Our process

Connecting with Chris / making the reservation

Chris would like to have a quick ten minute chat (reserve here) to make sure he’s a good fit for your specific needs. If you can’t wait to talk, you can text Chris at (408) 431-4808.

After talking with Chris, you can book your session here. All sessions are one hour or less, so the time commitment doesn’t really change with the package. There is NO COST to making a reservation; you don’t pay until the end of the session itself.

Package decision

After you’ve connected with Chris and made the shoot reservation, we’ll reach out via email or text. Please tell us the package(s) you are considering: the one that best fits the location(s) you want and about how many photos you want to keep from the session.

Shoot timing tweaks

Because there are a lot of factors in planning a photo shoot, we may want to tweak the exact start time based on sunset time, location type, tides, and other factors we’ll discuss after your booking is made.

Choosing the location

Most people who come to our neck of the woods want photos in the forest or at the beach. Since we live here, we know ALL the cool spots and are happy to suggest the perfect location for your desires, accessibility needs, and vibe. If you want to browse locations from past shoots, check out our locations pages. Got a specific spot in mind? Let us know; we love discovering new places or shooting somewhere with special meaning to you.

If anyone in your party has physical limitations, tell us the specifics so we can recommend accessible locations.

Paying for the session

Payment in full is due no later than the day of the shoot. We know it can be hard to tell how many keepers we’ll get, so we’re OK with you waiting until the end of the session to decide which package to go with. It’s best for us to go in knowing which package(s) you’re considering, then you decide and pay at the end when you know how it went.

Once you see the gallery you can upgrade to a larger package (you just pay the difference), or go all-in with a full-gallery buyout. We don’t offer downgrades after the shoot. Prices are subject to change during busy season; prices are locked in at time of booking.

Seeing the results

Within one week, we’ll send you a link to a temporary online gallery where you can choose your favorite photos. The gallery automatically expires in one week (extensions available by request).

If you had a large multi-generational shoot, whoever made the initial booking should act as the point person to consolidate everyone’s favorites.

Selecting your favorite photos to keep

Access the gallery with the link we email you, then simply star the photos you want. Once your favorites are selected, text or email Chris to let him know you’re done, and include any editing or retouching requests. If you’ve selected more photos than your package includes, you can simply pay the difference between packages.

Receiving the final edited files

Once your favorites are in and any additional files are paid for, we’ll email you a download link (we recommend saving on a laptop or desktop). Finished hi-res files are typically 4,000 x 6,000 pixels. Any download problems, just email us.

Sharing your experience

Assuming we’ve provided a 5-star experience, the best compliment is telling your friends who took your amazing photos. Feeling frisky? Leave us a public review on Google or Yelp. Beyond that, the ultimate testimonial is when you come back to hire us again; we shoot maternity, senior portraits, headshots, weddings, and more.