Hiring the Best Oakland County Lifestyle Family Photographer

WHY SHOULD I HIRE a family PHOTOGRAPHER?

All parents know how fast time flies by and how quickly little ones grow. It's so important to capture your family at every stage and age so you, your children, and even your grandchild have family photos to look back on that are full or so much love, playfulness and emotion. Even though that's what you want, you may have a few doubts about hiring someone to take your family photos so let's cover some of those fears and concerns together. One thing that you can never do is reverse time, but you can stop time by taking photos, and that's a beautiful thing.

WHATS A LIFESTYLE family PHOTOGRAPHER?

What does "lifestyle" even mean? Lifestyle simply means authentic, unposed photos. Lifestyle family photographers love to capture authentic moments and emotions creating photos are so personal and intimate. Of course I will capture 1-3 "posed" family photos because those are also so important but I spend the majority of our session together creating an environment of play, making it easier to capture the true emotions of your family interacting with each other.

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT BECKS PHOTOGRAPHY?

What is the difference between one photographer and the other? You want to hire the best photographer in Michigan so why should you choose Becks Photography?  As an Oakland County family photographer I highly prioritize 5 things: prepping parents and children pre-session, quickly making your children feel safe and comfortable, creating and environment of play, a quick gallery delivery and clear communication.

1. Prepping pre-session is way more important than people think. Choosing a location and outfits, being in the right mindset and prepping your children for a new to them experience is A LOT. I take pride in doing all that I can to take some of that weight off of your shoulders. Upon booking, you will receive a guide that gives you location options with descriptions and photos, a style guide with the do's and don't for outfits, a personalized style form where I hand select outfits for your family based on your responses, a questionnaire so I can learn more about your family (including what makes your child laugh) and a very detailed section about how to mentally prep the adults and children for your family photoshoot. All of this prep makes a world of difference!
2. One of the largest concerns I receive from parents is "my child is shy/takes a while to open up to new people." This is where my extensive experience with children comes in handy. As soon as we meet in person for your session, I go straight to your children and introduce myself. I've learned that children want to feel special, seen and they want to know that this will be a fun experience for them! We will chat about their outfit and family, give high fives and skip to the location together. This ALWAYS makes the world of difference!
3. So many parents KNOW their children cannot sit/stand still and smile for 30+ minutes. I mean, I can't even do that! This is why I create an environment of play! Within the first 5-10 minutes of our session I snap all of the "posed and smiling" photos. These are easy to capture in the beginning when a new smiling face has captivated them. After this, everyone gets understandably restless. I come prepared with loads of "games" like red light green light, shoulder rides, etc for you to play with your children that will capture genuine smiles and leave everyone saying "that was actually fun!"
4. The amount of horror storied I have heard about family photos taking months to be returned is so sad to me. I promise to deliver your gallery in a timely manner. I know how it feels to wait in anxious expectation for your photos to arrive. I work my absolute hardest to get your gallery to you within 2 weeks. In the summer or fall in may take me a little longer than 2 weeks but in the winter and spring, I may be able to deliver your photos to you in under 2 weeks.
5. Clear communication is something I value as not only a small business owner but also as a person. Though I do try to set 9-5 boundaries so I'm not working 24/7, you will probably be sick with me and my updates when it's all said and done.

All of these things come so natural to me because I come from a LARGE family. I have 15 nieces and nephews ages 16-9 months. I also spent ages 21-28 as a full time nanny. Both of these experiences have shaped me to be the person I am today.

reviews speak for themselves

Of course anyone can say these things about their own business which is why I have taken this information from my 100+ Google reviews. Reviews speak for themselves. I currently have 111 Google reviews and each one of them is a 5 start review from a client of mine. Don't take my word for it, click here to read them yourself!

WHEN SHOULD WE BOOK OUR family PHOTOS?

Check out this blog post I wrote about the pro's and con's to each season to help you choose when you book your family photoshoot for. It's common for families with small children to book in April, September or October, extended families to book in May or September, busy families to book in the winter but May-November is when most families book outdoor sessions. I highly recommend booking your family session a few months in advance. My schedule can fill up so try to get on the calendar as soon as you can! Click here to check my availability and book your session

Do you edit your photos?

Yes! But just like Becky told DJ on Full House(skip to 2:00) "the secret to wearing make up is to make it look like you're not wearing any." I edit my photos with this in mind! The images you receive after your session will be fully edited and retouched. This means that I correct the lighting and small blemishes with the price of your session. I edit photos with a warm, true to life vision so this images look and feel like a warm sunny day. Please come to your session prepared for professional photos. Iron your clothes, brush your teeth, use a lint roller, etc. I capture authentic moments and lightly edit them.

how do we pick a location?

