FAQs
Booking your session
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There are a few situations in which you would be required to prepay: 1. If you canceled or rescheduled last minute or did not show up for your most recent session 2. If you spent less than $100 on one of your most recent session 3. If you book back-back sessions or already have at least one other upcoming session. 4. If you are booking an indoor studio session. Snap East Bay loves providing our customers with quality photos and a fun experience! That being said, we want to ensure that our business model stays viable for everyone, which means taking some precautions for our photographers and hard-working team. Please note that prepayments are non-refundable. Rest assured, however, that the amount you prepay will be applied as credit towards photos in your gallery. :)
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If you're interested in booking a standard session (free upfront, pay by the pic) you can do so on our booking page where you'll see our calendar of upcoming events. Sessions are bookable up to 90 days in advance. If you're interested in booking a custom session (where you can choose the exact time, date and location) click here.
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The charge you see is a temporary pre-authorization hold to make sure you have the funds to cover a late fee or last-minute cancellation fee for your session - this hold is never collected and is instantly released! This was noted on the booking form when you entered your credit card info. We’ve had to institute this pre-authorization out of protection for our hard-working photographers.
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For pay-by-the-pic sessions, You can easily cancel or reschedule at any time up to 10:00am two days before your session. After this time, cancelling or rescheduling your session will incur a minimum fee of $40 to cover your photographer’s time and forfeiture of other paid gigs. If you do not show up or reschedule or cancel after 8pm the day before your scheduled session, you will be automatically charged a $75 no-show fee. You will find a link on your booking confirmation email to a page where you can easily do this yourself! If you have any trouble, don't hesitate to contact our team. For custom sessions, we ask that you notify us by 10am three days before the session if you need to cancel or reschedule and you will receive a full refund. Anything rescheduled after that timeframe will forfeit the deposit. To learn more about cancelling or rescheduling your session, click here.
Preparing for your session
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We do not currently provide hair and makeup services, so be sure to come camera-ready with your hair and makeup done how you like. Most of our clients self-style and they look fantastic, but if you want to get your makeup or hair professionally done, go for it!
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Snap Easty Bay typically works rain or shine, so if you are not willing to be photographed in rain, snow or other various elements, please proactively cancel your session before 10:00am two days prior to your scheduled shoot to avoid being charged. After this time, cancelling or rescheduling your session will incur a minimum fee of $40 to cover your photographer’s time and forfeiture of other paid gigs. If you do not show up for your session or you cancel after 8pm the day before your session, you agree to pay a $75 fee. That being said, in the case of severe weather (lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, and other acts of God) we will proactively cancel your session out of consideration for you and your photographer’s safety! You can learn more about our weather policy here.
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We strongly recommend planning to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to account for any transportation issues, etc. If you are running late, please text or call your photographer immediately to let them know! If you are 10+ minutes late, you will be charged a penalty fee determined by when you are ready to take your first picture. You will also be required to make a prepayment when booking your next session. You can learn more about our late policies here. Do note that your 'arrival time' is when you have met up with your photographer and are ready to take the first picture.
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Your session will be outdoors, so make sure you bring seasonally appropriate things so you’re comfortable! We always recommend bringing water, sunblock and perhaps a snack to keep your blood sugar from dropping. We encourage you to bring accessories and props for that special touch! If you are shooting with an infant or a young child, consider bringing their favorite toy, blankets, and things that they enjoy that will also grab their attention so the photographer will more successfully capture them looking towards desired directions. If you are shooting with a pet, bring treats, water, and their favorite toy to help our photographers capture their best angles.
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Wear the clothes that makes you feel your best! We recommend bringing light outfit changes so you can get some variety in your gallery. This can be achieved with items that are easily layered, such as tops, jackets, vests, scarves, hats, jewelry, etc. We also recommend avoiding clothes that are overly stiff or tight-fitting. Ideally, you want something flattering that you can also move in.
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Yes, absolutely! Basic props (e.g. balloons, signs) should be ok anywhere, but when bringing something more involved (notably smoke bombs), please check with the location authority to verify whether or not it is permitted in advance of your session. Your location details can be found in your booking confirmation email.
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We love when clients bring pets to their sessions! They can make a photo shoot extra fun and cute 😻 However, we ask that you please check with the location authority (your location details can be found in your booking confirmation email) to verify whether or not it is permitted in advance of your session.
How it works
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A standard Snap East Bay session will consist of approximately 25 minutes of active photographing and moving to different spots to create a variety in posing and scenery, as long as a client shows up on time at the designated meeting point ready to take the first photo the moment their session begins; the other time is reserved for photographers to return to the meeting point to begin their next session on time. Please note that we book our photographers for back-to-back sessions.
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It almost never happens, but you are welcome to not choose any photos from your gallery. There is no obligation to buy and no minimum order size. Kindly note that if you decide to buy less than $100 worth of photos, Snap East Bay will require you to make a prepayment on your next session with us, which will be applied towards your purchase order. This is to financially protect our photographers and hard-working team.
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Bring friends, family, pets or anyone else that makes you happy! We just ask that you limit your party to a maximum of 15. If you party exceeds that number, we ask that you book more than one session. Please make sure to check for any group limits per local ordinances or studio rules in advance of your session. This can be found on the booking page for your event and in your booking confirmation email.
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Many great photographers today spend more time searching and waiting for jobs than they do taking great photos. Our ability to aggregate demand for our photographers allows us to pass the benefit on to our customers in the form of affordable pricing because we believe that nobody should have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have amazing photos!
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Our team of talented photographers is trained to shoot all different types of portraiture, including but not limited to: lifestyle, family, newborns, maternity, engagements, fitness, business headshots, acting headshots, model portfolios and more. Nearly anything you want to shoot (though we like to keep it PG-13) for non-commercial use* , we’re happy to help you capture it! * Commercial use includes, but is not limited to, stock photos, book covers, album covers, e-commerce. Commercial licenses of photos are available for purchase at a higher rate
Snap East Bay Photographers
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Yes! We’re actively recruiting new team members. Contact Us to find ou more.