After you book your session, I'll send you detailed information that will guide you through each step of the process; from styling and location choices to final image selection. Here is the general flow of the process:

• Initial phone consultation to determine if we're a good fit.
• Submission of deposit to hold appointment day and time.
• Second phone or in-person consultation to talk about your family and your dream images. We will also solidify the details of style and location.
• The portrait session.
• About two weeks later, your watermarked images appear in a password-protected online gallery for up to two weeks.
• Final in-person ordering session.
• Delivery of custom portraiture and products.

I am located in Port Washington on Long Island but am available for NYC and the surrounding area.

That really depends on the kinds of portraits that you dream about having on your walls. Do you want fun and casual images? Formal images? Images of the whole family? Groupings of individuals? Close your eyes and imagine your family members being “themselves.” What do you see? A family posed on the beach? A child running on the playground? Your daughter reading in her bed? When you book your session, we’ll talk about the styling that will support the images in your mind’s eye. In general, the clothes that work the best fit well, and are fresh or new. And don’t forget the shoes…there’s nothing worse than a great outfit ruined by a beat-up pair of shoes.

The REAL question is, “what if they DO!?” I might not know what to do with myself! But seriously, some sessions are a combination of cooperation, non-cooperation and cajoling--I'm used to it. If you're not opposed to bribery, then I'm not either!

What do you mean? You don't airbrush them when you get up in the morning?!?

• Rashes - this will depend on the severity of the situation. I will probably ask you to send me a cellphone photo so that we can discuss it.

• Scrapes - again, it depends. Minor scrapes and bruises are easily removed. More major issues might incur extra retouching charges on the final images.

• Scars - these are a totally different issue. I happen to believe that our scars are part of who we are. While I can certainly remove them, I would ask you to think carefully about removing anything that is "permanent." The last thing we'd want to do is injure your child's psyche by suggesting that their features are somehow not "good enough."

I don't recommend that you try a new hair style or stylist right before your photos. (And hide the scissors from your kids!) Having the hair cut at least a week before your session will usually give you time to fix any disasters. Photoshop wasn’t really designed as the remedy to last-minute experimentation!

Well, lucky for your child, I’m afraid of strangers too! Although 99% of the people who know me don’t realize it, I’ve been painfully shy my whole life. As a certified movement analyst, I'm trained to pick up movement clues that your child sends me. Rest assured that I will follow their lead and open a slow and careful dialogue that will put them at ease.

Really!?!?! I’ve never heard that before! Just kidding...I hear it all the time. It’ll be okay. As a matter of fact, it reminds me of the time I had my own two little ones in a photographer’s studio. My [usually angelic] kids weren’t doing what I wanted them to do. I was a wreck, and I was mortified. The photographer, on the other hand, was completely chilled out. Don't worry. We've seen it all.

Yes, your child can do whatever makes him or her comfortable. I would suggest, however, that you think about whether or not you’re going to want to hang an image like that on your wall. In one of my favorite photographs of my son, he’s sleeping in his car seat in Ireland with his yellow plastic shovel pressed against his face. I love that image…but I wouldn't want it hanging above my mantel!

If it’s pouring rain or sleeting, I definitely prefer indoors! Under milder conditions, I don’t actually have a preference. We can shoot indoors or outdoors, natural light or studio lighting. Again, it all depends on the kinds of images you would like to create.

Yes, absolutely. If your child usually wears glasses, they should wear them for their portraits. Although it takes a bit more careful posing and planning, the result is that you get images that actually look like the child you live with!

Yes. Each printed image that you purchase will come with low resolution digital files that can be used on social media sites such as Facebook. Please note that Linda Nutter retains the copyright on these images and they cannot be edited or cropped in any way.

Yes and no. I will sometimes shoot certain types of small events. By "small," I mean small, not large. Send me an e-mail and we can see if we agree on the definition of small. ;)