Welcome to the FAQ page – here I hope to answer some of your questions. Every photo session is unique so really please don’t hesitate to use the contact form to drop me a quick mail if you need more info, I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Yes definitely – I am English but I have been based here in France for over 25 years (that sounds like ever such a long time !). I speak French fluently and can write it too but I freely admit I prefer writing in English given half a chance (French grammar is so complicated I’m forever forgetting ‘e’s or ‘é’s !)
If you are happier writing in French that is perfect and I will write back in French – c’est promis !
Lucky me – I’m based near the beautiful old town of Annecy in the Alps. It’s about 45 minutes south of Geneva and an hour and a quarter from Lyon. I photograph all over the region from Lyon to Lausanne and even further afield so please don’t hesitate to give me a call.
Places are special to people and different places for different people so your session can be somewhere that is meaningful to you. Relaxed and at ease in one of your happiest places will mean your photos from our session together will be totally you, not forced and uncomfortable. Contact me for details about travel expenses.
100% yes – my job and my skill is to make you feel at ease so that you and everyone else involved will just forget the camera ! That means that you will get beautiful photos of you just being you – relaxed, laughing, happy, … that is very important to me.
To be honest 90%+ of the people in the photos on this site have started by telling me how much they hate the camera, how they aren’t photogenic and that they are really uncomfortable with the idea of being photographed. Have a look through the site and I hope that will reassure you there is no such thing as “not photogenic”.
The session will be fun, entertaining and will fly by and you will love your results – promise I will find the sparkle that is you. Who knows this might be the start of a wonderful ongoing relationship !
Call me or email me and tell me all about what you have in mind, how YOU imagine your shoot. Where you want, what you want, when you want it. Then we can chat through the different options see what is possible (shoot in a car breakers yard you say ? possible ! (you just need to get permission)). We can talk about possible locations, chat about things you might want to bring along or what to wear.
A lifestyle session usually lasts 90 minutes which means everyone has time to feel relaxed and happy in front of the camera, you’ll ask yourself why you didn’t do it years ago.
LIFESTYLE SHOOTS: These fun relaxed shoots last around 90 minutes, ample time for everyone to feel happy and relaxed in front of the camera.
WEDDINGS : Generally speaking arrive whilst the bride is getting ready, a couple of hours before the ceremony in time to take photos of the excitement of the day ahead and those gorgeous details. The amount of time I will be present on your wedding day depends on the Wedding Collection that you choose. But I can always stay longer if required for an additional charge, all the details are in the PDF.
Yes – I love them. Engagement shoots are included in two of the wedding collections because I feel that they are a really fun and relaxed way to get to know each other. We’ll meet up and chat about your wedding day, look at time lines and maybe talk about any group shots you’d like and then we’ll go and take some pictures. Don’t worry about posing – I know myself how difficult it is in front of the camera and so the shots will be of you being you, not stiff formal posing, just having fun – that way on the day of the wedding you’ll be totally at ease in front of the camera.
Yes, yes yes – I have created a wonderful series of PDFs that give you all sorts of tips and advice for organising your wedding day.
The information included is real life advice. Fantastic tips from the brides and grooms themselves – you know the “if I had the day again” I would make sure I had a needle and thread, or a bottle of water for after the ceremony, a change of shoes for the evening. Also included are hints and tips from my experiences as a wedding photographer so photography biased but that will definitely help you to get the very best from your wedding photos.
You will automatically get the first in the series of PDFs as soon as I have received your contract and deposit.
That’s fantastic news – thank you – I’m thrilled you want to work with me. First of all, give me a call or send me a mail and we’ll arrange a meeting so that you can tell me all about your needs, and of course check that I’m still available. Then if you are happy you would like to go ahead I will explain the reservation process to you. Please note that until the reservation fee is paid the date is NOT reserved.
Sure! I’m always ready to travel to another country for a photo session. I regularly work in France, Switzerland and the UK. As for the cost and conditions – it’s always individual.
Definitely (well technically not me, but I DO work with some amazing print pros). For me my job as your photographer isn’t finished until you have a (or hopefully several) gorgeous professionally printed images in your hands – whether it’s a stylish framed single image or an album full of magical happy photos.
Why ? Well, to be honest, I have no idea exactly how many photos I have from happy family holidays together that are still safely hidden away on a memory card, an external hard drive (or, showing my age here, .. a CD or other impossible to access formats.) I was the only one that got to look at them (nobody else is allowed on my work computer). So a few years back I started to print a ‘Our year book’ for our family every year.
It’s full of photos from the year and I admit it is a real pleasure when I see our daughters showing those books to family or friends. It’s really useful to check back on what we did when we went to Portugal 3 years ago (loved that holiday), or who came to stay in 2018. I’m fairly sure that you are the same and have photos on a forgotten USB at the bottom of a drawer somewhere. I promise you that nothing beats flipping through an album of a wonderful afternoon.
It is for this reason that I have teamed up with some fabulously talented industry professionals who create products that you will adore. See here for a quick selection.
… and IMPORTANTLY you will receive a digital copy (hi resolution jpeg) of every image that you choose as a finished printed image so that you can store them away safely (please please please back them up safely) and even share them with your family and friends if you choose to.
I don’t use an assistant I prefer to photograph on my own for two main reasons. First of all because I feel its easier for you to get to know and trust me without throwing a ‘stranger’ (to you) into the mix of the day of the session. Secondly because I am working on my own I can keep track of exactly which shots I have taken, it takes a variable out of the mix.
Just so you know, all my cameras have double card slots so that the photos are recorded onto two separate places which would act as a back up in the very rare cases when a card fails.
I am really lucky and work throughout France, Switzerland and sometimes the UK which is brilliant and varied and I love it. However it does mean three different currencies so to keep things simple all my prices are in euros.
No problem, I’m happy to help– use the contact button and get in touch with me with any questions that you have for me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Or if you prefer you can call me on +(33) 673159527 or email me at info@gillmaheu.com in English or French.
