New Pricing Starting September 1

This is a "heads up" post - we're changing some of our beach portrait and digital download pricing effective September 1! 

We haven't increased any of our pricing since January 2015 - And, well... inflation, gas, COVID, etc. You get the picture... We hope everyone understands!

But the good news is, we think everyone is really going to like one of the changes we are making to digital downloads! Keep reading to find out more!

First, we are increasing our beach portrait session price to $315. 

(Again, we haven't increased the price of our sessions in over 7 years and we feel it is time.)

Any sessions reserved BEFORE September 1 will be reserved at our old pricing ($285). (That means you could book a session for the end of 2022 or any time in 2023 NOW and lock in the old price!) 

For dates reserved on or after September 1, 2022, sessions will switch to the new price of $315.

Next, digital downloads... 

We will be increasing the price of a full gallery download to $215. This price will apply to all galleries created on or after September 1, 2022. Old galleries will retain the old pricing, for now.

Just to be clear - if your session takes place on or after September 1, 2022, this new gallery download pricing will be applied to your gallery.

But the next part is the part we think everyone is really going to like:

Our customers have been asking for retouched digital downloads for a looooong time. We are finally able to do this in our shopping cart and we're excited to be able to do so, again, starting September 1, 2022.

This option will ONLY apply to INDIVIDUAL downloads (NOT gallery downloads). INDIVIDUAL photo downloads will now be priced at $14.50 apiece and will include a proof delay (just like prints) so we have time to retouch the files before you receive your download link. We use a professional retouching service for this and it takes a day or two. The additional $6 will cover this retouching service.

So, good news, you no longer have to order prints first to get retouched digital files!

Again, this pricing will be applied to all NEW galleries created on or after September 1. 

***If you would like the proof delayed individual digital file option on your existing (pre-September 1, 2022) gallery, just let me know and I can change you over to that pricelist on a case by case basis. (This will also change your full gallery download pricing to $215, FYI.)

Finally, good news, we aren't making ANY changes to print prices at this time! Our print prices remain extremely low compared to most area photographers. 

Here's the newest version of our pricelist in pdf format: Updated 2022 Pricelist

FYI - I will be working over the next month to update pricing info around our website so if you see varying prices that is why!

Want to book your 2022 or 2023 session before the new pricing starts? Click "Contact Us" at the top of the page to schedule a session with us for your next visit to Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Englewood Beach, Venice Beach, or Anna Maria Island! 

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions: How Can I Get Retouched Digital Files?

Planning to purchase the gallery download from your beach portrait session? It's our most popular item!

Want those pesky beachcombers and photobombers removed from the background of your photos? Here's how to get retouched digital downloads from your beach portrait session:

Step 1: You purchase prints of your favorite images from your session.

We know, we know... Nobody wants prints anymore. You just want to post your photos on Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Unfortunately, digital downloads purchased through our website are instantaneous. When you place your order, there is no opportunity for us to retouch the photos before the link for you to download them is generated.

The same is not true of prints, however. When you order prints, we have a 1 week "proof delay" where we have the opportunity to retouch your photos before they are printed and shipped. THIS is why we need you to order prints if you want retouching.

Important: Please don't order your digital files at the same time as your prints!... Keep reading!

FYI - We use a professional retouching service to fix up your photos and make everyone look his/her best! This costs us around $5 per image (sometimes more, depending on what needs to be done). Once we subtract the retouching cost, the base cost of the print from our lab, and SmugMug's cut, we pretty much break even when you order a 5x7 print... 

Step 2: Your prints ship and you get a shipping notice and/or an email from us saying we have completed your order.

It is very important that you wait for this notice before you order your digital files!

Step 3: You order your digital files, and the retouched images are now included in your gallery.

When you purchase a gallery download of your session, you will receive a link in your email to download the files.

You can also order individual downloads of only specific images if you prefer:

(Tip: Use our "Favorites" feature to keep track of your favorites, and to order your prints and individual digital files.)

We hope this helps! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions: Summer Sessions with Small Children

Can you believe it is June already? June and July are two of our busiest months for beach portraits! When booking summer sessions, we often get questions about how to handle the late sunset time with small children (and early bedtimes)!

Here are a few of the questions we are frequently asked about summer sessions with small children and our explanation of why (in most cases) we feel it is better to keep the late session time. Please read all the way to the end for some suggestions on how to make your session go more smoothly with small children! I hope these questions and responses will help you gain a better understanding of why we do things the way we do!

Can we do our session in the morning?

While we do occasionally shoot beach portraits at sunrise (we're talking 6:30am or earlier during the summer months!), we can only do so on the weekends due to our personal schedule.

