Where will the session be located? Sessions take place at a location of your choice. This may be in your home (which lends itself nicely to a documentary style lifestyle approach) and the surrounding neighborhood of your home, or at a park or other location in New York City. For example, some of my favorite locations for shoots include the Brooklyn Heights historical district, Dumbo, Central Park, West Village, Tribeca and Prospect Park. Please Note: For locations outside of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens, there is an additional travel fee that is calculated after you submit the Booking Inquiry Form, where you provide information about your preferred location for the shoot.

What time will the session take place? We will decide together the best time for your shoot. For outdoor shoots, it’s best to photograph during the several hours just after sunrise or just before sunset. For indoor shoots, we will decide the best time of day based on the direction of the windows in your home.

What should we wear to the session? After you book your session, I will send you my style guide with ten tips to help you prepare coordinated outfits for you and your family. The guide includes color palettes, numerous images from sessions with me, recommendations for where you can buy or rent clothing and links to some specific recommended items.

I also encourage you to consult with me about clothing at any point between the time that you book your session and our session date. Feel free to email me photographs of clothes that you are considering for you or your family members - I love helping you to make decisions! You can either send me links to the clothing you’re considering purchasing or renting online, or photos you’ve taken on your phone of clothing you already have.

How do we prepare for the session? Depending on your child’s age, it can be helpful to tell them about the session in advance, and to show them photos that you have taken from past photo sessions or photos on this website. This way, they understand the concept of the session and can be excited when the session day arrives. Please also:

  • Make sure that your child is not hungry when they arrive for the session.

  • Bring snacks with you in case your child needs a snack break during the session. Please be sure to bring snacks that do not smear or stain.

  • Bring a second outfit in case your child stains their clothes during the session.

  • If you feel that your child may need an incentive to cooperate during the session and they respond well to bribery (ex. the promise of ice-cream or a new toy after the session), please be prepared to present these options to your child - there is no judgment, bribery is encouraged if it works!

  • For younger kids, please bring a toy or two they like (ex. a rattle) that can be used to direct their gaze towards the camera.

  • On occasion, it can be helpful to bring a helper (ex. grandma) to help elicit smiles.

How should I prepare my home for our in-home session? To help you feel supported in preparing for in-home sessions, I have created an In-Home Session Prep Guide with six tips to help you prepare your home and your family for in-home sessions. I will email you the guide after you book your session. Please keep in mind, however, that if you do not have time to prepare your home (or to even read the guide!), that is absolutely fine. I will help you arrange your home when I arrive for your session.

How long will my shoot take? Family photo sessions take between 1 to 1.5 hours from the time we meet to the time we finish shooting. If possible, please allot 2 hours for the shoot, though we will likely finish earlier.

Should I wear makeup (parents)? It’s best for you to wear the same amount of makeup that you would wear on any given day, and to bring your usual makeup for touch-ups. Also, it's great for everyone in the family to bring (and wear in advance) Chapstick or lip gloss so that lips are not chapped in the photos.

When do I pay for my session? When we have set a date for your shoot, I will send you a link requesting that you pay the $300 deposit required to secure your session date and time. At the same time, I will send you a link to sign my standard client agreement. Both the deposit and signed agreement are required to book. Immediately after your session, I will send you an invoice for the remaining $550 balance for your session, due within three days of your session. There is a $200 rebooking fee for sessions that are rescheduled within less than 24 hours notice. For sessions cancelled within 24 hours, the $300 deposit is nonrefundable.

How do I pay for my session? You can pay for the deposit and balance with a credit card via a link that I will send you on a platform called ShootProof. You can also Venmo me if you prefer.

Will my session be cancelled for bad weather? In the event of inclement weather, the session may need to be postponed. When this happens, you and I will work together to determine a new date for the shoot.

What if I need to cancel my shoot? You may reschedule a session once without charge as long as it is no less than seven days before the shoot, and not within 24 hours of the session. In this case, your deposit will be transferred towards the new session date. If you reschedule a second time, your deposit will not be refunded, and you will need to pay a new deposit if you would still like to shoot.

When will I receive my images? Retouched digital images in JPEG format will be available within 2-4 weeks of your session. You can access them via a Shootproof.com link that I will send to you. Please make sure to save and back up your images. I clean out my client files every few months and cannot guarantee that I will back up the images for you.

Do you recommend that I print my photos? Yes! Digital files are useful for sharing images online, but they are not permanent. The quality of digital files changes over time, and they may get corrupted or hard to access (remember when digital files were on floppy disks!?). Printing images not only ensures that your legacy will be preserved for generations to come, but it allows you to enjoy the photos every day as you see them on your wall or framed on your nightstand. Even if you decide to print images and only enjoy them for a few years before replacing them with new images, the few years that you enjoyed them will be well worth it.

What is the process if I order prints through Whitney Welshimer Photography? I have partnered with one of the most well-respected printers in the country that works with professional photographers only to bring you the highest quality prints, featuring rich color tones and luxe archival paper. When I deliver to you your gallery of digital image files 2-4 weeks after our session, I will also send to you my Print Guide with mock-ups to help you visualize the photos from our session in your home.

How long will it take for my items to ship? Free, standard shipping (5-10 days) is included with your purchase of fine art prints. I also offer expedited (1 business day) shipping for $26.95. Please allow at least one week for the lab to print your items before shipping.

Do you offer Gift Certificates? Yes, I offer gift certificates in the amounts of $500 and $1,000. I am also happy to create a gift certificate for a custom amount of your choice.


Do you have a referral program? Yes, I have a $50/$50 referral program! When you refer a new client to me who books a session, I will send you an email to let you know that you have received a $50 credit to use towards your next session, and the client will also receive $50 off of their first session. The client just needs to mention your name in the "Message" box on the Booking Inquiry Form. I am always delighted when new clients tell me that a friend referred them to my studio.