How to Book a Portrait Session on the South Shore

South Shore Photography is based in Rockland, MA, and serves families, seniors, and individuals across Hingham, Scituate, Norwell, Duxbury, Marshfield, Cohasset, Hanover, Weymouth, Quincy, and Plymouth. Photographer Chris McCarthy has guided hundreds of South Shore clients through the booking process — this guide is a direct account of how it works, start to finish.

The most common reason people delay booking a portrait session isn't cost or scheduling — it's uncertainty about the process. “I'm not sure how it works.” “I don't know what to say when I reach out.” “What happens after I contact them?” I hear some version of this regularly, and it always surprises me — because the process is genuinely straightforward once you know what to expect. This guide exists to eliminate those uncertainties entirely. Here is exactly how booking a portrait session with South Shore Photography works, from the first time you fill out the contact form to the moment you download your finished gallery.

Step 1 — Reaching Out

The first step is simpler than most people expect. Fill out the contact form on the website — or email directly — with a few basic pieces of information: what type of session you're looking for (family, senior, maternity, etc.), roughly when you'd like to shoot (month, season, or a specific date if you have one), and any location preferences if you have them. You don't need to have everything figured out at this stage. The details — location, exact date, timing, styling — are what the consultation is for. The only thing you need to start the conversation is a general sense of what you're after.

What helps when you reach out: the approximate number of people in your group (so I can estimate how much time the session needs), the ages of any children, whether you have a hard deadline driving the timing (senior announcements going out in January means you need images by December, for example), and any location ideas you've been thinking about. None of this is required — but the more context you give, the more specific and useful my initial response can be.

On response time: I respond to all inquiries within 24 hours on weekdays, typically faster. If you reach out on a weekend, expect a response Monday morning at the latest. If you haven't heard back within 24 hours during the week, check your spam folder — my responses occasionally end up there, especially if you're using Gmail or Outlook with aggressive filtering.

Step 2 — The Consultation

After initial contact, I schedule a brief call or email exchange — 15 to 20 minutes — to discuss the session in detail. This isn't a sales call. It's a planning conversation. We'll talk about what you're hoping to get from the session, which location options fit your vision and the time of year, session timing (time of day, how long we'll run), and any logistical questions you have. If you've never done a portrait session before, this is where I walk you through what to expect so there are no surprises on the day.

This is also the right time to ask about pricing and packages. I'm direct and clear about pricing in these conversations — there are no surprise add-ons or hidden fees to discover later. If my pricing doesn't fit your budget, I'll tell you honestly rather than string you along. I'd rather have a straightforward conversation about fit than have someone feel uncomfortable committing to something that doesn't work for them.

You don't need to make a commitment on the consultation call. Many clients take a day or two to think before confirming, and that's completely normal. The conversation is designed to give you enough information to make a confident, informed decision — not to pressure you into booking on the spot.

Step 3 — Confirming the Date

Once you decide to move forward, I send a simple contract and invoice for a deposit — typically 50% of the session fee. The deposit holds your date in my calendar. Sessions are not confirmed until the contract is signed and the deposit is received. For popular dates — fall October weekends, late spring senior sessions, Mother's Day mini-session windows — this matters more than most clients realize. I occasionally have to tell clients who reach out late that dates have already been held by other families. Signing and paying the deposit removes any ambiguity: your date is yours.

The contract is brief and straightforward. It covers the date, session type, location, session length, total fee, deposit amount, rescheduling policy (typically one free reschedule for weather within the same season), and delivery timeline. There is nothing buried in fine print designed to catch you off guard. I use the same contract I'd want to sign myself — clear on every term, no legalese required to decode it.

After the deposit is received, I send a confirmation email with all the session details and a link to a pre-session planning questionnaire that I'll use to prepare for your specific session.

Step 4 — Pre-Session Planning

The planning questionnaire covers the details I need to prepare for your session specifically. For family sessions: clothing choices you're considering (I review these and give direct feedback — “that works great, this one might compete with the background”), location preferences if we haven't finalized those already, any specific shots or configurations that are important to you, the names and ages of children so I can plan age-appropriate approaches, and any logistics I should know about in advance (mobility concerns, a child who's particularly shy with strangers, allergies relevant to outdoor settings).

For family sessions, I also send a brief clothing guide tailored to the specific location and season we've chosen — palette suggestions, what to avoid, and how to coordinate without making everyone look like they ordered matching outfits from the same catalog. For senior sessions, I send a location overview with specific notes about what to bring, what to wear for each spot, and what to expect at each environment.

