Ever wondered how much work goes into a family photo session?

You arrive at your photo session, meet your photographer, you have fun together, the photographer clicks the shutter lots of times, and then you happily go your separate ways.  Job done!  Right?  RIGHT?!

Wrong!!   What happens during the photo session is only a part of the whole experience!  The work begins as soon as the initial inquiry comes in.  Once the booking is confirmed, the pre-shoot work-flow really begins.  The Jolly workflow looks like this:

• Enter client details into system

• Create client file

• Invoice session fee

• Send confirmation email

• Send questionnaire

• Send style guide

• Possible location scouting (can take 1-2 hrs)

• Video consultation to ‘meet’ and discuss everything

• Confirm exact time and location of session

• Complete and sending portrait contract

• Prepare shot list for session (must-have shots, shoot flow, pose ideas, etc)

• Prepare equipment the night before, including: charge all batteries, format memory cards, clean and pack lenses, extra CF cards, pack reflector, lights, toys for young children, etc

And then there’s the photo session itself…  I try and get there early to make sure everything is OK in the area I am shooing in, and to mentally prepare myself and get in the creative zone.  From the time the family arrives until I stop shooting, my brain does. not. stop. working.  Some of the things I constantly have to think about when photographing people are:

• Direction and quality of light, and how the light is falling on the subject(s)

• Background distractions

• How clothes/hair is sitting

• Wind direction

• Hand placement

• Posing/directing/guiding (even though my style is very natural), EVERYTHING is still directed

• Subject expression

• Shutter speed

• ISO

• Aperture

• Lens choice

• Focus

• Metering

On top of all that, I still have to keep the energy of the photo session upbeat and positive!  In terms of the energy I put into a session, it is always 100%.  My heart and soul goes into every.single.session.  This introvert comes out of her shell and does everything in her power to make it a great experience for her clients!

After the session, the post-shoot work-flow begins:

• Upload images

• Back up images

• Cull images

• Complete initial edit

• Schedule ordering appointment, or during this COVID time, upload and create an online gallery to send to client.  This stage always feels like you are putting your babies up for adoption!

• Anxiously await client response (hopefully they will realise all the hard work that went into those images and will let you know if they love them)

• Final edit (can take a few hours)

• Send invoice for payment

• Send receipt of payment

• Prepare images that are going to lab

• Package order

• Write thank you card

• Blog session

• Facebook images

• Close file!

Now, do you understand?  It’s not just a matter of taking a few pretty pictures.  It’s not just a matter of clicking the shutter.  You are not just paying for a 1-hour photo session.  You are not just paying for the paper the image is printed on. 

Each Jolly photo session is at least 11 hours’ work. 100% heart, soul, and energy go into every session.

Where else do you get that kind of experience? :)

If you would love Jolly portraits of your family, feel free to mail sandra@sandrajolly.com and we can chat :)

Peace and love xoxo

Teenage friends photo session in Djursholm | Stockholm Family Photography

Does this sound familiar… You have a baby or several. You think they are the cutest thing ever, so you have them photographed. You might do this a few times while they are very young. And then that baby turns into a teenager. Life gets busy though and you still have those nice photographs of when they were babies, so you never book a photo session for your teens! Before you know it, your teenager is packing up and preparing to leave home. You look around at your living room walls and see those cute baby pictures, but no recent photographs of your teenage child! Has this happened in your family?

The mother of one of these best friends looked at her beautiful daughter growing up right before her eyes and realised she needed to book a teenage friends photo session. These girls have been besties since they were two years old! One day, when they’ve had lots of big life experiences, they will look back at these photographs and wonder at who they once were. How they stood on the precipice of adulthood, having no idea of what lay ahead, but knowing they had each other.

If you would like to book one of the last available slots in October for a photo session, feel free to mail me at sandra@sandrajolly.com, or go to the Contact page above and we can start planning :)

Peace and love xoxo

Relaxed outdoor family photo session | Familjefotograf Stockholm

Have you thought about having a family photo session, but you’re worried about how your kids may behave? You’re probably not alone ;)

Jolly photo sessions are well known for being relaxed and easy-going. I don’t line everyone up and demand that they smile at the camera! We start off by chatting, maybe walking a bit, and getting to know each other. With very young families, it is really lovely to capture more candid, interactive family moments, or what us photographer like to call, ‘the in-between moments.’ Pictures of parents kissing their children, walking hand in hand or just cuddling, are usually the moments that make up young family session. In Jolly sessions, not everyone needs to be looking at the camera and not everyone needs to have a big grin on their face. It’s all about keeping things relaxed, natural, and emotive :).

If this approach to photography appeals to you, be it for your own photo session, a family session, or even an extended family photo session, feel free to mail me at sandra@sandrajolly.com, or go to the Contact page above and we can chat. I have a limited amount of sessions between now and November.

Peace and love xoxo

August Personal Faves | Family Photographer Stockholm

Anyone else feel like time has really picked up speed this year? I can’t believe we are already in the middle of September! Surely, it’s not just me feeling like this?! Reassure me please ;)

August already feels like a lifetime ago. Luckily though, I managed to take some personal pictures last month. This doesn’t happen every month, as I’m usually photographing my clients and that takes up a lot of time. I love getting natural pictures of my family, when they are in the middle of an activity or exploring, or just doing their own thing. Tiny snippets of their life that I just KNOW they will love to look at when they are older.

I have a few dates available in the coming months, so if you would like to book a Jolly family session, please feel free to get in touch via the Contact page above or mail me at sandra@sandrajolly.com. I provide my families with LOTS of tips about preparing for their session and what to wear to it, and we will even have a video chat so we can ‘meet’ before our session and talk through everything :)

Peace and love xoxo