{Q} What does your general photography service entail?
{A} Family | Seniors | Maternity | Headshots | Personal Branding
We have a planning consultation to uncover why you want this session and themes, styles and images you are drawn to. You will be fully prepped for your session through regular email communications. On session day, you will be treated like the superstar you are!
Should ladies want hair and makeup, you will begin your day in our glamour chair for about an hour to 1.5 hours. From there we will go through the flow of the day and what to expect and shoot for about 2 hours. Altogether, we could spend up to 4 hours together in the studio if you are booking a full collection.
Afterwards, you will get a sneak peek and we will schedule your reveal and ordering session 2 weeks later. We walk through the photos together and decide which are the ones you absolutely love and how you want them printed. You get to have your digital downloads right away after you've paid in full.
Then 2-3 weeks later you will be notified that your printed product is ready for pickup!
{Q} How far in advance do I need to schedule a session?
{A} If this needs to be presented for a certain date, you'll definitely want to schedule it for 4-6 weeks at the minimum for printed products to arrive on time.
{Q} Hair and Makeup is included in most collections, but can I choose to do my own?
{A} My professional artist maintains her own makeup kit to accommodate all skin types and shades. If you have skin sensitivities or allergies, please send us an email and let us know how we can best accommodate you!
Your hair will be dry curled and set. We do not do updo's as our shooting style usually includes your hair down and tossled. However, if you would like to have your hair styled or in an updo, please contact us with plenty of time to find a hairstylist that can grant your dream hairstyle! Also, please let us know if you will be bringing extensions, if your hair takes longer than average to style or has texture that require different tools so we can be prepared ahead of time!
If you wish to do your own, please let us know at the time of booking! Though I highly recommend having our professional do it for you because she will apply it flawlessly, bringing out and enhancing your best features making your face camera ready!
{Q} Ok, now I have no idea what to wear!!
{A} This will all depend now on what kind of session you are having and if you're a male or female (obviously), but comfort is crucial and wearing things that make you feel great and confident.
You will receive a style guide tailored to your gender and the kind of session we’re shooting.
Here are some blog posts that might help you before or after you receive your exclusive client hub that includes your wardrobe/style guide:
8 style tips for your next photo shoot
Your Color Aesthetics Helps Decide Your Session Season
Crack The Code of Dressing For Your Body Type
Finally, with a booked session I have discount codes specifically for MJCP clients at 2 local women's boutiques that I get to share with you ♥
{Q} Do I need to know how to pose or model, I tend to feel awkward in front of a camera
{A}Although the people you see on my social media or website are all extraordinary, I assure you...they are not models. They are everyday people like you and me. You might see each of them at the grocery store and picking up their kids at school. Things that may have led you to believe they look like they know what to do is the confidence they have in their own skin. Like they have been in front of a camera plenty of times. This is because in addition to expert lighting, posing, and composing each image, the MJCP EXPERIENCE is fully guided. You will be posed, directed, guided, encouraged and celebrated every step of the way.
We make client comfortability a top priority and anyone and everyone can rock an MJCP photo experience with ZERO modeling experience or knowledge whatsoever.
{Q} What does "standard retouching" mean and how much can or do you edit?
{A} This is a touchy subject and one that each photographer has their own rules and policy for. While I make your skin look its best by doing a gentle skin smoothing and tone correcting (much like applying digital foundation) I keep "photoshop" as minimal as I can. For beauty/modern Portraits I take a little more time on to make sure flyaway hairs are out of your face and will do other touch ups like brighten eyes or fix bits of makeup flaws but I rely on my knowledge of lighting, strategic posing and angle compositions to downplay "problem" areas that you are concerned about. We WILL edit out blemishes, cuts/scrapes and undereye circles and if requested, small scar removal. My rule of thumb is if it is permanent, it stays.
Our skin smoothing technique will subtly fade the appearance of scars and small skin imperfections, but if you have a different preference, please be sure to request more or less at your photo shoot appointment. Other post-processing practices and focuses include contrast, sharpening, lightening/darkening, cropping, color correction, artistic textures and color grading, black and white conversions - rather than body morphing.
Men get standard retouching as well but a bit more lighter handed. I also want you to look your best without losing masculine qualities.
