Questions & Answers

I specialize in family photography and capturing the love between you and your people. But I also enjoy going outside of the family realm and photographing high school seniors, products for your business, and other creative projects.

I have photographed weddings in the past and I may venture back into that area someday but for this time in my life I am saying no thank you to weddings. I have two growing boys and they have weekend activities that they are involved in. So during this season, I am not doing weddings because I'll be out watching my boys or driving them around.

Within two weeks after your session, your images will be fully edited and put online for you to view. These edited digital images that you purchased will be delivered to you to download to your computer. If you would like to order prints or anything additional you will be able to at that time easily through your online gallery, email, phone, or an in-person appointment.

If you'd like your sweet baby posed, then newborns are best photographed within the first 6-14 days of life. For those little sessions, we want the baby to still be itty bitty and mostly still be sleepy and moldable. They start to wake up to the world after that first week. But we can definitely take beautiful pictures of a one-month-old as well, so don't hesitate, mamas. If possible, contact me before your baby is due and let’s schedule a tentative date for the photo session to make sure you get on my calendar. I only take a limited number of babies each month. During a little one’s first year of life I recommend doing pictures around 6-8 months (when able to sit up) and 12 -14 months (when able to stand on their own).

• The morning of the session, please keep baby awake the best you can. Give her a bath, play and interact with her so she’ll be good and tired when it comes time for our photo session.
• Put baby in a diaper (fasten the diaper loosely to avoid diaper lines) and put her in something that zips or buttons up the front so that it is easy to take off. We want to avoid things that go over her head and will disrupt her sleepiness.
• Give baby a long full feeding right before you leave home to come to my studio and hopefully she will fall asleep on the car ride here.
• Please bring a pacifier along just in case even if baby doesn’t currently use one. They are often helpful for little moments during the session.
• Please be prepared with a bottle of milk (formula or pump a little please) in case baby needs it during the session. Bottles are just helpful at times when baby is in a certain position or prop.
• My full newborn sessions usually take about two hours or even a tad longer if baby needs more nursing and snuggling time. Please be prepared for this amount of time and let dad know that it will take this long.
• If you’d like pictures of an older sibling with the new baby I will ask that we take these images at the beginning of the session and that another adult takes the older sibling(s) home or to the park or something after their short picture time. It’s better for everyone (and way more enjoyable for mama) if the older children are not there waiting the whole time and mom can enjoy just focusing on her new baby.
• I will make the room nice and toasty warm for our naked baby. So please be prepared for warmth. Layering clothing works well.

I have lots of hats, headbands, wraps, and diaper covers that we can use. But I always love something new and unique to your little baby! So, you sure don't need to but if you’d like to, you may buy something that fits your tastes and bring it along. Plan ahead if you’re ordering online though as some of these vendors can take a little while. Keep in mind that delicate and soft is better on a tiny baby. You don’t want the flower on the headband too big or the colors so bright that it takes away from your baby’s newborn perfection. I have plenty of props so there’s no need to bring any of those with you.

I have a small dedicated studio space in my new home in Clovis, CA for those newborn babies up through one-year-olds. For everyone older than one year, I really prefer and love taking photos out on location (except for my Child Simple Studio Sessions). As far as where? It’s really up to you. Whether it’s the buildings in old town, down by the river, your home, some orchards, vineyards, or the beautiful foothills we’re sure to get some fabulous images. If you don’t feel like you have any great ideas, then I would love to offer up a few.

Many moms are a bit stressed as they prepare their families for pictures. Then the actual moment comes and they are worried that everyone will just “fall apart”. Don’t stress. Don’t worry. We’re just going to “play and explore” if there are little ones. Please relax and know that no….all will not be perfect, but…we will get some fantastic shots of your children playing and interacting. They may not be the JC Penney’s type of shot where everyone is looking perfectly at the camera and smiling just so. But I prefer the ones where everyone is expressing a bit of themselves anyway and I hope you do too! Just remember, if you’re stressed, your children can feel it, so relax and let’s have fun with it.

I prefer to photograph my newborn babies naked! Gotta love that little tiny body. Just swaddle them up in a sweet blanket to keep them cozy. I will have a few diaper covers if you’d rather have them keep their diaper on. You can check out my Pinterest board for ideas of what parents and siblings can wear during the newborn session. I also have a couple of Pinterest boards with clothing ideas for the other more grown-up people in the pictures that you can look at.

If you would like help with putting together your children’s outfits (and even stuff for the teen girls and you mamas) and if you'd like to buy local, get yourselves over to The Foundry in Clovis. Such beautiful stuff, trust me.

I accept cash, check, credit card, or Apple Pay. Make checks payable to Derksen Photography. The $200 session fee is due at the time of booking in order to save your date. The remainder is due the week of your session. But don't worry, I'll send you an invoice for each payment and you can easily and securely pay online.