What kind of a photographer are you?

I am a natural light lifestyle or maybe I should rather say life inspired portrait photographer.

How far out are you booked?

Usually about 2-3 months.

Where will my session be held?

I have several locations around the Wiesbaden area which I will recommend, whether it be a typical German town, river side beach or the hills. I have plenty of options which we can decide together as we prepare for our photo session. Even though I am open to many suggestions I will also say no at times. I carefully choose locations to fit you, the light of day, the season and the occasion. 

Downtown Wiesbaden/Frankfurt/Mainz sessions are all held early Sunday mornings because of the lack of delivery trucks, pedestrians and all sorts of other distractions.

Within my fees a 30 km drive is included from Taunusstein. Anything further will cost additional .

What time will my session take place?

Sessions are scheduled according to light.  They are either early in the morning an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset. The reason is because those are the times of day when the sun is not directly above us, the sun is not so harsh and does not cast shadows on you or your direct surrounding.

How long will my session be?

The good news is, I am super fast, after 20 plus years of experience I just have a plan and know exactly the order I want to shoot.  My sessions last rarely more than an hour unless it involves traveling from one location to another.

What will my family session be like?

My aim is to capture moments of love, tenderness, bonding and fun. I want to capture your soul not your pose. 

It should all be about you and the connection you have with your family. I will guide you and give you tips  but definitely avoid the typical posing and  "cheese". Remember that children (or adults for that matter) are not usually fond of being told to pose or smile. It is best if we just give time to relax and try to capture their natural self. Don't worry if your child is running about and being active, most of the images you see of children on my site were captured while the children were busy playing and exploring. 

For the family shots, I usually direct the adults to simply "be" with the child, or hold the child and we go from there. 

What will my couple, maternity and portrait session be like?

Actually, quite similar (in a lot of ways) to the family session. I will help you get comfortable by giving you some tips (and cracking some jokes) but let you be yourself and enjoy each others' company.

What should I wear? 

Oh my! Let me tell you, it makes a world of difference when outfits are chosen carefully, a world of difference!!! 

So, here we go, first of all clothing should definitely be comfortable and reflect who you are.

1. I definitely suggest to stay away from fluorescent colours which tend to cast on faces, necks and hair.  

2. I rather recommend to stay close to the primary colours,  red (maroon, plum, brick or mauve), yellow (golden or mustard) and blue (navy, royal or turquoise especially in summer). Of course this doesn't mean that this is all you can wear, feel free to combine it with grays, beiges and whites, just add a pop of color from these mentioned tones to make it warmer and to make you stand out.

Please avoid too much black especially for tops! 

Also, if you have several family members wearing the same color over and over, it can dominate the image too much. Just one or max. two persons wearing a pop of color is perfect.  

3. Wearing a lot of green if we are outdoors blends you in, rather wear a pop of color to make you stand out from the background. 

4. Start with a favourite outfit and then go from there finding outfits for the rest of the family that harmonises and coordinates. Matching is out! Coordinating is in!

5. LAYERS!!! layers add dimension and depth. It can be  a  scarf, necklace, a vest....almost anything can be layered.  

6. Dress for the weather! The temperatures can fluctuate from day to day here in Germany. So stay flexible! PLEASE if its cold outside make sure you layer up and have everyone wear clothes that will keep them warm.  Yep, boots count too.

7. Dress for the situation. A formal dress and heels is not very appropriate for the woods and hills but rather for a city session to get that  "urban" feel. So if we are outdoors in nature, wear clothes that fit the surrounding. 

8. Children's wardrobe: Simple is timeless! Avoid logos, cartoons figures, writing and pictures on tops. Checkered, floral and striped outfits are all welcome!  Make sure the outfits fit and they fit NOW not with room to grow. It should be perfectly fitting and comfy. Again, if they feel uncomfortable, it will show. 

9. For little girls, hair should be neatly made making sure that bow or flower in their hair is not overwhelmingly big. It can surely distract. Something fine and delicate is perfect. Simplicity goes a long way. 

10. Last but not least, please make sure clothing has no spots and are neatly ironed. 

I am happy to consult you directly on wardrobe, feel free to ask.

What about makeup?

Oh yes! Again, simplicity goes a long way. Make sure your makeup accentuates your eyes, magnifies your natural beauty and enhances how you look on camera.

• If possible, put makeup on by a window in order to get the natural light on your face.

• Avoid using either lipstick and/or eye shadow with glossy, shimmer and glitter effects since they reflect light and can look awkward.

• Don't forget the eyebrows! Their job is to frame your beautiful eyes.

• Use powder to remove shine and make sure you bring one along in case we need to touch up. This also applies to lipstick.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing your own makeup and want a professional makeup artist to do your makeup for your  pictures feel free to ask. I can certainly recommend a couple of makeup artists from the area whose work is beautiful.

Anything I need to know for the day of our session?

Yes! Please arrive 10 minutes earlier and be fully ready for our session. Remember, your session is scheduled according to light! Plan on traffic and/ or parking constraints.

To get the most out of your session, make sure that your little ones have rested, are fed and not thirsty. Little snacks are always welcome!

Prepare your child for our session by telling them that a friend is taking some photos of them, its best not to surprise them.

Payment is due at session unless otherwise previously agreed. If session takes place further than 30km from me (Taunusstein) then there will be a small charge of fee for gas and mileage (0.85 cents per km).

What about after our session? How will I get my images?

Within a day or so you will see a sneak peek on my Facebook business page for you to either tag yourself in or to tell friends and family to look for. Your final pictures will be available to view and select from on a password protected site which I will send you approx.  14 days of our session.

Once you downloaded your images, I will then remove them from Pixieset (where your gallery is found). In case you don’t remember where you put your images or lost them, I can re-upload them for a charge of 25€.

Your images are kept and stored for a maximum of one year.

Can you photoshop me to be...?

No, I do not photoshop in or out things from images. I use Lightroom and I do remove little scratches or acne that will disappear in two weeks but I will not change the way you look. That is the reason why I direct you during our shoot. I have a sharp sense of being sensitive to what you might call a flaw and during our session I am very careful to photograph your beautiful and confident self.

 Images will be posted on my business sites as part of my portfolio.