Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for taking the time to read the first set of Frequently Asked Questions. Feel free to leave your questions in the comments and I will be sure to respond to you directly, and include the answer in the next version of FAQ’s
I see that your logo & website is ‘Pure Natural Newborn Photography’, do you offer services other than just newborn photos? Do you offer bundles if we book more than one session?
I am a specialized newborn photographer, and have thus decided to brand myself around that qualification and passion. Because I adore my clients and would love to keep them around (I love watching baby and families grow!), I do offer services that go hand-in-hand with newborn photography: with newborns comes maternity, birth and baby photography. We also offer family portraits within our pregnancy, newborn and baby sessions.
I am currently in the beginning stages of offering birth photography and fresh 48 photo sessions (inquire for a chance to participate in the portfolio building).
Limited Edition Petite Sessions for different occasions and baby milestones are also available throughout the year; some are exclusive to our Baby Plan members, and others are open to the public. Past events include Baby’s First Holiday, Mommy & Me, Baby Wearing (often through the Ottawa Babywearing Group) & Breastfeeding sessions, etc.
As far as packages or bundles, when sessions are booked together, in advance, through the Grow With Me Baby Plan, there are early bird bonuses and the opportunity to pre-purchase collections (print certificates) at reduced rates. Please inquire for details.
Where will the photos be taken? Do you travel?
The majority of the sessions take place in the studio in Gatineau. The portrait studio is located just south of Chelsea, Quebec off of highway #5, on Hautes Plaines boulevard, only a short 10-15 minute drive across the bridge from Ottawa, Ontario.
Outdoor newborn sessions are available upon request in the summer months when certain conditions are met (safety first!). Maternity and Family sessions can take place in outdoor locations throughout Ottawa or Gatineau (weather exclusions apply).
For Fresh 48 sessions and Birth Stories, I travel locally to Gatineau and Ottawa hospitals, homes, and select birthing centres.
When is the best time to book my newborn photos? maternity photos? birth story?
The best time to book for your newborn photos is before baby arrives, while you are still pregnant to ensure you can take advantage of our guaranteed availability policy, and make sure we can schedule your session for within the first 5-10 days after birth.
Maternity sesssion typically take place between 27-37 weeks along, to ensure you have a gorgeous baby bump and are still flexible and comfortable moving around in & out of poses.
It is recommended to book your maternity and newborn sessions together about a 1-2 months before you want your maternity portraits captured. This ensures we have enough time for our consultation process and availability in our schedule.
For births, since I am currently limiting my number of on-call clients to 1-2 PER MONTH, it is highly encouraged that you book as soon as possible to ensure availability.
How do I schedule a newborn photo session or birth story when I don’t know when he or she will be born?
When you book your session in advance, I take note of your due date and guarantee availability for your birth story or newborn session. Babies have a mind of their own, and they tend to arrive whenever they feel like it. Whether your newborn arrives before, spot on, or after your estimated due date, we will make room for you and your newborn in our portrait schedule. For births, I am on standby as of 37 weeks and am ready at a moment’s notice to do the mad-dash. In order to be able to offer this unique personalized service, I only accept a limited number of bookings as to be flexible to baby’s schedule, and make room for all of my clients. It is always best to book for a newborn session while you are still pregnant so that we may plan accordingly for your session to be within the first 5-10 days after birth. Once baby arrives, you contact me and we schedule your portrait session. Last minute bookings are occasionally accepted, but it is highly encouraged to book early.
Can I book a session if my newborn has already arrived? What if they are older than the 10 days?
Absolutely YES! Last minute bookings for new babies are welcomed, but are not always available since I only accept a limited number of clients to ensure they all receive the utmost level of care and attention. While I may not have guaranteed availability within 5-10 days after your baby’s birth, I will do my best to schedule your session as soon as possible. However, newborn sessions are not mandatory to be within the first 10 days. Sure it is more ideal because at that age babies are still super flexible and we can achieve the adorable curly poses, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be done. After the 10-14 day mark is when babies’ bones start to fuse and become less flexible and all they want to do is stretch-out, making posing more difficult, and can often cause them discomfort. I will happily schedule a session for an older baby (up to 10 weeks) and proceed as a newborn session. It all depends on the individual baby whether we can get certain poses or if we capture great bright-eyes shots (which are super adorable!). I will NEVER refuse an older baby! We will work with their motor skills and sleep schedule to create gorgeous images, no matter what. For any newborn or baby session, our large prop and accessory collection will allow us to get plenty of variety in your gallery if baby is limited to certain poses.
