Your Experience
"The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them."
- Paulo Coelho
Welcome!
I’m so glad you found me! I hope that my style and imagery appeals to you and we have a chance to work together.
I have been a full-time photographer since 2012, which honestly feels like yesterday. I worked for more than a decade in local television news and feel like I’ve always been a storyteller. That's what led me to photography. Over the past eleven years, I have worked hard to build and continuously evolve my business, skills and resulting work -- while always trying to serve my clients well.
I know that families want that smiling, posed photo with everyone looking at the camera. But I also love to capture that natural, relaxed, authentic shot and get those genuine smiles and unique connection within your family. Sometimes the silly, impromptu, in-between moments show it best. I can't wait to shoot your family photos.
Thanks for being here!
Nicole
The Experience
Every portrait session is as unique as the people in the photos. Everything from the location, to the time of day, weather & specific season can alter the look of an image. Specifically the ages of the children, clothing, individual moods and family dynamics will influence the session and the final images I’m able to capture.
I know that photo sessions can be stressful for some families. What to wear, arriving on time or dealing with a less than enthusiastic family member are part of some photo sessions. But I will bring my experience and passion for what I do to try to elicit as much connection, comfort, and fun from you all.
Location & Lighting
If there’s one piece of advice that I could tell my clients it would be that the lighting matters. Each location from your home, to a barn, to a field of grass will create a different tone to your image. Since I work primarily with natural light, I prefer to plan most of my sessions during that lovely golden hour about an hour to 45 minutes before sunset or early in the morning.
Weather & Seasons
Oregon is a little unpredictable with the rain and lots of cloudy days but that’s why we love it, right? Without the rain, we wouldn’t enjoy the lush greenery either. I shoot in all seasons and every season changes the look of the pictures. I work really hard to try and navigate around the rain but sometimes, especially in the fall when the deadline for holiday pictures is fast approaching, we just have to embrace it and use umbrellas or move the shoot indoors.
I will usually only cancel a session if it’s a complete downpour, thunder & lightning and/ or ice & snow. Please keep the seasons in mind when you’re scheduling. If you know for a fact you don’t want to deal with the rain, then let’s schedule you during our beautiful summer months!
And yes, clouds are ok! Fog is ok. Each actually creates a unique, dreamy background for your family session that enhances the images.
Home Sessions
I have started embracing home sessions more and more to get some reprieve from our rainy season. I find that these are a great option for babies who aren’t quite mobile or shy kiddos that would be more comfortable at home.
I think being able to have photographs in your space will be something that you will look back on and treasure.
Since I am a natural light photographer, it definitely helps to have abundant light coming into your home through windows and for the space to have neutral colors and be tidy.
During COVID, I started front porch (or back yard) minis which I do plan on continuing but the home sessions indoors are full lifestyle sessions and not available as a mini.
Pricing, Booking, & FAQ
How Much are your Sessions?
My sessions run from $350-$600 depending on the type of session you are interested in. Travel outside of the Portland metro area is subject to a travel fee.
Are you available for adventure sessions at the beach or the Gorge?
Unfortunately, rarely. I’m a busy Mom like most of you and just don’t have the flexibility that I wish I did for long shoots like this. I can occasionally make this work with ALOT of advance planning and will only do 2-3 a year. If you’re really dreaming of an adventure shoot like this I have some amazing photographer friends of mine that I can recommend.
How long do your sessions last?
This depends, I would say usually around 45-60 minutes but newborn sessions can last up to two hours.
How many images are included in our gallery?
Again, this depends on what package you purchase but family sessions yield about 40-50 fully edited hi-res digital images. This will include a mix of posed and candids.
Are prints included? All Raw images?
Prints are not included but you can purchase prints through me from a professional lab that will color correct and match my editing style. This will give you the very best product possible.
No, my raw images are not available for purchase or download.
Can we bring our dog?
Absolutely, as long as the location we’re shooting at allows pets. Please clear pets with me in advance so that I can advise on an appropriate location.
We would love to book a session- What are the steps to reserve a date?
Wonderful! Sessions are first come, first served. We will pick a date and I will send over a booking agreement where you can sign the contract and pay the deposit.
That will officially hold the date and time as yours and ensure I turn away other business for that time.
Until the contract and deposit are received back, please note that sessions are not officially booked and could be reserved by someone else.
What if we have to cancel or reschedule?
Life happens, I get it! So, if you need to reschedule - I will apply your deposit towards a future booking within 90 days.
Your deposit is non-refundable.
What to Wear?
- I suggest picking a color palette and then chose clothes for each member of the family that represents that color theme. *Pro Tip - find one outfit that you love either your dress, a shirt for your son and then plan everyone else's outfits around that one piece.
- You want to compliment each other without matching. Avoid having your children wear matching dresses, or everyone in a black top and jeans. You want the camera to be able to pick up the definition between everyone in your family.
- Try to have at least one pattern with one or two people in solid colors.
- I love dresses, they add so much movement to pictures!
- Embrace color! Richer, more muted tones with a lot of pigment are best. Think wine, plum, raspberry, mustard yellow, navy, royal blue or kelly green. *Pro Tip - Cream usually photographs better than pure white which can sometimes turn a little blue
- For guys, steer clear of narrow stripes or small checked patterns on collared shirts unless they plan to wear a solid color (like a sweater) over it.
- Please avoid shirts with logos, writing or characters on them.
- Layers, boots, scarves and headbands all work well for girls.
- Remember to keep your location in mind so that it looks appropriate for the setting.
- Clothing can add a lot to a session so don’t underestimate how they affect the final product.
- I’ve pinned a few ideas on my Pinterest board (@nicolehartphotography) with some color palettes and outfits that I like so feel free to check it out!
Full Sessions vs. Mini Sessions
- Mini sessions are 20 minute sessions only scheduled on specific dates in the fall that I have available.
- The session dates, times & locations are determined by me & announced in late summer.
- Mini sessions book QUICKLY. Our small circle of long time VIP clients get first word and then after that they are posted to Instagram & Facebook for general booking. They cannot be pre-booked. They are first come, first served after release.
- I know those 20-30 minutes doesn’t seem like a big difference between a mini and a full but that extra time can result in a much wider range of photos, especially candids & those in-between moments.
- Mini sessions move quickly so they aren’t ideal for shy children who need some extra time to warm-up or children who enjoy running & exploring because I don’t have the time to follow them around.
- I realize that my clients enjoy mini sessions which is why I like to still offer them but I personally prefer doing full sessions. I like the sessions to flow more organically and spend time capturing those special candid moments of connection.