10/7/2011 Julie F. – Yelp Review
It’s so refreshing to find a down-to-earth, warm, talented photographer to really capture your family. I’m very happy with the work Erika has done for us. Everything has been personalized: scheduling the right time of day for our finicky kids, giving us lots of options and ideas with outfits and backgrounds on the day of the shoot, playing music my son loves, and choosing our prints in a comfortable, easy-going viewing session.
I was a little stressed out the day of our shoot, because our three year old was being, well, three years old. I was convinced that Erika wasn’t going to be able to get any nice shots of him. But I was so pleasantly surprised when we viewed the photos! Erika found these tiny moments (literally nano-seconds) of my son laughing, hamming it up, and actually focused on the camera. She laughed and said, “Well, a lot ending up on the cutting room floor…” which goes to show, yes, taking great photos of little ones is hard work, but she did a great job. She actually found quite a few moments of my son’s ‘more desirable’ moods and really captured his personality wonderfully. None of our shots were cheesy. I was also absolutely delighted at my infant son’s pics — they are *gorgeous.* She really helped us preserve some beautiful memories.
Choosing the photos was the only hard part. It’s hard to narrow it down to just the favorites, but Erika walked me through the process and we went over it probably five times, just to make sure I was getting what I wanted. I wasn’t rushed, and I wasn’t pressured. We sat on her couch, the kids played, and we figured it out together. I appreciated her input and advice on cropping photos, touch-ups, etc.
As far as the price point, I thought it was pretty accurate for a professional photographer. Of course, you can shoot your own photos and have them printed at the pharmacy for pennies on the dollar, but you get what you pay for. I think sometimes people forget that included in the price of your prints is the work the photographer put into them – from shooting, to editing, to viewing with the clients, and having the prints made in a good lab. A professional photographer’s time and experience is worth sometime, as is the job a professional lab does in processing your prints. That’s why your pictures are going to cost more from a professional, than say, from a D.I.Y. job.
I would absolutely recommend Erika and The Pod Photography for your next family photo. The studio is a fun place, she is great, and you will be happy with the results. She has a few rotating seasonal events that she offers, too, at a really nice price. We will be back with the kids’ Halloween costumes soon. 🙂
