Scheduling Your Session
When to Schedule with Alison Tapp Photography
When do I need to schedule my bridal session? How soon do people usually do maternity sessions? If I graduate in May and want to send graduation announcements how much time will it take to get my finished images?
There are many types of photography sessions and some of them are time sensitive. Knowing when you need to book/schedule your session can be difficult. Every photographer has their own workflow and turn around rate so the safest thing is to book your session as far out as possible. I can’t speak for every photographer but I decided to write this as a guide for booking with Alison Tapp Photography.
As I mentioned certain sessions are time sensitive like newborn photos that need to be done soon after a baby is born, or graduation photos that you’re wanting to use on your graduation announcement. In the sections below i’ve outlined the ideal timeline for different types of sessions. As you read over each section remember that while these are the ideal times for my photography I am willing to work within tighter deadlines.
Maternity and Newborn Sessions:
First lets talk about maternity sessions. These sessions are for you and don’t have an exact deadline but you want to do them around the right time. You obviously want to look pregnant so I don’t recommend doing your session during the early stages of your pregnancy; but you don’t want to be miserable either so waiting until the end isn’t ideal. Typically around 30 weeks is recommended for maternity sessions. Next is your newborn session. We all know that newborns have a look, typically after two weeks they look totally different than they did at birth. While its okay to wait a little longer to do a new born session I recommend scheduling it within two weeks of the baby’s birth. I just want to note here booking and scheduling are not the same, we can set a date for the newborn session in advance and change it if needed.
Senior Sessions:
Next are the senior portrait sessions. Most seniors like to use their images for graduation announcements meaning they need their images back with enough time to have graduation announcements printed. Before booking your senior session you need to find out two important dates. When you’re graduating and when you will receive your cap and gown. Once you know those dates you can book your session. Senior portrait sessions through Alison Tapp Photography all come with a set number of digital images; after the photoshoot each client receives an online gallery within three days to choose the predetermined number of images they want. Final edited images are delivered within one to four weeks (depending on the number of images) from the time the images are chosen. With all that being said it’s ideal to plan your senior session at least five weeks from the time you want to order graduation announcements. I realize sometimes this is difficult and I’m happy to work with seniors to make sure they have images for their announcements, so if your a little behind don’t worry five weeks is just my suggestion.
Engagement and Bridal Sessions:
Planning a wedding is tough and it’s helpful to know when each item needs to be checked off your list. The first photography session most people do once getting engaged is the engagement session. These photos are for personal use but engagement photos are often used for save the dates as well. Most wedding sites say it’s customary to send save the dates four to five months before the wedding. With Alison Tapp Photography the turnaround time for engagement sessions is four weeks from the day of the photoshoot. What this means is sessions that are to be used for save the dates should be done at least four weeks before you need to order save the dates. Bridal sessions, if you choose to do one, have the same turn around time as the engagement sessions. Most of the brides I’ve worked with have wanted a framed print from their bridal session to display at their wedding reception. If this is something you want to do I would aim to do your bridal session at least six weeks before the wedding. Keep this in mind when deciding dates to go dress shopping and if your dress will need alterations.
Other Personal Sessions:
Most other personal portrait sessions are not time sensitive. If you do however need images by a certain date my generic portrait sessions work just like my senior sessions outlined above. Each session comes with a predeterminded number of images. You will receive an online gallery within three days of the photoshoot and once you pick the images you want it will take one to four weeks to receive the finals.
Professional Sessions:
Professional portraits are on a case by case basis as each job is different. If you need professional portraits for a specific event, new website, etc., I would try and plan the session a month or two in advance. If you would like to know an exact timeline contact me about the job and we can talk about it!
Professional photography takes time as we don’t just take photos and hand them over. We spend a lot of time retouching and editing to make sure your images are perfect. That’s why I’ve written this guide, so my clients can plan ahead and know how soon they need to book their session. As a general reminder it is never to early to book a session and if you are a little behind we can always find ways to speed up the process!
Contact me here to book your next session.