Portrait Photographers Rochester NY | Frequently Asked Questions

How do I schedule my portrait session with Dear Blossom Studios?

To schedule a Rochester NY portrait photography session with us, you’ll first want to send us an email (hello@dearblossomstudios.com)! You can also use the contact form on our website to get the ball rolling. We’ll talk about the type of session you’re looking for, solidify pricing, and suggest some possible dates and times. 

Once all that is decided, we’ll send you over a standard contract and model release to sign, as well as an invoice for a non-refundable retainer. Your retainer will typically equal half of the session's total cost and is used to hold your chosen session date. We’ll also send you a client questionnaire to complete in advance of your session so we can learn a bit more about you and your style. 

The remainder of your session fee will be due a few days before your session. At that time, we’ll also send you an email with some helpful information and directions to our studio (if applicable).

Do all of your Rochester NY portrait sessions take place in the studio?

Like many Rochester, NY portrait photographers, we love our studio space and many of our clients choose to have their sessions there. (It's an especially great option during the winter!)

However, we also do plenty of portrait sessions outside of our studio. Our Rochester photography studio is ideal for headshot sessions and boudoir sessions, in particular. But we’re more than happy to go elsewhere for your session. For instance, our goddess sessions and senior portrait sessions usually take place outdoors. We can flesh out all of those details when we book your session and can provide you with suggestions if you’d like to go elsewhere.

Can you explain the difference between your headshot options? 

Sure! We wanted to differentiate between more corporate headshots (like what a business professional might use on their LinkedIn) and performer headshots (what an actor or singer might submit for a film or stage audition). 

Our professional headshot package is more along the lines of what you might use for a website bio, social media, or other business endeavors. Whether you’re a recent college graduate who is venturing into the professional world for the first time or your most recent photo is from a decade ago, this headshot package can allow you to make the right impression in the workforce. Find out more about our professional headshots.

Sammi, our creative director, is an actor and singer – so it was important to us that we also provide something special for Rochester’s community of talented performers. Our actor and performer headshot package is tailored specifically for those who are looking for dramatic, comedic, commercial, or artistic photos they can use for creative endeavors. We also make it super easy for our clients to order printed headshots through their gallery and have them shipped right to their door! Get the details on our headshots for performers.

Do you offer family or couples’ sessions? What about team headshots for businesses?

As much as we would love to capture special moments between you and your loved ones, Dear Blossom is a personal portrait studio. All of our packages are geared towards single clients – like senior portraits, headshots, branding photos, and boudoir sessions. We're passionate about providing a personalized experience in a safe and nurturing environment that's all about you.

While we're happy to chat about team headshots for small businesses of fewer than 5 employees or organizations that are wholly aligned with our mission, we typically do not offer headshots for larger groups. Contact us for further information or to discuss your unique situation.

Regarding family and couples sessions: If you enjoy the photographic style we offer at Dear Blossom Studios, Emma offers photo sessions for families (including engagement portrait packages) separately through her own website. Please feel free to email her directly to book!

What if I don’t want my photos to be shared publicly?

That’s totally fine! We want to do everything possible to respect your privacy, particularly if you’re still in school or need to keep a low profile. You’re under no obligation to sign your model release. Just let us know that you want to keep your session between us.

That said, we do love sharing amazing photos of our clients on social media and our website! If you're thrilled with your photos and you feel comfortable with us sharing them, this is a great way to help us grow our studio. No pressure whatsoever, but we're always delighted when we get a chance to show off how awesome our clients are!

I’m interested in booking a boudoir session, but I’m nervous about it. Do you have any advice?

We completely understand – and we’ve been there! We’ve gotten in front of the camera ourselves for this very reason. 

Here’s a secret: very few people feel truly comfortable right away during a boudoir session, even if it’s something they’ve wanted to do for a long time! We work really hard to ensure that our Rochester boudoir studio provides a welcoming, private, and safe environment for your session. We’ll blast some music, share some laughs, and guide you through the entire process.

Our biggest piece of advice is to wear something that makes you feel confident (rather than something you feel pressured to wear). We promise we’ll make sure you look good and feel amazing! We believe in boudoir for everybody and every body. We’ve worked hard to make sure our studio is a welcoming and safe space for all. Feel free to reach out to us with questions or concerns.

Can I bring a parent or friend to my session?

For senior portrait sessions, our clients are more than welcome to bring a parent along. If you’re feeling nervous about boudoir and would like some extra support, we can chat more about whether bringing a friend to your session will make for a more positive experience.

