Can I see your full portfolio before I book?
Of course! You can see full galleries here: clients.namu.love – if there’s a password-protected gallery you’d like to view, let me know.
How far in advance should I book with you?
Any time is a good time, but I definitely recommend booking earlier rather than later. Here’s a good frame of reference:
- Weddings – 6 months to a year out
- Event coverage – 2 to 3 months out
- Portrait sessions – 2 to 3 weeks out
Cancellations do happen, so last-minute inquiries are always welcome – there’s always a chance I’ll have your date open!
How many people can be in our portrait session?
Family portrait sessions are for 2 adults and unlimited children. Each additional adult booked in advance is $50 per person. Certain session types like large group portraits (teams, schools, staff) are billed at a different rate and require a custom quote. You can email or call if you need a custom quote for portraits of larger groups, or you can click here to see portrait pricing by type of session.
Do you share our photos online?
I always share my favorite images from your session or event on my website and social media – it’s how photographers advertise (and likely how you found me!). And while I reserve the right to use images I create for self-promotion, if there are specific images you prefer I don’t share publicly, I’m happy to use alternatives from your session and your full gallery can be password-protected as well. If you’d prefer I not use any of the images, please scroll down to the “How are files delivered?” section to learn about how you can buy out the copyright to the images.
What if I need to reschedule or cancel a portrait session or event?
Rescheduling is sometimes possible, but not guaranteed. If I have a future date you’re interested in open on my calendar, I’m happy to reschedule to that date and move your booking fee to the new date. However, if I’m unable to re-book your date due to scheduling conflicts, any pre-payment you’ve made is non-refundable.
If you need to cancel altogether, no problem, things come up! But it’s important to understand that regardless of your session type, your 50% pre-payment is a fee for work already performed (such as location scouting, planning/coordination, time spent consulting through email or on the phone, etc), and as such, is non-refundable. Instead of canceling altogether, you can avoid losing that money by applying it towards a future session!
If I’m the one who has to cancel your session and we’re unable to reschedule, I will absolutely refund everything you’ve paid up to that point. If we’re able to reschedule, not only will I give you priority when choosing a new date/time, but if I’ve ask you to reschedule within 7 days of your session, I will also give you $50 off that session.
What if I’m running late?
Life sometimes gets in the way and I get it! Just text or call me as soon as you can. Keep in mind that I might have another session booked directly after yours, so if you’re late, you may end up with less session time (there will be no partial or whole refunds if your session has less time due to your late arrival).
If you know you’re going to be late and I don’t have another session directly after yours, but you want to make sure you get your full session in, you can book extra time at the rate of $100 per hour (or any fraction thereof). This fee is payable at the session, by cash or cash app.
What happens if there’s bad weather during our session or event?
If there’s just a little rain, it’s windy or skies are gray, we’re going to shoot! Sometimes those can result in some of the best, most unique images. If it’s a real storm, we’ll likely need to reschedule to another open date on my calendar. Please note: there are no refunds for weather or natural disasters, but you can always reschedule at no extra cost, assuming I have an opening on my calendar.
I had a great time shooting with you. Can I tip you after the shoot?
You’re awesome just for asking! I’ll never expect a tip, but I’ll always appreciate one! Did you know the average professional full-time photographer in California only earns about $46,000 a year…before expenses? I bet you thought we earned a lot more than that!
When will we see the photos?
Delivery times are estimates and are not guaranteed, but most smaller sessions are delivered same or next day! Larger sessions like high capacity events, multi-day events or team/staff portrait sessions are delivered on a slower schedule but still arrive very quickly – often within 3 business days but on rare occasions within 7 to 10 business days, depending on how busy my schedule is.
Once your gallery is ready, I’ll email you a link to view the images and a link to download the images.
What size are the photos?
I deliver an online gallery with high resolution 1920×1080 images. These are suitable for prints up to 12×18 inches, but for large-scale printing, full resolution images can be provided on a case-by-case basis.
If you decide you’d rather print your images through someone other than me, I’m happy to provide a limited rights release that will allow you to print your images elsewhere.
How are files delivered?
“How are files delivered? Can I have the unedited/RAW files?
How you get your photos:
– You’ll receive beautiful, high-quality digital photos (jpgs) in an online gallery.
