MEMBERSHIP FAQs
Q: Will I get my digital files right away, even if I’ve only made one or two payments before the session?
A: Yep! Once you sign up and make that initial payment, you can book your session immediately (you’ll get the link for the spring/summer calendar right away). Further, you will receive your gallery on my normal schedule (typically 2-3 weeks after the session), and will be able to download your files and use your print credit as soon as you have access to the gallery.
Q: What will I be able to get with my $150 print credit?
A: I offer a lot of really lovely items in my online store, and the print credit can be used toward any of them. Fine art prints are a client favorite, as are albums (you can put that $150 toward an album upgrade if you’re a Rose Gold Club member and want a bigger book or one with more pages). $150 more than covers a couple packs of greeting cards, some gorgeous deckled prints or a metal print. There are several other options, but those should give you a sense!
Q: How many photos can I put in my album if I join the Rose Gold Club?
A: Albums are 20 pages (10 spreads) long, so they will most likely hold as many of the images from your session as you'd like to include. That said, if you like album designs with fewer images per page, you may want to add pages. As I mentioned earlier, your print credit can be used toward album upgrades!
Q: I don’t really think I need family photos every year. Can I buy a membership this year, drop out for next year, then join again later?
A: In theory you can… but there are a couple of important issues to consider. Issue 1: My guess is that even if the membership doesn’t fill completely this year, by next year it will be full and spots might get hard to come by if members continue to renew (I don't anticipate adding new memberships, just offering any un-renewed spots during the annual enrollment period). Issue 2: it’s likely that the price will increase in future years. By maintaining continuous membership, you’re guaranteed to be locked in at the current rate. If you drop out and re-join, you will have to do so at the rates offered that year.
Q: Can I join the Membership Club if I don’t live in Naperville?
A: You certainly can, but your sessions will need to take place within 20 minutes of my studio. As you’ll see, I offer two session slots in a single day (morning and evening) in many places on the calendar. I therefore can’t commit to traveling further than 30 miles from my home for Membership sessions.
Q: I don’t understand the mini-session thing.
A: The mini-session option is something I wanted to offer to members simply because sometimes they come in handy. Let’s say you want to get a few professional family photos when your parents and siblings all come to town for an event, or you’re pregnant and would like a few photos of your belly but would rather schedule your “real” session when the baby comes, or you and your partner both need updated headshots… these are all examples where a 30-minute session with 10 files is plenty. I don’t offer those to the general public, but they’re going to be an option for all my members at any time, assuming I have availability (for instance, we can find 30 minutes during your pregnancy, but if your family is in town when I’m out of town, that might be trickier… all I can say is I’ll do my best). Don’t get thrown off, though: if you don’t need a mini-session, no problem. If you want it, it’s there.
Q: What if I sign up and there aren’t any session dates available that work for me?
A: While I can’t guarantee that a specific date and time will be available when you go to sign up, I am putting absolutely everything I can on the self-scheduling calendar. There are currently between 10 and 15 sessions available during every month of the calendar, most of them on Fridays and weekends. Even if the membership fills completely and every single member wants a late summer/early fall session, there are more than enough to go around, so the likelihood is that if you don’t drag your feet to the very end of enrollment and have at least a tiny bit of wiggle room in your calendar, you'll have several options.
Q: Can I purchase a membership as a gift?
A: Yes, but please note that the family that is photographed during the first year of enrollment will be the only family who can use that membership in future years.
Q: I have four kids. If I join the Gold Club, do they all receive a simple session in June?
A: Yes! The Gold Club membership includes an annual simple session for each child (18 and under) in the family, along with all the files from each session, no matter if you've got one kid or ten.
