Having professional photos taken can seem overwhelming, but I promise to do anything I can to make the process as painless and streamlined as possible, from flexible scheduling, quick responses to your questions, input on outfits choices, and easy online viewing/ordering. Sessions are kept casual, engaging, and fun to encourage you to relax and truly enjoy your time with your family without outside distractions. I provide a mix of posed and candid/natural images, but am always striving to capture TRUE emotion and GENUINE family connections. 

Before the session…

When you decide to schedule a session, we will discuss ideas, answer questions, and decide on a location. Photo sessions are held at the location of your choice, either in my Brooklyn Park studio or “on-location” (in your home, at a favorite park, etc). We will schedule your session for a convenient time for your family, as well as a time that provides the best light for your photos.

During the session…

Come to the session prepared to have fun and interact with your family. I try to keep my sessions as laid back as possible. My goal is to photograph your family connections and interactions. Don’t be afraid to toss your children playfully in the air or snuggle with your spouse. This should be fun! Laugh. Joke. Embrace. Play. This will allow me to create images that show the true emotion and beauty of your family. I don’t expect everyone to be looking at the camera and smiling in every photo and neither should you. Especially with young children, a bit of warm up time is normal and expected. Be prepared to step back and allow me to interact naturally with your child to capture the true essence of their personality.

After the session…

We’ll take a lot of photographs during our time together. I will then choose the best from the bunch to edit and perfect. The typical turnaround time is three weeks, but I try to get images sent out to you as soon as possible after the session because I know that waiting can be the worst! When all the images are finalized, you will receive an email with a link to your online gallery. Online galleries are available for viewing and ordering for 14 days. Traditional prints, canvas wraps, image cubes, digital files and albums are available for purchase. Prints and other photo products will be delivered by mail within 3 weeks of placing your order.

what to expect

f.a.q

Your Style

First and foremost, these photographs are all about your family. That means they should convey your personalities and style preferences. Whether it is earthy and casual or glitz and glam, go with it and play it up. It’s important to be yourself during your session, so make sure your clothing reflects your style.

Keep it Comfortable

Sessions with young children are often high-energy, so make sure clothing and hair styles are comfortable and relatively low-maintenance. You don’t want to spend the whole session dealing with an unruly hair piece or limping around in too-tight shoes. And you certainly don’t want that to be what you remember every time you look at the resulting family portraits.

Make it Pop

You can amplify your style by playing with colors, textures, and simple patterns. Find a nice mix of neutral colors and then add a few pops where you can. For example, use white, gray and blue as base colors and add pops of bright red (a red and white striped sweater, a red scarf, etc.) Or, for a more neutral look, try khaki with blue and green accents. Don’t be afraid to play with texture either. Fuzzy furs, flowing fabrics and starchy denim make for great photos.

The Key Word is “Coordinate”

The easiest way to dress a family is often to pick 2-3 colors that are flattering on everyone and work those colors into each outfit to varying degrees. Use accessories like scarves, headbands, hats, and jewelry to add some fun flair to your images. Feel free to contact me with clothing ideas or questions prior to your session and/or bring multiple accessories to play with throughout the session.

What is your photography experience? 

I fell in love with photography in college and graduated with an Education major and a Photography minor (which turned out to be a perfect blend for child/family photography - who knew?!). After college, I continued taking online and community education classes to keep learning and refining my skill. While working full time in a retail management position, I started photographing individuals and families on a regular basis and began teaching photography classes in my free time and, after having my kids, I took it on as my full time job (in addition to said kids). I have over 20 years of experience photographing people, products, nature, and events. Photography continues to challenge, surprise, excite and invigorate me and I fall in love a little more with each and every session. 

What is your cancellation policy?

Session fees are due at the time of booking and are non-refundable. However, I realize that life happens - kids get sick,  cars break down, work emergencies arise, unexpected schedule conflicts come up - so, session payments ARE transferrable to another date/time if the original scheduled time does not work. As long as I am notified within 12 hours of the session time, I am happy to work with you to reschedule to a more convenient time. Payments will NOT be refunded/rescheduled if I have not been notified of the change prior to the session date/time. 

I'm not sure how my kids will do during a photo session (they are shy, wild, stiff, have special needs, etc). Are you able to work with them and get good photos?

If you have concerns or special instructions regarding you, your kids or family members, it can be very helpful for me to know this in advance, but it doesn't bother me one bit! In both my personal and professional life, I have worked extensively with kids of varying ages and I've most likely seen kids like yours before. Rest assured that I have some tricks up my sleeve and have had pretty darn good results in the past. While I can't guarantee that your child will laugh at my jokes or pose any specific way during your session, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make it a positive experience for everyone while capturing your family in a genuine way. 

What type of editing to you do? Do you offer RAW (or unedited) images?

Each and every image you receive from Wink Photography will undergo basic editing, including color correction, cropping, and exposure. I also  remove temporary blemishes or distracting background elements in each image.  I try to keep editing fairly minimal and true-to-life. I can usually accommodate more extensive editing requests (braces removal, color changes, skin smoothing, merging images, etc) with an additional fee.
Standard editing is a key part of my workflow and is essential to provide the level of quality and artistry that my clients have come to expect. Therefore, RAW or unedited images are NOT available for viewing or purchase. 

What are mini sessions and when are they offered? How do I sign up for them? 
Mini sessions are special, seasonal events that are offered on specific days throughout the year. They are short 10-20 minute sessions, often with a specific theme (fall, holiday, mom and me, glitter, balloons, tree farm, etc) that are scheduled back-to-back with other families/clients and offered at a lower rate than full sessions. To be notified when mini sessions will be offered and sign up, join the email list below and follow Wink Photography on Facebook and Instagram (@winkphotomn). 

what to wear