Your Portrait Experience
From our first conversation to the photographs you choose and cherish.
01 — Planning Your Session
We talk about your vision, location, clothing, people, and what matters to you.
02 — Photographing Your Story
I guide you while leaving room for genuine connection and moments to unfold naturally.
03 — Your Proof Gallery
You get to see the photographs we created of the entire session and choose the ones that speak to you.
04 — You Choose Your Favorites
Select the number included in your collection, with the option to add more favorites.
05 — I Edit and Finalize Your Photographs
Your selected images receive individual editing and the artistic finishing that makes them JCo Artistry photographs.
06 — Your Final Gallery
Your finished photographs are delivered in your private online gallery, ready to download, share, print, and enjoy.
Why You Get to Choose Your Favorite Photos From Your Portrait Session
A more personal approach to choosing the photographs you will actually keep
When you book a portrait session with me, I don't want to decide for you which photographs are the most meaningful.
After your session, you'll have the opportunity to look through your images and choose the photographs you love most.
Because the photographs that speak to me aren't always the same photographs that speak to you.
Maybe I love the way the light falls across your face in one image.
But you might love the photograph where your child is laughing.
Maybe I see a beautiful artistic portrait.
But you see the photograph that captures your daughter's personality perfectly.
Both are valid.
Your photographs are about you, so I want you to have a voice in which images become your finished artwork.
What Happens After Your Portrait Session?
After we finish your session, I go through the photographs and create a proof gallery.
These images allow you to see the different expressions, moments, poses, and variations we captured during your session.
They are not the final finished photographs yet.
Think of this part of the process as your opportunity to curate your own gallery.
You can look through the images, take your time, and choose the photographs that mean the most to you.
Depending on the portrait collection you choose, you'll select your included number of favorite photographs — whether that's 10 to 45, or another amount included with your collection.
And if you fall in love with more than your collection includes? You have options.
Why Don't I Just Edit Every Photograph?
This is a question I think is important to answer.
Professional portrait photography isn't simply about taking hundreds of pictures and sending every frame through the same editing preset.
During a session, there can be many photographs that are technically good but very similar.
One photograph might have the perfect expression.
Another might have slightly better light.
Another might capture a genuine laugh.
Another might have beautiful movement.
Another might be the photograph where everyone is looking exactly where they should.
I don't want to make you pay for photographs you don't particularly care about.
Instead, I give you the opportunity to help narrow down the images that matter most.
You choose the photographs. I finish them.
Your Favorite Photograph Might Not Be My Favorite
This is one of my favorite parts of the process. As a photographer, I'm naturally drawn to things like:
- beautiful light
- composition
- movement
- depth
- interesting backgrounds
- emotion
- artistic details
But you're looking at your photographs through a completely different lens.
You may notice something I don't.
Maybe it's the tiny smile your son gave you.
The way your daughter's hand is holding yours.
The expression that reminds you exactly of who she was at that age.
The way your husband is looking at you.
Or simply a photograph where you think:
"That's so us."
That's why I don't believe there should be one person's definition of the "best" photograph. The best photograph is often the one that means the most to you.
Proofing Gives You Flexibility
Your proof gallery also gives you something else that is important: Choice.
Maybe you originally planned on choosing 10 photographs.
Then you see the gallery and discover that there are 14 you absolutely love.
Rather than having to make an immediate decision before you've even seen your photographs, you can see what we created first.
And depending on your collection, you may have the option to upgrade and include additional photographs.
This allows your session to remain flexible.
You aren't locked into choosing everything before you know what your photographs look like.
What Is a Proof Image?
A proof is essentially a preview of the photograph before it receives its final editing treatment.
It allows you to evaluate things like:
"Do I love this expression?"
"Does this feel like me?"
"Do I love this moment?"
"Which photograph captures my family best?"
The proofing process is not about judging whether a photograph is already perfect.
It's about choosing the photographs that deserve to receive the final finishing work.
Once you've made your selections, I take those chosen photographs through my full Editing Process.
From Proof to Finished Photograph
This is where my creative work really comes back into the process.
Once you select your favorites, I individually edit those photographs.
I work with the light, color, exposure, skin tones, background, contrast, and overall mood of each image.
Because every photograph was created under slightly different conditions, each one may need something different.
One photograph might need a little more attention to skin tones.
Another may need exposure adjustments.
Another might have beautiful backlighting that I want to preserve.
Another may have a completely different color environment.
Each selected photograph receives individual attention.
You can read more about that process here: →How I Edit Your Portrait & Wedding Photographs
Why Some Photographs Look Different From Others
You may notice that your final gallery doesn't look like every photograph was taken under exactly the same conditions.
That's intentional.
A portrait session might begin in open shade and finish in golden sunlight.
We might move from a grassy field to a wooded area.
You may change outfits.
The sky may change.
The light may become warmer as the sun goes down.
Even the colors surrounding you can influence the final photograph.
And Sometimes You Want More Than You Expected
You may go into your session thinking:
"I'll definitely only want 10."
Then you see your gallery.
And suddenly there are 18.
Maybe your children were particularly happy that day.
Maybe your husband surprised you by actually enjoying photographs.
Maybe we captured an image that you didn't expect to love.
Maybe there are several different photographs that tell different parts of your family's story.
That's why I offer the ability to upgrade your collection and add additional photographs, when available.
The Photographs You Choose Are the Ones That Matter
At the end of the day, I could tell you which photographs I think are technically the strongest.
But I can't tell you which photographs will become your family's favorites.
Only you can do that.
That's why I created my portrait experience around choice and flexibility.
You choose the moments that speak to you.
I use my experience and artistic eye to finish them.
And together, we create a collection of photographs that feels personal to your family.
Because your session shouldn't just be about having beautiful photographs.
It should be about having the right beautiful photographs.
Ready to See What We Can Create?
Whether you're planning family portraits, a couples session, maternity portraits, senior portraits, or simply want to document this season of your life, I'd love to create something meaningful with you.
