Answers to some frequently asked questions:

Ah, this one is so easy! Just email jj@belovelyphoto.com! If you don’t hear back within 48 hours, please text us at 314-496-4336.

Once you know that Be Lovely Photography is available for your event, we send over a contract and an online invoice for the retainer to document your event. Retainers are non-refundable and are only transferable upon a discussion. All the details of your event will be in the contract, a copy is kept in our records.

Great question! In our slow season, galleries can be up as quickly as 2-4 weeks. When we are shooting in peak event season, galleries may take 6-8 weeks. We usually post a few preview pics on our Instagram page to hold you over, and please contact us if you need an image sooner for a card or announcement. We can add a clause in your contract if you wish to have no images on social media or online.

Regular family sessions last about 60 minutes. Mini sessions are 30 minutes. Senior portraits are 90 minutes and include outfit changes. Maternity sessions are about 45 minutes. Newborn sessions run 60-90 minutes.

Headshots can be as quick as 15 minutes. Branding sessions depend on the amount of products/people/sets.

We try and arrive a few minutes early so we are ready to start when you arrive. If you're going to be late, please text or call so we aren't waiting for you for long. In our busy season, it's common for us to schedule back-to-back sessions, so a late start will effect others.

Early morning and late afternoon, right before sunset is the best light for photo sessions. Of course, sometimes those times don't work for everyone so we can make it work. But there's a reason the hour before sunset is coined the "magic hour" for beautiful light.

It really depends on what shoot you have. Mini sessions result come with 10 downloads, but you’ll have about 40-50 to choose from. You can purchase more if you’d like. Full family sessions can result in 100 images. Newborn, senior, and extended family sessions can have 100 plus. Weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, and Events generally result in around 80-100 final images per hour of shooting. A print release is provided to you with the gallery.

No! We pride ourselves on editing in a very tasteful and timeless fashion. We don't use excessive filters or editing that makes people look different from reality. We will provide a few images in black and white (B&W). We do not give our clients RAW files, as we consider editing to be a major part of our service.

What a great thing to ask someone that you will be paying a service for! Yes, we carry business insurance and review our policies with our insurance provider to make sure we are properly covered every year. We avoid photographing events in condemned or illegal places, safety is very important to us.

Unfortunately, your print release is for personal use only. If you are interested in using our images for commercial use, we have separate rates and contracts for that specific licensing purpose, just email us for details!

YES! Our business can only stay in business with positive referrals. We also finally opened up google reviews (20 years later…)

Well, that's a great question that no one can really answer. Through experience, we know that kids feed off the energy of others. If everyone around is stressing about a session, the session will probably be stressful.

Know that you may not always get the perfect "everyone is in a straight line and smiling with perfect hair and nothing distracting in the background" image every time; this is real life. If the session is just going horribly awry, we may talk about rescheduling at no additional cost, but that's only happened a few times in 20+ years. If your kiddo is sick on the day of the shoot, please text/email to reschedule. 

We want you to be safe, and though we are properly insured, we strive to keep people from getting injured. Session locations need to be agreed upon in advance between client and photographer, so we will all be on the same page. Since its against the law to break into an abandoned building, we would hate to get arrested during your session. 

Of course you can! We ask that you give us a photo credit somewhere attached to the image (that's how we stay in business!).

Well, there are many paths to becoming a photographer. Some people go to school/college for it, some people learn/study under another photographer, and some people are self-taught. I suggest finding the right path for you and start practicing, but a photo session isn't the right time to learn everything about the trade.

No, we retain all the raw files when we do photo sessions. Once galleries are edited and backed up, we delete the raw files because we provide the highest jpeg files to our clients for prints.

Galleries are stored safely in 2 spots and in online cloud storage for 10 years. Per client contracts, we guarantee storage files for 1 year after your session. Please download your entire session immediately upon receiving the gallery and store on external hard drives and the cloud for safe keeping.

How did you know we have kids?! Though we are fans of bribery and will certainly not judge you for bribing your kids during a photoshoot, we generally don't keep any good snacks to give you or your kids. But seriously, feel free to bring some along if that helps!

We allow for some warm-up time to get your child used to what’s happening, and that helps a lot. We also encourage some fun play, it makes for great photos and the kids don’t think being photographed is awful!

Yes! We have LOTS of friends in the photography business that we enjoy sharing references with. Message us for a list of names!

Yes, I am a HUGE ally and support people and families from all walks of life. Hate is NOT tolerated at our sessions and this is a non-negotiable. I strive to only support other vendors that are also allies, so we can vet for you.

I have been a Canon user since I switched to digital, many years ago. My lenses are Canon and Sigma, my flashes and off camera lighting is Godox. I try to upgrade frequently keep informed of all the newest products and gear.

Yes! Most of the things we photograph don’t fit into a box. Many events and branding sessions don’t conform to a specific package, so we can work with you to try and find something that fits your photographic needs.