Welcome to
The Client Lounge
I am so honored that you have trusted me to capture moments for your family to cherish for a lifetime. I do not take this lightly as I know both your time and your investment is so valuable. My promise to you is to provide you with a fun, laid back, and simple experience. I've created this space for you in order to help you feel prepared for your session and put any worries you may have to rest. Here you can find valuable information on what to expect, how to prepare, tips, and hopefully answer any additional questions you may have. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email!
I can't wait to capture you!
xoxo
Stephanie
What to Expect
As you know by now this will be a very magical and special opportunity for your children to meet and bond with Santa. Meanwhile, while they are busy having fun, I will be behind the camera capturing each and every special moment for you to have and cherish forever.
Your children will not simply be sitting with Santa and asked to smile, nope! They will have the opportunity to talk with Santa, read, snuggle, play, and much more!
Please arrive to your sessions on time. These sessions are booked back to back and any amount of time that you are late will need to be deducted from your session time. Please wait on location in your car until no earlier than 5 minutes before your session time. This prevents us from having a large gathering of people and helps to keep the session in progress to be intimate and private.
The exact location is still being determined however, I do know that it will be located indoors at a studio near the Phoenixville area. As soon as a location is determined you will be notified. When you arrive I will be busy shooting the family ahead of you, but you will meet my assistant who will greet you, confirm your name, and show you were to wait while I wrap up the previous Session.
Once it is time for your session to begin, your children will be introduced to Santa, and he will take it away from there!
Once your children have met with Santa, I kindly ask that any parents/adults who are acoompying your children to please take a step back and allow Santa to bond with your children. Please know that Santa and I are both experts on interacting with your children and prompting them to encourage laughter and smiles. While we understand your intentions are pure, please understand that calling your children to look and smile can overwhelm your child and actually make things more difficult. Santa and I will do our best and use out knowledge and skills to hopefully get your child(ren) smiling naturally. This also ensures that you are not accidentally captured in any images :)
Once your session is complete, you will receive a link to your private online proofing gallery no later than December 4th.
What to Wear
It's no secret that choosing what to wear plays a big role in the final result of how your images will look. Here are some of my top tips and suggestions for how to dress your kiddos and help them look their best when its time to meet Santa!
1. Colors
Christmas is one of those holidays with a beautiful range of color schemes. Keep this in mind while selecting outfits for your children. Winter greens, whites, creams, golds, silvers, deep blues, and dark reds all go together beautifully and enhance the sprit of Christmas in your images.
*Keep in mind that Santa will be in all red, so if you dress your child in solid red, they will likely blend right in with the big guy. Instead, use red in patters and prints. *
2. Accessorize
Adding accessories can be a fun way to spruce up any outfit. Accessories can come in the form of bows. hair ties, bowties, suspenders, scarves, earrings, gloves, hats and more. Don't be afraid to play around and have some fun here!
3. Lastly, have fun with it!
Christmas is the perfect time to really have fun with it! There are so many different cute themes that you can go with when it comes to photos with Santa. I'll list some of my favorites to spark your mind.
- Classic Christmas Plaids (don't go overboard here)
-Christmas Jammies - dress your kids in a cute pair of PJ's & Slippers
- Christmas classy - tutus, suits, fancy dresses, and bowties
- All bundled up - Dress them like they little Eskimos (hats, scarves, gloves, boots, etc.)
- Christmas sweaters - A good classic sweater never goes out of style
- Fun with textures - Velvets, fur, sequins, tulle
- Classic Black & White - A more modern take on a Christmas theme
For the newborns & Babies
Babies first Christmas is a special time to celebrate! Wether you choose to dress your babe to the 9's or keep it simple with jammies you really can't go wrong. Here are some fun ideas to play around with:
- dress your babes in a elf costume - Google it...its adorable
- My 1st Christmas outfit - let em' know!
-Customized Santa hat
- Dress those babies up - Is there really anything cuter than a baby in a bowtie or tutu? I think not
Preparing your kids
Whether your kids are super excited to see Santa, a little nervous, or aren't old enough to understand prepping your kiddos before to shoot can help things run smoothly.
Check out this blog post where I talk about how to help your child rock their photoshoot.
Last year quite a few parents were surprised to find that their children weren't so comfortable around Santa. Even the most extraverted kids can sometimes feel overwhelmed initially. I want to assure you that our Santa is very talented and has over a decade of experience working with children so he is wonderful at helping kids get comfortable. Here are a few things that Santa and I can do to help and still get some great memories captured:
- Capture the fear. Sounds harsh but its actually kind of adorable and a very realistic memory of how it went that year. Don't worry, we don't torture your children with crippling fear, Santa and I have prearranged that if any children are afraid and begin to cry he makes a quick surprised face, I snap a shot and we move onto helping your kids feel comfortable.
- pretend that Santa has "left" I'll capture some portraits of your child individually and get them distracted. On my cue, Santa will sneak back in and get behind your child. Last year we were able to get lots of great happy smiling children that way.
-Santa has (literally) a bag of tricks. He will often use them if he sees a little one getting upset to help them feel comfortable.
- If all else fails, I will photograph your child(ren) without Santa so you can still get some great Christmas portraits for the season.
FAQ's
I have multiple kids, how will you stage the photos?
For families with multiple children, your children will be visiting with Santa as one group. If you have more than one child they simply will be sharing the time slot with Santa. I will try my absolute best to get individual portraits of each child with Santa, but it is not guaranteed. Should you prefer, you are welcome to book one session per child to ensure individual portraits of each child.
That's It!
Thank you Again
I just want to thank you one last time for trusting me to capture these special moments for your family. I want you to know that I don't take that trust lightly.
I am SO EXCITED for this very magical event! I can't wait to see the smiles on your children's faces and the spirit of Christmas in full bloom!
Until then, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay happy!
xoxo
Stephanie
