Welcome Guide
Hello, it’s nice to meet you! I’m so glad that you’re considering using me for your family photography! I believe that great portraits are a collaboration between photographer and client, so I’ve put together this guide to help you know what you can expect from me, and what I need from you. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds! Firstly, let me tell you just who I am. I set up Miranda Walton Photography with an aim to capture those important details for you so that when you look back on your photographs in years to come, you’ll remember that precious memory of your newborn’s smell or the cheeky smile, your now grown up 4 year old, used to give you. I want you to enjoy a fun filled photo session, and to create artwork for you to view in albums and hang on your walls for you to enjoy and everyone to admire.
I’m fully insured, have professional level equipment, undertake regular training and am I’m a registered member with the Guild of Photographers where I enter monthly competitions to ensure my work is of the highest professional standards. More importantly than anything else, I’m a mum. I understand children. I know they don’t always want to sit and smile for the camera (or even sit at all!) and I know how to act the fool and make them laugh. I know how to get beautiful, creative and fun portraits of children... and best of all, they’ll have a great time doing it!
Miranda x
What to expect You can expect fun, action, adventure and lots of laughing! I can’t promise you that there won’t be some complaining in the car on the way over or that some form of bribery won’t be necessary before hand (warning: this gets more expensive the older they get!) but I will do my upmost to ensure they really enjoy the session and that you all come away having had a great experience, and of course you will have beautiful photographs to treasure for years to come.
contacted me! Your photography session isn’t the time for telling your child off, it’s okay if they can’t sit still or if they act up a bit. I’ll introduce some games or running about to get the nervous energy out of their system. Depending on your child’s age, I also have a box of party bag type toys (not sweets) that they can choose one from at the end – I might make reference to this during the session if I feel they need some focus for a few more photographs!
How you can help
No one knows your child and how to get the best smiles and laughter from them better than you. I may ask you at times to stand behind me and pull silly faces, tell a few jokes or generally act the fool to get some genuine giggles. Don’t worry you won’t look silly – I’ll be doing it too!
Children (and many adults) often have a negative view of having their photograph taken. Sit still! Smile! No, not like that! Stop messing about! Etc, etc. It’s easy to get frustrated trying to get good shots of your own children, hey that’s probably why you’ve
Where to go?
Most of my sessions take place outside, or in your own home. We can decide on a location between us after you book. Let me know if you have any great places local to you, all I ask is that it has some areas of shade (like big trees/buildings) in case of bright sunlight... it does sometimes happen in the UK! If you don’t know anywhere I can suggest some of my favourite places to photograph. Newborn photography always takes place inside, in your own home. As a guide, most sessions last approximately 1 to 2 hours (newborns may take up to 4 hours) but I will always be guided by your children and will not rush you.
Getting to know you
As a mum, I know my children can be shy around new people, or other times they are totally over excited! I will take cues from your child and, most likely they’ll be sad when the
session ends and will want more photographs taken! For children around four and up, sometimes it works well to have the parents step back a few paces while I am taking their portraits. Sometimes a child feels the need to perform in front of a parent, and that often means unnatural smiles and expressions. We all know the ones I mean… ‘Cheese’! If your child has additional needs or you know they are very nervous or shy and take a while to open up to new people then please do let me know. I am more than happy to arrange additional time (either before the shoot or at an earlier date) to meet up with you at your house and spend some time getting to know your child before the camera comes out. It is my aim to present to you images of your child that are natural and real and I will do as much as I can to ensure you all enjoy the experience.
What to wear What shall we wear… the all important question to ask yourself (or your photographer!) before your photoshoot. Whether you’re having your child photographed on their own or with siblings, or if you’re going to be in the photos too, it’s important that you’re all wearing the right thing.
Newborn
If you only remember one thing from this ‘what to wear’ section, make it ‘simple goes a long way’! This will ensure the focus of your photographs is the subject not on what you are wearing. This will mean we can create timeless portraits that will be treasured forever.
