No Surprises

Our philosophy is no surprises ... of the bad sort.  Many photographers do not tell you the prices on the phone or put them on their website. I've heard some say in seminars that they don't want the client to see the price list until the actual buying session.  That is their philosophy and many of these photographers are very successful. I don't fault them for the way they do business.

I just do it differently. We do not charge a sitting fee if you order within 14 days of your session. You pay for the prints you buy and all of my prices are on my website.  I do have a minimum purchase which is due the day of the session. If there is a size you need that you do not see on my pricelist just call or email and I will quote you a price for that size. There are different mounting options such as 3/4-inch foam board and masonite that I'll be glad to quote you separately.  They are not listed because it makes things confusing. My pricing is set up to make it easy for you to see the price and easy for you to buy.  You do not have to stand on one leg, bark three times, show up on the 3rd Monday of the month or jump through any other hoops to get these prices. It's simple - they are what they are.

Suggestions for a great session

My goal is to get the images you want. You can help me with that. I'd like to take some photographs of the person with no smile and with a real smile. Please do not tell your child (or whoever the subject is) to smile. I'll try to evoke a real smile as the session goes along. And whatever you do -- do not tell the person to "say cheese".

If we are photographing a child I'd be delighted to get your help. If you can be away from the child then I'd love to have you nearly directly behind me. You can talk to your child and have visual contact from behind the camera which means the child will be looking in the direction of the camera. That can make for a great photograph.

I'll probably ask you to help in the session. Nearly every session I have one of the family members or friends hold a reflector or light for the right touch of light. It's a big help and you will play an active part in making a great photograph. (What a job I have. I put you to work and then you pay me!)  We have fun on the sessions.

If we have a child or a pet in a group photograph you can help by looking at me when I ask you to.  You cannot imagine all the images I have where I finally get the child or the pet looking right at the camera and one or two of the adults are looking at the child or the dog ... even though I have asked them to look at me.

What to wear

What to wear is a great page to review.

What to bring

Props are great.  For children it can be a toy (or toys); for seniors it can be clothing, musical equipment, athletic equipment, a favorite vehicle or a friend. Pets are great. If you are a hunter be aware that I'm delighted to photograph you with your gun but talk to me about this before the day of the session. There are some places I photograph where guns are prohibited.  We can arrange to do the gun photograph in a different place.

We will have fun

I want to say again "We will have fun".  I love my job. I take it very seriously but I'm serious about you and the rest of the participants enjoying the session. We are there to capture images for you.  Let them be remembered as positive, enjoyable moments.

Tim Rand

870-236-2275
pix@trand.com