Welcome.
I’m so glad you’re here, and I’m excited to make some art out of your life. This page has a little of what you can expect when you work with me—from how our session will unfold to a few things that will make the experience easier. My goal is for you to feel comfortable, enjoy your people, and let me take care of the rest.
About Me
First things first: Chanda (pronounced CHAN-duh—“Ch” like cherry, and it rhymes with panda). I’m a documentary family photographer and filmmaker who loves making art out of real life. The messy, funny, ordinary, meaningful parts of real life.
How to Prepare For Our Photo Session
I want our session to be laid-back and stress-free. You do not need to do anything to prepare, but I’m sharing the following suggestions in case you want some guidance.
What to Expect
Let’s hang out, and I’ll make some photos.
The best photos happen when everyone is relaxed. So we will take our time, and our session will unfold organically.
I typically start with ‘posed’ portraits while everyone is very aware of me and warming up, and then we move into a lovely place where I hope you guys will ignore me.
Occasionally, I will see a cool spot and suggest a portrait, but unless I’m telling everyone to look at me, I really do want to be ignored.
Don’t worry about “doing” something the whole session. For one thing, the doing nothing moments are often pretty sweet— loving on someone, or making someone laugh, is “doing” plenty. But I also don’t expect to be shooting every second, and I sometimes wait for pictures to unfold.
Your House
I love your house. The mess is even a part of your beautiful story!
But if you just have to prep a little, here’s what I’d suggest:
De-Clutter the rooms we might be in. Make the bed and put the remotes and chargers away. Look at the room with fresh eyes.
I prefer to use any natural light we can, so open up the blinds.
But in the end, trust me that while your mess might be in some of the photos, I will also get photos from angles that simplify the image. In the photos on the left, you can only imagine what this 3-year-old’s room looked like outside of the frame, and you can’t see the pile of stuff next to the couch. In the kitchen, the focus is on the connection, not the stuff. But the stuff is part of your story too, so don’t go crazy over it.
What to Wear
Let’s hang out, and I’ll make some photos.
The best photos happen when everyone is relaxed. So we will take our time, and our session will unfold organically.
I typically start with ‘posed’ portraits while everyone is very aware of me and warming up, and then we move into a lovely place where I hope you guys will ignore me.
Occasionally, I will see a cool spot and suggest a portrait, but unless I’m telling everyone to look at me, I really do want to be ignored.
Don’t worry about “doing” something the whole session. For one thing, the doing nothing moments are often pretty sweet— loving on someone, or making someone laugh, is “doing” plenty. But I also don’t expect to be shooting every second, and I sometimes wait for pictures to unfold.
What to Do
I love your house. The mess is even a part of your beautiful story!
But if you just have to prep a little, here’s what I’d suggest:
De-Clutter the rooms we might be in. Make the bed and put the remotes and chargers away. Look at the room with fresh eyes.
I prefer to use any natural light we can, so open up the blinds.
But in the end, trust me that while your mess might be in some of the photos, I will also get photos from angles that simplify the image. In the photos on the left, you can only imagine what this 3-year-old’s room looked like outside of the frame, and you can’t see the pile of stuff next to the couch. In the kitchen, the focus is on the connection, not the stuff. But the stuff is part of your story too, so don’t go crazy over it.
Prepping Your Family
Let’s hang out, and I’ll make some photos.
The best photos happen when everyone is relaxed. So we will take our time, and our session will unfold organically.
I typically start with ‘posed’ portraits while everyone is very aware of me and warming up, and then we move into a lovely place where I hope you guys will ignore me.
Occasionally, I will see a cool spot and suggest a portrait, but unless I’m telling everyone to look at me, I really do want to be ignored.
Don’t worry about “doing” something the whole session. For one thing, the doing nothing moments are often pretty sweet— loving on someone, or making someone laugh, is “doing” plenty. But I also don’t expect to be shooting every second, and I sometimes wait for pictures to unfold.
What to Expect After the Session
Your Photos
• A couple of weeks after each session, you will
receive an invitation to view your gallery.
• From there, you should download and store
your digital photos safely, and you can peruse
the professional print lab offerings.
• If you would like to purchase prints or an
album, you can do that through the gallery.
• Reach out to me if you’d like me to design an
album for you. Once designed, I will add it to
your gallery shop, where you will review the
design, choose your cover options, and
purchase your album.
Prints + Albums
• A couple of weeks after each session, you will
receive an invitation to view your gallery.
• From there, you should download and store
your digital photos safely, and you can peruse
the professional print lab offerings.
• If you would like to purchase prints or an
album, you can do that through the gallery.
• Reach out to me if you’d like me to design an
album for you. Once designed, I will add it to
your gallery shop, where you will review the
design, choose your cover options, and
purchase your album.
FAQs
-
We can reschedule for any reason—I want you to love your photos. Because it’s Atlanta and the forecast is often so wrong, I’d like to wait until just before our session to actually call it. I’ll text you if I’m concerned about the weather, and feel free to reach out first.
-
Sometimes newborns don’t want to be put down, and that’s fine. We will get beautiful close-ups of your baby in your arms. Sometimes older siblings don’t want anything to do with the session, but as long as they are there, I will make beautiful photos of your life just as it is right now. Tantrums don’t faze me, and I’m thrilled by family chaos.
-
The short answer is no. It’s all a part of your story, but if it’s going to bother you, I’d rather reschedule our session for a time when this has passed.