Sessions, viewings & bookings
By Jo Frances – 2019 NZ Family Photographer of the Year
All about booking a shoot, and viewing your photos
Photography should be an enjoyable and relaxing process – we won’t ask you to stand in awkward stiff poses and we won’t get upset if your child pees on the floor (this happens a lot!). We have lots of experience with kids and know that they can be shy, difficult, unpredictable and downright grumpy as often as not. It is our job to make it a fun experience for them too. To ensure your children are happy and comfortable each session is taken at their pace. We will start by giving them time to relax with us and during the session we will stop whenever necessary for breaks, feeds and changes.
Find out more about:
↓ Our approach
↓ Session information
↓ When to come
↓ Viewings
↓ Bookings
↓ Questions & answers
Our approach
We specialise in capturing the relationships between people and the love you feel for each other. We will often get you to look at each other and get close – its our trademark to take photos that make you feel something – Mums often ask us for tissues at our viewings!
As child-rearing often leaves us feeling rather unglamorous, we will take the time to ensure that you are photographed in the most flattering angles and lighting possible. We are masters at minimizing the appearance of double chins! As part of our service, touch-ups of spots, scratches etc., are offered on all images ordered.
At Jo Frances Photography our prices are upfront and reasonable. If you contact us for a quote you will be given a clear answer and you will not be pressured to buy more than you are wanting to. We are a boutique photography studio and are focused on quality of work and client care, not quantity of clients. You can be assured that you will not be rushed at any step of the process. We use the highest quality archival materials in our products and work with the best framer in town!
Session information
Here at Jo Frances Photography we like to start our sessions by asking you what you are looking for in your portraits. We have lots of images and ideas we can show you but we are mostly guided by you and your children. Beautiful moments occur naturally – we capture the little looks between people, the glorious giggle, the true personality of your child.
Sessions can be held in our studio or in a location of your choice. We have a large comfortable studio in Petone, Lower Hutt which is suitable for both big and small groups. Our studio provides a warm, homelike environment where you will feel comfortable creating spontaneous, fun, personal, and intimate images. We work with you to determine the best time of day for your portrait session, ensuring that the naps, feeding times and your individual family needs are taken into account. Ten am sessions are the most popular as most children seem at their best in the morning.
We recommend that you book us as soon as you decide you want our services as we are often booked quite far in advance. Our busiest months are September to December and Saturday mornings are our peak time slots.
When to come?
People always ask “what is the best age to have my child photographed?” We have several favourite ages.
In the womb!
We love creating pregnancy art. You only get to be pregnant with this child once so think about capturing it in a special piece for your home. We promise to make you look and feel gorgeous (and to not photograph any wobbly bits!).
Do bring any older children and your partner if you can. We have lots of maternity dresses, bodysuits and fabrics to use in the shoot and will take the time to create something really beautiful for you to remember this amazing time in your life.
Newborn
Preferably in the first three weeks. The younger your newborn baby is the more relaxed and sleepy they are which allows for more artistic poses (we usually also get some images of them looking straight at the camera too). If you miss this window though, we can still create stunning photos of your older newborn so don’t hesitate to book in. Newborns are photographed both nude and in our gorgeous collection of handmade outfits. And yes they do often wee, poo and vomit everywhere and that is fine with us. We are quite used to doing a pile of washing after each newborn shoot.
We like to allow up to three hours for the newborn shoots so that there is plenty of time for babies to be fed and settled etc. We appreciate the trust you give us when you bring your new baby to us as one of your first outings. We will keep the session low stress and look after both you and your baby during the session.
Between Sitting and Crawling – usually 5-9 months.
This is often the chubby smiley stage. This age makes for some of our easiest sessions! Bring any favourite items that you would like your baby to be photographed with and bring some lovely colour clothes that compliment their skin – a lot of people choose both B&W and colour shots of this age. These shoots take around an hour.
The first Birthday – bring a bunch of fun clothes and we will make this a real celebration of your little one’s first year. These shoots take around an hour.
We offer packages of shoots and images taken over the first year.
Toddling
15 months to 2 years – one of the yummiest bits of parenting. They love you to pieces, come out with the funniest things and are just plain cute. This is a great stage to do either an outdoor shoot or a shoot designed around a particular type of image. Talk to us about any ideas you have prior to coming in so we can set up for them.
Two year olds
This is one of the most fun and most difficult ages to photograph. Bring snacks and be prepared to let your child lead this session. Feel free to bring a range of outfits, dress-ups and ideas.
Three year olds
Three year olds are fantastic to shoot – they are often eager to please and haven’t yet become too self-conscious. Feel free to bring a range of outfits, dress-ups and ideas.
Four years and up. By four, kids are often becoming more self-conscious so we work towards getting a more natural response from them. You will see us being incredibly silly and will often be in hysterics yourself! Bring anything that you would like to incorporate in the shoot.
Clothing for adults
You don’t have to wear blue jeans and a white t-shirt! Having said that please avoid words, logos and pictures. And denim always looks great. It’s helpful if you bring something dark and something light to wear. If you are coming with a small baby bring a change of clothing for yourselves too! It’s important that you all dress as if you are going to the same place – we like the summer beach picnic look. Its always summer in our studio so please avoid long sleeves if you can.
We have lots of cool props that we can use but do find that clients often choose quite simple uncluttered images. If you have any special items such as a specially knitted blanket, a favourite bear, flowers, a colourful trike, etc, you are most welcome to bring them.
Viewings
After each session we schedule you a viewing time where we show you your images. It is important that everyone involved in the decision making comes to the viewing session as your images will be chosen and your order placed at this time. If for any reason someone can’t make this session we kindly ask that you reschedule.
We show you between 50 and 100 photos on a large screen, depending on the type of shoot. While this may seem a large number of images to choose from, we have found that a greater selection allows you to choose the images that most capture your family, and we always have at least that many great images to show you. We help you narrow down your selection and our goal is that you end up with only the best images you will love looking at for years to come. All ordered images are archived indefinitely. All unordered images are purged after your viewing session.
Frequently asked questions
Some of the questions people ask are answered below. I’m more than happy to chat to you about any questions you have – just get in touch by chatting (at the bottom of the screen), sending me an email or picking up the phone.
Questions and answers
Bookings
Jo is committed to giving her clients the most gorgeous images and the best possible service. In order to provide her bespoke experience Jo takes on just two clients a week. As such, Jo likes to discuss your photography ideas and needs with you before booking you to ensure that there is a good fit between you and her.
How to make a booking
Making a booking is easy. Please contact Jo to arrange a session or have a chat about the options.
Contact Jo to book your sitting
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