From the Hip Photo

Our Process

relax:
you’re in good hands.

Most people have never hired a professional photographer and don’t know what to expect. Don’t worry–it’s painless. (You may even think it’s fun.)

Here’s a quick overview of how things work:

1: The Conversation.
After you shoot us an email or give us a call, the next step will most likely be to get together over coffee. We’ll discuss what you’re looking for, tell you a little about ourselves and our approach, show you some examples of relevant work, and answer all of your questions. We’ll also give you our standard agreement up front so that you can let us know if you have any questions about the contract.

If we’re meeting because you have an event you would like photographed, we will reserve your date for a week after our conversation. We do this as a courtesy to give you time to make an informed decision and to think of follow-up questions. Meet with other photographers, talk it over with your pets, consult your astrological charts–you’ll have time to do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable with your decision.

2: The Fun.
You’ve decided to move forward with us, we’ve swapped contracts, and the day of your shoot arrives. Now what?

We have a lot of experience leading individuals and groups through the actual photo shoot, so the best thing you can do is let us do what we do best. Don’t worry about how to stand or which way to look–we’ll take care of everything for you. Of course, we always welcome any ideas or feedback, so don’t be shy.

3: The Pudding is in the Proofs.
Within seven days of your shoot, we’ll send you a link to view your suggested pool of photos (or, if you prefer, the entire shoot) on our online proofing system. This client-only area is password protected, so you don’t need to worry about strangers coming across your images.

The system is ridiculously user-friendly: you can view image thumbnails, zoom in to take closer looks, compare photos side by side, and flag whichever ones you’d like us to perform retouching work on. If you have specific requests for a particular photo, there’s even space for you to leave us notes.

4: The Goods.
We’ve taken the photos, you’ve made your selections, we’ve retouched some shots… now you’re getting a bundle of goodies from us. Within 30 days of making your retouching selections, you will receive a few things from us:

• A (few) DVDs containing all of the images from your shoot–everything we photographed plus all of the retouched images, all at their full resolution, with no watermarks or any other funny business.
• A link to an online gallery of your retouched images, perfect for sharing with friends and family (or for making your enemies insanely jealous).
• A proofing system gallery of your best photos that you and your friends can use to purchase all sizes of beautiful, quality prints. (But only if you want to–we’re not pushy salespeople.)

That’s it! See, we told you it wouldn’t hurt too bad.