Frequently asked questions

Melissa when are the sibling sessions being held?

The sibling sessions were held after school in the week of 19 July.

I think I missed the memo regarding when the sibling sessions were on!  GAH!  Are you planning to do any more Melissa?

Sorry, I have no plans to hold any more sibling sessions this year.

I'm sorry Melissa, but I hate every single photo that you've taken of my child.  When will you be coming back for a second go?

Thank you for being so honest and upfront with me.  I appreciate your candour.  My goal is always for every person I interact with to be as happy as possible with the process as well as the end product. 

That said, I have no plans to come back to the school this year.

The nature of these photos is vastly different from that of an on location shoot where I'm able to invest a solid hour+ with each family. This is the reason I'm able to offer school photos at a substantial discount. I'd be happy to schedule a family or child standard portrait session with you, where we'll be assured of getting photos that you love. 

Products and Purchasing

Melissa, I just know that I'm going to love my children's photos and want to buy all of the things.  Can I bring a wad of cash and just give it to you at school?

Well you're very kind, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet....

Firstly, I expect no payment up-front.  I want you to see your photos first, and then make the decision of investing in them.

Secondly, I'm managing my whole workflow online, which is where you will view, order and pay for your purchases.  If you give me cash at school, it is unlikely to make it past the Bardon Shed.

It should all be very streamlined and user-friendly, but if the process gets at all complicated, just let me know and I'll do my best to sort it out.

Melissa, I have 11 children across five year levels.  I've done the sums, and I'm going to have to sell one of them in order to pay for photos of each of them.  Is there anything you can do to help me out?

Please don't sell your children, I'm sure I can work something out.....

Because our Class Photobooks are so special to the Rainworth Community, I am going to offer a 10% discount on the second and subsequent Photobooks that you purchase.

To make this work in my online store, I will need to give you a special code that you will use when checking out.  You will need to email me BEFORE you start shopping, telling me how many books you will be ordering.  And then I will send you the code.

Easy!

Also, have you considered buying a television?

My 11 children are in 5 different classes Melissa.  I've just tried to order some photos and it appears I have to go through the checkout for EACH CLASS.  Can this really be true?  Are you really making it this awkward for me?

I wish I didn't need to, but I am.  In order to ensure the privacy of the children in each Class group, the checkout is a separate process for each class.

Children's privacy is important, and in this circumstance it is winning out over checkout expediency.

Can I extend an olive branch by pointing out that there are no extra charges for checking out multiple times....?

Melissa my child is in Grade 6 this year and I know that a Yearbook is being developed for the Grade. Are we talking about the same things? I'm getting quite confused here.....

Confusion seems to be my predominant state these days, so you're in some good company!

Yes I am producing a Class Photobook, in addition to the traditional Senior Yearbook. The Senior Yearbook is gifted to all students at their Graduation, the Class Photobook (which is what these FAQs are all about) is available for purchase at your discretion.

Melissa can I choose which photo of my child goes in the Class Photobook?

You certainly can IF you are purchasing the book.  To do this, you click on the photo you want, go to the shopping cart, and order the book.  Easy!

If you do not order a book, I will choose the photo that goes in it.  And don't worry, I'll make sure it's a good one.

Melissa the black and white is very 'arty' and 'fabulous', but it's really not my thing.  Can I have my child's photo in colour please?

I'm sorry to hear that, because at this stage I am only offering the photos in black and white.  If colour is more your gig, you might like to consider having your family portraits taken?  I'm more than happy to talk to you about that if you're interested.

Melissa my darling child is a wearer of glasses.  In her photos there's this weird reflection thing going on....  In fact I think I can see you...?  Is there anything you can do about that? (No offence)

Lol, none taken!  I was at different spots all over the school, and some lent themselves to some spectacular reflections.  There totally is something I can do, and I'm happy to edit these out for you!  To make this happen, just email me after you have placed your order, with your order number, and I'll fix them up and get them back to you asap.

My child is extremely good looking - I mean, he is an *actual* angel that walks on the Earth.  I can't help but notice that he has only FOUR pictures in his gallery.  I mean they're good pictures, but some other kids have LITERALLY 12!  What the dang heck is going on Melissa?

Please don't take it personally!  The number of photos in your child's gallery has NOTHING to do with what they look like, or how I feel about them, or you, and EVERYTHING to do with how many different facial expressions I could capture during the short time we had together.

I do my best to elicit a range of different emotions from your lovely child. 
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't!

My primary goal is that they are comfortable during the short time we have together, and show only their true self.

Melissa, there are 12 pictures of my child in their gallery. 12!  Seriously?!  I'm a busy person.  I don't have the time to choose the best out of such a large number!  Couldn't you have just picked out the best four or something to make my life easier?

When photographing your child I do my best to elicit a range of different emotions - humour, embarrassment (for me), confusion, shock - in an attempt to have them make a range of facial expressions.  For me, the key is that they actually feel the emotions, it's not just me telling them to make a 'happy face', or to smile or laugh.

Some kids' expression changed very little during our short period of time together.
Some changed a lot. 
Yours was the latter.

Without me knowing your personal preference for an open-mouthed-eyes-closed-full-cackle face, vs a mouth-closed-looking-away-thinking face, I've given you both to choose from.

You're welcome.

On the day the photos of my child were taken, he had a massive scratch / bruise / pimple / chapped lips / food on his shirt / dodgy haircut.  You can just photoshop that right?

I totally can! (For all of those things except the haircut...)

I charge $10 per image for retouching.  There is an option in the shopping cart for you to add that on to your order.  Or, after you have placed your order, just send me an email with your order number and the details of what you'd like me to do, and I'll send you an invoice.