I love what I do!

THE PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERA

 

My name is Nichole Hammond and I was born and raised in Winchester, New Hampshire where I have continued to live with my husband, Steve, and raise our family.  I am a mother of three beautiful children, all adults now, and I have a great career as a paralegal.  I am also a Grammy to Colt and Payton who I am lucky enough to see almost daily! I am proudly obsessed with my three dogs, Bo, Bella & Texen.  I LOVE  football (Go Pats!) I enjoy reading, spending time with my family and watching Netflix!

 

I have always loved to take pictures.  I guess you can say I love being the one behind the camera rather than in front.  I started getting more serious about it when my daughter started cheering over 10 years ago.  I have loved taking photos of my children as they have grown and am constantly striving to learn new things when it comes to my photography.  I do not claim to be a professional photographer, as I am self-taught.

 

I like capturing a memory and helping you keep them forever.  My prices are reasonable, and my passion is great.  I’m always up for a challenge and will work hard to make your photo ideas a reality.  I can do indoor and outdoor shots, although I prefer the natural light of being outdoors.  I am willing to go that extra mile for you to get the job done right. 

 

Photography is supposed to be fun and make you smile.  No stress, just lots of laughs is what you’ll get with me.

 

Thank you for checking out my page and giving me your time.  I hope to work with you very soon.

 

 

I KNOW HOW MUCH THIS MATTERS

I am so excited for your session! I feel so honored to capture these special moments in your life together! I hope this guide will help you get the most out of your photos.

 

 

 

WHAT DO I WEAR?

 

Think Comfort

When choosing your clothing, the most important thing IS to feel comfortable in what you wear. You don’t want an outfit that keeps shifting out of place or falling down. Choose clothing that allows you to move freely and feels good on you.

 

For Seniors, most select some casual clothing for a more laid-back look, as well as some dressy outfits for a more formal look. I offer unlimited clothing changes in most of my senior sessions, but keep in mind that the more changes you have, the less time you spend in front of the camera.  TIP: If you are bringing multiple outfits, save your favorite outfit for last. It takes a little time to warm up and get comfortable in front of the camera, so your favorite photos will likely happen near the end.

 

Don’t be afraid to dress it up! Remember there is no such thing as “too dressed up” when it comes to your portrait session, so don’t be afraid to have some fun! Dresses and skirts look stunning because they really flatter every female body, especially on camera. What’s more, a full and flowy skirt is like a built-in “prop”, giving you something to twirl and swirl, and adding effortless movement and interest to your photos and something to hold onto to. 

 

Accessorize

Don’t forget earrings, bracelets, hats, scarves, sunglasses, jackets, cardigans, anything with pockets (!) or other accessories that help complete your outfit!  Pairing an accessory or two with you outfit can really help bring some extra dimension to your image, and also be a nice tie-in when you’re coordinating a group.  Big statement necklaces bring a lot of pop to the photos, which the smaller, delicate ones are not as noticeable on camera.  Accessories help to reveal your character. They also give your hands something to do so you don’t feel awkward.

 

Texture

Texture is a striking feature and adds great dimension to your photos and helps them stand out. Examples of texture include faux fur, chunky knits, lace, tweed, etc.

 

Layering

In the summer months, this may be more difficult to pull off, but during all of the other seasons, definitely layer your outfits. Not only will it provide more visual interest in each photo, but it will also allow a lot more variety in your shots and poses. If you have a ton of images of yourself in just your dress or cute top and jeans, you can throw on a little sweater or jacket and a hat and you have an entirely different look.

 

Personalize it

These are YOUR images, and you will want them to be about you. Bring props and accessories that will help compliment who you are. If you enjoy playing music, bring your instrument to you session. If you play a sport, think about incorporating your sports gear.

 

 

Please try and avoid…

 

THIN STRIPES OR PLAIDS. Thin stripes and tight plaids distort in printed photos and appear zig-zaggy and should be avoided, if possible.

 

BRIGHT WHITE. White tends to wash out complexions. Choose ivory or creams instead.

 

NEON COLORS.  Neon colors can reflect onto your face, causing skin tone problems in your photos. That neon green shirt will reflect upwards on your face and cause you to look green!

 

LOGOS. Logos or text on clothing is distracting. Avoid shirts that have logos.

 

TRANSITIONAL LENSES. If you typically wear glasses, wear them for your session. But if you have polarized or transitional lenses, consider taking them off. Dark glasses will cover your eyes in the photos.

