Stress-Free Family and Couple Photos on Oahu, Hawaii
“I want to book family photos…”
“We don’t have any professional photos to put up in our home…”
“It is just too overwhelming to start the process.”
“What do we wear?”
“Where do we get our photos taken?”
“What if the kids don’t cooperate?”
“What if my partner doesn’t like to take photos?”
“When do we even get them taken?”
If that sounds like you, keep reading. I know what it feels like to worry. I know what it feels like to stress and one of the pillars of my business is to provide my clients with a service that is free of stress and worry. Instead, I want to give you confidence so that you can find joy in creating memories with the people you love. In this blog post, I am going to share every step of my family and couple photography experience with you here because I truly believe I offer a stress-free experience that values your worries and gives you solutions.
From the top, you will search for a photographer. Somehow some way, you find me and you will inquire on my website on the Contact page or email me. From there, I will receive your inquiry and respond with my availability, session time slots, and package information within 24 hours. You will be able to review all of the information in the email. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours, please email me directly at the email address above. You will have time to look over all of the information and when you are ready, you can ask any questions you may have. If you are ready to book at this point, you can let me know in your response as well.
If you do communicate that you would like to book, I will send you my Location Guide that has all of my favorite, permitted locations on the island that you can choose from. Once you choose your location, we will solidify the date and time of your shoot. If it is the winter and fall months, we will plan a session date and a rain-date in case of weather conflicts. I have never not been able to connect with a couple or family for their session because of the weather, but some sessions have had to be rescheduled to the rain-date. The rain-date allows us to easily pivot and not have to scramble to find another time to shoot that is best for everyone. This looks like booking your session for the Monday of your vacation week and also blocking off the Wednesday in both of our calendars to have a back up date if needed. If you are worried about the weather and it is not the winter or fall months we can still plan a rain-date to ease your worries. Next, I will send you your proposal (contract + invoice) for digital completion. I will send this via a link and you will be able to sign the contract and make your 50% deposit. Once these 2 things are done, you are officially booked!
Once I receive the signed contract and 50% deposit, I will send you a planning email with the completed contract (with my signature), my Outfit Guide, and a Questionnaire. My Outfit Guide is a document I have put together with color palettes, outfit examples, and my do’s and don’ts of planning what to wear for your session. The Questionnaire is a digital form where I ask you questions about your family and your photoshoot preferences. This helps me get to know you and prepare for your session, so that there is no stress the day of. Between this email and your session, my email is open for questions, planning advice, outfit advice, makeup recommendations and more. I am here to help any way that I can!
When we are a week out from your session, I will email you with location details, parking and traffic tips, time and weather information, and my contact information. I will be in contact ASAP if there is a weather concern or location issue (parking change, unexpected construction, etc.).
On your session day, I will send you a text to confirm our session and to see if you need anything before we shoot. I always arrive at the location at least 30 minutes early with my equipment ready to go. At the beginning of our session, I will give you my spiel to lay out what the session will be like and we will start with your first pose. I will pose you every step of the way. I will give you guided prompts and opportunities for authentic emotion. If your kiddos need a break, we will take it. We will ebb and flow. I have over 7 years of experience as a teacher and there really aren't any behaviors I have not seen at this point. I feel at home with kids being kids and love to capture the candid moments they create. I hype you up the ENTIRE session and try my best to make you feel comfortable and beautiful with every photo. As we wrap up the session, I ask you if there is anything I missed or anything else you would like to do. If not, we close out and say our goodbyes (Yes they are like the friend goodbyes where you say bye over and over). Before I leave, I share that I will send your sneak peeks within 48 hours and your final gallery in 3 weeks.
After your session, I go home and copy all of your photos to a hard drive for safekeeping. I deliver your sneak peeks within 48 hours and then work over the next three weeks on going through your gallery, choosing the best photos, editing each one, and putting your gallery together.
Three weeks after your session, you will receive an email from me with your final gallery and an opportunity to leave a review. You will be able to download all of your high resolution images, send them out for printing, or post them on your socials! If you have any questions or concerns at this point, my email is open as always and I will respond within 24 hours.
Each step of this process is carefully curated to provide you with a stress-free, supportive experience. I want you to be able to enjoy your photo session and be yourself. I am still learning and growing and look forward to continuing to improve my photography skills and experience. We only go up from here!
If this blog gives you comfort and confidence in choosing me as your photographer, I would LOVE to connect. You can click the button below, head to my Contact page or email me. Thank you for being here!
Aloha always,
Megan Johnson