We are located in Belmont, California. Please contact us to inquire/book a session. If you have any questions, we would be more than happy to answer them, but please see the "Answers to Common Questions" section at the bottom of this page as it might have the information you are looking for!
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Answers to Common Questions
General
Due to popular demand, we currently only offer digital images. You will always receive the highest-resolution JPEG files that we have so that you can get prints and large canvases from your favorite professional photo lab. For best results, we highly recommend printing from a professional photo lab.
Our digital images are delivered electronically via Dropbox. Since you are not receiving a tangible item, there is no sales tax. We always try to deliver as soon as possible, but please allow up to 4 weeks to edit your images (2 weeks for headshot sessions).
You will be provided with two versions, watermarked and non-watermarked. We ask that you use the watermarked ones for online sharing with friends and family.
The $200 retainer is part of the package price. Balances are due the day of our session, and we currently accept cash, Zelle, Venmo, and checks.
We recommend looking through our portfolio for session location ideas. Please keep in mind that some locations are seasonal and may only be pretty for a short time when flowers are blooming or trees change color. Almond blossom sessions, for example, are only offered on weekends from mid-February to early March when flowers are in bloom. These sessions are out of our normal travel radius, therefore, a special travel fee is added. Please send us an inquiry if interested.
You are welcome to plan multiple outfits for our session, and there is no extra charge. However, it does take time to change so please take that into consideration.
Some clients ask about shorter sessions. Our session times are meant to be maximums so that you can have a relaxing, non-stressful session. If all the stars line up, we can wrap a lot earlier.
Newborn Sessions
We recommend booking your session as soon as you have decided on High Tea Photography. Your deposit locks down the rates and guarantees availability. We use your due date as a placeholder on our calendar, and ask you to contact us as soon as baby is born so we can schedule the actual session date, ideally, within 5 to 10 days of birth.
Newborn sessions work best within 10 days of birth because babies tend to sleep longer, curl up cuter, and usually haven't developed skin conditions such as baby acne or peeling.
Sleepy babies are easier to pose. If you are supplementing with formula, please bring some as it will keep baby full longer. Sessions begin at 10am and can last up to 5 hours, so you can expect to feed baby multiple times. Bring snacks or food for yourself as well!
Clients sometimes wonder why these sessions are 5 hours long. The 5-hour time is to ensure that you don't feel rushed. From our experience, with multiple feedings, diaper changes, outfit/prop changes, and getting baby to sleep, the time will go by very quickly. However, if baby is a deep sleeper, we often end much earlier than 5 hours.
Please bring plenty of diapers. You may wish to bring a second set of clothes for yourself in case the first set gets soiled by baby.
A session includes 3 setups, plus family photos if desired. We start with your favorite setup, but please keep in mind that every baby is different. Your baby may not like the same poses you do, so please be flexible.
We have a lot of props, outfits, and accessories for baby to wear. If you have any special items that you would like to include, please bring them to the session, and we will try our best to incorporate them into the session.
Parents and siblings are welcome to pose with baby for a few shots at no additional charge. However, there are no guarantees with young children, especially toddlers. Sometimes a sibling simply won't cooperate. If this happens, we will have to focus on your newborn. Besides parents and siblings, there is a $50 sitting fee per extended family member.
Clients often ask what to wear, and we recommend light, solid, neutral colors. Avoid saturated colors such as red and orange because they will cast colors onto baby's skin. Busy prints can be distracting, and we want the focus to be on the faces, not the clothing. However, these are just suggestions. Please wear something you like!
The room temperature will be set to 80+ degrees to keep baby warm and sleepy. This may be a little too warm for you, so you might want to also bring something lightweight to wear. We do have a sunroom attached to the room that we photograph baby in, and the sunroom is set to a more normal room temperature.
All newborn sessions take place at our home studio in Belmont to guarantee quality of your photos since we have a great lighting setup and all the props and accessories here.