| FAQ
Part 1:
Preparing for the session
What
is the best time to have a Belly Goddess PortraitsTM
pregnancy session taken?
Pregnancy portraits should be taken between 33-37 weeks. By 33 weeks,
that belly is plenty big enough to give a gorgeous curvy image… and 37
weeks is considered full-term and many women will have their babies
between 37-40 weeks. so, leaving it later than 37 weeks can risk not
getting the photo at all.
My
child has a scratch right across their forehead. Should we reschedule?
There are two ways to look at this issue. First, if your child is
constantly covered in scratches and bruises, then it seems appropriate for
their portrait to show that. After all, that’s who they really are!
However, if it wasn’t quite the look you were after, we can
digitally touch up small scratches, mosquito bites, etc.. these touchups
are done at no extra charge to your final prints.
Extensive retouching has an additional fee. You will be notified
of this fee up front.. There IS an EXTRA touch up fee to touch up dirt,
food, or
"snotty" noses, etc as these are issues within the parents
control at the time of the session. Please make sure your child's face,
fingernails, etc are CLEAN!
What
if my child is sick on the day of our session?
If your child is sick, we need to reschedule. We want to capture your
child’s true personality, which is not possible when they are under the
weather.
What
should we wear?
In general we recommend:
- Don't
mix dark and light outfits. (Use all dark or all light) This keeps the
group from looking "busy" and allows the faces to stand out
first.
- Solid
(no-pattern or subtle-pattern) fabrics.
- Darker
clothing tends to slenderize.
- Long
sleeves help reduce distractions.
- Bare feet
is a
popular and attractive look.
For
belly goddess portraits
solid
colour yoga pants or non-maternity jeans work out great –no they don’t
need to do up. Feel free to use your imagination! Stretchy tank tops or
t-shirts or button up shirts (that are left unbuttoned) work well for
tops. But don’t put these clothes on before the session! Elastic marks
on skin are to be avoided if possible – so watch out for bras and
underwear lines… you may want to show up at the studio “commando”
and wearing baggy clothes.
For
partners in the photos… jeans and one light and one dark shirt work
great. Avoid writing or patterns on the shirt though. Children look great
in simple clothing… jeans and plain t-shirts or overalls with nothing on
underneath. Bare feet look best on everyone involved.
What
kind of payments do you accept?
Cash, cheque, email money transfer, MasterCard, Visa, and Interac.
Can
I keep my glasses on for the photos?
If you must wear glasses for your photos, they should have an
anti-reflective or anti-glare coating. If they do not have that coating,
then glare can become an issue. We recommend you wear your “back-up”
pair of glasses to the shoot and take your good ones into the eye glass
store. They can remove the lens, leaving you just the frames—no glare!
After the session, they will pop the lens back in for you, often for
minimal or no charge.
We cannot always prevent your eyes from being obscured by the lens or the
frames.
Part 2: At the
session
Is
there tax or additional fees on top of the prices?
There are no hidden fees. 13% HST will be added to all products
and services picked up or shipped within Ontario. Other provinces and
countries have separate taxation rates.
Do
you take a specific number of images per session?
You will end up with about 15-30 images to choose from for one regular session.
So, we usually take a few more photos than that as there are always a few
blinking shots, etc. We will show you every useable photo from the session
for you to narrow down your choices.
Where
do you take the photos?
Our studio is located on Acorn Cres., in
northwest London Ontario. house number provided upon request or upon
booking (it is not on the website for insurance purposes). For an additional fee we will also travel to other outdoor venues
such as a park, cottage or home in London. We plan
Fall Family Photo Days and Beach Family Photo Days and other outdoor
special events throughout the year as well. Outdoor sessions are
recommended for those with larger family groups. Details about these special days are
posted on our FaceBook page as they are determined. Sign up to be notified
first facebook.com/dreamcatcherphoto
How
long does a session take?
Regular sessions take approximately
30-60 minutes. Newborns and Boudoir sessions are often longer and as such
do have a slightly different price structure.
May
we have special requests?
Dream Catcher Photo is not a cookie
cutter photography studio. We pride ourselves in creating and recording
that special moment for you to cherish. Feel free to make special requests
and we will do our best to fulfill that request. Our studio can fit
approx. a max of 5 people in one shot depending on age/size, etc.
