5 Things Everyone Should Know About my experience | Photographers in Asheville NC

I am not a high volume – fully booked photographer. I leave room for preparation with phone/zoom calls with you all in my schedule. I also plan out my bookings keeping in mind  free headspace to approach my work with a heart that is full and a mind that is rested/energized for editing. My best work comes from a healthy heart and mind. 

I approach this with artistry, crafting a beautiful experience for you all – from curating the right wardrobe to matching the ideal landscape that suits how much you are wanting to hike during the evening. 

I start with truly getting to know you and customizing your experience via phone/zoom or email. We will talk through your dynamic and what comprises your family. We will get into the type of time you want to invest into the evening experience, including the hike you are willing to take to get to this gorgeous backdrop. 

I will send you trail links so you can virtually run through the exact trail along with galleries to give you even more of a sense of the variety and experience.

We bring the wardrobe with us, some may be wearing some or all of their outfit already and then we complete final styling at our final destination. We all come equipped for a hike with the proper footwear and attire for the season; keeping in mind hydration/snacks and bug spray to protect/fuel us along the way. 

Since this is typically a sunset timeframe, our descent back includes headlamps and some more great convo- sometimes there is a beverage of choice involved- whatever your preference. 

I will take a couple days to select a gorgeous proofing gallery for you, that means combing through all the images- selecting the best frames and storytelling and lightly editing the images with the preferred color corrections in Lightroom.

I will deliver this gallery of 80-100 images for you to view and ultimately keep. Initially, you will view the gallery to select the 40 (ish) images you truly connect with and see hanging on your walls, printing for loved ones and creating season cards with. Those images will come back to me and I will begin the fine art process of editing them. Check out this blog if you want to understand more about my style of editing. 

 

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the experience, as well: 

Before the Experience:

  1. Share your ideas.  If you have a vision for the end result, share it with me.  I keep an active Pinterest board of locations, styling best practices- it has OODLES!
  2. Know what you want, but be open to an interactive conversation with me. 
  3. Ask me anything!  I want to ensure you are comfortable with the process from beginning to end.
  4. Plan accordingly.  I like to allow about 1-1.5  hours for the shoot, not including the hike time.  Give yourself enough time and focus in your schedule to create a memorable experience for your family.  (This is not a contrived, overly posed process) This goes for your wardrobe, as well, let me know your favorite styles, skin tone etc so I know what will work best for you. I will also have a professional filmed video of the complete wardrobe for Women that is complementary for you, as well. 
  5. Read my reviews.  I work hard to deliver an experience that exceeds your expectations.  Find out what previous clients have to say. 

During the Experience session

  1. Arrive on time.  This goes for me, too!  
  2. Breathe.  It is sometimes nerve-racking to be in front of the camera so remember to take your time and relax. Don’t worry, these locations open up such a relaxing and truly authentic experience. I will encourage how you are standing or sitting and of course capture flattering angles alongside with lots of placement of of wardrobe should lay or placing you correctly with the direction of the wind. 
  3. Communicate.  I like to keep dig a bit into what is on your mind with this time and what your concerns are- I want to ensure we have your anxiety calmed and your headspace ready for an adventure and making amazing artwork for your home. 
  4. Have fun. Do what you all do best, keep the silly, keep the peace, sing the songs, let the wild unfold- whatever is what you all are at home is what this should stay feeling like. 

What to bring on the experience

  • Water bottles (especially for those summer sessions, it gets hot!)
  • Bug Spray
  • It’s your option to bring other beverages as well
  • A brush, hairspray, and/or gel.
  • On that same note, bring a little makeup bag for touch ups. Make sure to include some type of towel in case anyone gets too sweaty.
  • A change of clothes for babes in case there is an accident
  • Comfortable shoes!
  • Snacks for kids. Stuff that isn’t messy. Fruit snacks are good! 
  • Please do not wear sunscreen for this time together, this competes with my editing and creates a reflection on your skin which I cannot fix in post processing.

A couple more GREAT TIPS for PREPARATION: 

It’s totally fine to give your children (of course your partner ha!) a heads up that a photographer will be joining you all on the hike. I would say some families have lots of fun with taking photos – those are the animated, extrovert types for sure!  Other families might want to focus more on what they’ll be doing with each other in order to build a natural and relaxed energy where they are creating those natural meaningful moments together that can be captured. This is your narrative and I cannot completely define that for you and create a script of how I want that to look and feel, you have a major role to play here in how you show up with the correct energy level that feels like your own.

Here is a great tip to think about: go through your previous family pictures and walk through memory lane; telling stories of when you were in that chapter – You can use this as a way to highlight how significant these images are tocapture your age, personality and style at that time in your lives.

Make sure everybody is well rested and well fed

This may seem obvious, but it’s worth saying. I want the most content version of yourselves – that includes rest and nourishment prior! Taking a rest or snack break on the hike is also essential for melting into the space.  Please don’t bring lollipops or sticky things that create an attraction for additional dirt and take a very long time to eat. Let’s keep the snack simple and bribing is not a fav “go to” tactic in my experience. Instead offer up something fun to do after or the next day – like getting ice cream, baking a cake or cookies or a new toy etc. 

It layers stages to this process that keeps a positive memory with everyone about photography sessions.

My goal here is to give the best, most memorable time together that essentially will be amazing artwork of your heart forever!

If you are looking for photographers in Asheville NC, I would be honored to share my experience with you. I am resident Family, Maternity and Newborn photographer. I offer a complete wardrobe of over 100 dresses including, newborn through Toddler sizes that you will have access to for your photography session. Check out the full Asheville Photography Experience along with the Investment Guide!