 

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WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR FOR FAMILY PHOTOS?!?

Keeping your location and season in mind, start with one person.  Don’t try and think of everyone at the same time. I find that starting with mom (or daughter) makes the most sense since they would typically be the ones wearing a print.

 

After you’ve chosen mom’s outfit, think about 2-3 coordinating colors, some neutral and one of which pops and brings life to the outfits.

 

Coordinate don’t match.  Choose colors that complement each other but are not overly matchy-matchy.

 

Add variety with subtle patterns.  To add depth and interest to your photos, create dimension by having primarily solids with a few coordinating subtle patterns and texture.  Avoid bold, large prints that can distract from the photo though. 

 

Dress for the weather. You might have the perfect outfit on, but if you’re freezing or sweating to death, a family photo session can quickly unravel! Layering is the perfect solution for those chilly evenings or sweltering August days. Remember, little ones get cold more quickly than adults when temperatures are low, so pack a cardigan or sweater for them.  COLD KIDS = SAD KIDS!

 

Just be yourself! Don’t dress like someone else you saw on Pinterest just because you found an amazing outfit idea. You want these photos to represent the real you and your family!  This might mean you wear shorts or torn up jeans or a boho vintage thrift store dress.  Just be you!

 

Include your kids. Involve your children in planning and choosing outfits.  They will be more excited about family photos if they like what they’re wearing.  You could incorporate their favorite colors. Please don’t make them wear something they hate. You want your kiddos happy for your session!

 

 

How to prep your little ones…

If you’re kids are young, before your session, pack a bag with snacks, water and any small objects (like toys or treats) that might help us get their attention when it’s time for them to look at the camera.  If they are old enough to understand, it’s a good idea to prepare them for what’s to come before the session starts. Explain how much the photos mean to you so they know to be on their best behavior. You might practice and praise picture behavior like looking and smiling on command. A lot of families discuss and pick something fun in advance as a treat after the season if they’re good listeners, like an ice cream cone, for example. It also helps if their bellies are full, and they’ve had some good rest beforehand.

 

That being said, don’t be worried about how they will behave or embarrassed if things don’t go as planned.  They are little and their unfiltered, unpredictable emotions and outbursts are part of who they are. It’s my aim to help you embrace these moments with them instead of trying to make them act a certain way for an hour or more. We will make sure to get a few shots of everyone smiling and looking at the camera, but for the most part I want you to just have a great time and be yourselves.

 

My favorite thing to capture is all of those in-between moments that can’t be perfectly posed anyway. If one of your children starts running away from the group and giggling, scoop them up and smother them in tickles and kisses. If they are shy or upset, hold them close and tell them how wonderful you think they are while tucking their hair behind their ear. If you as a parent keep smiling and having a good time, I will be able to capture sweet moments the whole time.

 

Choosing the right, date, time, and location

I am a natural light photographer because I believe that natural light, from the sun and its reflections, creates beautiful photographs.

 

DATE: Most clients schedule their sessions on weekends so my weekends sometimes book out several weeks in advance, but my weekday evenings are usually available too during the summer months.

TIME: The best light for your photos will occur during “golden hour”, which is the hour immediately before sunset or right after sunrise, when the sun is close to the horizon and casts soft, rich light on the earth. Even after the sun disappears behind the horizon, we still have 20 minutes or so of soft twilight that’s ideal for photos. To establish a start time for your photo shoot, look up the sunset time for our shoot date and location and subtract an hour.  That’s the best time to start.  However, sometimes we will not be able to have our session at that hour due to your time restrictions or the time a venue/location is available. 

 

CHOOSING YOUR LOCATION:

Before you consider what outfit(s) you want to wear, discuss location options and what you most prefer.  Will you want a casual lake session or dressed up downtown? Do you want to be walking in wildflower fields or down on a farm?  Your location matters a lot when choosing your outfit.

 

Your photo session is an opportunity to think outside of the box! I encourage you to brainstorm unique locations that you might have special access to that most people don’t. For example, maybe you, or someone you know, can secure permission to a location that would otherwise be off-limits, like a beautiful private estate, family farm or industrial space. Spend a few minutes thinking about it and checking around. You’ll be surprised with what you come up with. Plus, if something seems out of reach, just remember: you never know until you ask!

