Frequently Asked Questions
I am a family and newborn photographer. I offer both natural light and studio style (studio lighting) sessions.
During all sessions I wear a mask and make sure my hands are sanitized frequently. My gear is cleaned before and after each session.
I am vaccinated.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR NEWBORN SESSIONS: Newborn sessions have always had high levels of precautions and “sanitizing” involved in them even before the pandemic. I do not do sessions if I am ill or if anyone in my house feels ill and I ask that you please let me know if anyone in your own household has been or is ill around the session date so that we may reschedule. Only immediate family should be present for the session to keep the number of people in the space to a minimum. I take my shoes off at the door of the client’s home when I enter. All of the wraps, blankets and props I might use are washed or cleaned before and after each session. And I sanitize my hands with hand sanitizer multiple times before and throughout the session. I never do more than one newborn session in a day which allows me time to properly clean everything before a subsequent session. I wear a mask during the sessions and I clean the outside of the bins I bring the props and gear in.
All that being said, the most important factor is how comfortable YOU are! Your newborn session should be as stress-free as possible for you and I know how different everyone’s level of comfort is during this unprecedented time! For a posed/portrait type of session, please know that I will have to be less than 6ft from the baby and I will be touching the baby for the entirety of the session. It is definitely a hands-on type of session. If you prefer that I keep 6 feet away and not touch the baby, then you would have to book my lifestyle type of session instead. I am still usually positioning and touching the baby in arms and on the bed for a lifestyle session, but if you’re not comfortable with that, this session CAN be modified to adjust for that. When natural positioning is necessary then you would be my “assistant” and I would direct you in what to do. But for safety reasons with posing I can only do that for the minimalistic more natural types of shots we do in a lifestyle session, not a posed session.
Only if I have your permission! I love nothing more than showing off your beautiful photos and am always excited and appreciative when I am allowed to do so. But I also understand that some clients prefer to keep their photos off of public social media pages or websites. So once your session is done I ask you if you are OK with me using photos from your session on my marketing materials such as my website and social media pages. If you are OK with it, I then send you a model release you can digitally sign so that I have your permission filed for reference as I’m creating my content.
Yes, but not all year round. Mini sessions are specific seasonal offerings that come during certain holiday seasons (eg: Christmas or Easter/Spring) or when I am putting together a special themed mini session such as the Fairy Mini Sessions I did in 2019. Mini sessions come with a certain number of digital files included (usually 5 to 8 depending on the session) with the option to purchase more. Past clients and those who sign up for my newsletter are usually the first to know about them, so get signed up on my list!
No, though I thank you for asking! I did shoot special events when I first opened my business but I quickly found that it wasn’t where my heart is. And in the words of Marie Kondo I think we should do what “sparks joy.” That’s where the best art will come from – a happy heart!
Posed/Portrait Newborn Session: This the more traditional newborn photo session where we pose the baby on a bean bag poser or in props like baskets or buckets. I only pose the baby in poses they are safe and comfortable in. If the baby doesn’t seem to like a certain pose we are attempting, we move on. Though I have successfully done portrait sessions on older newborns, the posed/portrait style newborn shoots are ideally done when the baby is between 5 and 14 days old as this is the time they are most sleepy and still flexible and more happily positioned.
Lifestyle Newborn Session: A lifestyle newborn session is a much more “relaxed” session that documents the feel and experience of having your newborn. Because I use more natural, baby-led “posing” for this session, the age of the newborn is less “strict”. Their flexibility and sleepiness does not factor in much at all. I do recommend having the session as early as you can only because newborns change so fast within that first month and you want to document their tiny newness that doesn’t last long! It is a family session with more involvement from you, your partner and any siblings, showcasing the new connection you all have with your baby.
You can see the difference between the two types of sessions by looking at the samples in my Portfolio.
Well that depends on the type of session you are looking for.
The posed/portrait style newborn shoots are ideally done when the baby is between 5 and 14 days old as this is the time they are most sleepy and still flexible and more happily positioned.
A lifestyle newborn session is a much more “relaxed” session that documents the feel and experience of having your newborn. Because we use more natural, baby-led “posing”, the age of the newborn is less “strict” for this type of session. Their flexibility and sleepiness does not factor in much at all. We do recommend having the session as early as you can only because newborns change so fast within that first month and you want to document their tiny newness that doesn’t last long!
Good question! That depends on the type of session and its location.
For outdoor sessions we shoot at or as close to golden hour as we can get. Golden hour is the hour or so before sunset when the sun is going lower in the sky and we get beautiful soft golden light that the camera loves!
For newborn sessions, both lifestyle and posed I schedule them around 10am, unless they are outdoors. If we are doing an outdoor lifestyle newborn session then we go for golden hour.
We schedule indoor milestone and “Year in Review” sessions around your toddler’s nap and feeding schedule, preferably in the morning if we can.
No, my clients get their own cake to use during their child’s cake smash session. But I do provide tips and tricks to make that process easier for them!
The more spirit the better!! My sessions are very laid-back and “go-with-the-flow”! I offer posing guidance and promote natural interaction during my sessions. I get to know your kids a bit before we start to make them feel more comfortable. And most importantly I just let them be themselves! It’s the moments when they are being themselves that the most captivating photos are created! You just relax and don’t worry about getting the kids to cooperate – they don’t need to! We are just going to have fun! And if I do need them to, don’t you worry – I’ll make it work or I’ll work around it! :)
You get a “sneak peek” of your photos (2 – 3 low res watermarked images) within 48 hours after your session. Your full gallery will be delivered to you within 3 weeks of your session date.
RAW file is the most common file format for uncompressed images captured by digital cameras and Scanners. It contains the direct image data from the camera sensors with no loss of quality and alteration. These file sizes are BIG – often over 22MB per file – and you need special software to open them.
The day of your session I take many photos, but I cull your session to eliminate anything that doesn’t quite make the cut for what I consider the expected quality of my photos. I select the best of the best from the bunch, edit those to make them even more beautiful and then present them to you in an easy-to-view online digital gallery. From that gallery you can download ALL of your high res images that you see in your gallery (based on the number of photos promised in your chosen package). I do not show or provide RAW or unedited photos as those are not for sale. Think of it as going to a baker for a cake. You wouldn’t want them to give you the eggs, sugar, flour and oil, right? You want a delicious, beautiful and properly baked cake! Same with photos – the unedited files are the ingredients…the edited file is the cake! Or maybe I’m just hungry? :)
I accept cash, check made out to “Jaime Radovic Photography”, credit card, Paypal, Chase Quickpay (Zelle). Sorry I cannot accept Venmo.