Your Baby’s Portraits
Secrets to Preparing For Your Sessions-
A Guide For Great Photographs
Secrets to Preparing For Your Sessions-
A Guide For Great Photographs
About The Artists-
A portrait, by definition, should portray. It should go beyond showing just a view of a face, it should reveal the soul of a person. Anyone with a camera can take a “picture”, but it takes a special degree of sensitivity to create an image that stirs the emotion of the viewer.
This is the goal we have for everyone who lays, sits, crawls or stands before our camera - to bring out the inner beauty and personality- each of us has. It might mean showing the closeness of a family, the bonding between Mother and Child, the innocence of childhood or the purity of a newborn baby.
The key to the success of your portrait lies in spending time prior to and during the photography session talking about your needs, your desires, your fears and your objectives. The more prepared you are for your session, the easier it will be for you to be relaxed, look better and receive from us a portrait you will be proud to own or give as a gift.
When we started our business in 1982, we aspired to produce the finest photography we were capable of, without compromise. We have never regretted that decision and neither have our clients. Quality does not go out of style. It costs less in the long run, and is always appreciated by those who know the difference. You see—a portrait you truly love is priceless...and one that you hate, is worthless!
Visit us at www.ostoya.com and see for yourself.
Thank you for your confidence,
Christine and Steve Ostoya
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Thank you for letting us create your one-of-a-kind portraits!
We appreciate the opportunity to create your priceless portraits and hope this guide will answer all of your questions. If you have a question that has not been answered to your complete satisfaction, you may call us at 559-221-1303 during our regular business hours, Tuesday - Friday 10-6 and we will be glad to help.
Nothing is left to chance
One of the unique factors about our studio is that planning plays a key part in the beauty of the images we create. Some of the information here may seem simplistic to some and a “life saver” to others. We feel it’s better to know something, than to know nothing.
What can I expect?
Our clients are always telling us how the photography is so “painless” in comparison to chain-store studios. May we be brutally honest? If I had a dollar for every client who calls us and tells me of the “horrible” experience they had elsewhere...well there would be no reason to send this information to you. However, because of our love for family and our love of photography (to capture not just what families “look like” - but what they are like), I believe you will find the “total” experience an absolute pleasure.
Now... I have this gift card, and my appointment
scheduled, What can I get with this card?
There is no catch to this - your card is worth $175 in our studio towards photographic sessions and portrait prints. You may simply decide to do a single “mommy and me” session (a $75 value), and choose your free digital portrait - or instead apply the balance of your card towards the purchase of a wall portrait, some gift size prints, or perhaps a multi-pose wall folio (see samples throughout this guide), or even any package we offer.
OR- maybe you’d like to join our Baby Plan. You’ll learn more about our Baby Plan as you read through this information, but basically in Baby Plan, we photograph your baby at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and at the end of the year you’ll receive a composite panel with 1 pose from each of the 4 sessions. The baby plan is offered as a special $214 value so your card + $39 can be applied to Baby Plan and have it paid in full.
Due to the incredible demand for our style of photography and services, the Baby Plan is always subject to availability at the time of your session. Because we reserve appointments 3 months in advance and we will not OVER BOOK our services, we will advise you of availability at the time you view your portraits. If you wish, you may sign up for our baby plan at that time.
What you get is completely up to you. Our main goal is to capture wonderful images of your child - images that you’d be very proud to display in your home. After your session we will set up a separate time for your very special projection viewing appointment and slide show of your baby’s portraits. Once you see the images we’ve created for you, you will smile from ear-to-ear with delight! Although we are here to help you view and choose all your finished images (and we’ll show you all the options and products available to you), you will never be pressured into anything.
Special Note: This special promotion was designed around baby portraits. The time allotted for these sessions and the size of the studio may limit "Family" group options. If something other than the baby alone, or "Mommy and Me" is preferred, please contact the studio as soon as possible to discuss possible options.
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What Can I Expect At The Session?
1) Expect Fast Paced Fun!
As parents, you know children have a very low tolerance for doing any one thing for too long a time. we ask you to trust us in our approach to creating the portraits you will have for a lifetime. Not all babies smile on command. Each baby is different. This is normal and smiles are not always a guarantee. If you feel your baby is not feeling well--it’s simple--reschedule.
