Sessions are between 30 minutes and one hour, depending on which collection you choose, as well as the age/s of the children & the amount of time they can happily co-operate for. I always schedule the maximum time for myself & will stay for as long as you are happy to shoot, or until we have enough beautiful photos for me to work with.

Absolutely! The longer we spend together, the more of your family story we will be able to capture.

Yes! I love photographing extended families and getting grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and pets into the picture is always incredibly special. For groups larger than 6 people, only Collection 2 & Collection 3 are valid (or a custom session of course).

I have always been a Nikon girl! They've always felt more comfortable and natural in my hand. I have various cameras and lenses depending on what we plan to shoot together!

You can order prints directly through your photo gallery, which is linked to a professional photo lab who will deliver the prints to your door. Or you can download your images and have them printed yourself wherever you fancy. The choice is entirely yours!

For any photo session the most important thing is that everyone feels comfortable. You may want to spend a little time in advance thinking about colours and styles that everyone likes, so as to avoid a last minute panic (no-on needs any more stress in their lives). If you need any help with this please just ask, I have various photos & images that can be used for inspiration & guidance. But most importantly, just turn up and be in the photos!

Never fear, leave that to me! The photo session will be fun & easy-going in order for everyone to feel relaxed & their most natural. My photography style is informal, capturing interaction between people and families, so I will sometimes ask you to look at the camera but most of the time I will shoot when you are not aware of it to capture more intimate, candid moments. We will be talking to each other throughout & you can ask me questions and suggest things at any time.

This is totally up to you - what time is best for you and your family? There is no one-size-fits-all answer. If your kids have the most energy in the morning, let's shoot then. If your garden looks amazing in the afternoon, let's shoot then. We can agree on a time that best suits you.

In the case of rain on the day of the session, we will rearrange if necessary.

Payment is taken at the time of booking via a link that is in the confirmation email. If you book Collection 1 or Collection 2, you are able to upgrade your collection at any time.

For all of my clients I will email you a link to your online gallery (private and password protected), normally within four weeks of our session. From the gallery, you can then view all of the final images & select which ones you would like to purchase. Collection 1 and Collection 2 include a specific number of photos to keep. Collection 3 offers you the entire gallery.

If you need your photos sooner than the normal four week turnaround time, just let me know and I will try my very best to work within your timeframe.

I'm afraid not, that isn't how copyright works. I realise it seems counter-intuitive that you don't own the copyright for images of your own family, but copyright is owned by the individual or business that created the image, so in this case the copyright for all photos remains with Emma Mathieson Photography. However please rest assured that I treat all of my client's photos with as much care as you do.

Maybe you aren't looking or feeling your very best (in your own eyes anyway), but to your family you are perfect because you are the only you.

Maybe you worry that your kids won't 'behave' for the session, but I don't want your kids to 'behave' I want them to be their true selves, because that is what I aim to capture for you, not a pretend 'perfect' version of your family.

And, maybe it feels a little uncomfortable to put ourselves in front of the camera but I can't stress enough the value of having all family members in the photos, especially Mum! Put down that phone, with a gazillion photos of everyone else but you, and step into the photo yourself. As mother's we exist and we must be visible and present!

My sessions only last up to an hour, and the memories you take away are precious, I promise!