How do I book a session?
I’m glad you asked! You have two options to contact us to book your session: you can CALL 613-371-4594 or use the Contact Us form. We will then proceed with scheduling your consultation to go over the session details, products available, complete the contract and start session planning. To hold your session date or newborn availability, we collect the creation fee, served as a booking deposit, which will be applied to your print collection purchase when booking in advance.
What is a creation fee, and what does it include?
The creation fee is a similar to the concept of a sitting fee or session fee. It covers anything and everything required to create the images to complete your proofing gallery. It accounts for your photographer’s time and talent during the session, pre-planning and communication, post production editing and retouching, and your proofing gallery proofs/slideshow production. You may choose to purchase items a la carte (individually) or create your own collection from our product menu. Your session’s images, digital or printed, are NOT included in this fee. When booking in advance, the creation fee is entirely applied to your print order! For more information, please visit the pricing page.
What is a consultation, pre-session planning, and an image reveal & ordering appointment?
Through the full-service experience offered, I guide you through the entire process from first contact to picking up your print products after your session.
The no-obligation studio consultation service allows you to meet me before booking, and to find the perfect fit for your family’s needs and desires. At this meeting, I help you become an educated client by going over in detail the process, studio policies, and product prices. I answer your questions, we go through the different samples so you get touch and feel the printing options, and you get to tour the studio and see where the magic happens. All with the comfort of a warm cup of coffee or tea to help you relax.
The pre-session planning is done through a questionnaire on our website followed by a confirmation call, typically once baby is born once we are selecting an exact date. We discuss colour preferences, a recap of the flow for the session, and discuss how to prepare for your upcoming session.
The image reveal and ordering appointment takes place after your session has been photographed and your images are ready for viewing. You and your partner would travel to the studio for your image reaveal, and you will be guided through the design of your wall gallery (print grouping display for you wall(s)), album, keepsake photo box, or help you decide which is best for your needs. You even have the option of having your art personally delivered to your home and helping you get it set up (free with qualifying purchases, within the service area). I would then photograph the final setup in your home so I can show others how beautiful custom art can be. You can see examples on our testimonials page.
What types of products do you offer?
With a full service studio, you get to choose from a wide selectin of high quality and luxury print products to display in your home, or gift to friends and family. The available products include heirloom portrait albums, luxury folio image boxes, archival wall art prints, and many other smaller add-on items such as greeting cards, gift prints, photo cubes, accordion brag-books, digital files, etc.
Is there a minimum order? Do I have to buy all of the pictures?
There is NO minimum order attached to your creation fee; you can buy as little or as much as you wish. When you create a collection and book your newborn session in advance (before baby is born), your creation fee can be used toward the print collection purchase. Each collection is customized for every individual family. Most clients invest between 700-2500$ on their portrait order.
For those who prefer a smaller number of images, we recommend wall art or image boxes, and for those who want all their images, we recommend albums or image boxes. Our most popular collections are those that include wall art and an album; the best of both worlds.
Do I have to pay in advance?
You are required to pay the creation fee in advance to reserve the availability, as it is what covers the time and talent of the photographer to create your image gallery.
You are not required to pre-pay (before your session) for any print purchases, however we do have early bird bonuses when you pre-purchase print certificates upon booking. You only choose your print products once you’ve seen the images. To place a print order, payment in full must be received before the order can be fulfilled. We do offer custom payment plans to spread out payments of larger collections. Our personalized service is offered on a case by case basis. Certain exceptions apply.
How soon will I be able to see my photos? Do you post sneak-peeks online?
Often clients will receive an invitation to schedule their ordering session within 7-10 days, however Standard turnaround is guaranteed within 2-4 weeks, and Peak Time turnaround is guaranteed within 4-6 weeks. All dependent on the type of session you’ve booked, and the time of year will affect the timeline. Your personal turnaround time will be outlined in your contract. After you’ve placed your print order, you will receive a link to your personalized blog post to share with friends and family. You can share that link on any social media website, or email it to friends and family. For every image you purchase as part of your print collection (wall art, album, or photo box), you receive the corresponding watermarked image(s) sized perfectly for online sharing.
At this time, we do not guarantee any sneak-peeks (but if we do, they will be posted on our behind the scenes instagram feed).
The NEXT PAGE of our FAQ is about the session details. (part 2 of FAQ’s)