– My company logo will appear unobtrusively on each image, to show that I created the image and to protect my rights as copyright holder.
– If you’d like the original, unedited files (RAWs), there’s an option to buy out the copyright at a fee of $2500 per gallery/session.
Why can’t I just have the unedited (RAW) files?
– Think of RAW files like ingredients in a meal. A chef who is well-known for preparing a special dish will use ingredients in certain ways to make sure the dish ends up tasting exactly the way it’s supposed to taste. Of course, any person could mix those ingredients together, but the results could be wildly different – it’s the chef’s specific style and experience that turns those ingredients into the special dish he was hired to make. The same goes with my images – anyone could edit them, but it’s my editing style and experience that turns them into the images I’m known for. You can also think of the unedited images like the early sketches of a painting…you would never ask the artist to give you the sketches so you can finish the painting yourself, right?
Don’t I own the photos after you take them?
– According to federal and California law, any art, including photography, is owned by the person who created it as soon as it’s created. You’re hiring me to create the photos, but the ownership of the images belongs to me.
So what am I actually paying for then?
– You’re paying me to create art, and then I’m assigning you some limited rights to use that art for yourself. You can print your photos, share them with friends and family, put them on social media – you can do almost anything with them with only a few exceptions – you can’t sell the photos or give permission to others to use them, and you can’t use the images for commercial purposes without permission from me.
Is there a way for me to completely own the photos?
– Sure! Like I mentioned earlier, if you want complete ownership of the photos, including owning the copyright (which gives you the right to do anything you like with them, within the law), there’s a “copyright buyout” option for $2500 per gallery or session. You would then receive all of the full resolution RAW files for the images I already delivered to you, and I would no longer have any rights to them.
Why does it cost so much to buy the copyright?
– Once you’ve purchased the copyright, I’ll no longer be able to use the images in any way – I can’t use them to promote my business on social media, create marketing graphics or earn income from the images in any way, so the large fee is to cover those potential losses.
It doesn’t seem fair that I don’t own the images I paid you to create, are you sure this is correct?
– I can understand how it might seem strange or frustrating that you don’t get to actually own the photos you’ve hired someone to create for you, but it really is the best way for the system to work. Without these kinds of laws in place, photographers (and other artists) wouldn’t be able to protect the artistic works they create, and the incentive to study and practice and gain experience so they could become the best artists they could be would no longer exist in the same way.”
How many photos will I get? Will I get all the images you shot?
I aim to over-deliver! You’ll receive a TON of photos, especially compared to how many most photographers deliver. For full portrait sessions, it’s around 30 images per session (many photographers deliver around five and then charge you to access the full gallery – with me, you get all the shots for the same price). Sometimes I even over-deliver my over-delivering, lol.
For events it’s around 30 images delivered per hour, on average, which is also higher than the norm! And you don’t have to worry at all about getting “enough” images – you’ll get every single image I shoot that isn’t blurry or inappropriate (like when the wind blows a dress up or a very unflattering shot of someone).
It’s important to note that due to the candid, sometimes rapid-fire nature of my photography style, not every shot is going to turn out clear. Which leads me to another common question…
Can I buy the shots that you took but didn’t include in the gallery?
Nope. Not even if you say “pretty please, with a cherry on top!”
That’s because if an image is blurry, has problems that can’t be resolved (far too dark or far too bright) or if an image is inappropriate (wardrobe malfunctions, unflattering facial expressions, shows guests doing something illegal, etc), then it gets deleted. I only keep, deliver or share work that is representative of my brand and my personal style of photography and blurry shots are definitely not on brand for me!
What kind of photo editing is included?
My style is very candid, using both natural and off-camera lighting. Many of my shots look good right out of the camera (not so humble brag) and don’t need much editing, so I generally just crop, color-correct and adjust light/shadows. Photoshopping fly-away hair, blemishes, closed eyes or other non-basic editing is not included, but can be added to any session for $10 per image. You can also pay a flat rate of $500 for extended editing of an entire gallery (up to 200 images). If you plan on having a lot of photos edited, this can save you a lot of money on galleries with more than 50 images.
Are you available for commercial photography projects?
Absolutely, please email hello@namu.love or call 510.679.4158 to discuss the details.