We can’t wait to work with you! We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions our clients ask when they first contact us. If you have other questions, feel free to contact us online using the form at the bottom of the page or call us at (313) 883-9500.
General FAQs (13)
Absolutely! Professional photography makes a great gift for nearly everyone! Gift certificate amounts are available in any amount. Click here to order one now!
Absolutely! In fact, many of our clients use our registry for far more than weddings. Even up-and-coming actors and models use our registry to fund their updated headshots and portfolios! You can search the available registries and even open your own here:
There is only one place to find legitimate coupons for our services and products … our email newsletter! If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to sign up for our email newsletter today!
Yes!
You can find the Paul Manoian Photography blog here:
https://www.paulmanoian.com/photography/blog/
Yes! We offer a very generous Print Credit to all of our clients that refer us to their friends and family. In addition, the people referred to us receive a Print Credit as well!
https://www.paulmanoian.com/photography/detroit-photographer-about/friends-family-referral-program/
Yes! We offer a fantastic opportunity to share your knowledge and help build your online credibility. You may have years of industry experience, but you truly aren’t putting them to use unless you’re helping those around you. Information about Guest Writer submissions is available online here:
https://www.paulmanoian.com/photography/detroit-photographer-contact/guest-writers/
Of course we can! You can read them online here:
After our sessions, we love being able to share a “Sneak Peek” of the images with our clients on our blog. While our schedule doesn’t always allow for this, we publish sneak peek blog posts more often than not. We will email you after your session to let you know a “Sneak Peek” blog post has been published along with a link for you to share with friends and family on social media. PLEASE be sure you share it! Why??? Because we offer FREE Print Credits when others share and comment on your blog post!
We have published well over 500 “Sneak Peek” blog posts! Click here to read some of them!
Our clients love great style and fantastic design, but they also know a good grilled cheese sandwich when they see one. Our clients come from all walks of life and are CEOs, professors, musicians, artists, history buffs, actors, models and more. They know when to demand the best, but also understand the importance of putting life on hold to capture the finer moments with professional photography that their children and children’s children will hold dear to their hearts for generations to come.
Absolutely! We are very comfortable working in all types of lighting conditions. We regularly use available,natural light (our favorite), studio strobes to entirely create our own light (our other favorites) or a combination of available light and small strobes to enhance the overall scene (our other, other favorite).
It’s only Paul. He’s the one that will consult with you about your session and he’s the one that will be there to take the pictures. Every image in every online portfolio was taken by Paul and Paul alone. However, if your wedding or special event requires additional photographers (e.g. a large wedding or corporate event), we have a list of photographers to partner with us, if needed. But, even then, you would still be working directly with Paul.
Photo Product FAQs (7)
The answer is a resounding YES! We use a professional photo lab that specifically provides us with the best paper, the most consistent color and the overall best quality. Costco, Walgreens and other photo places don’t compare. You can read the full article here:
https://www.paulmanoian.com/photography/best-photo-prints-detroit/
No, not at all. Proportionally they are very different. To explain the differences between all of the various size, we create this special FAQ article to visually show it with animated images:
No, not at all. Proportionally they are very different. To explain the differences between all of the various size, we create this special FAQ article to visually show it with animated images:
https://www.paulmanoian.com/photography/comparison-photograph-print-sizes-photo-size-explanation/
Yes! The easiest way to view all of the prices for small gift prints, Heirloom Wall Display Prints, art canvas products, gallery wraps, albums, downloadable images and more is to view one of our sample sessions. Simply click on any thumbnail image from one of the galleries and all of the available options and prices will pop up on the right side of the screen.
Yes! Online proofs are color corrected and, in most cases, may even be cropped and rotated. They are not “photoshopped” beyond that. But, you can order blemish removal on any any images from your online proof gallery if you feel it is needed! Options are available for full skin smoothing and removing braces as well.
Please keep in mind the size of the print that you are ordering to help determine if you should pay extra for one of these retouching options. Most people only order one of them for close up images that will be enlarged and hung on a wall in your home. It may not make sense to order it if you are ordering a small print and the subject’s face is relatively small in the overall image.
Photography Session FAQs (13)
Even though I regularly shoot out of a studio space, your session can take place at almost any location (including your home). Travel within 20 miles of zip code 48154 is included with every session for free. Even so, we love to photograph and new and exciting locations! Do you already have a location in mind? Great! Just let us know and we will do everything we can to accommodate!
Bad weather happens. Rain and wind are inevitable. We keep a very close eye on the weather forecast and will reschedule your outdoor session as soon as possible if we feel it isn’t conducive for you.
Even so, it really depends on your definition of “bad”! We actually reschedule sessions more often due to wind than anything else. But, we can still do your session if it’s windy, raining or even snowing. Please just keep in mind that anything over 5-8mph wind will likely blow your hair around.