I reach out again the week before the session to confirm all details. If weather is a factor — and in New England, weather is usually a factor — I'll flag the forecast and start a conversation about whether we should plan to use the backup date option. I'd rather have that conversation three days out than the morning of.

Step 5 — The Session Itself

I arrive early — typically 15 to 20 minutes before the session start time — to orient to the location, confirm the lighting conditions, and be fully set up and ready when you arrive. Sessions start on time, and I work efficiently to make the most of the booked window. There's no standing around while I figure things out; I've scouted the location in advance and have a rough plan for how the session flows before you get there.

What to expect during the session itself: I move through a series of compositional setups and environments, keeping the energy relaxed and natural rather than rigidly directed. I'm not someone who stands behind a tripod issuing instructions. I'm moving, adjusting, redirecting — actively working the scene rather than waiting for it to happen. For family sessions with children, I build in movement and activity — kids playing, running, exploring — that produces authentic moments alongside the more composed images. For senior sessions, I'm attentive to what's working, responsive to the senior's personality, and quick to shift approaches if something isn't clicking.

On duration: family sessions are typically 60 to 90 minutes. Senior sessions are 60 to 90 minutes for a single location and around two hours for multiple locations. Maternity sessions run 60 to 90 minutes. These are guidelines, not hard stops — if the light is exceptional and we're in a productive flow, I don't end the session by the clock. The session ends when we've gotten what we came for.

Step 6 — Editing and Gallery Delivery

After the session, I complete professional editing and deliver the finished gallery within two to three weeks via ShootProof, an online gallery platform. You'll receive an email with your gallery link, a PIN code if the gallery is set to private, and instructions for downloading, sharing, and ordering prints. The delivery process is designed to be completely self-service — no waiting on me to send individual files or respond to download requests.

The gallery includes all the strongest images from the session — typically 50 to 80 images for a family session, 50 to 75 for a senior session. These are the images that are technically excellent and capture genuine moments worth keeping. Not every frame from the shoot — I cull aggressively so you're not wading through 300 near-identical images to find the ones you love. The gallery you receive is already edited down to the work I'm proud of.

The gallery link is active for 30 days by default, with extensions available on request. High-resolution downloads are included in the session fee — you receive digital files ready for print use up to large wall print sizes. The files are yours to use for personal printing, social media, holiday cards, and all personal uses. There are no ongoing licensing fees or restrictions on personal use.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should I book a portrait session?

It depends heavily on when you want to shoot and what type of session. Fall family sessions (September-October) should be booked in August — those dates fill fastest. Senior sessions for spring announcement distribution should be booked by January. Spring and early summer family sessions have more booking flexibility. For any popular season or date, earlier is always better — reach out even before you have every detail finalized and we can hold a date while you work out the specifics.

What happens if the weather is bad on my session date?

The rescheduling policy is one free reschedule within the same season for weather. If I arrive at the location and conditions are clearly unusable — heavy rain, unsafe wind, lightning — we reschedule without any fee. For marginal weather (overcast, light cloud, mild wind), I typically proceed unless the client prefers to reschedule. Cloudy days can actually produce beautiful portrait light. I communicate clearly with clients in the days before their session if weather is a potential concern.

What is included in the session fee?

The session fee covers the session time, professional editing, and digital gallery delivery with full high-resolution download rights. Print products (canvases, albums, wall art) are available separately. I'm transparent about all pricing before any commitment is made — reach out and I'll send a full pricing sheet.

Do you travel to locations outside Rockland for portrait sessions?

Yes — I photograph sessions throughout the South Shore, from Quincy and Weymouth in the north to Plymouth in the south. For locations within the core South Shore service area (Rockland, Hingham, Scituate, Norwell, Duxbury, Marshfield, Plymouth, Hanover, Weymouth, Cohasset, Quincy), there are no additional travel fees. For sessions further afield, a modest travel fee may apply.

Can I request specific images or shots during my session?

Yes — and I encourage it. The pre-session planning questionnaire specifically asks about any shots that are important to you. Whether that's a specific configuration (grandparents with all the grandchildren), a specific location within the area (you want images on the bridge specifically), or a specific type of image (you want both candid and more posed images), I incorporate those requests into the session plan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris McCarthy

Chris McCarthy is a portrait photographer based in Rockland, MA who has completed more than 500 portrait sessions across the South Shore since opening his studio in 2014. He specializes in headshots, senior portraits, branding, family, and maternity photography — shooting at his studio at 83 E Water St and on-location throughout southeastern Massachusetts at places like World's End, Scituate Harbor, Duxbury Beach, and the North River conservation land in Norwell.