While we want our clients to feel as comfortable as possible, we've found that even well-meaning significant others, family members, and friends can unintentionally disrupt a session or actually make clients feel more nervous. We're happy to address concerns and accommodate +1s on a case-by-case basis. We just ask that you not bring anyone else along without discussing it with us beforehand. That way, we can prepare appropriately for your session and make sure you get the time you deserve.

How are you handling COVID-safe practices for photography studios?

At Dear Blossom Studios, we want our clients to feel as safe as possible. Please note that we are both fully vaccinated and boosted. We also ask that all clients who are physically able to be inoculated do the same.

We regularly disinfect shared surfaces and make sure that hand sanitizer and/or soap are provided for all clients who have their sessions at our studio. We typically stagger photo sessions within our studio to allow at least 48 hours between sessions. In addition, we ask our clients to sign a COVID-19 liability release form prior to their session.

We are happy to wear masks during your session for the sake of comfort and safety at your request. We ask that if you or anyone else in your household is experiencing any symptoms of illness that you reach out to us to reschedule. We reserve the right to postpone any session if we feel we would be putting ourselves or our clients at risk due to COVID-19.

I have a clear conceptual idea of what I’m looking for with my session. Can we collaborate on this?

Absolutely! We LOVE working on conceptual projects (like with our Dear Blossom Goddess Sessions!). We want you to feel excited about your session and we’d love nothing more than to bring your vision to life. We’ll do everything we possibly can to make it happen, from your ideal location to any props you might have in mind.

Feel free to reach out to us about your idea, even if it doesn’t totally align with the packages we have on our site. Please note that while we are happy to create something unique for your session, pricing may differ for customized shoots (especially if we need to source props or create a “set”). 

I don’t feel especially comfortable in front of the camera. Can you help?

You’re definitely not alone – and yes, we can absolutely help you! Emma is especially gifted at helping people feel confident in front of the camera. As long as you’re willing to play around a bit and have fun, we’ll take care of the rest. Our top priority is ensuring your comfort.

Am I able to get assistance with styling, hair, and makeup on the day of my session?

We provide styling help for all of our clients! Even if your session comes with only one outfit change, you can feel free to bring a bunch of options. We’ll help you decide what looks best on-camera and which choices will help you send the right message.

We know not everyone feels totally comfortable doing their own hair and makeup for professional photos. However, we do want to make sure that your photos actually look and feel like you! Our style is all about natural beauty. If you want a bit of extra help with your makeup or hair, we can discuss your needs when booking your session.

After my session, how long will it be until the edited photos are sent to me? How much editing do you do?

Typically, the turnaround time from your session date to when you’ll receive your digital gallery is three weeks. You might receive them sooner, but we want to make sure that we give your session the editing time it deserves. The number of photos you’ll receive will depend on what’s stipulated in the individual package.

As far as editing style, we like to keep things as light and natural as possible. When you receive your gallery, the photos will generally be edited for lighting issues and color correction. We're happy to perform heavier editing to correct any unforeseen issues with stray hairs, blemishes, shininess, etc. for your final retouched photos (note that this may incur an additional cost, depending on what's included in your base package). However, we try to fix those problems during the session itself to cut down on what needs to be edited. We encourage you to take a look at our website images to get a good idea of what you can expect with your final gallery. 

Do I own the final images? Can I buy physical prints? What do I need to know about sharing them online?

As part of your contract, your session photos are available for personal use. This means you can hang them in your house, upload them to social media, submit them to casting agents, etc. And yes, you can absolutely buy physical prints from your session! It’s easy to do right through your digital gallery.

With virtually any kind of personal photo session, the photographer retains copyright, meaning that Dear Blossom owns the full rights to the photos. Clients are not permitted to use their images for commercial purposes (e.g., anything you or someone else could personally make money from) without explicit permission. Third parties (like magazines) are not permitted to share images from your session without permission from us, either. If you're looking to use your photos on your book jacket or in an advertisement for your business, for example, we'll need to put a commercial contract in place. Please get in touch to learn more!

When sharing images, we ask that you give us proper credit by tagging Dear Blossom Studios and to refrain from editing the photos yourself. Using an Instagram filter on your photos will degrade the quality – and we want everyone to look their best! Please contact us if you’re dissatisfied with the editing style of your photos. We want to make sure you love the final result!