What are your rates / refund policies?

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.

We love to see your photos as big wall prints in your home, or to collect your faves in an album when the wall space is limited. You can browse pricing for physical keepsakes 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 purchase additional photos 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.

What is your availability?

Weekday shoots: If you’re planning a weekday shoot (M-F) then it’s SUPER easy to go ahead and reserve your spot online.

Weekend shoots: Family is important to us. I mean, your family is important of course – but so it ours. Because taking awesome photos of you lovely people is our full-time profession, we need a little downtime on weekends to recharge, binge a little Netflix, have a little drinky-poo… You get the drift. However. However! If you’re contacting us relatively last-minute, and you’re only available on a weekend – just give Chris a call and he’ll see what’s possible. His cell is (831) 216-6210 (just tell the answer-lady you’re not a robot).

What should we wear?

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 on it 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 that are appropriate for trail walking/light hiking. If you wear glasses, please make sure they are clean. If you have sunglasses, please leave them at home or in the car.

Where should we have the shoot?

Most people that 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 to come and stay here. Since we live here, we know ALL the cool spots, and are happy to suggest the perfect location to accommodate your general location desire, accessibility limitations, and general vibe. Although we can shoot throughout the day, we take into account tides, sunrise/sunset times, wind and other factors when planning the shoot and location.

If you simply want to browse locations from past shoots (organized by location type), then jump over to our gallery website here. If you have a specific spot in mind, please 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 let us know the specifics so we can recommend locations (some are much more accessible than others).

What if it rains (or is too foggy or windy or or or…)?

Living along the Monterey coast, we’re used to rapidly changing weather that is truly hard to predict. Often clients will call us a week out, concerned about rain forecast for their shoot day. More often than not, that rain all falls the night before, and the day-of is amazing. Often during the summer, the marine layer (fog) will roll in and engulf the coast. Sure, it may not be what you envisioned, but we can still take amazing photos when it’s foggy out – the faces of your loved ones matter way more than a blue sky. The bottom line is this – 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 we feel the weather prevents us from doing our magic with you.

What time of day is best for the shoot?

This is a great question, with no one simple answer. Of course the hour before sunset (the Golden Hour) is typically a great time to shoot on the beach. Usually no extra lighting equipment is needed, so we can be more spontaneous with the photos since it’s all natural light. However, if you have little children, they will probably be pretty cranky by golden hour time as most of the spring/summer/fall means starting the shoot at or after 7pm! If you have small children, please consider a 10am shoot (or after that morning’s meal and nap). If we’re shooting in the forest, then mid-day is generally better than morning or evening. If it’s foggy, then late morning to early afternoon may be the best lighting. If you only have X time to X time available, then whatever that time is, is the best time to shoot! We think you get the drift – we just need to have a conversation about your specific situation to find out what makes the most sense for you.