If it’s raining or snowing, well, it’s a little more complicated. Assuming you don’t want rain or snow, we can simply reschedule your session in hopes of better weather. If you don’t mind rain or snow, great! We can still do your session! However, please keep in mind that under rain and snow conditions, we will not be lying on the ground to get different angles for your shots. we cannot risk getting rain drops or snow flakes on the camera lens during the session. They won’t damage the equipment; rather, it will make the image blurry at every spot where a water drop or snow flake touches the lens! Similar, we won’t change lens if it’s raining or snowing. Changing lens during foul weather would risk damaging the extremely sensitive (and very expensive) digital sensor inside the camera used to capture the images. So, we’ll select the best all-around lens for your session at the start and won’t swap it for different perspectives during the session until it stops raining or snowing.
Wardrobe is one of the single largest contributors to a successful photo shoot. It is all about the right selection of color, textures and accessories. Select colors from the same color family and avoid tiny print patterns or clothing with words printed on them.
Some wardrobe ideas are available at:
Simply visit the link below and select the type of session you would like to schedule:
Don’t worry about picking a location … yet. You need to decide the “look and feel” for the type of session you want first. Once you know that, we can often suggest a few different locations that give you the end result you want!
For ideas, check out the many online portfolios we have available including:
After our sessions, we love being able to share a “Sneak Peek” of the images with our clients on our blog. While our schedule doesn’t always allow for this, we publish sneak peek blog posts more often than not. We will email you after your session to let you know a “Sneak Peek” blog post has been published along with a link for you to share with friends and family on social media. PLEASE be sure you share it! Why??? Because we offer FREE Print Credits when others share and comment on your blog post!
We have published well over 500 “Sneak Peek” blog posts! Click here to read some of them!
Yes! In fact, we have an entire portfolio online for senior pictures with horses.
Of course, we do not supply horses (or any other animals) for sessions. The people in those pictures own the horses you see. They are just like family members to them. Having pictures pictures taken with someone else’s horse is like having pictures taken with someone else’s little brother.
Just like pictures we take with pets, there is never an additional charge to include your horse. So, please, just ask!
It depends on the time of year. It depends on the time of day. It depends on the location. So, it depends.
I am regularly scheduling portrait session 6-9 months in advance and weddings up to 1-2 years in advance. So, simply put, don’t wait. Highly desirable weekends for the current year may already be booked as you read this. Even so, I can usually accommodate session requests within a week or two if you availability during the week.
My best tip is … contact me as soon as you know you’d like to schedule something!
Usually not. Since we schedule sessions out in advance, there will likely be someone scheduled after you. If that happens, there is simply no way to extend you session. Sorry.
If you are trying to decide between two different lengths of session (e.g. 1 1/2 hours vs 2 hours), always pick the longer session. We will definitely use it.
If you are still unsure of the right session length, please feel free to contact us online or call us at (313) 883-9500 to discuss it.
Rescheduling Policy
- Weather related rescheduling – We will watch the weather leading up to your session and will be reaching out to you if we feel it is questionable to determine if you would like to reschedule. There is no rescheduling fee if it is due to weather.
- Non-weather related rescheduling – Requests to reschedule must be made at least 72 hours in advance of the session time. There is a $75 rescheduling fee if requests are made less than 72 hours in advance.
- Studio session rescheduling – Requests to reschedule must be made at least 72 hours in advance of the session time. There is a $75 rescheduling fee for all in-studio session. Requests made less than 72 hours in advance may result in the loss of the session fee.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
- Refunds are not provided in the event of a session cancellation. If the cancellation request is made at least 72 hours before the session start time, the session fees that have been paid will be applied to your account as a credit that can be used to schedule another session at a future date. Cancellation requests made less than 72 hours before the session start time will result in the loss of the session fees paid.
Yes! I typically post a sneak peek blog post within a week or so of you session with some of favorite images processed so far. After that, everything will be posted into an online proof gallery and the access information will be sent to you via email. Also, send us a Facebook friend request, and we’ll post some of the images there and tag you in them!
Placing Orders FAQs (10)
After your photo shoot is over, you can expect your proofs to be ready in approximately 2 weeks from your session date. You will receive an email with an Access Code to your private gallery to review your proofs. Session fees include hosting your private online proof gallery for 10 days free! Online proof gallery hosting can be extended for only $2/day in one month increments. Proofs will be purged after the gallery has expired.
If you have been given a gallery access code, you can search for your images here:
Our professional lab is located almost 1,000 miles away from Detroit. Since they will drop ship printed items directly to you once they are ready, picking them up directly from us is not an option. Shipping, handling and boutique packaging are added to each order based on the actual items that are to be shipped.
The short answer is, “Nothing.” They are both digital images in jpeg format that you can download to your computer. The difference between the two is only in the method used to purchase them from your online proof gallery.