2) Can I Bring Someone With Me?
Of course you can.....in fact we welcome it. It makes you feel better to have help.
3) How Many Poses Do You Take?
Ok.....repeat after me....“my child controls the session”.....c’mon say it! We’re not kidding... it’s true. Your child will control the session and that’s what separates us from a high volume chain studio. (A “chain” photographer actually brought her children to me to photograph—enough said.) We have all the patience in the world. If your baby is hungry, then we will just take a break so that you may feed your baby. The amount of images we create will always depend on the type of session being done. You will always have enough to choose from.
4) What Do I Need To Bring With Me?
Well—don’t forget the baby! (Sorry...we couldn’t resist) Seriously, let’s take a moment to go over each of the different sessions we do in our studio for new parents. We will go into some details of what to bring with you and what to look for as “growth” stages and the best time to photograph a baby.
Before we do that....just some general things. There have been times when Mommy or Daddy has forgotten the diaper bag. We have, at our studio, diapers, wipes, lotion, a brush, hair spray (for the bad hair days) and we also have a microwave for heating formula--all for your use. We do not, for obvious reasons, have formula or bottles on hand. Please, be sure to have juice or snacks with you for your older children.
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The Types Of Sessions
Because we are so passionate about creating memories that you will have to pass down from generation to generation, we always have fun in our daily sessions with babies and children of all ages. What we want to focus on here, in these pages, are the ages from newborn to 12 months old. There is nothing so wonderful as seeing these priceless expressions caught on film forever. PLEASE— take the time to read the important information contained here. This represents over 2 decades of knowledge and I continue to strive to improve my art by studying with some of the finest and most talented photographers in the country. I hope you will agree.
OK...let’s begin.
The Mommy & Me Session
This is a beautiful and touching photograph of Mother with Child.
If you have seen any of our exhibits or visited our web site you may have seen a sample of this priceless type of portrait image. Mom-you may want to bring a cream colored robe or night gown for a light, airy portrait, or just the opposite-something very dark for a dramatic type of portrait. Due to the overwhelming demand for our style of photography, this session is always subject to availability within our schedule.
If you did not have a chance to take advantage of this session, pass the word on to a friend who is having, or has just had, a baby. She will thank you for the rest of your life! We can also create tasteful and artistic maternity portraits of your pregnant friends and family members.
This session, however, is for mother and child only. If you’d like to add daddy or older siblings, or do a complete family portrait- this is possible but will cut further into the gift card balance you’ll have to spend as we do have add-on fees for including extra people in this session.
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The Family Portrait
Most people never take the time to have a professional family portrait made. Your children grow up much too fast, but you can preserve this moment in time with a portrait you will treasure for the rest of your life, and be proud to hand down from generation to generation. Plus, your family portraits come with the Ostoya Photography Lifetime Guarantee! As always, you’ll want to keep the clothing simple and pattern-free so that your family faces stand out in the portrait. For babies and young children: you may choose overalls, jeans and white shirts for boys and a dress and pretty hat or headband for girls.
For adults: choose long sleeves and solid colors. Pants and skirts should be as dark (or darker) than the tops. Avoid turtlenecks if possible. Ladies: A “V”-neckline is always attractive and elongates your neck. Please arrive with your makeup done. Be sure to bring your lipstick, foundation and mascara. We will do any last minute touch ups when you arrive. Men: Shave prior to the session, especially if it’s scheduled at the end of the day. Five o’clock shadows are almost impossible to remove in your portraits. Keep your outfits in the same tonal range. In other words, you all want to be in the same, rather than contrasting colors.
The main thing is to be ready to have fun -- no pressure and no hassles! Come prepared and you will have a great experience and get wonderful portraits!
Special Notes:
Studio space is limited. If you are planning to do a large family portrait, please call the studio to make a separate arrangement. The time and space required for some large groups is beyond the scope of this studio offer.
Location family sessions are also possible, but due to the unpredictable nature of location sessions, they require a brief, in-person consultation prior to the session. We do book up 3 months in advance so this add on time is subject to availability. Again, the time and space required for some large groups is beyond the scope of this studio offer.
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Want to use your gift card for our popular Baby Plan?...
