advance.

How old should my baby be for the newborn session? Newborns are best photographed between 5 and 10 days of life.  During this time, the baby is much more likely to be sleepy for his or her session and still maintain a nice, curled up, in-utero type position.  I have to move the baby around quite a bit throughout the session and an older baby often does not want to sleep through all that activity!

I just had twins/triplets.  Will it cost extra for the session? No, not at all.  We may need to schedule in a bit more time to finish things up though!

I love the props I see you use.  Do I need to supply things like that for my baby’s session? No. I maintain a healthy (obsessive?) library of props which I use in my sessions.  Should you happen to have something you’d like to see your baby photographed with – perhaps a special blanket or piece of furniture – I’m always happy to work that into the session as well.

Do you have a studio? At this time I do not have a studio.  I travel to my client’s home for their session (for newborns – location of choice for all other sessions) and bring my arsenal of gear with me.  I will search for the room which I feel has the best source of natural, indirect light and enough space to set up.  Everything needed for the session will be supplied by me, other than milk to feed the baby and diapers in which to change them!  I typically do need to move around furniture to make room for my gear but return it all into it’s proper place when the session is done.  The nice thing about having a session at your home is that you’ll be in your own, comfortable space with access to everything you need.  Feel free to nap during the session, catch up on emails, eat and drink, or just watch and enjoy.  Parents often tell me that they really enjoyed watching the session.  If, for any reason, you do not wish to have the session in your home, I can setup my equipment in my own home in Petaluma for you.

Below is a look into a recent portrait session of twins done in the parent’s home (thanks to the babies’ mom for taking the behind-the-scenes snapshots)…

When do I get to see my images?  Within 2 weeks of your session, I will have finished editing each of the images I deem worthy to print, and will have them loaded into my iPad for you to view.  I will then contact you to setup a time and place to look these over.  It is at this time that your order will be taken.   If you have out-of-town family that you would like to give a chance to order images, let me know and I will upload any images you purchased into an online gallery for them.  They will have 72 hours to purchase anything they wish.

I want to share my pictures online.  Can I scan them? No.  All of my work is copyright protected and may not, under any circumstance, be reproduced.  I do, however, share images from your session that you purchase (providing you’ve opted to sign the model release) on my Facebook page and blog.  You are more than welcome to tag yourself in the Facebook images so that your friends and family can see them.  You can also use any of those images as your profile image as long as you don’t remove my logo or crop the image in any way.

Can I make special requests for my session? Yes!  In fact I love special requests.  The more information you share with me about what you’d like to get out of the images, the better I can work to serve you.  My feelings are not hurt if you tell me you like a certain pose but not another or if you do not like a hat I bring out to use.  This session is about you and I’m happiest when I make you happy!

Can I/my partner be in the images with my newborn?  What about our older child?  Does this cost extra? You and your other children are absolutely welcome to be in the images with your baby.  This follows the above question – I want you to be happy so please make known any requests you have.  There is no additional charge to add immediate family members into the newborn’s session.  Sometimes parents want a few shots of their older child alone as well.  I can do this as time allows without an additional fee but those photos would take place in the home only (not at an additional location).

Do newborn sessions really take 4 hours? Yes, in my experience they almost always take 4 hours – in part because I come to you and it takes time to set up and take down everything.  Some baby’s sleep more soundly than others and this can greatly affect the time required to get the shots I need.  Though I may be able to work faster, please do leave the full 4 hours available to me.

Any other questions?  Please shoot me an email at jenne@jdunhamphotography.com and I will answer them as soon as possible!