 

Here are a few or my favorite locations where I regularly book sessions.  Feel free to choose from among these or make a suggestion of your own. Got an idea for a new and exciting adventure? Let’s explore together!

 

˃˃ Ashuelot River Park

˃˃ My house in Winchester, NH (stonewalls, dirt roads, trees)

˃˃ Dort Road, Surry (wildflower fields, water, dirt roads)

˃˃ Stonewall Farms

˃˃ Alyson’s Orchard

˃˃ Robin Hood Park

˃˃ Madame Sheri’s Castle

˃˃ Bent Court, Keene (fields, stream, rock wall, bridge)

 

PRO TIPS FOR EARLY BIRDS

I am a morning person, so if you are too, I would LOVE to plan an early morning shoot with you. Benefit to an early session: we usually get the entire location to ourselves! If you’re willing to brave an early wake up, don’t hesitate to suggest it….I’m your girl!

 

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED

Post-processing (also known as editing) in Lightroom.

I use Adobe Lightroom (not Photoshop) to process the images I shoot. Lightroom is the industry standard digital photography processing software and I use it take a photo from a raw image to an edited image. I use any or all of the following actions to post-process your images:

 

white balance: that’s adjusting the temperature, color balance, and fine-tuning saturation and quality of the hues in your images. (Tone: that’s exposure (brightness), contract, highlights, shadows, etc.)

 

cropping/straightening: getting the framing of the image perfect.

 

spot removal: if it’s possible in Lightroom, I’ll whisk away that random pesky zit that popped up on your forehead the morning of the shoot. I will do my best to clear up skin where it’s possible. I can also usually remove the random person walking around in the background.

 

WHAT ISN’T INCLUDED

Extensive retouching in Photoshop (or other retouching program)

There’s a wide universe of possibility in the retouching world. This includes (but is certainly not limited to) slimming arms and legs, removing gray hairs and tan lines, swapping out someone’s blinking eyes in one photo for their open eyes in another, smoothing wrinkles, adding dramatic skies where there previously were not, and perfecting your complexion.  These are the sorts of things offered by professional re-touchers. I am not a professional re-toucher. Usually when extensive retouching is implemented, the price tag per photos if very high because of the hours of labor involved with the retouching purpose.

 

I am not opposed to retouching of this nature, I just have not been trained in it and do not offer it as part of any of my services. 

 

My photography style is to photograph YOU, the person in front of me, in a mix of candid and posed ways.  I strive to capture authentic emotion, which is bound to result in the odd flyaway hair. I do my best to get the photo right in-camera, so I will ask you to brush the hair out of your eyes, tuck the tags in, and I will wait until the background is clear to snap the photo.

 

My editing style is to deliver a lot of images to you (dozens in most portrait galleries). It would not be possible for me to deliver this volume of images at the price point that I do if I also did the things like gray hair and wrinkle removal.

 

This is important for me to communicate from the beginning in order to adequately set your expectations for what I can do with your images. The edited images you receive from me will be beautiful and they will look like you!

 

INVESTMENT

What does it cost?

 

Mini Sessions (15-20 minutes) are offered from time to time.  Please like my Facebook page to be notified of an upcoming mini session. https://www.facebook.com/SpotMeadow

 

Mini sessions vary in price, depending on location & time. A typical mini session is 20 minutes.  Mini sessions are priced differently than my private sessions. Unlike the personal session where you receive all the edited images digitally, with the mini sessions you will receive a link to view the digital images and will then be able to select up to 15 images for the advertised price.  You can choose to purchase the entire album or a set amount of additional digital images for an additional cost. 

 

PRIVATE SESSIONS

 

With a private session, you will receive all of the high-resolution, edited photos sent digitally with all rights to them.  You can print, copy, save & share how you like!

 

Short & Sweet (30-minutes)

On average 12-20 edited photos

$85

 

Classic (1 hour)

On average 35-50 edited photos

$170

 

Exclusive (1.5 hours)

On average 45-70 edited photos

$255

 

Special Edition (2 hours)

On average 75-100 edited photos

$340

 

ONE FINAL NOTE

 

I know that all of this is a lot to think about. This guide is to help make your photo session experience something you look back fondly on for years to come. At the end of the day, the location you choose and the outfits you select won’t matter nearly as much as the memories you make. I want your session to be a time for you to just be yourself and enjoy. I want you to have fun and laugh a lot.  I will take care of the rest! Thank you for trusting me to capture this moment!