“Watch Me Grow” portrait plans are our baby portrait plan, with three or five portrait sessions over the course of one year. Generally, these are newborn, three, six, nine and 12 month portraits with the five session plan or simply newborn, six months and 12 months with the three session plan. Not everyone starts with newborn portraits. Many clients choose to start at three months, some at six months and some even later. You should never feel its “too late” to sign up for one of our plans.

Watch Me Grow Basic Package: $600

-Up to three studio sessions in your child’s first year (Generally newborn, six months and 12 months)

-Three retouched digital images per session (printable up to 8×10)

-Choice of one background and two outfits per session

-Additional fees apply for adding family members, location sessions or weekend times.

Watch Me Grow Standard Package: $1000

-Up to five studio sessions in your child’s first year (Generally newborn, three months, six months and 12 months)

-Five retouched digital images per session (printable up to 8×10)

-Choice of two backgrounds and up to three outfits per session

-One session may include family

-One session may be done on location

-Additional fees apply for weekend times or family/location sessions beyond what is included

Watch Me Grow Premium Package: $350

-Up to five sessions in your child’s first year (Generally newborn, three months, six months and 12 months)

-10 retouched digital images per session (printable up to 8×10)

-Choice of three backgrounds and up to three outfits per session

-All sessions can include family

-All sessions can be done in studio or on location

-Additional fees apply for weekend times

Additions to Watch Me Grow Portraits:

Additional subjects: $49 per session

Saturday availability: $49 in addition to session fee

Location fee: $49 in the greater Tallahassee area

Standard Studio Session: $100

Single studio session for one child (older than 3 months) with retouching of all final images, in studio order session and online proofing.

Standard Newborn Session: $150

Single studio session for one baby (less than one month old) with retouching of all final images, in studio order session and online proofing.  Add siblings and parents for $50.

Petite Newborn Session: $100

Studio session for baby less than three weeks old.  Baby will be wrapped for the full session and will be posed with two prop set ups and one blanket set up.  Includes session consultation and in studio order session.

Saturday availability: $50 in addition to session fee.

Ideally, we like to have newborns in the studio before they are two weeks old. Babies change so much in the first month and the first two weeks are when we have the chance to get all the snuggly, sweet sleeping baby images. After the two week mark, many babies get “baby acne” which can last 6-8 weeks. At that time they also start their first big growth spurt and it can be difficult to get them to settle down away from mom. If you can call the studio either from the hospital or as soon as you get home, we can get you on the calendar as soon as possible. Generally, we can get a session scheduled within about two weeks, depending on the flexibility of your schedule.

At the newborn session, they are generally asleep the entire time, we photograph them in simple clothing and often without clothes. At three months, most babies can lay on their tummies and push up on their elbows. At six months, most babies are sitting up on their own, smiling at everything, but not quite crawling yet. At nine months, most babies are crawling and pulling up to stand. At a year, most babies are walking or standing unassisted. Many babies do not hit these milestones EXACTLY at the 3, 6, 9 or 12 month mark. Its totally okay to delay a session to document that exact milestone and the studio will work with you on scheduling to make sure you get the most out of your Watch Me Grow plan!

Each different Watch Me Grow plan includes a different number of outfits allowed.  We always start with the outfit that is the most important and go from there, as little ones don’t always let us change their clothes. We can also do different backgrounds at each session based on which package you choose, so you may want to choose some of the outfits that will go well with the same background.

This largely depends on the type of session. Newborn sessions in the studio can last up to two hours, while older baby sessions can take as little as 30 or 45 minutes. Location portrait sessions in Tallahassee generally last about an hour. We recommend blocking off 1 1/2 hours for a child’s portrait session to ensure you are not rushed and 2 1/2 hours for a newborn portrait session.

We have a limited amount of clothing– overalls, tutus, etc. but we do have a wide selection of props. You are always welcome to email to ask about a specific prop or idea, or you can also come hunt through our prop room to see what you like!

Clothing choice is a very personal decision, but we do have some general guidelines that can help.

Solid colors photograph much better than patterns, but if you are looking to have a pattern, try to find a very simple design, or keep the busier pattern away from the face, or in small quantity.

Siblings do not need to match exactly, but try to choose similar tones (think browns and natural colors, or everyone in shades of blue). Do not have one person in a very light color and the other in a dark color.

Choose clothes that are well fitting, shirts with sleeves and nothing that needs a lot of attention or fussing to lay properly, so we can focus on having fun and getting great portraits, rather than fighting with an outfit. Definitely try all their clothing on before the session to ensure a good fit!

Timing of your portrait session is critical to getting the best images possible. Location sessions are best early and later in the day, while studio sessions can be scheduled any time. The exact location can also play a part in this decision, so consult the studio about the best possible time for any location you have in mind. Also consider your baby’s schedule when booking your session– we STRONGLY encourage ALL children and baby sessions to be scheduled as early in the day as possible to ensure they are in the best mood! Scheduling a session late in the day or during a child’s naptime may be the most convenient, but it often leads to a less than ideal portrait session.

If you are looking for portraits on a specific date or time, it is best to contact the studio as soon as possible to ensure you can reserve that time before anyone else does. If you have a more flexible schedule, we can generally get you on the calendar within two weeks of you contacting the studio. In busier times of year such as Spring or Christmas, it is best to plan your session 4-5 weeks in advance.

For children, it really depends on their age. For babies and toddlers, bring some of their favorite toys, snacks, bottles, pacifiers, etc. For older children, you are welcome to bring any toy or special item to include in the images or a reward for when the session is finished. For a child’s portrait session, we can do up to three outfits, so you may wish to bring a variety of outfits with you so we can match them up with backgrounds and props and allow you to choose when you are at the studio. If there is a prop you have seen in our portfolio, please contact us to ensure availability and sizing.

Small blemishes, bruises and scratches should not be cause for worry. We retouch all of your images and these minor imperfections are not a problem. With more significant issues such as large scratches, black eyes, etc. you should contact the studio immediately to consult about rescheduling the portrait session.

Sick children are not fun, they are not happy and they do not make for good photographs. They also expose us and our other clients to illness, so we ask that you reschedule your session if your child is not well. Please be courteous to both us and our other clients and notify us as soon as your child becomes ill, so that we may reschedule your session and offer the original time to another client.

About a week after your portrait session, we have you come into the studio for your order session. At this session we show you all the final images and show you a variety of products including designed pieces, wall portraits, frames, canvases, storyboards, etc. It is best that anyone involved in making the purchase is present at this session, as many of the products are only available at this time and this session gives you the best pricing for all of our products. Orders are sent for retouching immediately after the order session and most orders are ready for pickup in three to four weeks.