Noelle Photography by Shelley Black Home Page

Frequently Asked Questions

Session Details

Your session can be reserved by contacting Shelley personally by phone or email.

Sessions are held on-location, or in-studio. For location sessions, I usually try to take pictures in North Houston (The Woodlands, Spring/Klein, and FM 1960 area), at beautiful locations I have discovered. Many of the outdoors sessions lead to more relaxed and natural pictures. I am willing to photograph at a location of your choosing if you have somewhere that you really like. My sessions are very relaxed, and we always try to have fun. I will not rush you or your family, so expect your session to last about an hour. This allows time for a snack or a break for little ones. I want you and your kids to feel comfortable and happy. I encourage kids to play, so I am able to capture them in a truly natural state. Note: It is much easier to get great pictures in a relaxed atmosphere, so please do not invite anyone along who may distract or make you or your children feel uncomfortable. If you want to bring your child's favorite blanket, or a stuffed animal to make them more relaxed, please feel free to do so.

Newborn and small baby pictures often work best at my in-home studio. I will choose a flattering background, and may use some props which enable me to capture some wonderful newborn expressions.

Click here to inquire about scheduling a session or call 832.492.6294

What else do I need to know about my session?

Payment of a retainer in the amount of the session fee can be made by cash or PayPal (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, check), and is due at the time of your reservation.

If you must cancel your appointment, doing so at least 48 hours in advance will allow your retainer to be refunded or your appointment to be rescheduled. Cancellation less than 48 hours before your scheduled time or failure to show up for your appointment will result in forfeiture of this retainer.

The session fee covers my time for the session, talent, custom processing services, and associated expenses... no prints are included. This charge is separate from the cost of the portraits you select. Gift certificates used towards your session fee must be surrendered at the time of booking to hold your session.

When is the best time to do maternity sessions?

Generally between 32 and 36 weeks, but it's o.k. if you are past 36 weeks. Call sometime during your sixth month to book the sessions.

How will I be able to choose or pick the pictures I want to order?

Proofs and Ordering Information

I offer on-line or personalized presentation proofing sessions. Proofs will be available for viewing approximately one week after your session date.

        For on-line proofing, I will send you an email link to view your online proof album. YOUR PROOFS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON-LINE FOR 10 DAYS. After this time if pictures are not purchased, the link to the album will be removed. After that time, we will meet to allow you to order your prints. Payment is due at the time of your order. Your final portraits will be delivered to you approximately 2 to 3 weeks after the order has been placed. Custom order and gifts can take longer.

For personalized presentation proofing sessions, we can arrange a time and place to meet. Orders should be placed during this time. Please be prepared to place your order at the time of the presentation. If you need more time to decide on your order, we can then make arrangements to do so.

How many proofs will we get to see?

I don't have a set number because it is dependant on many factors, including the number of clothing changes, how many family groupings were done, and the individual temperament of the child. I will take as many pictures as necessary to capture the moment and present you with a nice variety of images. A general range of proofs for a photo session may range between 3 and 10 distinct poses (picture count will be higher than pose count). Like I said, the final outcome varies greatly, and depends on many factors.

How do I pay for me session fee or print orders?

Orders are to be paid in full before receiving your photos. I accept Cash, PayPal (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Checks), or cashier check.)

Gift cards

Gift Cards can be purchased by sending me an e-mail, or contacting me by phone. I will send you the gift card in the mail as requested, in order to give it as a gift. Gift cards can be purchased in any amount and used in order towards a photo session, prints, or to buy personalized gift items. Gift cards must be surrendered at the time of the session, or at the time of purchasing prints/gifts.

What type of clothing should I wear?

Children's Clothing

Feel free to bring along a few different outfits to change into. I suggest placing your child in clothing that is cute but comfortable. During the fall, blue jeans always look great. Wearing shirts that are not to "busy" usually work well as they don't take away from the importance of the picture…your child.

Family Clothing

If you are taking a family picture, it is best to coordinate with everyone in the picture. I suggest wearing the same color shirts, or at least in the same color family. For example, if you have five people in your family, usually one out the five can be in a print shirt, but the others probably should be in the same or similar colors. If you don't want to wear jeans, I would suggest slacks with a shirt. Khaki colors or black usually look great. Stay away from small prints or small lines, cartoon shirts, small pinstripes, or logos when choosing your clothing, as the pictures do not work as well.   For your knowledge, different colors blue work well together, but green and blue can be tricky.

Newborn Clothing

Newborns and babies photograph wonderfully in their 'birthday suit' or with a pretty diaper cover. We can photograph your child in other outfits as well. If you have that special outfit that you brought your little one home in, or just an outfit that someone special gave to you, please feel free to bring those as well. If your child has a favorite stuffed animal or blanket, be sure to bring it along! We can take pictures with favorite items, or just use them to keep the child relaxed.

Maternity Clothing

Maternity portraits usually look great with soft, light colored, clothing. Try not to look "too made up" or overly dressy, too much makeup or extravagant hairstyles can distract from the intended focus of your pregnancy we are trying to capture. Having your spouse or partner with you at your maternity session makes some of the sweetest pictures to capture your true joy. So please feel free to bring that special someone along. I usually like to do maternity sessions in my home, but if you want some outside pictures we can do that as well.

If you have any questions, or to make your best clothing choices, please contact me by phone so I can help you make that decision.

What happens to the pictures I don't purchase?

The pictures you do and do not purchase remain the property of Noelle Photography. When signing our general consent form prior to pictures, you are giving Noelle Photography full rights to use all prints for future Noelle Photography advertising, with no royalty compensation available. I will not sell your pictures to anyone, but may use them for my own advertising purposes. If I am approached about commercially publishing any of your photos, I will contact you so you can arrange for compensation from the publishing entity.

Special Note: For any especially sensitive pictures (boudoir or naked baby pictures), I will require you to sign a special consent form prior to using your pictures for advertising purposes.

What if our child is sick on picture day?

I am also a mom with a child so I understand that they tend to get sick at the most inconvenient times. Just call me as soon as possible, preferably 24 hours in advance, and we will reschedule for the next available date. Please don't bring a sick child to a photo shoot. They will be miserable and you won't be happy with the results.

What if we need to reschedule a second time or if we completely forget our first appointment?

Because I have set that time aside especially for you, if you miss your appointment without 24 hours notice, or if you must reschedule a second time, you will forfeit your session fee and a new one will be required to book another session.

What if I don't like the photos you took of me?
Luckily, this rarely occurs. My objective is to capture images that you will love.   Since any art form is subjective, what one person likes may not be what someone else likes.   Especially with portraits, we may see ourselves differently from how others see us.   My deepest desire with any portrait photo shoot is to create an image that you feel good about, that depicts you at your best.

If you review my gallery of my work, you can get a sense of the styles of photography I can do, and how I often pose and arrange lighting. It's always possible we might not come up with a photo YOU love.   Once we do the photo shoot, you will have an opportunity to review the proofs. If you just don't like any of the images, you are not obligated to make a purchase of an image.   In fact, you do not have to pay anything beyond the prepaid booking fee.   OR we can book a re-shoot.   Re-shoot fees are much less than regular session fees. Call me for details on re-shoots and re-shoot discount fees.
Important: The time to book a re-shoot is prior to purchasing any images. After you have purchased images, I am always happy to do more work for you, but another shoot would be considered a completely separate booking at my regular rates. If the photo shoot was done at a venue that charges their own session fee, you will unfortunately be responsible for paying that fee again.