3-4 Month Stage (the baby plan fun begins here)
This is the first “stage” we want to capture for the baby plan. This stage is when your baby is laying on their tummy and holds their head up nice and strong. Please do not underestimate what we are about to tell you here. Please practice with your baby before coming in for your scheduled appointment. Lay your baby on a blanket on the floor and bring both hands in front of your baby’s chest. Hold your hand “on top” of your baby’s hands and the head should “pop” up. If this is not happening, call us and we can advise you. We don’t want to hurt the baby so trust us on this one. Now—some babies will do this at 3 months and some later. This depends on the baby.
If your baby was not full-term, please let us know so that we can give you some options. We know what you are going to say...”But my baby doesn’t like to be on his/her stomach.” Please, do what we ask. Practice and trust us...you may just be surprised at the results. Ask any of our Moms about this little exercise. Please dress the baby in something that can be easily removed because we start the session “bare-chested”. There is a good reason for this so please “bare” with us. Pardon the pun! There is a reason for most everything we do. Keep reading.
A 3 month old in most cases has a low tolerance level. We always give a worse case scenario and anything else is a piece of cake. We like to get the bare-chested images done first—in case the baby gets fussy. “Mr. Steve” does not like to get his little ones mad at him (Steve takes it personally, I think. -Chris:)
If we can do more images, we will then ask you to put your baby in an outfit. Please...one outfit is enough, however, bring more than one outfit so we have something to choose from--we can advise you on which would photograph the best. Solid colors always look better than patterns or stripes...hats are fine. At this point you may have noticed that babies do not like to be changed—so let’s keep them happy. Shoes and socks seldom show—a barefoot baby is a happy baby.
Please bring some sort of shorts or bloomers to hide the diaper. Get ready to relax and have fun!
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General Information: For This and All Other Sessions ...
Try to keep clothing simple and not too loose. Otherwise the material bunches up and you won’t be
happy with the photo. Important: Solid colors nearly always look better than patterns— almost ALWAYS!
Denim and pastels work well. Do not use red or yellow as this effects skin color in the photographs.
You do not want the clothing to take away from the beauty of your baby. You may want to bring a silver rattle, silver cup, teething ring, personal blanket (solid if possible) hats, head bands for girls or any other items you may want to use. We will advise you if you have any questions.
6 Month Stage ***
This is a wonderful session! Your baby does need to be sitting up by him/herself! Again, practicing at home a couple of weeks before your session makes a big difference! What we are looking for is for your baby to be sitting up nice and strong, with their back straight and without toppling over.
***-Don’t be fooled by what we call a “tripod” position. Your baby will be sitting but leaning forward.
That is not what we are looking for. Trust us—you will spend more time trying to catch your baby and no time photographing. Again this is very important for the safety of your child.
We will be doing our famous “naked baby” shots at this time. You may also bring a clothing selection. We also suggest a special blanket and again a silver rattle or cup. Frilly bloomers for girls to cover up the diaper makes for cute portraits too. We also have a wonderful supply of blankets for you to use at this session.
Remember to keep your clothing selection SIMPLE! Whites and pastels work best, at this stage as we want your baby, not the clothes, to stand out in the portrait. This is the best time to consider having a family portrait, mother and child, or a formal Christening Portrait done. If this is something you would like to do, when you reserve your 6 month session.
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9 Month Stage (Standing holding on)
This is the session that comes with a warning label. It will, quite possibly, be the most difficult of the Baby Panel sessions. At this stage, your baby will be teething big-time and may also experience separation or “stranger” anxiety. Up until this point your baby will like us. Now?...Chris & Steve are the “strangers” but, take heart—most studios will not even photograph 9 month olds because they are not properly trained. We have a very good track record...but....we want you to know that if your baby is not crying...we are way ahead of the game. It takes a lot of patience to capture this stage. But we all get through it without incident.
The stage we are looking for will be when your baby is standing and holding on to things! This is known as “cruising.” But if your baby’s knees buckle and they go back down...reschedule. (Note: Please do not call us the day before the session to tell us that your baby is not ready—you will know the week before the appointment if your baby is ready or not. Thank you!)