- Instant Download images and purchased “instantly” using Download Credits which can be purchased in blocks. The larger the block of Download Credits you purchased the greater the discount (up to 25%)!
- Digital Proofs are added to your shopping cart just like traditional prints and provide the opportunity to add retouching services like blemish removal and a whole lot more.
Our Wall Designer lets you view images in your online proof gallery as framed or canvas prints on the wall of an actual room of a home with the option to purchase the items added. You can access the Wall Designer by clicking on any image thumbnail from your gallery and clicking on the “Wall Designer” tab that pops up on the right side of your computer screen.
You will receive an email with a link to your gallery as well as an access code once images have been published to your online proof gallery.
If you have been set up as the gallery owner, you can view your online proof galleries by logging into your account and clicking on the “View My Proof Galleries” section.
If you are not the gallery owner, visit the link below and enter your gallery access code into the “Find My Photos” form:
http://clients.paulmanoian.com/index.php?view=findphotos
Please be sure to place orders for images you would like to keep and use before your online proof gallery expires. You will no longer be able to order images once it has expired.
Every image in the online proof gallery from your portrait session or wedding will be white balanced, color corrected and possibly cropped to make it look its best. You can selectively order blemish removal if you feel it is needed in additional to other common processes like teeth whitening, removing braces and even more extreme techniques like skin smoothing and body sculpting. There are few things that are more challenging to do in Photoshop, so please feel free to ask if you have any special requests after reviewing your proofs.
Yes! I typically post a sneak peek blog post within a week or so of you session with some of favorite images processed so far. After that, everything will be posted into an online proof gallery and the access information will be sent to you via email. Also, send us a Facebook friend request, and we’ll post some of the images there and tag you in them!
Yes! Online proofs are color corrected and, in most cases, may even be cropped and rotated. They are not “photoshopped” beyond that. But, you can order blemish removal on any any images from your online proof gallery if you feel it is needed! Options are available for full skin smoothing and removing braces as well.
Please keep in mind the size of the print that you are ordering to help determine if you should pay extra for one of these retouching options. Most people only order one of them for close up images that will be enlarged and hung on a wall in your home. It may not make sense to order it if you are ordering a small print and the subject’s face is relatively small in the overall image.
Session Fee FAQs (8)
Session retainers (a.k.a. sitting fees, session fees, etc) represent your initial investment to cover our time to plan the session with you, shoot and process the images from your session, host your proofs in an online gallery for 10 days, as well as our travel time/expenses. Session retainers are non-refundable.
All payments are due at the time of ordering. Payment for sessions must be received in full to reserve your date and time. Similarly, payment for prints, canvases, cards, etc must be received in full before your order is processed. For convenience, we accept cash, check, PayPal and credit cards (processed using PayPal).
No. Well, not exactly. All of our sessions are based on the duration of the photo shoot you book. So, if you book a 2 hour session and we spend 30 minutes traveling between multiple locations, the time available to photograph you is shortened to 90 minutes even though the overall duration was still 2 hours.
Yes! In fact, we have an entire portfolio online for senior pictures with horses.
Of course, we do not supply horses (or any other animals) for sessions. The people in those pictures own the horses you see. They are just like family members to them. Having pictures pictures taken with someone else’s horse is like having pictures taken with someone else’s little brother.
Just like pictures we take with pets, there is never an additional charge to include your horse. So, please, just ask!
Usually not. Since we schedule sessions out in advance, there will likely be someone scheduled after you. If that happens, there is simply no way to extend you session. Sorry.
If you are trying to decide between two different lengths of session (e.g. 1 1/2 hours vs 2 hours), always pick the longer session. We will definitely use it.
If you are still unsure of the right session length, please feel free to contact us online or call us at (313) 883-9500 to discuss it.
Rescheduling Policy
- Weather related rescheduling – We will watch the weather leading up to your session and will be reaching out to you if we feel it is questionable to determine if you would like to reschedule. There is no rescheduling fee if it is due to weather.
- Non-weather related rescheduling – Requests to reschedule must be made at least 72 hours in advance of the session time. There is a $75 rescheduling fee if requests are made less than 72 hours in advance.
- Studio session rescheduling – Requests to reschedule must be made at least 72 hours in advance of the session time. There is a $75 rescheduling fee for all in-studio session. Requests made less than 72 hours in advance may result in the loss of the session fee.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
- Refunds are not provided in the event of a session cancellation. If the cancellation request is made at least 72 hours before the session start time, the session fees that have been paid will be applied to your account as a credit that can be used to schedule another session at a future date. Cancellation requests made less than 72 hours before the session start time will result in the loss of the session fees paid.
Can’t find an answer to your question? Please feel free to call us at (313) 885-9500 or contact us online.
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