FAQs

PLANNING THE SESSION WHAT’S THE FIRST STEP? Well, if you’ve already seen our galleries, the only thing left to do is contact us and set up a complimentary Portrait Planning Session. Well, check out our website, we've got tons of useful information and visual samples of our work. If you think we are the right fit then the next thing to do is contact us and set up a complimentary Portrait Planning Session.. GETTING TO KNOW YOU / WE HAVE SOME IDEAS, CAN WE TRY THEM? With each new client, we are building a relationship. It is important to us that our photography studio is a perfect match for your aesthetic style and personality. Please provide your likes and dislikes, some favorite ideas, and tell us all about the 'you' that you want to portray in your ph0tos. We are better able to tailor your session to your wishes, and exceed your expectations. WHAT ARE YOUR HOURS? Our office is open–by appointment only. We schedule photo sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Session times are 8 am and 4pm. We schedule outside of these times on a case-by-case basis based on our staff's availability. HOW DO I SCHEDULE A SESSION? Sessions are scheduled by referring to our calendar for available dates and filling out the contract with your top three choices. We offer a limited number of photo sessions each week; your deposit reserves your session. This deposit is non-refundable, but should you be unable to attend your session AND provide 72 hours notice, we will issue a transferable gift certificate for you or a friend. WHO IS WELCOME AT THE SESSIONS? Friends and family are all welcome at the shoots, and make great helpers for clothing changes, makeup checks and more during the session. WE NEED TO RESCHEDULE, WHAT’S YOUR POLICY? If for any reason you are unable to make your scheduled appointments please call us to reschedule with 72 hours advance notice to avoid a $50 rescheduling fee. THE INVESTMENT HOW MUCH DOES YOUR PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COST? From the calls we receive at the studio we know that price is one of the top considerations folks have when choosing a photographer but not usually the only one. We believe that choosing a portrait photographer solely based on the cost may lead to disappointment. Our prices are based on a number of set factors like providing a gorgeous locations that people can feel great walking into, highly qualified and friendly staff and a one-of-a-kind experience. J. Olsen Photographers have over 20 years of photography under their belts, thousands of frames taken, and hundreds of happy clients. Our package fees range from $100 to $400 on location, and includes credits to purchase prints. (the service fee does not include any digital files). We've detailed pricing more completely on each of our unique photo style's pages. HAVE SOMETHING UNIQUE IN MIND AND NEED SPECIAL PRICING? To give you the most accurate pricing we need to find out what you are looking for first.—whether it's wall portraits, books or digital files—so we can estimate what you may want to budget for. Contact us at the bottom of this page and we’ll share an additional price estimate based on your needs, and more details about your customized session. DO YOU HAVE PAYMENT PLANS? We do! When you place your order, you have the option to set up payment terms, in up to three installments. DO YOU OFFER PHOTOGRAPHY GIFT CERTIFICATES? We certainly do. They make exceptional gifts for new parents, birthday gifts and more. You can choose between purchasing a session with a certain number of photographs or for a written dollar amount. WHAT MAKES PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY 'EXPENSIVE'? From the first call you place to our photo studio we are committed to giving you an unparalleled chunk of our time. Planning for the session, preparing, photographing, editing, posting, reviewing, showing, ordering and framing add up to a significant amount of people hours. Having great folks by our side and a beautiful location in an urban setting are our two largest expenses. Our satisfied clientele know how much of a difference it makes having good people show you a good time. WHAT SORTS OF DISCOUNTS AND SPECIALS DO YOU OFFER? We recommend following us on Facebook or Instagram, where you just might discover special offers and model calls. THE DAY OF THE SHOOT HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THE SESSION? Make sure you are well rested and ready to have a good time. We want everyone to feel comfortable and at ease during the shoot. For longer shoots or those that involve children, bring snacks. HOW LONG DOES THE PHOTO SESSION LAST? Photo sessions different for each type of shoot, please refer to pricing type of shoot. If you are late, please know that it will shorten your session time accordingly. WHAT DO OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS EXPECT FROM THE PARENTS DURING THE SESSION? We prefer to work as a team. You know your child better than we do. As you prepare for your portrait photography session, notice what you do or say that garners great reactions. Hug and kiss your kids, laugh out loud, and strike a festive mood. We’ll ask you to look at the camera when the timing is right, but for the most part ignore the camera. HAIR, MAKEUP, AND CLOTHING HOW SHOULD WE DRESS FOR OUR PORTRAITS? Visit any of our galleries for clothing tips for your session. We recommend that you choose simple, textured apparel that reflect your personality. For example: jeans, layered hand knits, corduroy, and wraps with a loose weave. Choose clothes that are flattering to your figure. Avoid clothes with strong patterns, logos, high-contrast stripes or bright neon colors. We love a bit of pattern sprinkled in among your family's clothes. For families, most importantly, make sure you choose three to four colors and have everyone stick to those shades so that the family's clothes coordinate together. WHAT ABOUT HAIR? Schedule haircuts and salon visits up to three weeks before your photo session. You want to be comfortable with your style. We’ve found hair worn down will be more flattering than hair worn up. But if you love your hair up, bring what you need to style it at your session. Some women choose to go get a blow out and hair style before arriving at the studio. You are welcome to see a professional stylist before the session, but please be assured you are comfortable with the results. We will not do retakes for bad hair days. I WEAR GLASSES, DO I NEED TO REMOVE THEM FOR PHOTOS? Avoid wearing TRANSITION lenses to your photo shoot. The lighting will turn them into sunglasses. If you wear glasses outdoors, there is often reflections which require complex retouch charges to fix. If you are very partial to your glasses, you may want to consider having your optician remove the lenses before your session or lend you a pair of frames without lenses in them. HOW SHOULD I DO MY MAKE-UP? With color photography, wear natural day makeup. Even for those who don’t wear makeup, we recommend lipstick or mascara for definition. Wear bare or light colored nail polish. MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS DO YOU DO WEDDINGS? We don’t photograph on location for weddings, but occasionally clients wish to be photographed in full wedding attire before the big day. Or, if they are having a small local ceremony without a formal wedding photographer, we are happy to schedule a photo session the day of their wedding to capture some sweet moments. CAN WE BRING OUR PET TO OUR PHOTO SESSION? You bet. We just appreciate knowing ahead of time so we can fill the water bowl and dig out our lint rollers. HOW CAN WE BENEFIT FROM PHOTOGRAPHY FOR OUR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION? We support a number of worthy causes in our community. Each year a couple worthy projects are selected for which they donate time and professional photography. To discuss your idea get in touch.