Cool beans!  You’ve made the decision to book a session with me – and I’m really excited to be getting to know you better.

This page should be a way for you to find everything you need, and quickly get answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding your session.  If at any time you have a question you can’t easily find the answer to, please feel free to call me at (540) 554 8743, or on my cell at (703) 328 7675.  The only time I don’t answer the phone is when I physically can’t get to it, or if I’m in a session with someone else.  So call away!

Did you start with the Info Guides?  Lots of information about all the session types, print prices, etc in them.  I have two of them, one for families, maternity, newborns, business, events, etc, and one  is specifically for Seniors.

Basic Info Guide – families, maternity, newborn, business photos, etc.

Senior Info Guide – High school seniors and all the options for how to customize your senior photos.

Wedding Info Guide – pricing and information on weddings & events

First stop – did you fill out your Questionnaire yet?

This online form is designed to help me get to know you and/or your family better.  If you haven’t yet filled this form out, here are the links:

Single, family, or business sessions http://www.pattyschuchmanphotography.com/Forms/ClientSessionQuestionnaire.html

Maternity & Newborn sessions http://www.pattyschuchmanphotography.com/Forms/BeginningsQuestionnaire.html

High School Senior sessions http://www.pattyschuchmanphotography.com/Forms/SeniorQuestionnaire.html

Done that?  Great – now…we decide on your date and time!

Give me  two or three preferred dates on your side and I’ll do my best to make your first choice work.  In certain seasons dates book more quickly than at other times, so it’s best to be prepared with a back up date or two just in case…as we get closer to your session date, I’ll contact you if weather looks to be an issue, and we can reschedule. If you should need to schedule for any reason other than weather, I do ask for 24 hours notice or you do forfeit your session fee.  Usually it’s easy to reschedule for most circumstances – I’m pretty flexible!

Now…where will your session be? – Locations to consider….

Many times sessions are held on private property – and if you have a location on your own property or have a friend with a great location, that’s a great way to get unique shots.  If you wish to use a public place for photographs, some of the following might be of consideration:

Downtown Leesburg (best for individuals, large groups are difficult to walk around with)

Algonkian Park in Sterling – views of the Potomac, open grassy areas and large growth trees make this a wonderful setting.  Accessibility is good for any family.  Open until dusk each day.

Red Rock Park – Leesburg – old buildings, nature paths.  Accessibility is limited for some folks, strollers and wheelchairs would be difficult to accomodate.  Open until dusk each day.

Aldie Mill – Beautiful old operating mill available to shoot in as long as we don’t get in the way of folks touring the mill.  Open until dusk each day.

Hamilton Park – small playground in the town of Hamilton – accessible for families, but backgrounds are limited.  Open until dusk each day.

Franklin Park – Purcellville – open fields, pond, sports parks, picnic benches, some trees, etc.  Open until dusk each day.

Colvin Run Mill Park – Great Falls – BEAUTIFUL grounds and old buildings for backdrops.

Bears Den –  a little hiking involved in this location, but a beautiful location.

Fields of Flowers – Purcellville – this flower farm off route 287 has given permission to have sessions there with notice to the owner.  Depending on the type of session and results you wish to have, this is a nice option to have available.

Consider any fields you know of, old barns, old cars, etc.  Get creative with your “backdrops” and your session will be completely personalized!  Lots of small parks, playgrounds, open areas are good for sessions – the only limitation is permission from owners for private property, and any accessibility.  I will shoot anywhere I can get to legally, so if you have a specific idea in mind, please ask and we’ll see what we can arrange!

Date set?  Let’s book it!

Once the date and time are settled on, you are ready to fill out your Portrait Agreement.  This form “books” your date and it will also take you automatically to a secure online payment form so you can reserve your date with a mastercard or visa.  You will also receive an online invoice for your own purposes once your form is filled out, but if you cannot reserve your date with a mastercard or visa, please be sure to discuss this as I cannot hold the date for you until the session fee is received.

You will be given the link to the online Portrait Agreement as soon as we’ve found a date and time that works for both our schedules.  I look forward to working with you!

Now – commonly asked questions!

What do you suggest we wear to our session?