Besides, are you sure everyone in your party really wants to get up that early on their vacation? 😉

Can we move our session an hour earlier so our child can go to bed on time?

Unfortunately, the lighting any earlier is just too harsh for photos on the beach. There will be hard shadows on everybody's faces. People will squint. Everyone will be hot. Your photos just won't look right. Also, you’ll miss out on the sunset!

Can we do the photos with our small child first, and everyone else later?

This one is best answered with a quick explanation of the sequence we typically follow for a beach portrait session.

Here is an example of our usual timeline for a Siesta Key Beach Portrait session:

1. We meet on the path at Beach Access #7, where we start by photographing individual families, family groups of children, and grandparents with grandchildren.

2. We move down to the beach and do seated photos near the dune grass of individual families, family groups of children, grandparents with grandchildren, and the large group.

3. We walk down to the water for sunset where we do all of those shots again.

As you can see, your child needs to be present for the entire session! AND, as you can see from these photos, it is possible for small children to make it through a whole session! 😊

How can I make sure my child has a great experience at our session even though it is past his/her bedtime?

First, we want to make sure to note that it is VERY rare for a child to have a meltdown at one of our photo sessions. MOST children do fine and have a great time! We have a few tricks up our sleeves to keep them focused and motivated! If you read our reviews, you'll see lots of comments about how great we are with kids!

That being said, here are a few things YOU can do to make sure your session goes smoothly for you and your child:

⏩Make sure your child takes a nice, LONG nap in the afternoon
⏩Don't spend the whole day in the sun/pool/Gulf on the day of your session (results in tired, grouchy children)
⏩Make sure your child has a nice BIG meal before your session
⏩Have a bribe lined up for good behavior (ice cream? something from the souvenir store? iPad time?)
⏩Praise goes a long way with small children at photo sessions. Criticism/threats of punishment usually results in tears. Stay positive and your child will too!

(Psst - these suggestions are awesome for teenagers and adults too!)

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions: Which Size Digital Download Should I Order?

Gallery downloads are our most popular post-session purchase for family beach portraits. We currently offer two different sizes of digital downloads. People often ask us which size they should order.

Update 12/25/16 - as of January 1, 2017, we will no longer be offering the "high res" download. The only option will be the "full res" download. Trust us, this is the one you want anyway! We are doing this to decrease confusion and frustration that many customers have experienced! Thanks for your understanding!

Here's some helpful information so you can make an informed decision:

 

A 4Mpix image (“high res”) is 4 megapixels. This is a size that allows for quality printing at most reasonable sizes. If you want to print at really large poster sizes, you would probably want a larger image. (These images should be about 2000 pixels on each side.) Printing anything up to 8x10 should work fine. If all you want to do is post your images to social media or share with friends and family online, this size works great.

The “Original size" or "Full res" download is whatever we uploaded - in most cases, significantly bigger than the 4 megapixel high res download. For just a little more money, you get a lot more. Our camera shoots at 22 megapixels. We don't downsize or change the resolution of the photos when we upload. But some are smaller than they were originally because we crop them for composition purposes. So they’ll be slightly smaller than 22 megapixels, but not much.

Bottom line: the Original size gallery download is well worth the extra $50!

For more information on ordering prints and downloads, click here.

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions: Why Choose Jason Scott Photography?

Wondering why you should select Jason Scott Photography as your photographer for your family portraits on Siesta Key, Longboat Key, or Anna Maria Island?

Here are a few reasons:

1. Experience

During our busy season (March through July), we are out on the beach almost every night, capturing memories for families on vacation.

We know how to pose large and small groups, make kids (and adults) smile and look at the camera, and set a steady pace for your beach portrait session so that you receive as many photos as possible while still having a great time!

Our customers tell us all the time how much fun they had at their session. We're sure you will too!

2. Fast Turnaround Time, No Expiration Date

We post your photos online within 2-3 days of your session! (Yes, really!) You can view them on a computer, tablet, or smart phone while still on vacation, then again when you are at home. You can easily share them with your friends and family on social media or via email.

But... We don't put an expiration date on your gallery. You can wait as long as you want to order prints or digital downloads. And you can do all of this from the comfort of your own home. We'll give your order the attention it deserves, no matter how long you wait.

3. Fast and Effective Communication

We're available via email, text message, phone, or social media whenever you need us.

Additionally, we try to give you as much information as possible directly on our website. We're not hiding our prices or any other details. We want you to know the answers to all of your questions as soon as you have them so you can make good decisions about booking your session, what to wear, where and when to meet, and how to order photos after your session.

