How it all works

One great thing about documentary style photography is how easy the preparation is. You basically just show up to your event as you normally would.

Before the session

Once you’ve decided on a session, we can set up a time to chat. We can do this through email or a phone call. We’ll get the date and time set and then I’ll send you details on making a deposit to secure your date.

Session Day

On the day of the session, I'll come over and meet your family. When working with a birthday child, I’ll introduce myself and chat with them for a bit. I gauge their comfort level and help them feel safe and comfortable.

For parties or family life sessions, you've chosen to have a documentary style photography session which means my goal is to capture your event unfolding without my involvement. My goal is to observe and record your event, but I will never direct it and ask anyone to do anything. I intentionally stay out of it, but I also try to balance this with helping everyone feel comfortable. 

Posed Portraits

I will absolutely do a few posed portraits for you. That’s a bonus! Since we want to capture your family naturally, I do prefer to do these at the end of a session. That way kids won’t expect me to direct them or play with them during the session.

After the session

I work hard to get your images back to you as soon as I can. I take many images during a session and take time to select the very best of these moments to tell your story. Then, I hand process each of these for you. After these images are processed then I'll work on your story slideshow. You can expect to have your digital images and slideshow finished within 3 weeks of your session, sometimes sooner.

If you have ordered a photography book or prints these may take additional time to arrive. I will create your book after the images are ready, and we’ll need to add about 1 week for the book to be printed and shipped.

What you receive

You will always receive the very best images

I believe in whittling it down to the very best of the best really. I strive to give you the best golden nuggets. If there’s a photo I know that you’d want, I’ll include it even if it’s not perfect for some reason.

High resolution digital files

Yes, you’ll be able to keep the digitals. This means you’ll have them safe and sound for years to come, and you’ll be able to print them any time, any way you want. I know that’s important to you.

Prints

Prints. Some people love them and others have forgotten them. I do encourage you to make prints. I grew up in the photo prints era where you eagerly awaited seeing your photos come alive in the little print package from the photo lab. I grew up in the photos in the shoe box generation. And some of the photos made it into the family albums.

Digital photography is now an amazing step forward! But where did all the photos go? I think we need to keep trying to get some of those digital files out into the real world. I love hanging up photos in our kitchen and changing them around easily. I have a photo wall of some of my favorites framed. And I have a large mounted print of my kids that I love.

I love how the prints, especially the kitchen ones, spark conversations. I feel like it helps our guests get to know us better. It helps my kids see themselves and strengthens their memories of events.

Photography books

Photography books are the new family album I’d say. The books I offer are affordable, but they are also beautiful. They have thick, strong pages that can handle wear and tear from little hands. They have lay flat pages - love those.

Downloading your images

I have a secure website for you to download your images from. It has a password and stays up temporarily for you to receive your files and for us to communicate about your images. I will remove it after 60 days. I send the link to you privately after your images are ready.

I will also send you a private link to download your story slideshow video.

Thank you, and if you have more questions they may be covered in my FAQs or info about payments. If not then please feel free to reach out and contact me - (650)-564-4195 or deborah@deborahlordphoto.com.