Avoid stripes, plaids and large print florals.  Also be careful of logos on shirts they are distracting in a photo and will take the attention away from the subject. Pay attention to hands, nails and feet.  Shoes are something to consider also – unless you plan to be barefoot (quite common).  Bring a comb and brush and touch up make up to your session to stay fresh looking as we go through the session.

If you bring changes of clothes, be sure to keep them from getting wrinkled by using hangars.  And don’t forget the accessories – jewelry, hats, scarves!  They all bring the attention back to the subject like we want!

What time of day is best for our session if it’s outdoors?

Outdoor sessions are best done 1.5 -1 hour before sunset.  We don’t like to shoot at noon, but if it’s a cloudy day it can work.  Harsh sunlight around noon will make dark circles under eyes or cause long shadows that are harder to work with in certain locations.  We do typically schedule a session to start about 30 minutes before ideal shooting time, sometimes sooner if I need to get to know small children and get them to warm up to me too. Again, the session questionnaire really helps me make suggestions for your specific circumstances.

What do I do if my kids don’t cooperate?

Yeah, this happens with kids all the time.  We work around young children’s best schedules for family photographs and in lifestyle photography it’s not as much about formal poses as it is capturing real life memories and moments.  Not to say we want a screaming child in the pictures, but I will work with your children to get the best expressions possible.  By filling out the questionnaire above you help me know ahead of time anything that might help during the session, and then I can be better prepared.  If it turns out your child is in a REALLY bad mood that day, we do what we can and we may have to reshoot another day.  But I’m pretty flexible, and not scary at all!  LOL….

What if my newborn screams through the session?

Yeah, many, if not most, of them do that.  You have to let me take charge of the session and know that if I hand the baby back to you it’s because I think he or she needs cuddle time with mom or dad.  But keep in mind you can’t hear crying in a photograph, and you’d be shocked to know how may newborns were screaming right before or right after the cutest shot ever!  I’m not torturing them, I promise!

I ask you stay around during the session and I always block out 4 hours for a newborn session.  This allows little one to get through a feeding and a sleeping cycle, and hopefully we get lots of variety for you.  I will not be shooting for 4 hours straight, but in between crying, if it’s happening, I do shots of hands, feet, mom and dad cuddle, etc.  There is a lot to a newborn session and the #1 key is to be patient.  If you only want me there for an hour, tell me ahead of time and we have to be prepared for less proofs in most cases.  If you want baby announcments, it is best to tell me before hand so I can prepared to get the necessary shots for that process.

As with all my sessions, communication is the key.  And if you contact me BEFORE the baby is born, you have a much better chance of getting on the calendar for the preferred window of time you will need, and also you’ll won’t be so sleep deprived….LOL….(sorry, couldn’t resist!)

How do I plan a newborn session if I don’t know when he or she will be born?

We are flexible!  You give me your due date and I ask you to pick a date less than two weeks after your due date.  Newborn pics are best done in the first two weeks and if you want announcments, you need to get the pics done as soon as possible to allow for design time and revisions (that can take up to two weeks).  You’ll be tired, and with a lot less time to get online and browse through photo galleries, so we plan as best we can.

I ask that you add me to the distribution list of family and friends for when baby is born.  That way, if baby is early I can contact you to try to reschedule the date and time.

What is the best time to schedule a maternity session?

In your 8th month.  You want to be fairly comfortable, but not too far dropped and cranky….(again, I couldn’t resist)…

Lots more tips and suggestions for a successful maternity or newborn session can be found HERE.  Please ask lots of questions to ensure a successful outcome to your sessions!

I don’t understand print credits?  What are they and how are they good for me?

Print credits are like a gift certificate of dollars you get towards any products you wish to order from your session proofs – be it prints, or cards, or even a storyboard.  If you have a $50 print credit, and want to purchase two 8×10’s, add up the cost of the 8×10s and subtract the $50 print credit – it’s that simple.

What if it rains on our session date?

Rain happens…in most cases I’ve checked the weather report and have contacted you regarding possible weather issues for any outdoor sessions.  If you wish to reschedule your session date and time due to weather, I will do my best to accommodate the new requested time.

I will continuously update this page to reflect the most common questions, so asking questions helps others too – don’t be afraid to ask questions….

I look forward to working with you!