Holiday Card Photos.
One 30-minute session outdoors, $195 whatever the size of your family, and 10 retouched images back within five days — in time to order cards without rushing.
Book a weekend
Card-season light is best late September through mid-November, when the trees turn in Van Cortlandt Park. Booking closes two days before a session, so this coming weekend is usually still open.
Thirty minutes outdoors
Any family size, one flat price. No studio, no posing chart — we walk a little, the kids stay themselves, and I shoot around them rather than at them.
Images back in five days
Ten fully retouched images in a private gallery, sized for print and for the card printers. Shoot in October and your cards are ordered well before the December postage rush.
What you get
$195- 30-minute outdoor session, any family size
- Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Park, Untermyer Gardens or lower Westchester
- 10 fully retouched images — print and web files
- Private gallery within five days
- Free reschedule if the weather turns
Questions
When should we shoot for a holiday card?
Anywhere from late September through mid-November. October is the sweet spot: the park has colour, the light is low and warm by late afternoon, and a five-day turnaround still leaves weeks to order cards and address them. Early December is possible but the trees are bare and daylight runs out by four.
Is it too late if I'm reading this in November?
Usually not. Most card printers turn an order around in under a week, and my gallery comes back in five days. The real deadline is daylight — sessions end earlier and earlier as the month goes on, so the remaining slots are afternoon rather than golden hour.
How much is it?
$195 for the session, whatever the size of the family. That covers the 30 minutes outdoors and 10 fully retouched images. There is no print package to buy afterwards and no per-image upsell — the files are yours to send to whichever card printer you like.
What about toddlers who won't sit still?
Good. A card photo where the toddler is mid-run tends to age better than one where everybody is arranged and holding a smile. We shoot outdoors partly for this reason — there is room to move, and I work around the kids rather than asking them to perform.
What should we wear?
Pick one or two colours and let everyone land somewhere inside them, rather than matching exactly. Avoid large logos and bright white, which blows out in low autumn sun. I send a short note on this after you book.
What if it rains?
We move you to the next weekend slot that works, at no charge. Overcast is genuinely fine — flat soft light is flattering and it is what most of the best frames are shot in. Only actual rain moves a session.
Expecting? Maternity sessions run the same weekends, in the same light.
Runs a preschool or works somewhere with a lot of families? On-site photo days cover everyone in one visit.
Book your session