Our customers tell us all the time how much they appreciate our quick responses to emails!

4. Up Front Pricing

We're not hiding our prices. We don't want you to waste your time trying to figure out how much things cost. Everything is listed directly on our website.

Even though we know there are lots of other photographers in the area offering beach portrait sessions for $49 or $99, we feel our family beach portrait session pricing is a great deal because of the quality of our photos and the fact that you'll save on prints and wall art afterwards.

We don't mark up our print prices as much as most other photographers and we offer digital files for reasonable prices as well. We're up front about our print and digital download prices from the moment you first reach out to us about a portrait session - no surprises!

ALSO, if we have to cancel for weather or any other emergency reason and cannot reschedule during your vacation, WE WILL REFUND YOUR MONEY IN FULL. 

5. Photo Quality

Without going into all of the technical details... we use the right camera, lenses, lighting, and a full time assistant to make sure our photos are great, every time!

Jason's photos look great, straight out of the camera. (That's a big reason why we are able to offer such a fast turnaround time.) With very little tweaking of the lighting and white balance, the photos we post in your online gallery are close to perfect.

When you order prints, we use a professional retouching service to make all the fine details of your photos look just right. No more stray hairs, shiny skin, etc. Your prints and wall art will look amazing!

View our samples here to see what we mean.

Ready to book? Fill out our contact form to get started! More questions? Check out our Beach Portrait FAQ.

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader

Holiday Card Creation Instructions 2014

Hard to believe - the holidays are quickly approaching!

Looking to create some holiday cards from your wedding, engagement, or family beach photos taken by Jason Scott Photography in 2014? We have three great ways you can create cards using your photos!

We'll be updating this post throughout the holiday season (last update 12/12/14) with special offers and discounts! So, bookmark this page so you can find all the latest deals!

1. Create cards directly through our website.

Here are some instructions. These directions are a teeny bit outdated, but should still work ok. Please let us know if you need help!

We are offering 20% off all purchases made through our website until the end of December with coupon code holiday2014.

2. Create Holiday cards through our Tiny Prints storefront.

Tiny Prints - As the leader in premium personalized stationery, Tiny Prints offers a curated collection of luxe designs, including thank you cards and personal stationery, birth announcements, baby shower invitations and holiday greetings. Customers can make any design their own with easy customization options, stylish accessories, and a variety of premium papers and printing techniques. With fast shipping, superb service and seamless access to Shutterfly's photo management solution, Tiny Prints makes it easy to create a lasting impression. 

Please enter at this link and use the code PHAA93ABX8 at checkout for 30% off your order  from now until December 17 (Excludes calendars, photo books, gift certificates, personalized postage stamps and Erin Condren weekly planners). This is an exclusive code, available only through our Tiny Prints Storefront!

Fine Print: There is no minimum purchase required for this promotion. Offer is not applicable to previously placed orders, shipping, taxes, rush processing charges, calendars, photo books, gift certificates, personalized postage stamps and Erin Condren weekly planners. This promotion code cannot be combined with other offers. Offer cannot be redeemed more than once per account and/or billing address. This particular offer code can only be redeemed once. Offer is only valid on Tinyprints.com and is not applicable on third party or partner websites. To prevent fraud or abuse, we reserve the right to discontinue or modify this offer or cancel any order.

Tiny Prints offers great deals throughout the holiday season - we'll be displaying our affiliate links here and on our Facebook page! If you can't see the banner above, turn off your ad blocker so you can get the latest coupon codes!

Here are some instructions on how to use your photos from our site through Tiny Prints.  Please let us know if you have any questions!

3. Purchase a digital download of the photos you want to use on your cards 

You can then upload your photos to any site or store of your choosing to create cards through other vendors such as Shutterfly.

Here's how to purchase a digital download. Let us know if you need help!

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions: What should we wear for our beach portrait session? (Updated edition!)

One of the questions we are asked most often by beach portrait customers is, "What should we wear?" Your personal decision about this can really impact how your photos come out! We offer some suggestions about this on our Beach Portrait FAQ but wanted to expand on that a bit here. Read on to find out more!

Coordinating what you wear, especially with a large group, can be a challenge. Everyone wants to wear what looks good on them but when you put everything together... well, it doesn't always work well together! As you look through the family photos on our website you’ll see some good examples of how to dress and some that are not so good. We also have some great ideas pinned on Pinterest!

