Friggin’ Answered Questions

We offer a wide variety of packages to cover most peoples’ budgets. The main differences between packages are how far we’re willing to drive, and how many digital files you keep from the session. View all package options here.

Because we don’t charge anything up front, we ask going into the shoot which package you want, so we spend the appropriate amount of time with your family to ensure we get plenty of photos for that specific package. At the end of the shoot is when you pay; you have the option to upgrade to a larger package, or a full-gallery buyout, after you see the gallery (typically within 1 week or less). Because of the nature of this process, we don’t offer downgrades or refunds at that point.

We shoot all week long, weekdays and weekends, so pick whatever works for your family and reserve your spot online. Availability does fill up, so the earlier you grab a date the better, especially in the busy fall and holiday stretch.

The one difference: weekend sessions (Fri–Sun) run a bit higher than weekdays (Mon–Th). Why? Everyone wants a Saturday, and my wife would occasionally like to see me on one. If a weekday works for your crew, take the discount with my blessing. Both rates are on the pricing page, and if you want help picking a date, give me a call or text at (408) 431-4808.

Look, if you want to do the matchy-matchy thing we are the last people to judge you. Some families can really pull it off! More important than matching (or not): make sure you wear clothing that fits well and isn’t straight out of its packaging. We suggest avoiding strong patterns and anything with prominent logos that could be distracting. Don’t wear anything you’d stress about getting a little dirty. If we’re at the beach, you may want to ditch footwear; if we’re in the forest, wear shoes appropriate for trail walking or light hiking. If you wear glasses, please make sure they’re clean. If you have sunglasses, please leave them at home or in the car.

Most people who come to our neck of the woods are looking for photos in the forest or at the beach; those are our two precious resources that draw people from out of the area. Since we live here, we know ALL the cool spots, and we’re happy to suggest the perfect location for your general location desire, accessibility limitations, and vibe. Although we can shoot throughout the day, we take into account tides, sunrise and sunset times, wind, and other factors when planning the shoot and location.

If you want to browse locations from past shoots, check out our locations pages. If you have a specific spot in mind, let us know; even if we haven’t shot there, we love discovering new spots or working at places that have special meaning to you.

If anyone in your party has physical limitations, please share the specifics so we can recommend locations (some are much more accessible than others).

Living along the Monterey coast, we’re used to rapidly changing weather that is truly hard to predict. Often clients call a week out, worried about rain in the forecast; more often than not, that rain falls the night before and the day-of is amazing. During the summer the marine layer (fog) can roll in and engulf the coast. It may not be what you envisioned, but we can still take amazing photos in fog; the faces of your loved ones matter way more than a blue sky.

The bottom line: we generally don’t take money of any kind up front, so if we need to reschedule or cancel altogether, you’re not out a deposit. We’ll make every effort to reschedule if the weather prevents us from doing our magic with you.

Great question, with no one simple answer. The hour before sunset (the Golden Hour) is typically wonderful on the beach; no extra lighting equipment needed, so we can be spontaneous. Because sunset shifts a lot through the year here on the Santa Cruz coast, so does golden hour. Rough starts to aim for: mid-summer (June and July) golden hour kicks off around 7:15 to 7:30pm; late summer into early fall (August and September) it’s more like 6:15 to 7pm; October it slides to roughly 5:30pm, then the clocks fall back in early November and it jumps to about 4pm; deep winter (December and January) golden hour is around 3:45 to 4:15pm; and spring climbs back through 5 to 6:30pm across February to April, landing near 7pm by May.

A couple of things to weigh against that: if you have little ones, a 7pm+ summer golden hour often collides with bedtime meltdowns, so consider a 10am shoot instead (after the morning meal and nap). In the forest, mid-day is generally better than morning or evening. If it’s foggy, late morning to early afternoon may be the best light. And if you only have a certain window available, then that window is the best time to shoot! We just need a conversation about your specific situation to find what makes the most sense.