FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Wear whatever makes you feel like YOU. If your choice is chucks over high heels, let’s photograph you that way. These photos are supposed to reflect who you are and capture your personality at this moment in your life.

That being said, in general it is recommended to wear neutral colors and keep the patterns to a minimum. Coordinate your family’s outfits.

In general, I do not mind shooting in the rain or snow. They make for unique environmental images you wouldn’t get otherwise. I will make the final decision on if the weather is too inclement to shoot in (pouring rain, lightening, dangerous road conditions, etc).

Your session includes high-resolution, professionally edited photographs. I am unable to deliver RAW, unedited files to you, as there is the possibilty that they can be edited in a way that does not reflect well on or correctly portray my business or editing style.

Holly & Ivy Photography retains the ownership right to any and all photos from your session. However, your session package does include rights to print the photos at any location of your choosing. It is my recommendation to print your photos using a quality, specialized, reputable print lab such as Miller’s, Mpix, or ProDPI. Holly & Ivy Photography is not responsible for poor quality printed images from locations such as Walgreens, Wal-mart, Shutterstock, and other businesses of the same cateogry that are not professional print labs.

You agree to pay 50% of your session fee at the time of the signing of your contract. This acts as a retainer to secure your appointment date and time. The remaining balance is due no later than 1 week before your session date. You will be required to pay 100% of the session fee if you are booking your session within a week or less from the time of your contract signing.

The session fee covers travel within 20 miles of my home in Vernon Hills, IL. Any locations outside these limits are subject to a $25 fee, up to a 38 mile radius of Vernon Hills.

Session retainers are non-refundable. If you need to cancel your session, you may do so without monetary penalty to you if you cancel your session at least 4 days before your scheduled session date. If you cancel your session in 3 days or less, you will be charged to pay 50% of the remaining session fee that is due.

Illnesses and emergencies sometimes happen. If one does, please give me at least 24 hours notice before your session and it will be rescheduled. An additional fee may apply if there are more than two reschedules on the part of the client.

All individuals being photographed must sign a model release form.  This grants me the right to use images from your session for use in advertising, social media, and portfolios, and protects both me and you while doing so.

All of your printed and digital photographs will be professionally retouched and edited using top-of-the-line software. Blemishes, cuts, small bruises, and distracting elements (i.e., garbage cans, light posts, ground debris, small holes in clothing, small grass stains on clothing, etc) will be removed where at all possible. Skin will be smoothed (women) and eyes will be brightened.

Your portrait session fee for family sessions includes photography of up to 5 individuals (adults and children). You may include others for an additional fee of $25 per person.

I am passionate about capturing candid, real moments between people. Those types of photos have always spoken to me more and brought me more joy and excitement to look at, and that is what I want to offer to my clients. My family portrait sessions are “lifestyle” based, meaning a good amount of the photos will lean towards the candid side, although there will still be some posed shots.

No problem! A lifestyle family session includes 10 digital photos. Additional digitals are available for $15 per photo. If you want to purchase all of the images from the session, contact me for a custom quote.

All photo packages and sessions include one (1) outfit at one (1) location. Additional outfits may be accommodated at an additional charge. Please mention multiple outfits at the time of booking in order to best plan for your needs. 

Save-the-Dates will include a small text segment indicating that the Save-the-Dates were created and designed by Holly & Ivy Photography. This text segment can be removed for a fee of $15. Save-the-dates will be printed on standard smooth card stock (110lb, 14pt). We will work together if you need more than the included amount of 75 or if you want upgrades to paper or want to add options such as foil, rounded corners, etc. 

You are definitely more than welcome to bring your own outfits! However, they should match the vibe and aesthetic of previous fine art images created by Holly & Ivy Photography. For example, a bright pink tutu dress would not match the vintage, neutral aesthetic of the fine art we create and are known for.

Digital images are not included with this session, but are available for $35 per final edited image. The fee shown here is the sitting fee for the session, which includes props, outfits, time for the session, time for the reveal session, fine art editing, studio space and set up, and most importantly, the experience.

Parents are encouraged to considered physical prints for this type of session, with the idea that we are creating a piece of art specifically of their beautiful child – art that they cannot get anywhere else – and that deserves to be shown off and hung up for all to see instead of lost on a social media feed or stored on a hard drive.

All About Me sessions are available from age 1 up until high school senior age. If you are looking for senior photos, head on over to our Senior Portraits page for more details. Senior Portraits are more involved, involve more editing and retouching, and possibly involve more than one outfit, which is why the “All About Me” session does not apply.

I am all about capturing the personality of the senior themselves at this point in their life, so I encourage them wear what they are comfortable in. A good compromise if you are wearing two outfits is to choose one more formal outfit and one outfit that they’re really comfortable in and speaks to their personality.

All photo packages and sessions include up to one (1) outfit at one (1) location. Additional outfits may be accommodated at an additional charge. Please mention multiple outfits at the time of booking in order to best plan for your needs.