It was such a pleasure to get together with this entire family at their home in Hingham to capture some images of all of them together on the occasion of their parents’ (and grandparents’) 40th anniversary. What a milestone! And what a good-looking, fun-loving family! Thanks so much, guys :)
Loved meeting up with these handsome brothers (3 months and six years old) and their proud, happy mama to shoot these images at World’s End in Hingham.
It might be taboo, but I’m going to do it. I’m going to talk about money and photography and you and me.
This post has been a long time coming, a long time in the making, percolating, debating and hemming and hawing. When it comes to pricing my work and best serving my clients (YOU, I hope!), there is the traditional, typical pricing structure — a session fee, followed by post-session ordering of prints, canvases, other fun products, or maybe your digital files. That’s the way many, if not most, photographers do things and it’s how I’ve run my business for the last several years. It works, and I get it — I’ve had great clients and plenty of returning customers. Ho hum, why change it up now?
Because I’ve had the nagging feeling that something doesn’t feel right. When I routinely look back through my past session archives, I often wonder who else still sees these precious moments? I love my clients. I love their images. ALL OF THEM. At the end of the day, most of the files from their session(s) live on my (several) hard-drives and clouds, not with them. Yes, I have always offered files for sale. I always hope that you, the client, will purchase them, in addition to keepsake, high-quality prints (because having real prints in hand, or on your walls, is SO important to me). But I know the cost is high. I know its hard to justify that much money per image, or the entire gallery — and at the same time I know what my time, talent and intellectual property are worth. There has to be a middle ground, right? That’s what I’ve been mulling for quite awhile. How to find the space between giving my clients the world (because I want to!) and placing an appropriate value on my time and I what I do (see? doesn’t this feel taboo?).
After a lot of research, digging deep, planning and turning it over in my heart and on my calculator, I’ve decided to splinter my pricing into two distinct directions going forward. Think of it as “Choose Your Own Adventure” photography. If you opt for Avenue A , then you pay only the session fee up-front — same as before, you’ll get my time and talent behind the lens, my careful and thorough enhancement of all your very best images and you’ll be able to order just what you want a la carte from your online gallery once its complete. The session fee will be $200 going forward and you’ll receive a $25 print credit to put towards the cost of your total order. I’m calling this my “Traditional” package and believe this is still a great option for many.
What about Avenue B? That’s what I’m so excited to offer brand new. In exchange for a more substantial up-front commitment, you will receive the kitchen sink — your session with me and online gallery of enhanced images to view, plus a veritable boat-load of professional quality prints of your choice at no additional cost ($200 worth!) AND all of your high resolution digital files, via digital download and in the mail on a custom USB flash-drive, for your long-term safe-keeping and personal use. This is what I’m calling my “Digital Premium” package and it is available for $600 flat. You must select this package at the time you book your session; it is a tremendous value, you’ll save up to $1,000 versus the “Traditional” route and walk away with it all.
I’m not even going to be coy: I want all my clients to choose this option. And not because its more money, because in many cases it isn’t. But because it is all-inclusive and straight-forward: you walk away with real, tangible gorgeous prints and you get every digital image to keep forever. I don’t have to look at your cute kids and smiling faces on my hard drive, wondering if you’ll ever see that image again. And with that knowledge, I rest easy at night and am at peace with doing my job, being valued as an artist and business-woman and also allowing you to keep your memories where they belong, in your own hands.
I’ve laid this all out on my new Pricing and Information page, so you can click over to parse through the options; but please never hesitate to email me (christina@cbwardphotography.com) if you have any questions at all about which package might be right for you and what other products I offer (albums, note-cards and canvases, oh my!). It is my utmost hope that these choices will free all of my clients to get exactly what they want at a price that is right for them. This will continue learning process, and I welcome your feedback. If I’m not growing as a photographer and as a businesswoman then I’m failing.
