Frequently Asked Questions

BOOKING MY APPOINTMENT

When should I schedule my Senior Portrait appointment? Do it now! Because of early Yearbook deadlines, you should schedule your session before school starts. The earlier the better. Once school starts, time is limited and you could risk missing the Yearbook deadline. Besides, appointments are offered on a "first come, first served" basis. Waiting will allow others to get the best appointment times and the summer will be over before you know it. So, do it now.

When do I pay for my session? All sessions, with the exception of the one FREE Mini Session, require a Session Fee which is due when the session is booked. So, be prepared. When you reserve your appointment on our website you will be required to enter credit card information to pay for your session.

Are prints included with my session fee? No, except for the All Inclusive Options available on some sessions. Session fee covers only part of the cost of the photographers time, creative ability and our services.

PORTRAIT SESSION QUESTIONS

What Portrait Session should I choose? That's up to you and what you want. We provide each Senior from our Contract schools with one FREE Mini Session that will meet their school's yearbook requirements. However, most Seniors find that this Traditional session is just not enough. They want more variety and more choices. In which case we suggest you look at upgrading your session to one of our more creative sessions.

What props should I bring? Props make the images very personal and add interest to the image. Here are a few suggestions, if you aren't sure - give us a call.

sports equipment
uniforms (sports, band, cheer)
letter jacket
your artwork
musical instruments
clothing showing your heritage
costumes from a school production
sunglasses & hats
collections, posters - bring what interests you!

What are your policies for late arrivals? We understand things happen. If you are running late for any reason, please give us a call. If you are more than 10 minutes late for your session, we reserve the right to change your session time AND / OR photograph someone else first.

What do I do if I can't keep my appointment? As soon as you realize this, give us a call. The sooner the better. We will work with you to re-schedule your appointment to a time that works for you. The sooner you let us know, the more flexibility we have. You must notify us 24 hours before your session to avoid loosing your session fee (if any) and receiving a "No Show" status.

What is a "NO Show"? This is what we call someone that doesn't show up for their scheduled appointment AND doesn't have the courtesy to call 24 hrs. in advance. This shows a lack of consideration for their fellow Seniors as well as a lack of respect for us and our profession. By "NO Showing" for an appointment, you have wasted our time AND wasted an opportunity for a fellow classmate to take advantage of the appointment time. Therefore, if you take this route and become a "NO Show" - then "Standby" will be your only option from that point forward.

What is "Standby"? "Standby" is just like the airlines. Once you "No Show" an appointment, then from that point forward we will not hold an appointment for you (no seat). You will be on Standby - which means that YOU will need to call us on the morning of a day that you can come in the studio and we will tell you if we have had cancellations or are booked lite and can accommodate you - then you can come in that same day. If we don't have anything that day - then you'll need to call on another day. Not a good situation, so don't be a "No Show"!

CLOTHING AND GROOMING

What should I wear?

solid colors photograph best
avoid sleeveless or very short sleeves - upper arms can be distracting
medium to dark tones are best against a dark background (blue, green, olive,tan, rust, brown, purple,dark red and black)
white or light tones do best on a white or light background (pastels too)
avoid necklines that are very low
avoid heavy patterns, which distract from your face
remember distractions such as stray hair, tan lines, wristbands and logo designs may create a need for additional digital enhancement at an extra charge.

Do I need to brush my teeth? Yes!

for an additional Enhancement Fee, we can whiten your teeth. But, brushing helps a lot.

Do I need to shave? Yes! Maybe, if you want a clean smooth look. If you can see it, so can the camera. Fixing after the fact, is expensive, doable - but expensive.

Guys...if at all possible, please shave your face and neck just before leaving for your session
Beards, gotees and mustaches need to be trimmed. Unless, you are going for the "Grizzly Adams" look.
Ladies...if you are wearing a sleeveless top, and aren't sporting the "European" look, please shave your pits.
Same goes for your legs.

Will my hands show? In most cases...Yes!

your hands need to be clean and groomed
nails trimmed and painted - clear polish if nothing else
don't forget your class ring, we like to show it off!

Will my feet show? In some cases...Yes!

shoes or feet may show in your images, so they should complement your clothing
feet clean and groomed

What about my hair?

bring a brush or comb
have your hair cut at least one week before your session to give it time to look natural
don't try a radically different haircut, style or color just before your session
if you're playing fall sports that require you to cut your hair, be certain to make your appointment (and keep it) before you cut your hair!

What if I get too much sun? This is a tough one.

sun-damaged skin is difficult and expensive to retouch, and results are often unnatural.
if you have red or peeling skin, please call to reschedule your session appointment.

