Boudoir FAQ

The photographer (me!), the client (you!) and if requested, a makeup artist who will be there for the first 45 min or so and then will leave once you're all glamoured up!

I bet you just received the "Your proofing gallery is ready!" email but you can't seem to access it even after trying everything. Well no fear, here is how you can access your gallery in just a couple of steps.

Step 1: Please be sure to log into your account here!

Step 2: Once you have logged in, navigate to the "My Private Galleries" section,

Step 3: Locate your private gallery and you're all set!

There are two ways for you to download your images:

1. You can open up the email receipt from your image purchase order from within your mail inbox. This email will contain download links for each image.
   
   
2. You can log into your alomia.ca account and then view your most recent order which also contains download links for each image.

Both the order notification email and your order overview page (must be logged in) will display the images you have selected and will have a download link below each one. You can also download all files at once using the "Download All Images" link at the top.

Important:

If you have already created an account on alomia.ca, please do not attempt to create a new profile/account using a different email address. Only your original account has your order history and access to your images, so if you are unable to log in under your original account you can use the forgot password feature or contact me directly so that I can help you get your access back.

First and foremost thank you for your interest in booking a session!

1. Get familiar with our boudoir packages, so you can pick the one that works best for you! Once you're sure about a specific package, click on the "Book Now" button.
2. A booking calendar will load, and you can select your preferred date, time and session preferences. Complete your booking request by paying the standard deposit.
3. We will contact you within 1-24 hours to verify your shoot date and time. It is also the perfect time to check out the necessary Boudoir Preparation Guide for information on what to wear, what to bring and how to prepare for your upcoming session.
4. Once your shoot is confirmed be sure to settle your remaining invoice at least 48 hours before your session date. Arrive on time at my studio for your photo shoot!
5. After your session is complete it will take 2 weeks to organize and professionally re-touch the images from your shoot.
6. You will receive an email once your private proofing gallery is ready, and you can follow the link inside the email to log in and view a collection of re-touched digital images. Select the ones you would like to download and own.

Actually it's completely normal to feel a bit anxious right before your shoot! I am very easy going and I will make you feel comfortable in no time, I do this a lot! I promise that by the end of your session you'll wanna do it all over again! It's important to remember that most of my clients experience some level of anxiety right before their shoot, but as soon as they jump right into the session all of that melts away.

Within 24 hours after your booking deposit is paid (generally much sooner), we will email you confirming your session date and time. Shortly after we will also send you a Boudoir Preparation Guide as well as a short survey that will help us to get to know you a little better so we can best prepare for your shoot!

Within 24 to 48 hours after your session is complete I will carefully sort through all proofs and choose the best photos for professional re-touching. Depending on the amount of images (based on selected package), this process can take up to 2 weeks.

Once the editing process is completed the re-touched images will be made available for you inside a private proofing gallery that only you can access with your alomia.ca account. You will receive an email containing a unique proofing gallery link where you can access your re-touched photos and choose the ones you would like to download and own.

Your remaining invoice will be generated shortly after completing your booking deposit once your session date and time is confirmed. It can be settled at any time, but generally we would like have it settled at least 72 hours prior to your session date. You can always access all of your invoices by logging into your alomia.ca account. Simply log-in, and then click on "my account" on the top left to view your invoices.

A private proofs gallery is a collection of session specific, hand picked, professionally re-touched images made available online on alomia.ca within 2 weeks after the completion of your photo shoot. Private proofing galleries cannot be accessed by anyone else and will be assigned to a specific alomia.ca member account.

Note: Private proofing galleries expire after 14 days of being made available to our clients, so be sure to access your gallery and select your final photos as well as any additional services available.

I think it's important to explain what, exactly, a "RAW" image is before I go further into my reasoning for why I don't make raw images available for bulk download.

A raw image is one out of thousands of other raw images from a session. These images mostly compose of bad angles, unflattering poses, facial out-takes, funny expressions, out of focus captures followed by an insane amount of near duplicates -- and, out of those, there are amazing images with just the right attributes that need to be hand selected.

After a session is complete, I go over each and every one of these raw images until I find specific images that have all the right attributes of a great photograph --- the right angle, the right lighting, the right expression, and the right pose are key characteristics of a photo that will pass my meticulous curation process. I then repeat said process a number of times to continue shrinking the pile of raw images until I have the very best from the shoot. At this point I can start re-touching my selections into the final product.

So in other words, the majority of raw images are the unintended but absolutely necessary consequence of a photo shoot. The rest never see the light of day, and for good reason! Thus, giving out raw images would ultimately display my unfinished work, and like with any form of artistic expression I strive to deliver the best.

The large file size nature of the images being stored (8-10 MB each!) combined with our privacy policy results in all galleries expiring after 14 days. On the 15th day, the expired proofing gallery is automatically purged from our website to make room for new proofing galleries. If for whatever reason you need to access your proofing gallery after it has expired, please read below.

To restore your proofing gallery we will need to locate your image backup, re-upload your images, and then go through the process of re-creating your proofing gallery and re-assigning you access. There is a $50 dollar fee for this which will need to be paid before we start the recovery process. Please note that for privacy reasons we store your images for a maximum of 1 year and then remove them permanently, you can also request to have your images deleted at any time by contacting us.

I do not provide lingerie but I do have a few beautiful lace robes in different colors and sizes that you can use during your shoot. Honestly, and I’m not even close to exaggerating here, wardrobe is really not that crazy important. Please, please, please don’t stress out over wardrobe. Don’t feel the need to run out and buy all new things. I can do a completely versatile and awesome shoot with a single scarf, or the sheets, or a sweater. Truly. Don’t stress about it. 