Speaking of growing? My kids are — like weeds! Alright, that was a clunky transition, but I’ll go ahead and segue in to the batch of images I’m sharing today by saying that the birth of my second son Emmett in late December (he’s almost seven months old! ::sob::) put a serious crimp on my blogging efforts after the busy Fall 2013 season. Being at home with a newborn and 18 month old this winter caught up to me and I was not able to do justice to all of the gorgeous families and kiddos I took pictures with last season. So, I’ll leave you with a very brief photo recap of last fall as a teaser to gear up for this coming fall. I’m already booking weekends into October, so contact me ASAP to get your preferred date/time on my calendar for the remainder of 2014. Hope to see you soon!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll never stop saying it until it stops being true: I have the world’s best-looking and most fun clients. Thanks to all of you for being so real and trusting me with your family’s time and memories. I’m so so lucky to be living my dream. xoxo
This precious little one is gasp-out-loud gorgeous — her eyes are so stunning, they almost don’t look real, but I assure they are 100% authentic. This set of photos was an absolute breeze in post-processing, as the gorgeous late afternoon light and happy subject did so much of my work for me. I’ve photographed her whole family a few times before, but today it was Miss Emerson’s turn to have all the spotlight — her mama and I met up at World’s End in Hingham to shoot some special pictures of just Emerson to commemorate her first birthday. Big Sister Charlotte already has a number of framed portraits on the family’s walls, so we had to be sure and get some of Emerson to add to the collection :)
Thank you, Megan and the rest of the G. family, for always thinking of me for your family’s portraits — you’re always a dream to work with and I’m so grateful for your support. xoxo
I got to meet the Schilling family nice and early one recent Saturday morning at gorgeous Rexham Beach in Marshfield for their family photo shoot, with an emphasis on lots of pictures of precious 13 month old, Jack. I always try to schedule my outdoor sessions to begin about 90 minutes before the sun sets or after the sun rises. Not too many people opt for that morning window, especially in the time of year when the sun is starting peak over the horizon around 5am! But I absolutely encourage anyone who is an early riser, either by choice or because their kids are their alarm clocks, to consider an early morning photo shoot — the light can be so so fantastic and locations are never crowded. We had the beach almost completely to ourselves on what was literally a “picture perfect” day by showing up at 7am. With two little rooster children of my own, I’m always up and rearing to go (whether I want to be or not) and was psyched to have this shoot to start my day.
And the Schilling family did not disappoint at all — Megan, Mike and Jack continued my unbroken streak of dream clients (seriously, how am I so lucky??). They looked awesome, and were totally laid back and a joy to work with. Jack gave us lots of smiles. I really do find that most little ones (about 3 years and younger) tend to be in their best moods the first portion of the day (another great reason to consider a morning!). I’m also now in love with Rexham beach and dying to go back, for photo shoots or just with my family for a beach day. The soft sand and reedy pathways reminded me a lot of the outer banks and was very different than most of the other New England beaches I’ve been to. Here’s a sampling of my favorite shots from my morning with the Schilling fam:
Precious one year old Jack, making my job so easy.
As a mama to two little boys of my own, I’m a sucker for “mom and son” shots. These make my heart melt, I gotta admit.
But we can’t leave Jack’s dad out, of course — two very handsome guys!
The whole happy family.
Mr. Jack having tons of fun at the beach, never mind the crazy lady with the camera in his face ;)
And some more shots of Megan and Jack together, because how could I resist?
Thank you so so much, Schilling Family — you guys were such a pleasure to meet and photograph. I hope we can do it again soon! xoxo -Christina
First birthdays are so special. Mainly for the parents, I think. Because, of course, the birthday boy or girl isn’t going to remember that day. But it’s such a milestone for parents — they made it! A whole year! Everyone survived and is (hopefully) happy and healthy. Babyhood is almost shed and toddlerdom is roaring in like a locomotive. It’s a big deal, and such a fun time.
And what better way to celebrate than with with a fresh new batch of photos to cherish forever? ;) I was so psyched when Vivan’s parents contacted me to set a up a photo shoot to celebrate her first birthday, and thrilled they joined in as well — the occasion marks their one year anniversary as a family of three (well, four if we count dog-baby, Lucy!). It’s a whole family celebration, as it should be.
And seriously? I mean, would you just take a look at sweet, gorgeous Vivian? She was an absolute dream in front of the camera and so full of life and joy. And those baby blue eyes were no joke — pure and utterly amazing (and NOT enhanced by Photoshop, they’re the real deal). I would spend an afternoon hanging out with precious V. and her super fun, funny and laid back parents any day, camera or no.
S. Family — thank you so so much for being DREAM clients and sharing your family with my camera. It was truly my pleasure and I hope we can do it again soon.
What can I say about the Cremins Carty crew? Mostly that they’re so much fun, and there’s never a dull moment. This is a family made up of one part rock-start law firm partner and amazingly loyal friend, one part handsome and hilarious Irishman, and two parts precocious spit-fire. They are the definition of awesome, and I love them to death. Nancy, Mike, Rory and Aoife joined me near the driftway in Scituate for a late fall photo shoot on the marshes. I’m in love with the colors, the camaraderie and their smiles. I’m late to posting this one (and others — stay tuned for a big fall recap post soon!), but have often revisited these images prior to now because they always make me smile. And before I ramble too much more about this great family (and I am a bit of a rambler, you know), I better let the images speak for themselves. My camera usually speaks better than me anyway.
Carty Cremins family, you guys know I love you to the moon and back. Let’s do it again soon, shall we? MUWAAAAHHH!
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