What about my braces?

for an extra charge, braces and other dental work can be successfully removed from your portraits with digital technology

What about glasses? Wear them, if it's your natural look. We'll do our best to avoid glass glare.

if you have thick lenses, we suggest you have your optometrist remove the lenses or lend you a pair of empty
frames for your session.
thick lenses or heavy perscriptions can distort the eye and is nearly impossible to make look natural.

Should I wear jewelry?

simple jewelry can enhance your look - avoid large, distracting pieces
don't forget your Class Ring!

Should I worry about my complexion? NO!

retouching / enhancement will correct many minor skin problems which is included when you purchase your portraits
removal of scars, heavy acne, moles, tats and such require extensive enhancement services, there are
additional fees for these services
a light covering of foundation usually helps with most skin problems and boosts your confidence, guys too.

YEARBOOK DEADLINES

What are Yearbook Deadlines? This is the date that we MUST deliver to your school the images (photos) of each Senior photographed for publication in the Yearbook. These deadlines are NOT set by us. Your school working with their Yearbook Publisher, again not us, sets this date. Keeping in mind that we need approx. 3-4 weeks to process each image for publication - our cut off date for photography and image choice will be approx. 4 - 5 weeks prior to the Yearbook Publisher deadline date.

Can I pick my Yearbook pose on line? Yes! This year we are making this option available to all Seniors. You will have only ONE opportunity - once a choice is made, then the option to make a Yearbook choice will no longer be available to you. Your Yearbook choice must be made within 5 days of your images being posted on our website. If you have NOT made your choice by day 6, we will make the choice for you.

VACATION PLANNING

What if I plan to be away all summer? Arrange to have your session before your leave or as soon as you return.

VIEWING YOUR IMAGES

How long are my session images on line for viewing? Your session images will be posted within 5 days of your session date. Earlier if you opted for our RUSH service. Once your images are posted you have approximately 25 days to review your images and make your portrait order selection before we remove them from our site. Once your session is removed from our site - it is still available in our studio (by appointment only) for viewing. There is a $35.00 fee to re-post your session to our website.

PLACING YOUR PORTRAIT ORDER

How do I place my Senior Portrait order? You have 2 options available to you. 1) If you like to have "face to face" interaction, then you need to call the studio to schedule an Order Appointment with one of our Associates. They will be happy to help you with any questions you may have and assist you in placing your portrait order. 2) Order On Line, for your convenience we have a selection of portrait packages and products available for on line purchase. Not all of our product line will be available on line. Be sure to talk with an Associate to get more information about what is and is not available on line.

How long does it take for my order to be processed? Most senior portrait orders take about 3-4 weeks.

What are my payment options? We accept Cash, Checks, and Credit Cards. (VISA, MasterCard, Discover & AmEx) Checks are NOT accepted on final delivery. We do have a payment plan - credit cards (2) required for payment plan. The earlier you order the longer you have to pay, the smaller your monthly payment. ALL Payment Plans must be completed by April 1, 2013. Ask our Associates for more details regarding our Payment Plan. Not available with "On Line" orders.

WHY BOYD ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

What is a Contract Photographer? We are the Contract Photographer for your school. This means that your school or District have entered into an agreement with us to be the exclusive provider of photographic services for your school. One aspect of this contract is that we provide Senior Portrait images for the Yearbook. Because of this contract, only our images will be accepted for publication in the Yearbook. Which is why we provide a FREE Portrait Session which meets the Yearbook requirements for each Senior. We also provide FREE all the image prep work (retouching, color balancing, cropping, head size standardization and file prep) required for publication. This amounts to an expense of $35.00 per senior photographed. We also do not require you to purchase from us. We work on the premise that if we do a good job and provide images you like, you'll purchase. If not, you won't - BUT we still must provide the image for the Yearbook as the contract states.

We also provide, as part of the contract: ID Cards, ASB stickers, Security Photo Reference Books, Photo Identification Software, Photographic Services for athletic, club, activity events as needed for Yearbook. These items and many more services are provided FREE to your school. Which helps to control the production costs of the Yearbook and provide security aids for school personnel. The only way we can continue to provide these FREE services is thru the purchase of the products we sell.

Why should I honor your copyright? First and foremost...Because it's the RIGHT THING TO DO and IT'S THE LAW. All artists and performers make their livelihood from the product they produce. By copying, you are stealing from them (us). Taking away their ability to support themselves, their families and continue their art. You are damaging their reputation because the quality of the product produced from your copy or scan is NOT a true representation of their ability or the quality they produce. Our systems are geared to produce the highest quality photographs from our files, a TRUE representation of our ability as professional artists. Every time an illegal copy or scan of an artists work is made to avoid payment - the costs to all of us is increased. Don't do it, period.