This is also a great time to include Daddy in your portraits. All too often during baby’s first year, the attention is so focused on the baby and Mommy, that Dads often feel left out. An add-on session fee of $35 will apply to add Mom and/or Dad--a bargain at twice the price. We recommend bringing a family chair or other special prop. This is a casual session. Boys may want to wear denim overalls—for girls, cute seasonal clothing works very well. Bonnets and hats look great at this session. Bring personal items. For this session, ANYTHING GOES!
If you have a special idea or theme, just let Chris and Steve know when you get to the studio. We want your baby panel to be truly unique and full of your family’s memories.
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12 Months (standing without help)
We really encourage going with both formal and casual clothing at this session. Your baby will be standing (or running!). Be sure, if you choose to put shoes on your baby, that they are cleaned and polished. Always check the bottoms of the shoes! If you wish—bring 5 pink or blue helium balloons. Some of our moms also bring in a birthday cake and let baby just dive in- this makes for a really fun (and messy!) portrait.
If you haven’t done your family portrait yet...do it now because it’s hardest to photograph a baby after this time (You’ve heard of the “Terrible Twos” haven’t you?).
Due to limited available appointment times, your baby’s 12 month session must be photographed within 2 weeks of his/her first birthday. Should you miss this session, you will only receive images from the sessions completed to date.
What If I Want to Add Family Members to Any of My Baby’s Session?
If you or your immediate family wish to be photographed with your baby, please let us know when booking your Baby Plan session. There is a $35 creation fee for up to 5 people for this add on session and we must know in advance. We book up 3 months in advance so add on times are subject to availability. Please understand that your child’s baby plan is a single subject in a photograph promotion only. When more than one subject is in the photo, our regular packages or ala carte pricing will apply to those photos with more than one subject.
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Questions?
Please call our studio if you have any questions about clothing, props or any special needs you may have. Physically challenged and Special Needs children are always welcome.
Policies (This could be referred to as “the fine print”)
Parents are responsible for scheduling and keeping the appointments. We have reserved studio time exclusively for you, so confirming your appointment at least 24 hours before and keeping your scheduled time is required. This makes it enjoyable and stress free for everyone.
You must confirm your appointments with us
You must confirm your appointments with our studio the day before your scheduled time. If you can’t make it we’ll make every attempt to reschedule you but available times may be limited. Due to the fact that this is a promotional offer and every hour of time we reserve in our studio is very valuable to us, if you don’t show up for a confirmed appointment, it not only inconveniences our entire staff, it wastes an hour of studio time we could have given to someone that would show up. All we ask is, please, respect our time and we will happily respect yours. You never have to wait in line to be photographed here or to see the beautiful, priceless images we create for you! Please extend the same courtesy to us so we don’t have to lose the precious time we’ve reserved for you. We also reserve the right discontinue the offer if we feel a client has no respect for our time. We always have people on a waiting list hoping (and begging) for an opening. (We are not kidding.)
Should you miss your appointment
It’s sad, but it does happen. If you miss your appointment without 24 hours advance notice, we reserve the right to cancel your gift card completely. If you need to cancel, just let us know a day ahead of time so we can schedule someone else from our waiting list into your time slot.
Lastly-
We know this seems like the “business” page- but honestly, we want you to get great portraits and have a ton of fun here with us. If you ever need more info or ideas there’s a bunch on our website at www.ostoya.com - or you may simply call us at 559-221-1303.
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You Are Always Part Of Our Studio Family
We suggest portraits at 18 mos and then every year near your child’s birthday.
We are ready when you are.
Because you are so important to us... you will be on our mailing list for promotions and specials
via our online notification system and/or special mailings from us. Some of the yearly things we do are Mother’s Day, special promotions throughout the year. We also do “A Day at the Beach” family portraits at the beach, Hay and Pumpkin Patch for Halloween and of course photographs for the holiday season, plus a whole bunch more.
You can find out about these promotions and more by going to our web site at www.ostoya.com. For the very latest updates on what is happening in the studio you can also visit our blog and Facebook page (see if you know anyone whose photo is displayed). While you are on the website, please sign up for e-mail notification for alerts for promotions and specials. (Especially the ones that are always a sell out!)
Thanks for reading this booklet and we hope we have helped you. We are at the studio waiting to take your questions or hear your concerns about anything you may have on your mind.
Please stay safe and peaceful,
Christine and Steve Ostoya
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