Location scouting is a huge part of being a successful photographer. I have an extensive location guide for you to choose from that you will receive after booking. Most of the locations are included in your session fee but a few locations have an additional travel fee and there are a few that have fees to take photos there. Please choose from the guide as they are spots that I am confident with the lighting and know the best spots for photos. Occasionally I will receive requests to come to a clients yard or a park by their house that they love. Although this location may be beautiful, it may not be the best location for a photo shoot. As a professional photographer, it's important for me to spend time at a location during sunrise and sunset before having a paid session there. Lighting, background, distractions, and the direction of the sun all play a role when choosing the correct location for your session. I want to deliver to you dreamy and professional photos that you can cherish forever and in order to do so, we will need to have your session at one of the locations on my location guide.

WHAT if it rains during my sessioN?

If it is raining or extremely windy during your session we can reschedule to a time that works for the both of us! I will check the weather a few hours before your session, if there is a 30% chance of rain or more I will offer a reschedule. If there is less than 30% chance of rain, we will continue with the session and hope for no rain! If it rains during your session, we can play in the rain with umbrellas and stomp in puddles, or if that's not your style, then we can reschedule! If you're lucky enough to have snow during your scheduled session then we will proceed with your photos!

WHy can i only book around sunrise and sunset?

In photography, proper lighting is one of the most important aspects of making an ok photo, great. At Becks Photography, I always strive for greatness. Proper lighting is best achieved when the sun just rose, or is setting soon. This is why I only offer my outdoor sessions around sunrise or sunset!

In the summer, this often means that the session times that I offer are your kids bedtime. I understand that can be nerve wracking to you but I have typically found that children do well with sunset sessions. They are excited to stay up and do something different and the majority of my family session aren't "posed photos" where your child has to sit still and smile, but more so playing games and enjoying family time while I capture true emotions. 

If the timing is inconvenient for you, consider booking an in-home photoshoot or booking an outdoor session during a different time of year. For example, in the summer the sun sets around 9pm but in the fall the sun sets around 6/7pm.

CHOOSING OUTFITS FOR YOUR FAMILY

When it comes to choosing outfits for your family photos, don't stress! Once you have booked your session I provide you with an extensive style guide to help you choose outfits. Generally speaking, it is best to wear neutrals, muted earth tones, or pastels. Try to avoid patterns and incorporate textures and layers. And never choose outfits that have any of your family members matching. There is a lot to discuss so we can talk about that more later!

How Do you choose which images we receive?

After our session together I carefully look through each image from the session and choose the best ones to edit and return to you. Many factors play a role in choosing the best photos. The lighting, clarity, movement, poses and facial expressions all play a role in my decision making. I promise to carefully choose and deliver the best images back to you.

WHEN WILL WE GET OUR PHOTOS BACK?

Returning your photos fully edited in a timely manner is my top priority. Typically, you will receive your photos within 2 weeks but this cannot be guaranteed. In October and November it can take me up to 3 weeks to edit your session.

Clients receive full resolution digital photos in an online gallery that will be emailed to you after they are edited. These photos can be downloaded by anyone with the PIN and printed/shared anywhere. There will also be an option to buy prints in your digital gallery.

WHAT CAN WE DO WITH OUR PHOTOS?

Anything you wish! I highly recommend downloading your photos and then storing them on an external hard drive so that you can keep these images forever. You can easily share these photos on social media or with friends and family. You can also print them as many times is you'd like! The best thing about a family photoshoot is that you are able to share the love, joy, and emotion of your famlily with friends and family around the entire globe. Once you receive your photos, you can simply forward the email to anyone you wish to share the photos with and they too can download and print the images.

PRINTING YOUR Family PHOTOS

I have found that printing photos from your family photoshoot is something that is so easy to procrastinate. As a family photographer I want more than anything for you to fill your home with photos from our session. That is why I have made it so easy for you to print your photos. I have an online print lab attached to your album. It's simple and quick for you to choose your favorite photos and have them delivered to your home. It's not easy to get out of the house with a newborn which is why I have made it so that you don't have to. If you'd like to print your photos somewhere local, I recommend Woodward Camera in Birmingham, Michigan.

Please reach out if you have any questions, I hope to see you soon!

Becks