Bellies
Brand New
Babies
{faq’s}
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ‘creative fee’ mean?
The creative fee reserves the time for your session and covers all costs involved in creating your images including editing and post-production work. The session fee covers the time and talent of the photographer as well as props, backdrops, and other costs that make your session creative and custom. Because I am a small business owner and want to ensure the highest quality and attention to each of my clients, I can only take a certain number of sessions each month. Locking in your session date (or your expected due date) with a paid Creative Fee allows me to best plan my calendar each month. To read more about why custom photography costs more than retail/chain studios, please click here: Custom Portrait Photography Also, to learn how to evaluate custom photographers, head to this site: TOYMG
When and how do I pay?
Kimberlin Gray Photography is proud to offer multiple payment options. You are welcome to send a check to our studio or pay online via PayPal. We also accept credit cards both in person and over the phone. The first payment you make is the Creative Fee, which is due to reserve your session. You pay nothing more until you see your portraits and choose a Collection!
Who takes and edits the photos?
Amanda is the owner and photographer of Kimberlin Gray Photography. If you call, I will answer the phone and I send out all emails personally. I also edit each image individually, taking care to use just the right techniques to enhance the image from the camera to it’s final print or digital form.
How early should I book my session?
If you are interested in both a maternity and newborn session, it is best to contact me when you are in your 5th-6th month of pregnancy. The best time for maternity portraits is when you are between 30-36 weeks, and I typically book up about 4-6 weeks in advance. If you choose my Belly to Baby Plan, we put both sessions on the calendar when you reserve the package. If you are wanting a newborn session only, it is best to reserve your session about 6 weeks before your expected due date to ensure availability. Please do not wait until your baby is born – I only photograph newborns under 10-14 days old and during busy times, cannot always ‘squeeze in’ additional sessions. For individual baby sessions, or the Milestones Plan, the earlier you contact me, the better!
Why aren’t you booking family sessions anymore?
Specializing in maternity, birth, and newborn photography was a choice that I made mid-2011. In order to give my best work my clients, I have to limit the number of sessions that I take each month. (I am also a wife and mother of two children under 5 years old, so they keep me very busy!) Custom photography is a lot more than simply taking pretty pictures. The editing of individual images, creating albums and storyboards, ordering prints and products, packaging products, emailing clients and potential clients, and then all of the tasks that go along with owning a small business take up hours and hours of my days (and nights!). So, I have decided to only book regular sessions for bellies and babies for 2012. However, I will continue to offer Mini-Sessions, once in the spring and once in the fall for all of my loyal families who supported me in the past. And, I love to see your babies grow and change and this affords me the opportunity to catch up with you! 
What should we wear?
We will have a pre-session consultation to discuss specific wardrobe ideas about a week or two before your session. Maternity wardrobe is quite simple – whatever you are comfortable in is best! You want your outfit to be snug on your belly (to show the outline and roundness) but you want to be comfortable and stylish. Under-the-belly waistbands are always best so that there are no visible lines on your skin – and I always suggest two outfits, one skirt/dress and one pants/capri outfit. I love color – there is no need for boring black or white – and don’t be afraid of patterns. When in doubt, check out the gallery of images on my website for inspiration!
Newborns generally wear nothing at all. Clothing is often too big for those itty bitty babes and they get lost in all that fabric! So, we do most of our newborn session poses with your baby (tastefully!) in the buff.
For 4mo, 8mo, and 12mo baby sessions, less is more! 2 outfits is usually the most that a baby will tolerate, so I ask that you bring your baby in the outfit that you most want photographed and then we will strip down to just a diaper or even bare bottom for some more ‘organic’ portraits. Then, if baby tolerates it, we’ll put on the second outfit and take some more beautiful portraits! Specific suggestions will be given for each stage when you book those sessions on the calendar!
What time of day will my session be held?
All maternity sessions are held on-location, in the evening, right before sunset. This is often called ‘the golden hour’ by photographers and it is when the sun casts a warm, beautiful glow on your skin. Middle of the day is the worst time for portraits, as it is too bright, casts harsh shadows on faces, and creates squinty eyes.
Newborn sessions are held in my home studio. Because I am a natural light photographer, it depends on the season and how the sun shines into my studio. In the spring and summer, we often schedule for the morning hours and in the fall/winter, we often schedule for the afternoon hours.
Baby sessions (Milestones Plan babies) have their choice of outdoor or indoor sessions based on the weather and preferences. Outdoor sessions are generally held in the evening and indoor studio sessions during the day. If you require a weekend, please let me know up front as those dates book up much faster!
Can you take out the scratch on my baby’s face or make me look skinnier?
Basic retouching can be done easily and without incurring any extra expense. If your child has a scratch or blemish on their face that you want me to remove, please let me know at the time of your session and I would be happy to digitally remove it from each of your portraits before proofing them to you.
As for more extensive retouching, I do offer the service for $25 per portrait. As a professional photographer, it is my job to pose pregnant women and new mommies in ways that flatter their figure and accentuate their curves in the best way. I would much rather you love the way you look in your portraits naturally than give you a ‘digital diet’!
Are parents/siblings included in newborn sessions?