Firstly, nothing you mind getting messy and covered in cake! Bare skin with a cute nappy cover works well and saves on the washing. Alternatively, a plain short sleeve vest/t-shirt and a pair or jeans or a tutu would look great. Etsy has loads of fab nappy covers or complete cake smash outfits, or I have
Bare skin is ideal for newborns and babies, or a simple white vest or babygrow. I will bring with me a selection of blankets and co-ordinating wraps for you to choose from.
Cake Smash
a couple you are welcome to use if you don’t want to buy your own.
Toddlers to Teens
same tone (not necessarily the same colour). Neutral colours always work well.
Choose something your child will be happy and comfortable in. It’s important to dress your child according to their personality, as it will help it shine through in the photographs. Children in clothes they don’t want to wear will not make for happy faces in your photographs!
A great way to pull in colours to help you all coordinate is by using accessories, such as; scarfs for mums, hair bands or clips for little girls and some coloured braces or funky converse trainers for boys. Pinterest. com is a great source of ideas!
Families
Styled Shoots
Do try and coordinate outfits (that doesn’t mean they all have to exactly match, which can look a little cliché!). Start by creating an outfit for one member of the family then move onto the next by picking out a colour from that outfit, or one that works well with it. I highly suggest clothing for each family member that has the
If you want a little something different you can opt for a styled session. A styled session generally runs along a theme, so if you or your child has a favourite book or film or simply they love dressing up in certain fancy dress outfits we can theme a photoshoot around that.You can really let your imagination (and mine) run wild!
Finding Colours ‘that go’
Analogous Colours (colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel) generally work well together as they are close in colour and can create a peaceful look (ie. blue and green). Complementary Colours (colours that sit opposite each other on the colour wheel) also look good together and can create more of a vibrant look (ie. yellow and purple).You will find that equal quantities of these colour don’t always look great, so think about using more of one and less of the other. Shades and tints of the same colour also work well, ie. two different shades of blue.
As your photographer, I want you to see who your child is, and not just what outfit they were wearing. You would be more than welcome to email or text photographs of a few outfits that you are considering and I can help you make the final choice on what would best suit the look and feel you are going for in your child’s portraits. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for further questions on clothing.
General Dos and Don’ts If you want to wear patterns, use sparingly. Use a small subtle pattern for one member of the family, if you all wear bold competing patterns it’ll be very distracting in your photographs. Avoid big logos, words or cartoons on your clothing as these will also detract attention away from your lovely faces (and will date your photographs in years to come). Try and avoid wearing too much bright white as white reflects light so can be overpowering. Cream, beige and neutral colours are absolutely fine and are much more flattering. Please don’t wear tight stripes, checks/plaid, you know how your eyes go funny looking at the telly when someone is wearing tight stripes – this happens in photographs too. Loose stripes/checks are fine to wear.
Product preview I use only the very best professional photographic labs for all my products and prints. I truly believe your
photographs should be hung proudly on your walls and not left unseen on your computer.
Fine Art Canvas Wraps
Using state-of-the-art 12 ink technology the durable yet delicate Fine Art Wrap sits flush with the wall, creating a beautiful wall mounted piece of art. Finished with a UV laminate for longevity and strength.
Hand Finished Frames
With a choice of frame style and colour and mount colour I can help you choose the perfect set to compliment your photograph. Frames are available in a range of sizes from 7x5� to 30x40�.
Swept Frames
These opulent frames bring a sense of grandeur to any room! Produced using an aluminium composite panel with a plaster and natural wood frame, these really do have the wow factor. Available in black, white, silver and gold.
Photographic Prints
The highest quality professional lab photographic prints in popular sizes from 5x7 inches.
Heirloomalbums Made in Italy by an exclusive alubm manufacturer, these albums are of the highest quality. They come with a life long binding guarentee and come
beautifully presented in a box with acrylic cover so they can be proudly displayed on a shelf or the mantlepiece in between looking through them.
If you have something else in mind for your walls or coffee table, please just ask and I can provide you with a bespoke quotation.
On the Wall If you’re looking for a singular piece of artwork to be the focal point of a room, I would suggest getting your photograph printed at least 20x30” size (a 16x20” would be fine if you choose my Swept Frame option as the outer frame is larger). If you really want to make an impact go for 30x40”! A collection of various sized pieces work well if you have several images you want to showcase together.
