frequently asked questions
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?
I like to describe my style and imagery as light, airy, and emotive, inspired by the look of film; the images classic and timeless. I specialize in the early years and enjoy capturing your family joy, and the little details and the special moments in your family and children’s lives in natural surroundings or your home environment. In my sessions, I do a mix of lifestyle and semi-posed, but I LOVE looking for and creating moments that are genuine and candid so I always do my best to make each session relaxing and fun.
To see my most recent work, come follow me on Instagram @Lrgportraits.
DO YOU OFFER MINI SESSIONS?
Yes, I offer a very limited number of mini sessions per year. Mini Sessions are done only in the fall for updated images for holiday cards or family photos and open to previous full session clients only with priority for those that have done a full session with me in the last 2 years. Any remaining spots are made available to new clients, though these usually sell out every year. Please contact me for more information.
Will YOU TraVEL outside of DC?
Absolutely! While I have many local locations in the DMV that work well for sessions, I love exploring new places and checking out new destinations. Sessions taking place within 25 miles of zip code 20015 are no additional cost. Sessions outside of 25 miles from downtown Washington DC are an additional $1.00 per mile each way. Please reach out for special pricing for sessions that are more than 60 miles, incur flights or larger travel expenses.
Do you offer a DiSCOUNT for Multiple Sessions in OUr BABIES FIrst Year?
Yes! There is nothing better than when a family chooses me to document their milestones as their family grows. I appreciate the loyalty as well. Special pricing is available when 3 or more sessions are booked together in your babies first year. This is a client favorite for documenting maternity, newborn, 3/6/9 month and/or 1 year milestones.
WHEN SHOULD I BOOK?
For most sessions, I recommend calling reaching out 2-3 months before your desired shoot date to ensure I have availability. For a prime spring and fall session dates, I recommend reaching out at least 4 months ahead of your desired shoot date as I book up quickly in the spring and fall. I only schedule a few shoots a month so that the quality and attention to detail in your images is excellent. Please see below for when to book a specific type of session:
- For a maternity session – A maternity shoot is best scheduled between your 28-34 week mark to ensure you are in the sweet spot of showing, but not super uncomfortable. Please give me a call during your first or second trimester so that we can be sure to find a date given the time sensitivity of this type of shoot. I have many client who call me even before they have even told anyone in their family.
- For a newborn session – Lifestyle newborn portraits can be shot any time in the comfort of your home within the first 6 weeks. For those dreamy sleeping newborn photos I recommend scheduling within the first 14 days of birth.
- For a baby session – 3 months, 6 months and 9 months are other great milestone ages to photograph and perfect for showing them sitting up and smiling. At this age, their personalities really shine through, but there is no wrong time to photograph your baby in their first year.
- For families, engagement/anniversary, senior portraits sessions – For outdoor shoots, I typically recommend booking between early April and mid-November, when the weather is at its best. Though snowy winter sessions can be gorgeous too! In-home sessions are great anytime of year!
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF DAY FOR MY SESSION?
Sessions take place either indoors or outdoors using only natural light. I can photograph in the comfort of your home or I have a number of outdoor locations around MD/VA/DC area that I would recommend. Location selection is provided after booking. If you have a location that has special meaning that you would like to use I am happy to consider it. For timing, one of the most beautiful times for an outdoor session is during “golden hour,” the 2 hours after sunrise or 2 hours before sunset, but with little ones in the mix I am always happy to be flexible. For an in-home session, we will find a space that offers soft window light or a porch that has beautiful diffused light. Start times for indoor sessions are generally best around 10:00/10:30AM, depending on the light in your home.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? HOW DO I PREPARE?
After your session is confirmed, I will provide you with a questionnaire so I can learn a bit more about you, your kids and their personalities and interests as well gather more info about your vision and style preferences. I will also provide you log-in access to my client website which has the link to my detailed info guide with tips on what to wear, what to expect and how to prepare. For newborn sessions I provide wraps, hats and hair ties for baby and will bring them with me to your session. Also, I have many dresses in my client wardrobe available to borrow for sessions for moms (and mamas-to-be) that I know will photograph beautifully. Please inquire for more information.
HOW LONG WILL MY SESSION LAST?
Length of sessions are varied and can run anywhere from 10-15 minutes for a mini session, 1 hour for a family session, and up to 2+ hours long for a newborn session. For my full sessions, I prefer to not put hard limits on session times, because every child is different and sometimes it can take kids more time to warm up to let their true personality shine through.
WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY GALLERY?
Your watermarked proof gallery of images will be available within 3 weeks after your session. Once you have have opened your gallery you have 7 days to make any digital or product purchases.
WHY SHOULD WE INVEST IN HEIRLOOM ARTWORK?
Investing in heirloom framed art and heirloom albums is such a beautiful way to archive your family story in this moment in time and so these moments can be passed down to future generations. Unlike the fancy cars, and the high end sofas and furniture we purchase for our homes that will only continue to depreciate in value over time, heirloom framed artwork and albums that we create will only continue to increase in value and will become even more special to you as you and your children get older. As a mom of 3, whose kids are no longer babies, I truly understand this now. Let's archive these special moments for your family so you can always look back on this special time.
CAN I JUST GET THE DIGITALS?
While I always encourage my clients to invest in heirloom artwork that can be displayed on your walls and in albums in your home, instead of just your computer, I know that some clients prefer to have digitals. Digitals are available for purchase in different groupings in the store.
CAN YOU HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT TO ORDER?
Yes, would love to! I love assisting my clients with creating beautiful heirloom artwork. If you have a wall that you want to do a statement piece on or a gallery wall, we can plan for this even before your session. We can also set up a complimentary ordering appointment with assistance choosing your prints & digitals files after your session. I know how stressful and time consuming this process can be so I am here to take this off your yearly to do list.
What's In your Camera Bag?
I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV (back up is Canon 5D Mark III). Lenses include: Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4, Canon 50mm f/1.2, Canon 35mm f/1.4, Canon 85mm f/1.2, Canon 100mm Macro, & Canon 24-70mm f/2.8.
DO YOU PHOTOGRAPH WEDDINGS,
LARGE REUNIONS OR PARTIES?
While I don’t do weddings, family reunions, large parties or extended family sessions, I do photograph engagement sessions or anniversary session for a couple. If interested in an engagement or anniversary session, please see sitting fees on my investment page or reach out to me for complete pricing.
Lauren from LRG Portraits offers DC newborn photography along side maternity, family and baby photography. She specializes in timeless outdoor and in-home lifestyle portraiture and offers a full client experience from a curated client wardrobe to custom-designed heirloom albums and framing. She is based out of Washington, DC but her service area includes Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Potomac, Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, and surrounding areas.
email me | LRGportraits@gmail.com
telephone (240) 478.3159
Located in Washington, DC, md, va,
and beyond...