Non-shedding pets may come into the session as well, but someone else must
be able to be with them for shots that they are not involved in. Sometimes, depending on
the attention span of a child or other factors, we are unable to complete
all of your requests, but we will do our best.
How
much do most customers invest in their photography session?
We do not charge a session fee and all our packages start at $125 plus
taxes per session (and that’s quite a few prints you get for that rate).
Please see our rates link on our site
for more details). Many customers only spend the initial retainer fee of
$125, while others choose to add on a second package or some a la carte
items and/or digital files. It’s up to you.
Do
I have to sign a model release?
Yes, a model release is necessary as we use the photos we take to show off our
work. We are sorry but because of the volume of work we do, this is not
optional as we cannot guarantee requests to not use images won't be missed
by accident.
Part 3: After the
session and other details
Can
I buy a gift certificate for a baby shower I'm going to?
Of course! Gift certificates
are available in any denomination… we can even email it to you if
you’re in a rush so you can print it yourself and not have to pick it up
or wait for it to be mailed.
Please call or email us for details.
My
family members want to select some images of their own, how can they do
that?
Of course! Just give them your online album password and they can order
prints for themselves, with no minimums.
What
if I don’t have internet access, how can I see my proofs?
We will be happy to let you use a computer at our location to access the
proofs online, the same way as you would at home. You will have an
online album still though so you may consider accessing it from a friends
home or public internet access facility. An appointment is necessary to
access this option at the studio. We are sorry but a personalized ordering
session with Julie Duggan is generally not available.
How
long do we have to order prints?
Your online proof album will be active for 60 days from the date it is put
up.
What
if I want to order photos after my online album has expired?
You may order your prints at anytime, just note the # of the image while
you album is still live. You can drop us an email anytime you wish to add
on prints. Alternatively, if you need the album reloaded, there is a $15
fee for reloading.
We strive to ensure your photos are available to order up to SIX months
after your session. Beyond that time frame, we may be able to provide
reprints, please inquire.
When
will our photos be online and how long will it take to get our prints
back?
Your photos are online within one week of your session. Most prints take
approx. 2 weeks, although some special order items may take longer.
Can
I purchase all of the proofs?
Not really. All of our images are taken digitally and shown online, thus there are
no hard copy proofs even printed.
You can buy all the digital files though! Click here
for our portrait pricing.
Can you get rid of my wrinkles or make me thinner?
Well, sort of... but if we may say so... be proud of your own skin... you
earned it... and who wants a photo that no one recognizes as
you?! However, if you really need some touch up work done, we
include minor touch ups (i.e. a small amount of blemishes, scars, small scratches, minor
wrinkles) in all our prints. Extensive digital work may be possible -- we
will evaluate each case individually and give you a quote to cover the
extra editing costs. If your child had a dirty face or runny nose
though, and you want that touched up, editing fees will apply. So,
please ensure your child is as clean as possible before (and during) your
session.
What
is the 100% No Obligation Guarantee and Refund Policy at dream catcher
photography?
If for any reason you are not 100%
satisfied with your portraits, and you choose not to make any purchase or
accept a free product offer, Dream Catcher Photo will gladly refund your
retainer fee or apply the fee to a future sitting. (We reserve the right
to limit the frequency of this offer being available per customer.) Once
portrait prints leave the store, they are non-refundable as they are
custom work, except for printer defects. Ordering prints constitutes an agreement by the purchaser to pay for said order upon
fulfillment.
Please see our Policies page for full
description of our policies.
Does
Dream Catcher Photography have a payment program?
No, the retainer fee for the session is payable at the time of the
session. If any additional fees are due for prints and products they are
payable at the time of pick up or prior to shipping.
Is there a time limit for how long I have
to order prints and products?
As noted above, your proof album is live for 60 days and can be reloaded for a small fee. During that time you may place as many orders as you wish
from your album.
In order to ensure we cover the costs associated with providing our
fantastic clients with their session, print credit/retainer payments
made at the time of the session must be used up within 90 days of the
session. If all, or any portion, of the retainer remains after 90
days, that amount will be applied as a session fee and will no longer be
available to the client as a print/product credit. Any items
purchased after the 90 day period will require full payment as no credit
will exist.
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