Lingerie is not a must for boudoir:  Don’t be afraid to get creative! A garter belt and thigh high fish nets would go great with a cropped sweater or graphic tee. A sheet can be used for every thing. Your old favorite tee shirt paired with cheeky bottoms will get the job done just perfectly. This is about you and your authentic personality, not about being someone you aren’t.

The more outfits you bring the better, I will assist in choosing the final outfits you'll wear for the shoot so don't worry about it being a tough decision! 

In order to create the best possible photography experience and resulting images I go through the process of carefully choosing only the best images from your shoot. I then go through the process of re-touching every single image included within the proofs gallery so that you may select and instantly download-to-own your favorite digital images.

Note: Depending on the amount of studio time included in your package, the amount of re-touched images will vary (more time = larger selection of re-touched images!). You will receive an email with access to your private proofing gallery 2 weeks after the completion of your shoot as professionally re-touching images is a delicate and time consuming process.

I can edit quite a bit actually, my process is quite extensive! Re-touching improves room lighting, skin tones, color balance as well as other aspects of the image that brings out the vibrance of a photograph.  

My personal belief is that scars tell a story.Sometimes clients wish they didn’t have to be permanently reminded of that story, and other times, clients embrace their scars and say they’re a part of them. For this reason, I will never edit out a scar or stretch mark unless a client specifically requests it….and if they do, in fact, request that retouching, I will happily do that at no additional charge.This is a VERY personal topic and it’s not my decision to make. I welcome scars and stretch marks, but I also support a woman’s.

 The goal is to showcase the most unique characteristics of every photograph.

I professionally sort and re-touch the best raw images from your session. The final amount of available re-touched images varies based on the package you choose. Sessions with more studio time will have a larger selection of re-touched images to view and order from.

Yes of course! I totally understand that sometimes things just don't go as planned and for whatever reason rescheduling a session makes the most sense. I do require a minimum of 24 hours notice to reschedule your shoot. No Shows will not be permitted to re-book.  

I charge a modest rescheduling fee of $100 that goes towards covering costs associated with rescheduling.  When a session is booked, I block off those hours to work with you, thus turning away people that are interested in a session on that day and time.

To reschedule your session date simply get in touch with us, and let me know your situation and I will work with you to figure out and organize a new date for your shoot.

I feel that all women should feel confident and love their bodies no matter what shape/size/age they are, but I understand you want to look your absolute best in these photos. I am an expert in posing and directing my clients to show off their best features and capture their best angles. 

Hair & makeup is done in the studio by a professional makeup artist. The artist will arrive at the studio for the application process and then leave once completed, this happens right before your shoot and does NOT cut into your studio time. You will still need to arrive at the designated booking time, however your overall studio session will be extended by 45 minutes due to the additional time required.

I understand that not all clients wish to have their hair and makeup done in the studio, and so the "hair and makeup" application service is optional. If you choose to have your hair and makeup done elsewhere, the price of your package will not go up.

Touch-up Services: Because the hair styling and makeup application is completed at the same time with a professional makeup artist present during the application process only, I cannot offer any touch up services without the makeup artist.

Yes, absolutely. However it's important to note that there will be no change in the price of the hair & makeup service. Both hair styling and makeup application are done in parallel, so the fee is applied based on the studio time it requires. If you choose to only have your hair done -- and or -- to only have your makeup applied, you can opt for that, but this package is only available as a combination of the two services.

I take your privacy very seriously. I will never use any images of you on my website or other mediums without your signed consent to do so. All of the ladies featured on my website, ads and or social media platforms have signed a physical release form granting me a permission to use their images. 

Below are the steps we take to protect your privacy:

1. we store a backup of your images for 1 year on a physical drive that is not connected to the internet at any point. If for whatever reason you lose your images, we will be able to retrieve them during this time. After 1 year those images are removed permanently unless otherwise specified by our clients.
2. We grant you private viewing access to your images during the proofing process via a private proofing gallery that is available only to you after the completion of your shoot. This gallery is of course password protected and only you will be sent the password.
3. We automatically remove proofing galleries within 14 days from their creation date, at which point all images are removed from the website, and only remain on the offline storage drive.

The nature of Boudoir is very private and intimate, although having a friend there for support might seem like a good idea, having an extra audience member might backfire and cause you to feel tense and uncomfortable (this will reflect in your photos). If you absolutely need a friend there, I limit it to one person. 

 No.  I know what I'm good at, and posing men is just not my background or specialty. I'm always happy to offer referrals to other photographers, though! 

Booking your session is really easy! Simply click on my packages page to locate the session that works best for you and click on the "Book Now" button which will open a popup that contains the session calendar of available dates and times. Simply pick a date and time that works for you, and select your session package options to complete your booking request. Once I receive your booking request, I will verify it and send you a confirmation email.

You can cancel your upcoming appointment with Alomia.ca at any time if you should so choose by getting in touch with us via email, phone or text message. Once we confirm your cancellation, we will not send you additional invoices and will remove your session from our booking calendar as well as contact our makeup artist (if you specified hair, makeup & false lashes) to remove the slot from their calendar as well.

Your deposit for the session is non-refundable, so it's important that you're absolutely sure you wish to cancel. Another option is to reschedule, if the reason for the cancellation is that you're unable to make it on the booking date. Rescheduling needs to be made at least 24 hours prior to the session, and you can find out more about this option here.

More information on session cancellations and or other terms of service available here.

I do not offer refunds on photography sessions because of the personal nature of the service provided. Your photos are not a product I can resell to recoup the cost of the session.