First & foremost THANK YOU! For finding your way

here! Whether you’re a returning client or brand new, I

am so grateful to have you!

This guide will help you get to know me & prepare you

for your session! I want to be sure you have the same

vision I do for your session so you are left with beautiful

memories & images you can cherish forever! & if we

don’t have the same vision I’d be happy to help you find

the right photographer for your needs!

So many factors are important in achieving a great

session experience & great images. Lighting & location

are two of the most important.

I am a natural light, lifestyle photographer.

My particular style and preference is rustic. I stick with

woodsy ‘organic’ locations. Old wood, brick, fields of

flowers/weeds, and of course our beautiful Lake MI

sand dunes are all at the top of my list.

While I will take location suggestions into consideration,

the setting will ultimately depend on the time of your

session & my professional experience.

Lets talk about session times. Being a natural light

photographer means I use no artificial lighting while

working outdoors. This means the sun is our boss. I

shoot sun rise & sunset ONLY. Being a mom of 3 I

understand how this can be a challenge when little ones

are involved. Please refer to my tips section to address

those concerns!

In this guide you will find several sections to help walk

you through your particular ‘type’ of session as I shoot a

wide variety.

Keeping your family portraits & your walls up to date is so

important when you have a growing family. Someday,

memories & images are all we’ll have left, so don’t let these

fleeting moments pass you by!

As a lifestyle photographer, when it comes to outdoor

sessions, I aim to capture real, authentic moments, rather

than posed. I don’t set out with a list of poses from pinterest.

Instead we’ll wander, play games, sit on a blanket, tickle,

giggle, and just goof around to catch those genuine smiles

between you and your kiddos. Your session will feel

comfortable & carefree. The real smiles & laughter captured

will make these memories last a lifetime. You will rarely look

at the camera, unless prompted, which eases a lot of clients

anxiety (mainly dads haha!) I love when families can just

pretend that I’m ‘not even there’ just focus on having fun and

hangin’ out, rather that saying ‘cheese’ at the camera!

Family portrait sessions take place outdoors-year round. I

have quite a list of great locations in our area I’d love to

recommend for your family to fit your personalities (& my

professional style). Locations are dependent on the time of

your session, to get best results we need to discuss locations

prior to scheduling, if you are choosing a location I’m not

familiar with, I may ask that you send me some photos of the

location at the specific time of day your session will take place

to insure it will get pleasing results.

All package & pricing details can be found at

www.sarahpapesphotography.com

HOW TO DRESS: When trying to plan outfits for a family

session try not to focus on matching perfectly. Look for pieces

that compliment each other without matching exactly. Choose

2 colors. For instance Navy & Mustard. Then decide on the 3rd

color, I suggest khaki, jean, or grey. Lets say you are a family of

5, you have 2 little girls & 1 little boy. Mom is wearing a navy

& mustard striped dress. The 2 girls are wearing plain mustard

dresses. The boys have navy button ups and khaki shorts. The

outfits are not all the same, but they all complement each

other. Most locations can accommodate bare feet, so try not

to stress too much about shoes!

Studio sessions are reserved for children 6 months-12 months.

As well as a few child friendly holiday specials such as Easter

Minis & Christmas Minis. Due to the size of my studio, it can

only accommodate this small range of sessions. When your

child is old enough to sit up on their own they are ready for

their ‘Sitter Session’. Followed by their 1 year cake smash!

Preparing for an in-studio session is pretty easy. Remember to

bring your little one a bottle/drink and some treats-puffs and

yogurt melts seem popular! Also bring a fresh diaper or 2,

some wipes and of course any outfits we need for the session

if I’m not providing those.

Try not to schedule your childs session within the week after

their immunization appointments. Children tend to be cranky

the few days after. Don’t bring a sick baby! I’d be happy to

reschedule if your child is not feeling their best, nothings

worse than trying to get a crabby baby to smile for us. They

can rest and come in when they’re feeling better 😊

Please bring only the child being photographed! Bringing

siblings and extra family members as ‘spectators’ is very

distracting & there is minimal space, which can be difficult.

If your child is not having a cake smash be sure to feed them

prior to their session! Full bellies will help us get more smiles!

If your child is coming in for a smash session, don’t feed them

a large meal before hand! We want them to eat their cake 😊

You will find the studio very quaint & cozy with a log cabin feel

to fit into our woodsy location just right. Equip with a kitchen,

stocked with water, coffee, & even an adult beverage for you,

a restroom, & comfy couch where you can watch me work

with your child.

All package and pricing details can be found on my website

www.sarahpapesphotography.com

Getting ready for your Fresh 48 in hospital session is pretty

simple! This is a really laid back session where mom, dad, &

family just kick back and sit in bed or the chair! This is a mostly

unposed session where you’ll barely look at the camera (a few

times ill prompt ya) but majority of the time ill be capturing

candid unposed moments.