Please just ask once you have seen your photographs if you would like to see a room mock-up showing some different options. Framed prints at 5x7” or 10x8” make the perfect gift or look great on your desk at work or the mantle piece at home.
Collections & prices Session Fee
Sessions fees are £65 weekend/bank holidays or £45 weekdays and include; • A fun photoshoot on location (typically 1 to 2 hours) • Approximately 20 digitally edited photographs for you to view • A secure online gallery for you to view and select your images • You can then order from one of the three collections below:
Collections
These collections have been created based on my experience of what clients like to choose from their photo sessions and to give you the best return on your investment. The Love Hearts Collection is the most popular. The elly bean Collection J
5 selected high resolution photographs on USB drive for you to print and use online as you wish PLUS five matching 5x7” prints AND 5% discount on other products
£199
Smarties Collection
The
10 selected high resolution photographs on USB drive for you to print and use online as you wish PLUS five matching 10x8” prints AND 10% discount on other products
£299
Love hearts Collection
The
ALL photographs on USB drive for you to print and use online as you wish PLUS five 7x5” prints and five 10x8” prints AND 20% discount on other products
£345
Pick & Mix Menu
All prints and products below can be purchased in addition to your session fee and the collections on the previous page.
Prints
16 x 12 inch – £25 10 x 8 inch – £15 7 x 5 inch – £12
Wall frames
40 x 30 inch – £329 30 x 20 inch – £255 20 x 16 inch – £175 16 x 12 inch – £129
ps
wra Fine art canvas
40 x 30 inch – £465 30 x 20 inch – £395 20 x 16 inch – £195 16 x 12 inch – £185 10 x 8 inch – £120
Desk frames
8 x 10 inch – £85 7 x 5 inch – £59
Swept frames
30 x 20 inch – £325 20 x 16 inch – £265 16 x 12 inch – £145
Heirloom albums
20 pages – £245 with presentation box frame (25x25cm or 20x30cm)
Digital images
Set of 20 – £345 Set of 10 – £299 Set of 5 – £199
The session fee includes my time and travel costs up to a 20 miles radius of Towcester, Northamptonshire. All areas outside the 20 miles radius will be charged an additional fee. Gift vouchers and other products such as acrylics, photobooks and greetings cards are available, please ask for more information.
What Say they “I truly cannot recommend Miranda more. Two weeks ago we met Miranda at a lovely park, with our very over excited 6 and 4 year olds. She was amazing with them, she was so calm and patient (far more than we were) and truly managed to capture them having fun and some amazing shots of us as a family! Everyone who has seen the photos has thought they are stunning. Thank you so much! X”
“Absolutely brilliant. Loved them all. I can’t believe how beautifully you’ve captured the girls (yes, I did cry!!). Thank you so much for working your magic on us all and your work is going to be much admired by many for years to come.”
“I overwhelmingly recommend Miranda Walton Photography. Miranda came and photographed our son at 8 days old, and again at six months old. Both times she was fantastic. She understands babies and demonstrated superb patience – we never felt any time pressure. She worked with whatever our boy did/however he reacted to produce some absolutely stunning photographs. Both times I have seen the finished pictures I have been moved to tears. Simply outstanding. There are no other words. Thank you, Miranda. X”
Next If you love my work and are happy that I’m the right photographer for you then let’s get you booked in! To book simply call, email or visit the website with a couple of dates that are convenient for you. I’m generally booked up at least a month in advance but if you need something sooner then please do ask and I will do my best to accommodate you. I require a booking fee of £65 (weekend/bank/school holidays) £45 (midweek) to secure your session. I am always happy to reschedule your shoot at no charge in the event of
your child being unwell – I’m a mum too, I know what it’s like! After your photo session you will have access to a secure online gallery where you will be able to view and order your chosen Collection and additional products. Alternatively if you would like me to come to your house to show you your photographs and bring some samples of albums, canvases and frames please just let me know at the time of booking or at your session. If you have any further questions please just shout. I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!
Miranda Walton Photography 07725 084976 | hello@mirandawaltonphotography.co.uk | www.mirandawalton.co.uk www.facebook.com/MirandaWaltonPhotography | www.twitter.com/mirandawalton