Book a Session

PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING

I know it’s a lot of information but I will likely answer many of the questions you may have! 
If you still have more after going through this page please feel free to reach out to me by email and I’ll be happy to chat some more!

Hello! Thanks for booking with MJ Photographics! I’m excited to shoot with you! Before you click over to my booking site I just wanted to make sure you have all the information you need and give some instructions that will make the booking process go smoothly.
 
I am a natural light photographer and currently I only shoot on location in public places. I do not have a physical studio. My portrait and headshot sessions usually take place on the Halifax peninsula. Family and couples sessions also often take place on the peninsula, but if you have your heart set on another option please let me know and I can see what I can do about travelling elsewhere.
 
For outdoor headshot and portrait sessions we can shoot in Point Pleasant Park, The Public Gardens, downtown, or on the waterfront. Outdoor sessions are weather dependant. I usually touch base with clients the night before the shoot to confirm if the weather is cooperating. If not, we can either reschedule or move to an indoor session.
 
As of March 21st 2022 I will be able to offer indoor headshot sessions again, since mask rules will no longer be in place. My usual indoor location is the Halifax Central Library. If masking becomes mandatory again I will have to move any booked indoor sessions to outdoors or reschedule them.
 
Booking
To book a session you can click on the button at the bottom of this page to be taken to my booking site. There you can choose the package you wish to book and view my availability calendar. Click a date to see all times available. Once you choose a date and time you’ll be prompted to fill in some information
  • If you are booking for someone else please book the session under their name and their contact information. (For minors please see the section on Booking for Kids and Teens)
  • If you would like to provide additional contact information you can put it in the comments section
  • If you are booking a headshot session please include whether you are looking for performer headshots or business headshots in the comments section
All bookings must be accepted by me and a deposit must be paid before they are considered confirmed. You will get an email from info@mjphotographics.com to confirm your session and work out other shoot details. You’ll also receive an invoice from my Square invoicing system for the session deposit. Please allow one to three business days for an email confirmation and invoice to arrive in your inbox. Also, please make sure you have my email in your contacts so my messages don’t go to junk mail.
 
Booking for Kids & Teens
For headshot or portrait sessions with anyone under the age of 18, I do require that I connect with a parent or guardian before I can confirm the shoot, so I recommend that an adult complete the booking. When filling out the booking information please put the name of the child or teen in the name field and include the name of the supervising adult in the comment section along with the age of the child or teen. The contact information, phone number and email, should be the adult’s information. If teens wish to also receive emails about their shoot they can include their email in the comments section.
 
Availability
I do my best to keep my availability up to date on my booking tool, but sometimes I may need to adjust the time or date you requested. Very occasionally, I may need to reschedule an appointment that’s already been approved due to circumstances outside my control and/or work opportunities. As a working actor myself there’s a small chance I could get called away for other work on our shoot day, but I do my best to try to make sure my schedule doesn’t impact my clients as much as possible, so I can be there to help you get your next role!
 
My schedule fills up pretty quickly, especially during the busy season between April and October. I suggest clients book at least three to four weeks out from when they want to shoot and take into consideration my proofing and editing timelines when booking. For headshot sessions I have proofs up within a week of our shoot and edits done within two weeks of receiving your choices. For family and couples sessions I usually have edits done within three to four weeks of our session date.
 
What to Wear, Makeup, & Hair
The best advice I can give is to wear what makes you comfortable and feel your best. That said there are a few general rules to try to abide by.
 
Try to stick to mostly solid colours, patterns tend to look too busy on camera unless you cover with a solid jacker or sweater. Avoid having logos on any clothing that will be in your shots. Also, stay away from solid black or solid white unless you can break it up with a coloured jacket, sweater, scarf etc.
 
Feel free to bring a bunch of things along and we can chose what works best. A base outfit with a sweater, jacket, etc to throw on over top works best when shooting in on location.
 
For headshots I usually suggest at least one casual outfit and one more dressy outfit. (For packages that include multiple looks).
 
For headshot sessions I’ll be taking mostly close-up shots but also a few from farther away so whatever pants/bottoms and shoes you wear will likely be in the shot.
 
Like with your wardrobe you want to stick to makeup and hair that makes you feel great about yourself but also is comfortable. Now is not the time to try something new. If you’d like to hire someone to do your hair and makeup before the shoot let me know and I can try to put you in touch with artists I recommend.
 
For performer headshot sessions:
Hair should be as you’d wear it to an audition, though a hair tie, brush and some clips are useful if you do want to change it up a bit. Makeup should be natural, whatever you’d wear on a daily basis and to an audition.
 
If you have a beard and would like to have shots with and without, you’re welcome to bring a razor and shave halfway through the session. This works best for indoor sessions.
 
For portrait sessions:
You can do whatever you would like as long as you feel great!
 
Deposits and Rebooking Policy
All sessions require a deposit before the session is confirmed. The deposit is subtracted from your final invoice. Deposits should be paid as soon as possible after a booking request is made as your date will not be held and could be booked by someone else.
 
Once a deposit is paid it is non-refundable in the event you cancel your session. If you cancel within 48 hours of your session and a deposit has not yet been paid you will be charged a cancellation fee.
 
In the event your shoot must be cancelled my rebooking policy is to allow rebooking under the same deposit for four weeks from the shoot date. After 4 weeks your deposit is forfeited. The new shoot date does not have to be within that four weeks, only the rebooking process needs to happen within that time frame.
 
Deposits:
Individual Headshots & Portraits: $50 
Group (2+ people) Headshot Sessions: $50/person
Couples & Family Sessions: $100
 
Covid Policy
I ask that all clients monitor their health and reschedule their session if they have tested positive for Covid, have had contact in the last week with anyone who has tested positive for Covid, or if you or anyone you live with has not been feeling well in the past several days, even if you or they have tested negative. I will also do the same should myself or my partner become sick or Covid positive. I am triple vaccinated and will wear a mask for all indoor sessions and on request for outdoor sessions.
 
Now that you’ve read copious amounts of information please click the button below to be taken to my booking site!
All images are owned by MJ Photographics. Clients can download their final images via the button in their gallery. Proofs are only viewable on this site, please do not download or screenshot them.