BOOKING A SESSION:

I book pretty much year round for sessions. Send me an email at photos@paytonsphotography.com or give me a call at 630-800-8111, or by clicking on the Contact link here on this website. Depending on the type of session you are looking for, booking is pretty easy. Dates and times will be discussed, and a formal contract and welcome letter will be sent over once we have a session time! The welcome letter will also include information such as the details of the session, how to pay, help on what to wear, and a few other tidbits of information. A Square invoice will follow, however, you are welcome to pay with cash or check (all payments are due 7 days before your session). Once your retainer is paid, your session is booked. Please note that your session is NOT booked until the retainer is paid. Fall weekend sessions go very quickly, and are often booked several months in advance. I'm usually very booked out in the month of May and June as well. Your edited gallery is available within 2-3 weeks of your session and 6-8 weeks for a wedding. You can order prints, single digital files, session USBs, and many other items straight from your online gallery.

YOUR PHOTO SESSION:

Photo sessions lengths vary depending on the type of session. Most immediate family sessions are 20 minutes of photography time. I have found in my many years as a family photographer that most kiddos don't last past 15 -20 mins. Newborn need more time for nursing and soothing. High School Senior sessions will vary depending on how many outfits or locations they choose. Every session is a little different, so its hard to lay out exactly what will happen. Will the kids smile? Will they cry? Will they sit still? Its a magical moment of excitement to see what happens!. At the end of the session, I’ll give you an expectation of when the gallery will be ready for viewing. The following are a couple tidbits of information that can make your photo experience more enjoyable:

If you have young children, feel free to bring anything that will keep them happy (e.g. snacks, juice, favorite toy, etc.). Please try to keep any snacks or drinks with little to no color. Photoshopping Cheeto dust off kiddos mouths is hard. (I speak from experience of my own son.)

Please remember the weather. If it is hot, you may want to bring a water bottle; cold, maybe a jacket between shots. Blankets to wrap around the kiddos is a great idea!

Please feel free to bring any props that you find fun (I’ve had people bring sunglasses, hats, bicycles, signs, dogs, and even horses!). I have a wagon I use and you are welcome to put shoes and clothing and such in there. Just not horses. They don’t fit. 

If you are planning a clothing change, remember that it may need to be done in the car as many locations are remote, or the lovely porta potties. I try very hard to only select parks that have bathrooms of some sort available. There is only ONE park that I like to shoot at that requires a drive to a bathroom. I will warn you if that is the case. 

AFTER YOUR SESSION:

It takes about 2-3 weeks to edit your gallery. At that point, I will send you an email with your gallery link and password as well as ordering information. You are welcome to order prints from my professional lab through your gallery or use your digital files to get prints made at your favorite lab. Please know that I cannot be responsible for any prints made OUTSIDE of my lab. You can also order a mini USB (up to your selected package number of images) or single digital files. Your gallery will be available for 2 weeks after posting (3 months for weddings). Specialty photo albums, canvas prints and other items can be ordered directly from your gallery. Please contact me for more information on these items, and allow several extra weeks for processing.

Timeless portraits is my ultimate goal. That means that through my editing process, I want to make your photos look as natural as possible. There are amazing editing applications out there, and they are changing all the time. Editing styles become dated. I do not use a heavy post processing technique. For High School senior sessions, I do clear up any acne (heavy scaring removal may require additional fees). For newborn sessions I will do a simple smooth out. If you have any concerns ask me before or after the session about options! I do like fun and over the top sessions. My daughter is my biggest fan of these as well. For family sessions however, I believe that timeless classic editing the the best representation of my work.