1. Our Favorite: White and Khaki

Sometimes, when we suggest white and khaki (our personal favorite color combination for Siesta Key Beach Portraits), people resist because they feel it will be dull and boring in the photo. Please be assured that white looks absolutely AWESOME against our beautiful beaches here in SouthWest Florida! There's a reason why most of our sample photos and most beach portraits you see on other photographer's websites are in white and khaki - it just plain looks good! You want the focus of the photo to be on you, your family, and the beautiful surroundings, NOT on what you are wearing!

(Tip: Add a splash of color with hair accessories or chunky jewelry in bright colors such as pink or turquoise!)

 

 

2. White and denim or white and navy

Our second favorite is white and denim (be careful to coordinate the shade of denim though!) or white and navy.

 

 

3. Pastels

If you really want to use a color, stick with SOLIDS or large patterns - not tiny stripes, plaids or small patterns. Light blues or greens look nice because the colors compliment the grass and water at the beach. In general, pastels are good and brighter, primary colors are not as good.

Here are a few examples of pastels that worked well for past customers:

 

 

And, although we have offered a few different color options here, remember to coordinate so that everyone in your group selects the SAME color combination! In other words, don't put denim on some people and khaki on others! Too many colors can be very distracting in the photo!

Tips for women: Wear tops with sleeves, and no dresses or skirts that are too short (doesn't work well when sitting down in the sand or walking around in the wind!). White dresses, or long, white flowing beach skirts and tops, or white tops and khaki capris look fabulous. Shorts are ok too. Don't wear lotion - the powdery sand will stick to you! Jewelry is ok! Wind is often an issue with hair - it works much better if your hair is well secured or has enough "product" to keep it in place! Make it your mission to keep your (and your kids') hair out of your face during the photo shoot! We can photoshop out background distractions, blemishes, shiny faces, etc but stray hairs are VERY difficult to fix!

Tips for men: A white dress shirt or polo and nice jeans or ironed khakis will look great. Shorts and T-Shirts work ok too - it's all about how casual (or not) you want your photo to look.

Tips for kids: Watch out for sunburn! A little pink in the cheeks looks good in photos but beet red faces are not the greatest! (That goes for grown ups too!) Coordinate kids in similar outfits as the adults. For little girls, a solid white or denim sundress looks cute if everyone is wearing white and khaki or white and denim, respectively. Poofy, flower girl or communion type dresses are harder to work with on the beach and won't look as natural in the photos. Little boys look great in polo shirts and shorts.

 

About shoes:  We normally shoot beach portraits barefoot, however, during certain times of the year, there are always terrible sand spurs (little spiky seed pods) all over the beach near the dune grass! Ouch! It might be a good idea to coordinate a shoe color (i.e. brown or black sandals on everyone) just in case we decide it is better to keep everyone's shoes on their feet!

We hope this helps you decide on your outfits for your beach portrait session!

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or through your favorite feed reader

The "New" Jason Scott Photography

Our photo host, SmugMug, introduced a completely updated design and interface a couple days ago.

As a result, we've completely changed the look and feel of our site, and we're working hard to make sure everything is working the way it should. If you find anything that isn't working right, please let us know or leave a comment below!

Stay tuned to our blog for updated help pages and how-to tutorials in the coming weeks!

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions - What Happens AFTER Our Family Beach Portrait Session?

At the end of every family beach portrait session, we are always asked, "What next?" or "How do we get our photos?" Jason tells me I need to make a brochure to hand to everyone at the end of the night, but until I get around to doing that, hopefully this blog post will help!

    

1. We process your photos. 

We use Adobe Lightroom for our first run through your photos. We'll delete the "duds" - photos with eyes closed, funny faces, etc. We'll also adjust the lighting on everything as needed and crop and straighten everything. (Jason is notorious for crooked horizons!) 

Usually we do all of this as soon as we get home on the evening of your session. This typically takes us about one hour.

     

2. We upload your photos to our host site, SmugMug. 

This typically takes a couple of hours. I usually start the upload and go to bed! The photos are "magically" online by morning! Ta-da!

We try to get your photos online within 48 hours of your session, but we usually get them to you within 24 hours. During our busiest season (March-July), sometimes it might take us an extra day or two... sorry...

IMPORTANT: While your photos are uploading (and for a day or two after we send you the link), they are in an "unlisted" gallery that cannot be found by you, Google, or anybody else for that matter (unless you give out the link). 

A couple of days after they are uploaded, however, we make the gallery public unless you tell us not to.  We store all of our customer galleries under the "Your Photos" menu on our website, so that potential customers (like you once were!) can see our work and not just a bunch of selected samples. But we do understand that some people want their privacy, so we're happy to keep your gallery unlisted if you ask us to, or add a password instead. Please let us know right away if you'd like us to do this... it is hard to put the cat back in the bag once we let it out!