I try to come at 11 am or noon the day after baby is born. If

this interferes with vaccine administration, circumcision, or if

you’ve had a cesarean section the time of the session can

easily be adjusted to fit your needs and babies comfort. Idealy,

its best that we do the session prior to circumcision because

baby is usually sleepier and more comfortable. If we cant

make that work, it really isn’t the end of the world so don’t

stress about that too much.

If you are breastfeeding please stay away from caffeine, and

gassy/greasy/spicy foods 12 hours before the session so baby

is sleepy and comfortable. Try to keep baby awake as much as

possible 60 minutes prior to your session, undressing them,

and not keeping them warm & bundled helps with this, Start a

feeding if possible 5-10 minutes prior to you session start

time. Be prepared to feed several times during the session,

some babies need a little more comfort than others, this is

totally normal. Don’t feel uncomfortable nursing your little

one during the session, I am a self proclaimed pro after

spending over 4+ years of my life nursing my 3 little ones!

Please let me know if you’d like any nursing photos during

your session (they are a beautiful keepsake) If baby is using a

pacifier keep one handy as well. Most fresh 48 sessions take

30-45 minutes depending on how happy baby is, they are the

boss!

T ME!

About Sarah!

I’m a 33 year old mother

of three WILD boys! They make me crazy but keep me young (so

I tell myself)

I’m a Virgo, perfectionist, have major

FOMO, lover of wine & beaches. I’ve

been a photographer for close to 7

years after leaving my career in

healthcare & I cant imagine doing

anything else! EVER <3

All the ‘other stuff’

NO NO LIST: Steer clear of white. Instead choose ivory or cream. Also not

recommended are neons, pastels (unless its easter or spring), clothing with words or decals,

and too many busy patterns that will distract. Stick with neutrals, earth tones, less is more!

If in doubt, send me questions! I am happy to help you plan!

MISC: If you have a young child who’s sleep schedule will be thrown off due to the time

of your session try adjusting their wake up time &/or nap schedule to accommodate. If

your child absolutely cannot have a change made to their sleep schedule, try scheduling

your session in October or November when the sun sets early. Make sure kids have eaten a

decent but light meal. Talk about the expectations for 2-3 days prior to the session, show

them their outfits and get them excited. Bring bribery! Skittles, fruit snacks, any small snack

that your child can receive little pieces of throughout the session will be a big help!

After reading thru this entire welcome guide, browsing my website with packages &

pricing & reviewing the schedule, you are now ready to get officially booked! A non-

refundable full payment is required for most sessions. Some larger packages like bundles

require half down, and weddings 30% down. Clients do not get placed on my schedule

until payment has been made. Paypal, Facebook Pay, venmo, cash and checks are

accepted. In the event that your session has to be cancelled or rescheduled at a later time,

you will be able to use your payment as a credit, or gift it to a family/friend. Refunds

are not applicable in the event that client(s) or weather are uncooperative.

There is a late cancellation-reschedule fee of $25. Please allow 24 hours or more notice in

the event of a reschedule. Last minute cancellations disrupt my schedule and keep other

clients from booking that time slot.

Travel fees may apply to sessions outside of a 30 mile radius of my location.

Please arrive on time & be ready to begin at the scheduled time.

Location & outfit changes count towards session time.

Do not remove your children from vehicle until we are ready to start, if they’re allowed

to get out and play/explore prior to your session, they are apt to be uncooperative when

its time to go start the session.

Please bring only the subject (s) being photographed. Spectators can be very distracting.

Absolutely no outside cameras are to be used during the session. Camera phones are

welcome.

Not every image/pose taken will be edited or made available to you. While suggestions

are taken into consideration it is ultimately the artistic decision of Sarah Papes which

locations, poses, and edits will be carried out & delivered.

Please note that every family is unique, and no two sessions are the same. Every session

will result in a different number of images. Please view the package details on my

website to see if a full, or mini session suits your family better.

Processing time differs per session and is based on time of year. Weddings take

approximately 90 business days to complete, and regular sessions take approximately 30

business days to complete. Processing timeline is an estimation and cannot be promised.

Your session will be delivered to you via online proofing gallery. Your gallery will

remain active for 4 weeks after completion. After you’ve chosen the images you plan to

keep, you will receive a link for download via email. The link is active for 7 days. You

must download your images and save your images promptly. Re-activation of gallery is

a $10 fee. If you do not have access to a computer or wish to have a USB they can be

purchased for $5.

I pride myself on providing high quality digital images to my clients, making sure they

are printed with the same quality to display to the world is very important to me, for

this reason please view the print release located on my website for a list of approved

print labs. Local labs are NOT approved, aside from Hokanson’s in Manistee.

Any and all images taken by Sarah Papes-Sarah Papes Photography are owned &

copyright by State of Michigan Law. Images can be used publicly for advertising

purposes. Clients do not have permission to alter or change images in any way (this

includes filters) Images are not to be screenshot & shared as it degrades & distorts the

image.