When is the best time to shoot?

If you’re attracted to my my style aesthetically then 95% of my images that I share in my portfolio are captured during the golden hours of sunset or sunrise. The light is beautifully soft allowing me to capture the warn golden tone. These are ideally the best times for me to give you my signature look.

Some advantages of shooting at sunrise include:

• Temperatures will be the most coolest. Meaning in the hot summer months you’ll be less sweaty and uncomfortable.

• If your family is sensitive to light then this time of the day will mean no squinty eyes!

If you’re a vacationer and really want to capture the Caribbean blue waters then sunrise/sunsets are probably not the ideal time for this. If you’re after blue waters we can shoot early morning or early afternoon. Please keep in mind that the clarity of the sky and cloud coverage will effect the colour of the ocean and I cannot guarantee its colour tone.

What if it’s rainy or overcast?

If you have your heart set on a sunrise/sunset look then I am more than happy to reschedule. I do my best work in these lighting conditions so if weather is not ideal we can keep an eye out on the forecast and make the decision the day of. The great thing about living in Grand Cayman is that we get sunshine all year round so rescheduling is never a problem especially if weekdays are an option for you.  

If you’re vacationing and the timeframe won’t allow for a reschedule then the decision to go ahead and shoot is one of personal preference. Genuine and joyful portraits is always at the core of what I do so no matter the weather I’ll always capture real connections and images full of life.

What locations do you suggest?

I love shooting on the beach or in a “meadow/field”. I love working with beautiful green foliage where the light trickles through. I have a few favourite location spots I like to work with so depending on the time of the year, I will suggest one that is perfect for us! 

Then there’s the beach! Although Seven Mile Beach is stunning I do recommend shooting at a location more private to us.  Since it’s so busy on the sandy beaches sometimes I’m restrictive on the creativity portion as I’m working hard not to capture tourists and bystanders in your shots! Sunrise is great option if you’re a vacationer as the beach is relatively quiet at this time.

Depending on the time of the year and where the sun sets some of my favourite beaches to shoot at are South South Community Beach (Surfers Beach), Spotts Beach, Cemetery Beach, West Bay Dock, and the lovely Colliers Beach in East End. Other locations may include Camana Bay or in your own backyard!

If you’re looking for something different then let’s CHAT! I’m always up for something outside the norm.

How will the session run on the day?

Our time together will be laid back and pretty free flowing. In all my sessions I will get the standard posed and looking at the camera shots. I will gently direct you and your family throughout our session together to bring out all the genuine smiles. I’ll give lots of prompts that will lend to engaging with your children and each other rather than my my camera. 

If your children are older or we’re shooting a large extended family session then these sessions will naturally be more posed in nature. (I don’t think that 18 year old will appreciate being tickled by mom! ha ). Majority of the time is typically spent doing various posed group combinations. 

Don’t worry, I’ll never leave you hanging and wondering what to do next! 

How will you edit our images?

I take great pride in my editing and I’m very meticulous in getting the beautiful vibrant colours and tones in your photos. Light skin smoothing and other small retouches (an obvious scratch on a child’s face for example) will be done.  However, heavy retouching and photo manipulation is not part of my regular workflow. If you like more extensive edits those can be done at an additional charge. Sometimes depending on the request we may need to source the work out to the retouching pros.

Extensive retouching for an additional fees may include (excessive body slimming, face swapping, removing objects from backdrop, heavy sweat on clothes, changing colour of clothes, wrinkles on wardrobe, and so forth).  ***BUT If there is one photo that you love but something is off please let me know. More likely than not it’s something I can do at no charge. 

A gentle reminder to you, mom. You are beautiful. You are enough. Your children do not care what you look like. They will forever cherish the photo of their mom and them and feel your warm embrace in the image long after it’s been taken. 

What do I need to bring to our session?

What you bring will depend on who will be present at the session. Here are a few suggestions.

-Bug Spray!!! Especially if we’re heading out to grassy areas.

-HAIR brush! It’s Cayman….our hair will get frizzy. Bring one along so we can brush the frizz out if we need to 

-Towels: for drying off incase your sweet little toddler decides to jump in the water (which I hope they do! Ha! and bottoms for the drive home

-Water and snacks for the kids. Sometimes the little ones may get a little h-angry so having a timeout for a quick snack and drink is never a bad idea. Please avoid snacks that stain and are messy.

-A blanket throw. Especially if we’re going to a field. They work great for visual interest in a photo so if you have any ones with funky patterns or ones with beautiful colour please bring it! 

-Beach session: How about a kite or beach ball? Field session: bubbles, flowers, a cute fav stuff animal? Especially if you have younger children, these are great items to keep their interest and make for great photos.

What do we wear?

The number one question I receive! If you want to level up your session than putting some thought in the styling of your wardrobes is key! Sometimes the right clothes takes the image from great to AH-MAZING! 

When you book with you, you will will receive a styling guide with great tips and assistance with choosing colour schemes!

My main recommendation is to avoid wearing black. Black is just a colour that doesn’t look great against a golden warm backdrop and just soaks up all that light especially once I start editing. 

Another colour to avoid having everyone wear bright stark white. I know this is a go-to for beach sessions but it also doesn’t greatl. Ivory/beige/off-white is actually a great alternative. I know you’re probably thinking “Daria, what in the world is the big difference in white and ivory”. I get it but trust me when I say the subdued white just photographs softer!  It’s really the bright white we want to avoid (ie, plain cotton shirt).  If it’s a rich fabric or has nice texture like white linen then that’s the exception.

Don’t hesitate to reach out as I’m more than happy to give my opinion if you want to send me photos.

Included with each session is a private access to a great and easy styling service to ease the stress of what to wear all while looking amazing the day of.

When and how will we receive our photos?

You will receive a link to your online gallery approximately 4 weeks post session. From there you will be able to download your high-resolution images. PLEASE download the images and back them up immediately to a couple of secure locations. Technology is ever so changing and hard rives and flash-drives have a limited life span (3-5 years)! Unfortunately, I am not able to store your images indefinitely and once they have been delivered it is your responsibility to safeguard them.

I do offer packages where I supply a branded linen box and a 16gb USB with your photos. This can also be purchased separately. It is still the client’s responsibility to back up the USB drive.

Where do you recommend I print?

If you’re overseas your online gallery is linked to a professional print lab that I have been working with for years. 

As printers are not all created equally I cannot guarantee image quality from various labs.  If you’re going to print on your own please check out www.mpix.com, I have printed sample photos and Mpix most closely matches the true colours of the photos.

From my experience some places to avoid are Walgreens and Walmart.