Jessica Marie Photography

Please Bare with me, I'm currently updating my blog look...

I'm decided to do a little Q & A this morning, to answer some frequently asked questions and to give you a glimpse into the world of custom photography.

Q: Why don't I get to see ALL images taken at the shoot?
A: The beginning of the process is narrowing it down to the best of the best. Blinks, Blur, Glare, and Exposures are all factors in my selection of which raw images to start with. The better the picture I start with, the better the final product. You wouldn't put the blinks and blur up on your wall, so I don't show you something you wouldn't want to print.

Q: If an image is shown in black and white, can I have it in color instead?
A: This is a case by case scenario. Typically, once an image is in black and white, I prefer not to convert it back to color. Black and White is a classic style that works well anywhere and all the time. Usually, if I have 3 pictures of the same pose, with just slight differences, I will do one in color, one in black and white and one a little different altogether. It gives you some variety, so you aren't looking at just little differences in the same picture, but at a different style as a whole. I DO, however, sometimes do one picture in color and then add a black and white copy for comparison, but this is not a hard and fast rule.

Q:Why does the editing process take so long? Can't you just pull them off the card and be good to go?
A: I absolutely could do that, but they won't be as exciting. I know personally speaking, I want pictures that stand out. A picture that I can look at 10yrs from now and know that I got every penny worth in that print. I want my clients to have that. I want you to look at your image and think "wow, that is an amazing picture". I want to give you a custom picture, not just one that I took and burned. One that is tailor made just for you. And custom work, takes time. I am an impatient person, so I understand that the excitement gets carried away and you want them now now now! I feel the same way. It's exciting! But, I take the time to make sure that each image is a quality that I would want in a picture of my own, so the turn around sometimes takes a little time. I, personally, try to have no longer than 3wks turn around. It does vary largely based on the amount of images too. Sometimes it may take a week, sometimes 2 or 4. Due to the custom nature of the photographs, it is not a 1 day venture, even if I wish I could do it that way!

Here's a quick example of a before and after. This is what custom photography looks like. This is what you are investing in your pictures, and what I invest my time in to create. It's very worth it.


Straight out of the Camera:
Fully enhanced, custom photograph, final product:

It was cold, rainy and a basically a miserable day! But, we worked with it... here's a sneak peek at some of the shots we got.

Okay, time for those holiday greeting cards! I know the economy sucks, so a lot of people will not do their usual photo-cards and personally, these are the ones I enjoy getting! I love to see how friends and family have changed over the year.

I'm going to offer a "stimulous" package, to try and make getting cards affordable for everyone this year.

The Pictures: I will do a marathon session, meaning one family after the next...location TBD at a later date... on November 1st. It is a sunday, so it will take place starting at 11am. I'll book 20 min slots per family and we will take 3-4 poses. These can be whole families, just your young ones, whatever you'd like within your time frame.

The Package Options:
Economy: $35 gets you a High Resolution disc of 5 of your fully enhanced images with a copyright release for printing. You can make your own prints with this, if you don't need greeting cards.

Basic: $45 gets you your disc and 15 printed cards, there will be 5 card styles to choose from. You may use your disc for individual prints if you choose.

Plus: $55 gets you your disc and 30 printed cards. You may use your disc for individual prints if you choose.

Add On's: $.70c/card for 10 additional cards, and $.60c/card for 20 additonal cards.

You also have the option to order additional prints through me at a temporary discounted price (contact me for Holiday Print Pricing Guide). I want everyone to get pictures to share and enjoy this holiday season! I can only offer this price if I have 6 bookings for November 1st. Anyone that refers a friend will recieve an 8x10 on the house! So tell your friends and lets get this going! jessicamariephotography@gmail.com

This week, I had an e-session with the fabulous Mike and Breanne. We went downtown and rocked it out. They put up with all my crazyness for the evening and we had a great time! Here's a quick sneak peak from there session. Wedding is in September, looking forward to it!

Yesterday I had a family session with some good friends of ours. It was so much fun, I think we were laughing most of the time! If you have little kids, you understand it's difficult to get them to cooperate sometimes, so rather than stress out, we just followed there lead and ended up with some great shots. It was great fun and I have many many more pictures to get through, but I wanted to share some that I had done. Thanks for the great time guys, I hope you like them so far!

I've decided to offer a 10 day sale! Starting the 5th through the 15th of June, you can get the session of your choice (excluding weddings) for $50. The cost covers my time, all of your digital negatives on a high resolution disc ($175 value), with a release to you for printing/duplication purposes and a free 8x10 ($12.00 value) of your favorite image. You will have 2wks of online proofing, with the option to order high quality prints through my lab if you prefer. The best time of day for a session is mid-morning or early evening when the light is at it's best, so I will be scheduling during these times. I will make exceptions if your schedule (or mine) make it necessary. I've decided this is the best way for me to do a "marathon session" and still have enough time with each family/person to capture lasting images without feeling rushed. Please call me to set up an appointment, or drop me an email: jessicamariephotography@gmail.com or 616-667-2553.

Can't wait or afraid to miss out? I have a few spots available before the 5th, 16th and 17th and I will honor the sale on a first come first serve basis for those dates.