Frequently Asked Questions

My home studio is in the King Farm development in Rockville, Maryland. I am very close to Redland Blvd and Rte. 355 in a suburban neighborhood. Once you have scheduled your consultation, I will give you detailed directions.. I have an ample driveway and there is lots of open curbside parking in front of the house.  Because I have a home-based studio, my hours are by appointment only.

I understand that everyone wants digitals. Please consider one important thing: so many digital photos are lost, misplaced, or forgotten on a cloud. It is so important to have something more tangible in your home to remember and reconnect to these important events that we capture in photographs. Each of my sessions comes with a beautiful, artfully produced product to treasure as a keepsake or to grace the walls of your home. I will include digital files and small prints of images you choose. These can be used on social media or printed up to 7” x 7”. I would recommend that you purchase any prints or canvases from the links provided on the ordering website since color reproduction and detail may not turn out quite right if using another printer.

Click on the contact link to set up a time to chat and indicate a good window of time for you. I will get back to you as promptly as I am able. If it seems like a good fit, proceed with payment of the session fee to hold a place in my calendar.

I will attend deliveries at Adventist Hospital, Shady Grove Medical Center, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital and Medstar Montgomery Medical Center. The hospitals each have rules regarding the number of people allowed to be in the labor room with you. You can designate me as one of your “support persons.” My presence in the operating room is much less likely (although my prior occupation as an OB-GYN may be helpful). If you engage my services for delivery, we can speak about these details in a personal call.

Only deliveries that are hospital based at this time.

Depending on the type of session you choose, design choices will be reviewed at the time of the session consultation. Please avoid wearing stripes, plaids or shirts with a grid pattern (these create odd patterns in final images).

Muted colors, beige, white and black generally photograph well. Very bright colors or prints will call too much attention to clothing instead of people.

I typically do these sessions shortly after delivery, anywhere from 4 -10 days of age is ideal. They can be done later but the baby may be more wakeful, and some babies develop acne after 2 weeks. For babies born prematurely, individualized later scheduling is a good idea with 6 or 6½ pounds being a good size. Contact me anytime for scheduling, but 2nd trimester is ideal. I may have short notice availability, it’s worth a try to call.

About 2-10 days after the photo session, a Zoom session will be scheduled, and you will choose images and complete payment for your album or wall art at that time. The images will be professionally retouched prior to printing. Samples of several products can be seen in my studio space.

Delivery Room

I anticipate arriving about 1 hour before delivery and staying for about 1 hour afterwards. In reality, I may be there for much more time. Since labor and delivery are always unpredictable, a detailed consult about notifying me at the time of labor, discussing photography with your medical provider and medical staff is essential prior to going into labor, induction, or a scheduled cesarean.

Newborn

Sessions last 2-3+ hours. I leave plenty of time for baby to feed and settle. I will provide a prep guide prior to your session that will help things run smoothly.

Parent-Baby

Sessions last 1½-2+ hours with time for 1 outfit change for parent(s) and Baby

Cake Smash

Sessions last 1-1½ hours. Cake smash sessions have three parts beginning with pre-cake portraits of baby in a birthday outfit to show smiles, personality and expressions. Next, an optional change into a cake outfit (perhaps a romper) for photos of baby with cake. Lastly, I will aim to capture smiles and splashes in a little bathtub with bubbles. Optional sibling or family photos can be taken for an additional fee.

Yes, but only for Cake Smash sessions. A suitable open area needs to be available for the backdrop and lighting equipment. The minimum dimensions are approximately 10 x 12 feet. More is much better!

Yes. A link to a printer that will provide high quality images will be provided. Please note, having images printed elsewhere may not result in the images looking like they should. Color rendering may not be accurate.