FAQ
Where are you located?
Mandi Pol Photography is in Roseville off of Sunrise and Cirby, just five minutes from downtown Roseville.
When is the best time to schedule my photo session?
Maternity photography sessions are recommended to take place after week 34 or so of pregnancy. The visibility and photograph-ability of the mother is prime at this point. Don’t wait until the last minute, though: you want to still be comfortable during your shoot.
Maternity Session Information
Maternity and sunset sessions are evening shoots and therefore dependent on light and weather. Availability is reduced for these, so be sure to book well in advance. *we are currently booking*
Newborn sessions are generally booked along with or during maternity sessions. Baby photographs follow major milestones: newborn, 6 months (sitting up), 12 months, and then during family portraits (twice yearly, Spring and Fall).
Family outdoor portraits are generally September through November, and March through May. These seasons cut down the heat and chance of rain: a dry, cooler portrait environment.
What should my family and I wear to a session?
I can walk you through it in preparation for a session. If you’re unsure or wondering from a photography perspective: I’m happy to help! We want your look to be you, personal, and memorable, but we also want it to be timeless. Complimentary colors and patterns, comfortable fits, and items that match our shooting environment (whether studio or outdoor) are key. In the end, we want something that lasts, rather than shows the trends of any given time.
I’m booking a newborn session. What will I need to bring?
We have it all. Just bring you, baby, and baby’s food.
What’s unique about newborn portraits that I should know?
Sessions need to be scheduled in advance. With mom’s due date in mind, we set a tentative date range, and then can fix it in place once baby’s home from the hospital.
Sessions require a lot of time and patience. It all revolves around baby being cooperative – but without forcing or rushing the moment. Getting things just right to coax the perfect moment, all while professionally and safely posing baby takes experience and familiarity with the process. You’ve come to the right place!
Newborn portraits are studio only, as the equipment, arrangement, and atmosphere are all in place and don’t travel.
Props and environment are especially important. We can manage both for you in-studio. All the cute small props and items that you or baby could ever want, as well as a carefully-structured routine for how we’ll do things. This includes session time, when to feed, room temperature, white noise, and more.
How are newborns and babies posed?
There are both physical and atmospheric things that need to be tended to by a photographer with a lot of experience in order to get baby to pose just right. We want a variety of poses, all of which should show baby when he’s soothed, still, and being their beautiful self. Knowing how to lay a room out, instruct a family, and sense when baby is ready requires “the touch” to some degree – a sense that time and familiarity brings. But, equally important is mindfulness towards baby’s posture, especially in how they’re placed during a pose that may last seconds or minutes. Baby’s neck, body, and weight should always be supported, and a studio like ours has a number of arrangements that are safe, lovely, and draw the eye.
What else do you shoot?
Additionally, I photograph family and child portraits. After newborn shoots, these are generally the most sought after. These are outdoor affairs which offer unique and spontaneously captured (though meticulously lensed) arrangements. In studio, my focus is maternity and newborn shoots.
What is your specialty?
Newborn sessions will always be close to my heart. As a mother, I’m moved by the idea of how quickly time can pass and how meaningful each milestone can be. From maternity onward, there are moments that a photograph can preserve in beauty better than any other tool or art. I love that, in the hands of the right photographer, a newborn or baby photography session can be charming, whimsical, and approached smartly and safely. I like to put clients at ease, involve them in planning, provide them with incredible materials (from clothing to sets to props onward) and make something that will last them forever. My goal is always an image heirloom: something that’s yours and yours alone for your family to have forever.
What prints do you offer?
Premium quality prints. Canvases. Albums. Digital images.
*Let’s schedule a consultation so you can take a look at our products in person*