Happy Monday, Everyone!

Today I want to direct my blog to those who are considering booking me in the future. Holidays are approaching— Christmas cards, newsletters, and calendars need to be made, which means it’s time to update the family photos. Picking out a photographer can be a daunting tasking. It seems like everyone claims to be a “photographer,” but let me tell you ­— don’t believe everything you hear! As a passionate and professional photographer, it breaks my heart to receive a Christmas card where I see appalling family portraits knowing full well that some of these families paid substantial money for so-called quality photographs. So, I want to be completely upfront with you—Sorensen Studios has standards! I dedicate so much time, and money in creating beautiful and artistic portraits.

In fact, I am so adamant in my pursuit of excellence that I thought I’d take you through, what I’d like to call,

The Sorensen Studios Experience.

On the Sorensen Studios Experience I will walk you through my entire photo shoot process.  Upon booking with me, I will email clients about my variety of packages and services I provide.  Once a client is booked, we will discuss locations and clothing. Often times clients send me photos of their outfits, where I will provide my insights. Based on the location, we will go over color pallets that will coordinate with the surroundings.  We will also go over the time of the shoot. I try to plan my shoots around sunrise, or sunset in order to maximize prime lighting. All clients will pay their sitting fees upfront which is $150. I take cash, check, or credit card!

Usually, my shoots are between an hour/hour and a half long. Now, during these shoots I do everything I possibly can to ensure QUALITY photographs. On site I bring a studio light (Alien Bee light), which enables me to fully control my lighting. Additionally, I have an assistant at every shoot that helps carry equipment, set up lighting, and get the attention of often grumpy or distracted children. My assistant is essential in making my shoots run smoothly.

During my shoot, I try to pose people in the most flattering way. As a mom of two, I know how it feels to be self-conscious of that extra baby weight; I don’t want to feel fat or unattractive in my photos.

My ultimate goal is to present everyone’s best self and to make you love your look.

Oh and you better believe that I guarantee a good time!  I know being in front of the camera can be awkward and uncomfortable for some people, but I like to eliminate any of that by making my shoots light-hearted and fun! You’ll get to see my silly side of climbing on counters, walking through streams, and making a variety of animals noises for the kiddos; I’ll do just about anything to provide an amusing atmosphere and to get the perfect shot!

Post-photo shoot, I usually upload 5-10 images on my blog and other social media sites with full retouches on them. This gives my client a sneak preview of their images and my editing style. From there it takes me about a week or less to put them on the proofing gallery where clients can view 50-70 unedited images. Clients will then have two weeks to choose the images and package they want. Most photographers usually pick out the images for you and put them on a disk, but I let clients CHOOSE their images to ensure they are getting exactly what they want.  And, sometimes choosing images can be quite an overwhelming task, so I often help my clients in the picking process.

Retouching

Moving on to editing! Since I am all about providing quality portraits, I spend between 15-40 minutes editing a SINGLE image.  During this process I tone, sharpen, lighten eyes, whiten teeth, remove blemishes and other distractions, and add any filters to give the photo an artistic mood. I also take REQUESTS. Maybe there is something distracting in the background that a client wants removed, or perhaps they wants to swap heads from two images with the same pose, I can usually do most requests. So, don’t be afraid to speak up!

Take a look at a before and after below! 

During my profession career, there is one infamous question I always get asked:

Why don’t you give out full resolution images?

I want to put it out there that I am not a photographer for everyone, but if QUALITY is what you are looking for then I am the photographer for you. I pride myself in giving clients beautiful pictures and that includes beautiful prints. Often time when photographers give out full resolution photos on a CD, it just ends up in a dusty drawer in their house, forgotten forever. Or, if they do print them, they have no guidelines on how to print or where to print, and end up printing high quality photos at mediocre printing companies like Wal-Mart, or Costco. These places are NOT professional labs, and are not equipped to ensure accurate colors, contrast or even sharpness! And, since I worked hard in providing my best work I would like my work displayed in homes at its best. Since I specialize in portrait photography, the qualities of my images are best showcased printed.

I realized that I lose clients when they realized I don’t give them all their full resolution images on a CD.

So, I have come to a compromise.

I have recently modified my packages—I am now making full resolution files more available.

Clients now have a full resolution upgrade option.

You can upgrade a package to full resolution images but also receive beautiful prints from my lab as well.  So it is a win, win!  Clients are not just buying the full resolution photos, but they are buying a print release allowing them to print wherever and whatever they want (with a list of suggested printing labs from myself). The upgrade option is also a great way to archive images and to ensure security with them in their own care.

Not only have I added an upgrade, but also I changed each package to ensure everyone is getting more for their money. I also started giving discounts on Al Cart prints in most of the new packages.  There is a $200 minimum purchase with all sessions—I mean, after all, I want you displaying these stunning portraits. Lastly, I have added an online storage for ten years!  So, clients don’t have to worry about the safety of their family photos. For more information and details on packages, please feel free to contact me!

And, be sure to book me this fall for the high quality Sorensen Studio Experience.