my style
My style of photography is natural & primarily unposed, and my goal is to capture beautiful images of your child’s inner spirit. I will often ask parents to sit back and let me play with their child, without direction or expectations. Children usually are very comfortable with me, and sometimes do best without any coaching from Mom & Dad. Many parents don’t even tell their child I am coming until I arrive- this way kids don’t have any presumptions about what is expected of them.
I work using available light, most often on location: in the comfort of your home, or at an outside location of your choice. I want your child to be in an environment where they are relaxed, and so are you! I present images primarily in black & white, with some color, please mention your preferences when we schedule your session. I now also have a small natural light studio, “The Cottage” located in South Minneapolis, which is available for sessions as well. Sessions at The Cottage are ideal for newborns, older children, maternity and graduate/high school seniors. Some gregarious and “quick-to-warm-up” younger children might also do great in studio, but in my experience, the majority of little ones are most comfortable in their own environment. Call Mary at 612-991-8113 if you want to chat about where to hold your session.
If you are looking for highly posed formal portraits with an abundance of props, I am most likely not the photographer for you. I do know of some studios that cater towards that sort of thing, feel free to ask for my recommendations if that is your preference.
session info
All sessions are by appointment, and I am usually booked 3-5 weeks in advance, often further in the late summer & fall. The session fee is due, (as a retainer to secure your appointment,) when booking, and can be paid by credit card at booking, or cash/check within 3 days. I typically allow 1-2 hours for your session, giving your child time to become comfortable with me and my camera. Please remember that the session should be enjoyable! So relax, breathe, and don’t coach your child to “say cheese” or to “smile for the camera.”
Please make sure your child is well rested, well fed and has a clean face for our session. Sessions that need to be stopped and rescheduled due to a sick or overtired child will incur an additional fee.
As far as what to wear; a good general rule is to go with whatever your child feels comfortable in. Please avoid logos or characters on clothing, large hairbows or stiff formal clothing.
For families, wearing similar tones, but not exactly ‘matching’ clothing works best. If you have questions on appropriate clothing for your custom portraits, please ask in advance and I will be happy to offer suggestions.
A model release/copyright agreement will need to be completed for each person being photographed. No other cameras or video cameras are allowed during our session. If you need to reschedule due to illness, please call as soon as possible and we can apply your retainer to a future session.
I live in Minneapolis, and am available to most of the Twin Cities Metro Area, and travel by request. Sessions scheduled in excess of 25 miles round trip, from my home, will incur mileage costs of .55 per additional mile.
pricing (For Senior Portrait Pricing & Info, please click here!)
Session Fee Pricing:
$225 weekdays, $275 Saturday, $350 Sunday
Session fee covers one session of 1-1.5 hours, for one child or siblings and parents up to five people. (Additional charge for families larger than 5 due to the increased time needed for session and proofing.) Session fee also includes minor retouching and all proofing of images for presentation of digital gallery. Prints are priced separately.
Print Pricing:
Prints begin at $28 for our 4×6 print size, and prints are available ranging from small desktop print sizes to large beautiful portraits as prints or on a gallery wrapped canvas. After the session fee is paid, there is no minimum purchase required; however, most clients typically spend between $900-$1800. Full pricing is available via email, by request, by clicking the contact button above in the top banner.
after your session
About 2-3 weeks after your session, your portraits will be available in a private online gallery which will showcase only the best images from your session. I will email or call to let you know that your photos are ready, and you may choose a 7 day time frame that is most convenient for you to choose your images from your online gallery. Once your gallery is up, it will be available for for 7 (seven) days for you to view and share with friends and family. Orders must be placed during this seven day period, and you can place your order via our online shopping cart, via phone, fax or email; payment in full is required. I accept cash, checks, or credit cards. Sales tax will be added to all orders. Please allow a minimum of two weeks for your final portrait order to arrive, and up to 3 weeks for custom collages or cards, and during the busy holiday season. All ordered images will be archived and saved for a minimum of 90 days, should you need to reorder. Unordered images will be not be retained. In certain instances galleries and print orders can be rushed if you have a deadline and need your prints earlier.
