Frequently Asked Questions
COVID-19
Q: What is your COVID-19 policy?
A: I have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and am up-to-date on my boosters. Though I am not masking for sessions currently, I am happy to don a mask upon request.
General
Q: How do you pronounce your name?
A: I've gotten this question so many times in my life that I've lost count! I wouldn't want you to go into a conversation with me not knowing how to pronounce my name (and subsequently my business) correctly. I am Naila ("Ny-la") Zaman ("Zuh-mawn").
Q: What equipment do you use?
A: My primary camera body is a Canon EOS R6. For portrait sessions, I carry around a 35mm lens most of the time, but lately have been using a 28-70mm.
Scheduling
Q: How do I book?
A: The process starts when you either use my contact form on this site or e-mail me at hello@nailazamanphotography.com. Once we've agreed on a date and time, I will send you a contract to sign and request an initial payment of 50% of the session price from you to officially reserve the session. A signed contract by both parties (me and you) and your initial payment to me guarantees your session for that time and date. Because I will turn away any future potential clients requesting the same date and time, the initial payment is nonrefundable.
Q: What time of day is best for photos?
A: I specialize in natural light, so I recommend booking around sunrise or sunset for the best lighting conditions. Sunrise is usually best in terms of weather, especially considering how unpredictable Florida can be! Sunsets are great too, and have the added benefit of allowing you to sleep in. :)
Q: Where should we take photos?
A: Depends on what you're looking for! If you don't have anywhere in particular in mind, I can provide a list of locations in the Orlando area for you to choose from.
Though I typically shoot outdoors, I am willing to do in-home sessions with ample natural light available.
Q: It's projected to rain during our session and/or something came up! What should we do?
A: Yup, part of the joy of living in Florida! I will monitor the weather within the hour before our scheduled time and keep in contact with you. If we determine that the weather won't cooperate within our scheduled time, you will have the option to reschedule.
For non-weather-related concerns, please inform me as soon as you are aware of your situation. We can discuss rescheduling to a later date/time.
Session Prep
Q: What should I wear?
A: My recommendation is to avoid text and distracting prints. Patterns or solid colors that complement each other and/or are in the same color family are a great way to get cohesive looking photos. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need more details or suggestions!
Q: Do I need to bring anything?
A: Consider bringing a change of clothes or 2 -- you will have the opportunity to change halfway through the session. Be prepared to change in your car depending on the location!
If you have young children, consider bringing their photo-ready clothes to change into and/or their favorite toy or 2 to get them comfortable and laughing. I've also found with children that sometimes shirts don't stay tucked in, they might not look directly at the camera, and that's okay! The most important thing is that everyone is comfortable.
If we're going to a park, I recommend bringing a blanket as well so that we can get some variety with sitting photos.
If you plan to bring a pet, bring treats and toys to keep the pet engaged and inform me of any quirks that I should be aware of prior to your session. Consider asking a friend or family member who will not be participating in photos to accompany you and help handle the pet off-camera.
In addition to above, feel free to bring whatever props, objects, etc. that you want featured in your photos and we can get creative! At the end of the day, these photos will be yours to cherish, so you drive who and what appears in them.
Post Session
Q: When will I receive my photos?
A: Your photos will be delivered in an online proof gallery via Pixieset for you view and select favorites to download and print from no later than thirty (30) days from your session. Please keep an eye out for an e-mail coming from Pixieset (check spam or junk as well).
Q: Is it really going to take that long? Can I expedite the turnaround time?
A: Unfortunately (like a lot of photographers), photography is my side hustle and not my full time job :( Between my full time job, sessions, culling, and editing, I am booked nearly 24/7, especially during busy months. Rest assured that I work as hard as I can to get your photos to you well before the estimated thirty (30) day turnaround!
However, since I understand that you are very excited to see your images (I know, I've been there!), I have added the option of expediting my turnaround to one (1) week guaranteed for an additional $150.00 to your session price.
Q: Okay, so I got my proofs. How do I select favorites and get the high resolution digitals?
A: Pixieset allows you to select favorites by hovering over each photo and clicking the heart in the bottom right corner of the photo (on desktop), or clicking each photo and clicking the heart in the top right corner of the photo (on mobile).
Once you've finalized your selections, please e-mail me to confirm that you have, and if necessary, I will pull your selections into Photoshop for a few finishing touch edits (removing people in the background, smoothing skin, etc.). I will then e-mail you via Pixieset with instructions on accessing your downloads.
Q: I received my photos and noticed I have a hair sticking out in all of them! Can you edit that out?
A: It depends on the request, the contents of the photo(s), and the number of photos. I can make minor adjustments including removing blemishes, stray hairs, etc. from a few photos. Anything beyond that will incur an additional fee, if it is possible at all.
Q: I noticed you took a lot more photos than you actually delivered to me. Can you send me those?
A: Part of the reason I take so many photos during a session is because I know they are not all going to be winners. Most people don't want 10 photos of the same exact pose either, which tends to happen as well. I will use my discretion to filter those out so you don't have to worry about them!
Q: Can you send me the unedited photos?
A: My photography and editing styles go hand-in-hand, which is what makes Naila Zaman Photography, well, Naila Zaman Photography! Edited photos are my product. By requesting unedited photos, you are requesting an unfinished product. Most people wouldn't go to Macy's to request the fabric to make a shirt, or to Ashley Furniture to request unfinished wood pieces to build a table, for example.
All photos that come straight from my camera require some level of post-processing since they are taken in RAW format, which can neither be opened by common image viewing applications nor have the capability to be printed. Edited photos are in JPEG format, which can be viewed and printed for your convenience. Under no circumstances will I deliver RAW photos to a client.
TL;DR: I deliver only the edited photos, as that is my finished product, to ensure the same style and experience for all of my clients.