Hooray! You’ve booked a maternity session with Liz Viernes Photography! I’m so excited to meet you and my goal is for you to be 100% satisfied with your decision to hire me. In order to prepare for your maternity session, you’ve got some decisions to make!
During our consult call, we’ll talk about a number of different things, including what a session with Liz Viernes Photography is like, what you get for your money, what steps you need to complete in order to book, outfits, locations, etc. My goal in discussing these topics is to get to know you, first of all, and to help you prepare for your maternity session so that you’re ready and excited for our time together!
Prepare for Your Maternity Session – What Will the Session Be Like?
We’re going to make some awesome memories together and I am absolutely thrilled about it! A session with Liz Viernes Photography is fun, easy, and stress-free. My goal is to capture moments between family members more-so than to have you smile blankly at my camera. You don’t know me from Adam so why am I going to take 50 shots of you looking at me?! No, you’re there with your person, the one you’re going to be raising this new life with. Sure we’ll get the obligatory shot that grandma wants but truly? I want to capture the thrill of the anticipation, the tender moments when you quietly consider the new adventure that’s coming, the giggles when I give you a silly prompt, the empowerment as he gazes at you in admiration for being the powerful woman you are. These types of shots are what a session with Liz Viernes Photography is like.
Prepare for Your Maternity Session – What Do You Get For Your Money?
I collect a non-refundable session fee in order to hold your slot on my calendar and then, once your gallery is ready to view, we’ll set up a Zoom call and I’ll present it to you in the form of a slideshow set to music. At that point, you’ll be able to choose from three packages. Each package contains digital files and/or products such as an album or a stunning metal print.
I do this because I want to rescue your images from the purgatory of your computer’s hard drive. I want you to be able to enjoy your photos daily. I want your children to have physical albums to page through and printed photos on the wall to see their growth through the years. I also want to provide you with beautiful, archival, professionally printed products that will last a lifetime – as opposed to sending you on your way with a print release and no direction (which often results in clients choosing a one-hour place without calibrated machines which results in wildly inaccurate colors and a generally poor product).
I always suggest that clients save their files in at least two different locations in case, God forbid, you lose one set of the files (say your hard drive goes bad) and have to rely on the back-up set. I will save your files for a period of one year but may then delete after that point in order to save space on my own hard drive. I would absolutely hate it if you came to me crying seven years after your session, begging to get another copy of your images, and I had to tell you that I don’t have them. Back-up your files PLEASE.
Prepare for Your Maternity Session – Steps for Booking
In order to book a session with Liz Viernes Photography, I will have you sign a contract, a Covid waiver and submit payment of the nonrefundable session fee. Your time slot on my calendar is only secured once I have all three of these items returned to me. Everything is done digitally so it’s all very easy.
Prepare for Your Maternity Session – Outfits
As a light and airy photographer, I recommend light, neutral, solid colors for your outfit. This will lend a timeless, classic feel to your photos and ensure that you will love your images for years to come, rather than be distracted by some loud, crazy pattern that happened to be in vogue that year. Patterns are out, solids are in. Loud, dark colors are out, soft, light colors are in.
I love to see a long, flowing dress on a pregnant momma. Not only will a ground-brushing dress drape over your bump in the most flattering way but it also will allow you to wear comfortable shoes!! That’s not to say that all my clients wear long, flowy maternity dresses. Some wear sweater dresses, some wear fitted mermaid gowns – it’s all dependent on your style and what you’d like to see in your photos. I am happy to guide you but the final decision is your call. If you are my ideal client, our tastes will align and you’ll be as happy wearing the outfit as I will be photographing it!
Prepare for Your Maternity Session – Location
I always like to say that location isn’t as important as light when choosing a spot to take your photos – but it’s still pretty important. I’m always happy to suggest a spot (check out this blog post here for inspiration) or take a suggestion from you. Just let me know what you’re thinking!
Liz Viernes Photography is based near Bethesda, Maryland, and specializes in maternity, fresh 48, posed and lifestyle newborns and first year milestone portraits.
leave a comment