Absolutely! We focus on the baby alone for the majority of the session, but I love capturing the relationship between a baby and her parents and we can work that into the end of your newborn session if you wish. We can also capture a few of your full family or big siblings with their new baby brother/sister. Keep in mind that toddlers (18 months to 3 years old) are often unpredictable and they are still figuring out this new little person in their lives, so it can be more tricky to capture them with a newborn. But I do have a few tricks up my sleeve! Be sure to let me know ahead of time if you would like parent/sibling portraits so that I leave time at the end of the session!
What do I need to bring to the session? Do you have all those cute hats and props?
All you need to bring is yourself (and your baby!). I have an obscene amount of blankets, baskets, hats, headbands, diaper covers, backdrops, and other props! If there is something specific that you would like to have photographed with your baby, please feel free to bring it along. I’ve used Daddy’s firefighter gear, pilot’s helmet, and baseball glove before as well as grandma’s blanket and family heirloom christening gown. If you have a specific wish for a prop that you’ve seen elsewhere, you are welcome to browse etsy.com and bring along your own ideas – but know that I have plenty in my studio for you to choose from!
What happens if we need to reschedule?
Sickness happens, and rain does too. If it happens to rain on the day of your maternity session, we will reschedule to the first mutually available date possible. No worries! If your baby is born premature and needs to stay in the hospital for a little while, we will hold our session the week that he/she comes home. Chances are, we will still be able to get those sleepy baby photos!
When will I see my photos?
If you agree, I will post a sneak peek of your session on Facebook and/or my blog within 2 days of your session. The full gallery will be ready for you to view within 2 weeks of your session, but typically is completed in 7-10 days. Once your gallery is posted, you have 5 days in which to place your order.
How long until I get my CD or portraits?
Your images on CD or printed portraits will be ready for pickup in my home studio approximately 2 weeks from when payment is received for your order. Unfortunately, there have been clients who have taken advantage of me and ordered, but never paid, so I can no longer process any orders until payments have cleared.
Why can’t I just buy a CD of all images by itself?
Custom photography is an investment – each images is hand-edited to print beautifully. If I only sold CD’s of images, how many of those pictures would actually get printed? I actually know the answer to this because I used to sell ‘just CD’s’. And more and more of my clients were telling me that they just didn’t get around to actually ordering pictures from their CD. And I am guilty of this myself. I keep meaning to print photos of my kids, but another day goes by and I get so busy that I forget. Have you done that??? I bet the answer is yes.
These portraits are precious memories that you have invested in…and I want you to look at them every day. I want each of you to have at least one professionally printed image from your session with Kimberlin Gray Photography on the wall in your home so that you will pass by it every day and smile. I do archive images and am more than willing to work with you on a payment plan if custom photography is something that you value and are committed to investing in. Just ask!
I do offer digital files in all of my collections because I feel strongly that you should be able to have, share, and print your favorite images from our session together. And choosing your favorites is hard, but it is an important step in printing those pictures so that they don’t sit in a drawer and fade away like old memories.
Will I be able to share my pictures on Facebook? Can my family print from Facebook?
Any digital image you purchase comes with a websized, watermarked version for sharing online. These images are sized and sharpened perfectly for screen resolution and will display beautifully for your friends and family to see. However, they are NOT printable images and include a watermark to protect my work and your family’s image from being misused or stolen.
Copyright vs. Print Release: What’s the difference?
When a photographer creates an image, it is automatically copyrighted – giving the photographer or creator of the image the exclusive right to copy, edit, distribute, post on facebook, blog, etc. These rights, given to the photographer or creator of the image by The Copyright Act, make it illegal for anyone else (even if you are in the image) to copy, scan, edit, print, or distribute digital or printed versions of the image without the photographer’s permission. This is a Federal Law and can be prosecuted as such. Illegally downloading, screen-capturing, watermark-removing, or altering of images is strictly prohibited…not just by me, but by law!! ??My custom printed CD’s come with a print release, not a copyright release. I still own the copyright to the images that you purchase, but you are free to take the CD and get as many prints as you want, in any size, anywhere. (Now, I don’t recommend just anywhere – I’ll give you a recommendation on the best place to make prints!) But, you can upload them to your favorite online lab and print to your heart’s content if you purchase images with print release from Kimberlin Gray Photography! But you may not edit the images in any way, let others use them for advertising (such as children’s clothing boutiques) or enter them into contests (like for Parenting magazine covers) without permission. You may not make copies of the CD to share with all your aunts, cousins and grandparents. If in doubt, just email me! I am very nice (really!) and will usually grant permission (with proper credit, of course). Please respect my work and my livelihood. This is my business, (my job), and the way I support my family.
How long do you store images after our session?
All ordered images are stored for at least one year. Unordered images are purged after 30 days in order to leave room for new session images.
Do you offer gift certificates?
Yes! Gifting a friend or family member with a session is a wonderfully thoughtful idea. You can purchase a gift certificate for someone who has already booked with me in any denomination or you can purchase the Creative Fee for them so that they can have beautiful portraits taken of their special time!
Can I register with you for an upcoming baby shower?
Anyone who has booked the Belly to Baby Plan or an individual newborn session with Kimberlin Gray Photography can sign up for a baby registry! I will provide you with cards to include in your baby shower invitations which give instructions on how your guests can purchase certificates toward your portrait order. Just ask for details!
Have other questions? Email me at amanda@kimberlingrayphotography.com and I’ll add them to this list!