{Q} How do I prepare for my session?
{A} The beauty of being an MJCP client is all of your questions will never go unanswered. Shortly after booking, you will receive by email a complete and exclusive guide to prep your mind, body and face for this experience.
Several times before your session, you will receive lists and suggestions throughout your time preparing. If you still have questions, I am available to help you every step of the way because I am dedicated to offering you an EXPERIENCE - an informed process way beyond showing up to a shoot and being done with it when you leave.
{Q} How much do your packages cost and what can I expect to spend?
{A} A full priced photo shoot experience with Melissa begins at $1200 +tax. This includes: professional makeup application and dry hair curling, standard photo retouching, in-person photo reveal and ordering, and 8x8 bedside album with 20 photos and those selected photos available as a downloadable, standard resolution file. You have the chance from there to upgrade to the amount of photos you want, upgrade an album or upgrade your digital file to printable, high resolution and have the ability to choose wall art. After it is all said and done, it is not uncommon for clients to upgrade and spend anywhere from $1500 - $2100 to have all the products they desire.
Clients are almost always SHOCKED by how many photos they cannot live without from their session. They always think they are going to be that one client that just won't get any good photos....and they are always proved wrong with an "I told you so" smile. ♥
Our products are thoughtfully built based on what our clients most prefer and purchase frequently.
If your session is a business portrait session or personal branding session, you won’t necessarily receive printed products (unless that is discussed in our consultation) but turnaround times could be 1-2 weeks and you will receive the appropriate license usage with your photos.
{Q} When and how will I select my favorite images from my shoot?
{A} At MJCP Studios, we are proud to be able to offer in-person viewing and ordering 2-3 weeks after your session. We do this for a host of reasons:
One, is for your convenience. We are really good at our system to show you your images so you can select them, showing similar images side by side and deciding what will work best for what you want (variety in your album or the perfect wall art pieces, etc). Because we show a lot of KILLER images, it can be overwhelming to navigate through them on your own and we don't want our service to stop once the shoot is over. Our in-person reveal and ordering session is appreciated by our clients and a favorite part of the process.
If you are traveling from a distance, and it isn't practical for you to come back in...we can do this via Zoom screen share. It is a little less theatrical than in-person, but it is a back-up option.
At this time I am of the opinion that I am doing my dear clients who have just had an excellent experience, a huge disservice to hand over a digital proofing gallery at the end. In the very rare instance this may happen, images will be heavily watermarked until purchased.
{Q} What happens after I select my photos at the reveal and ordering appointment?
{A} I will always give you enough time during our appointment to really feel like you've made your best selection and the images are absolutely the ones you love. We will always go through them one by one and side by side until you are 100% ready. But I know things sometimes feel different once you leave the studio.
1) If you are absolutely sure of the photos you selected, you will receive your downloadable gallery within a few hours. However, since a digital product is a non-returnable product, we can sit on it for 24 hours for you to be sure before photos are released. We can schedule another appointment or Zoom call so you can see them again.
2) If you have selected prints, wall art or an album, I wait 24-36 hours before ordering to allow payments to go through or in case you change your mind on something. These items are also not returnable especially after I have submitted it to my lab due to its personalization nature.
All sales are final, but you are welcome to purchase more at a later time!
{Q} How long will it take for my printed products to arrive?
{A} Digital products will be sent within a few hours of selection unless we have made other arrangements at the order appointment. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of tangible items. Once the items have been delivered, I inspect them carefully for quality assurance and it passes my high expectations before they are given to you. We took so much time to prep and shoot and order, that I want nothing less than the absolute best product to be placed lovingly into your hands.
{Q} Can I have the products shipped to my home instead to shorten my wait time or eliminate a step?
{A} I really love the ability to quality inspect each printed item so I only hand over shipshape products. How disappointed you would feel if you opened your album and found it to be damaged.
If you are from a location that I am unable to hand deliver it to you or you cannot come to pick up your order, we can ship it to your location but there will be a shipping cost involved and I am unable to help you in some instances if your product does not arrive in superior condition. This would be a case by case scenario - but if at all possible, it is best to let me service you to the fullest by having items shipped to my location first.