I'm pleased to announce that I'll be providing your child's photography needs this year!

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As a mom to two littles myself, my goal as a photographer is to capture the memories I'd like to have of my own children...capturing the natural, the fun, the authentic joy that is young childhood.  The following are some tips designed to make your child's photos session - often their first school photo session - a success!

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Before the Session

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What should my little one wear?  I have over 50 great backdrops on file, and each school selects their own.   Generally speaking, I love to see clothes that reflect who the child is now - favourite outfits, interests, etc.  At one of my schools, I photographed an Elsa and a Spiderman, and it wasn't even Halloween!  These were the characters the children adore at this point in their lives, and the smiles showed how happy they were.

 

 Should my little one bring something special?  Some schools allow their students to bring a favourite stuffy or toy to their photo session - please check with your child's teachers!  I am happy to involve the stuffy in a portion (but not all!) of the photo session, to ensure you have a few special memories of your child's favourite interests.

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Do I need to prepare my child at home?  Kindly do not stress about the session at home, and please do not put pressure on your child to smile or act in a certain way.  I specialize in working with young children and have a very high success rate in capturing their true personalities.  This means that in the majority of cases, I will be able to capture amazing smiles and natural images that will put a smile on your face and tears of joy in your eyes.  We all know the forced smile - children who feel the pressure to act unnaturally smiley will have images that are reflective of this.

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At the Session 

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What will happen during the photo session?  At the session itself, your child's teacher and I will work together to elicit laughs and smiles, to capture your child's personality and joy.  Sometimes this may take a few minutes to achieve, and we will take our time.  There's also the possibility that with some children, we are unable to capture exactly the images we'd like, especially with children under age 3.  However, I promise you that we will do our best.  If your very young child is uncomfortable with smiling, I will work towards creating images more serious in nature with expressions that still reflect your child's natural personality. 

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Can I be present?  As a parent, I know how much you'd like to witness your child's first school photos...however, I kindly request that no parents be present at the session.  The session itself can be overwhelming enough without multiple people suddenly exclaiming "Junior, look here!  Smile, smile!"  The exception to this is obviously children who are adamantly resolute in needing mom or dad there.  Unless your child's teacher agrees that a parent need to be present, we kindly request that you wait outside our makeshift photo studio.  The child will be accompanied at all times by a teacher/aide and myself.  

 

Can I capture a few quick memories on my phone?  For those parents who are present, either to drop-off or for children needing mom & dad, no cell phones or personal cameras are allowed to be used around the set.  I put a lot of time and energy into the work I do, and cell phone images greatly detract from the entire experience.

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Can I watch as they take the class photo?  I totally get it - watching a group of young children line up and smile for a class photo is ridiculously cute.  That being said, in a nutshell, kindly respect that we do not generally permit parents to be in attendance for the class photo, for the same reason as outlined above.  If you think it's difficult getting a child to focus on the camera when just one parent is yelling "Junior, smile, smile!"...just imagine what it's like when we have ten parents doing so!  

 

Rest assured that I have a great deal of experience working with group photos, and I can be amazingly successful in capturing the attention of groups of young children.

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I have other children; can you take their photos?  Yes!  A handful of times per year, I offer school sessions in my Ladner studio for children attending other schools.  These photo sessions are identical to those I offer to my schools, including the same product offerings and price lists.

 

Please visit my Child Portrait Minis site for upcoming dates, or contact me at kirsten@kirstenlauferphotography.com so that we can coordinate for your photos. 

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Can I have sibling shots done?  Yes!  I am happy to offer sibling shots during my in-studio Child Portrait Minis days; please book one session if you'd like solo shots of just one child, and two back-to-back if you'd like solo shots of each child and sibling shots.  If both of your children attend this school and you'd like to have sibling shots done during their school photo day, please notify your child's teacher so that we can coordinate.

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After the session

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How can I view my photos?  All of my student sessions come with a digital edited preview gallery from which you can select your images.  I put a variety of images - both portrait and landscape - in the gallery and aim to include a range of expressions, poses and personality.  

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You will receive a paper card the day of the session and/or an email containing the link to your child's secure digital gallery.  Each gallery has a unique passcode to ensure that your child's school photos remain private.  Galleries will generally be posted within 1-2 weeks of the session.  You will have a ~2-week window for purchases; late orders will be subject to shipping/handling fees.

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Are my photos edited? In keeping with my goal of providing authentic child portraiture, I offer clean, natural editing to all of my school clients.  I am happy to edit out a bump from Junior's fall earlier in the week, but prefer to not edit out temporary tattoos, stamps on hands, etc.  Why?  Because these are a part of who the child is right now...and the essence of what I'm trying to capture.  While that Elsa tattoo may seem annoying now, it will remind you of your little one's childhood passions and loves. Those are the moments my photography is designed to cherish!

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What types of products are available to me?  From these online galleries, you're welcome to order digitals, prints or any combination thereof.    There is a minimum order of $25; prints start at $10, and digitals start at $32.  Please see my price list​; prices subject to change.  All digital orders are high-resolution non-watermarked images perfect for all standard printing needs.  All print orders are completed through a high-end professional print lab who specializes in school photos.  The system allows payment either via credit card (Stripe) or PayPal.  Upon request, I can also accept EMT.

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How soon will I receive my order?  Digitals will be sent to the email address provided at check-out within a few days of receiving the order.  Print orders will be sent to my printer after the school's ordering deadline has passed.  Orders are usually distributed at the school 2-3 weeks after the deadline.

 

If you need your images ASAP for a birthday or holiday, I strongly encourage you to consider the digital option.  KLP is not liable for printing and/or shipping delays.

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How can I order the class photo?  Class photos will post to your child's gallery; you are welcome to purchase the class photo as a 5x7 or 8x10 option.  Due to privacy restrictions, I offer class photos exclusively as print options.

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How can I contact you?  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.  First and foremost, I'm a mom as well.  I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

 604.330.3933 | kirsten@klchildphotography.com.

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ONE LAST THING...

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Your child's privacy is important to me!

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I occasionally like to post a sneak peek on social media from my photo day at a particular school or add new kids' photos to my website and marketing materials. If you would be willing to give me permission to include your child's photo (never any names) for these purposes, please email me at kirsten@klchildphotography.com.

Thank you very much!

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The parents of the children whose photos are contained within have granted me explicit permission to use their photos as sample images.