    

3. We send you your photo links.

When they're ready, we'll send you TWO links. This is the spot in this process where people most often get confused. Some mail programs see two emails coming from the same person at the same time and dump them into your Junk/Spam folder. Some dump one of the two in the Junk folder. So, if you don't see TWO emails from us, please check your Junk folder!

One of the emails will have a subject line that says "For You..."

The other will say "Share with friends..."

    

4. You pick out your favorite photos.

Use the personalized link in the email intended for you to view your photos and tag your favorites. 

Use the sharing email to forward on to friends and family, or feel free to copy/paste the link into Facebook or your favorite social networking site. Others will be able to register to get their own personal link so they can keep track of their favorite photos.

If you click on your sharing link or on someone else's personal link, you won't be able to see your favorites anymore. If someone else clicks on your personal link, they will be able to see, add to, and subtract from your favorites. So, we don't recommend sharing your personal link.

IMPORTANT: We also post our favorites on our blog and, sometimes, our facebook page or sample gallery. (Again, if you don't want us to do this, please let us know in advance!) 

Details: We'll use your last name in the blog post but we can modify that to an initial or first names or whatever by request. We don't tell where you live, names of kids, or any other identifying information. Blog posts show up on our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages and you are free to share them if you want your Facebook friends, etc to see the best of the best of your beach portraits!

Sample photos (our all time favorites that we want to share with the whole wide world in our sample gallery) will not contain ANY identifying information. They will post to our sample gallery, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest. You can tag yourself if you follow us on Facebook or Google+ and your friends can see your beach portraits. Its like getting a free digital download of your best beach portraits! We retouch all photos that appear in blog posts and sample galleries, so they'll look perfect!

    

5. You place an order.

There is absolutely no rush to complete this step! Unlike many other photographers, we do not place an expiration date on your online gallery. It will remain online indefinitely. You can come back and order photos in a year or ten years! Or, you can order them right away!

Here are a couple of helpful links to help you through the ordering process:

Print Prices and Ordering

What Size Photos Should I Order?

Adding Mats and Frames to Photos

How do I Purchase Digital Downloads of my Photos?

How Can I Create Holiday Cards?

How Can I Create Cards Through TinyPrints?

All prints and digital downloads are purchased directly through our website. Just fill up your shopping cart, enter your credit card number and address, and you're done!

     

6. We process your order.

Once you place your order, we receive a "Proof Delay" email. This allows us several days to retouch your photos and make sure they look perfect before they ship!

More about Proof Delay and Retouching

    

7. Your order ships, you receive it, you hang it on your wall!

8. You give us some feedback! (Please!)

Places to leave us feedback:

On our website (scroll to the bottom)

On Facebook

Tweet about us (just click the link)

Problems with your order? Please send us an email instead, so we are sure to see it and address the problem right away! (allyson at jasonscottphoto dot com)

More questions? Let us know in the comments below!

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or through your favorite feed reader

Frequently Asked Questions - How Can I Create Holiday Cards from my Beach Portraits or Wedding Photos?

The holidays are approaching and this is the perfect time to order your holiday cards! We are really pleased to be able to offer you a great selection of unique holiday cards - designs that can only be found on our host site, SmugMug - they are really different from those you will see at WalMart, Walgreens, or Snapfish. There are also loads of new designs for 2012! If you are interested in creating Holiday Cards from your Siesta Key Beach Portraits or Sarasota Wedding Photos, here's how to do that:

First, find the photo you want on your card. Select "Create a Card" from the "Add to Cart" menu.

Select which type of card you want (5x7 folded or 4x8 flat, Holiday, Christmas, etc.).

Then create your card by dragging photos in and out from the box at the right. You can change your card design by browsing the categories at the bottom. You can make your photo bigger or smaller (zoom) by using the controls on the right.

If you select a card with multiple photo spots, simply drag additional photos into place from the box on the right. Don't worry, the Jason Scott Photography watermark will NOT show up on your cards!

Add text in available text boxes (marked with a "T") to customize your card.

When you are happy with your card, use the area on the right to purchase your cards. Finish by clicking "Add to Cart."

Sometimes saving your card can take a while! Don't get concerned if it takes a long time! Cards with more photos take longer!

When it is finished, you can go back to the gallery to purchase additional prints, or go directly to the shopping cart to check out!

Hope this helps! If you have trouble, please let us know! And don't forget to use coupon code "holiday2012" to receive 20% off any order over $25 between now and December 31!

Can't find a design you love on our site? We recommend TinyPrints! More info here!

PS - Don't forget, you can also follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or through your favorite feed reader