FAQ - Family & children's portraiture
WHERE DO FAMILY SESSIONS TAKE PLACE?
Anywhere! I photograph on-location exclusively and my preference is to photograph your family at a place that has meaning to you. If you are looking for other suggestions, check out my "best of" list for some of my favorites!
DO YOU PHOTOGRAPH IN CLIENTS HOMES?
YES!! For newborns I photograph exclusively in the client's home. And I love home sessions for toddlers and school-age kids as well. Your home does not need to look like a magazine, I promise! I will find - or create - a great background in any space. I bring lights to use as necessary if window light is not sufficient.
DO YOU HAVE A STUDIO?
I am "in between" studios at the moment. While I enjoyed meeting clients at my studio in Medfield, MA (moved out in April 2020...you can guess why) most of my work is done on-location. I am working on getting a studio again for my cherished personality portraits of children and will let you know when there's news! I will be in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
HOW MUCH DO YOU DELIVER IN BLACK & WHITE?
I am sure you noticed that I absolutely love the feel of black and white images! I love that they convey emotion without distraction, and really accentuate gorgeous light and moments. Before your session we will talk about what the images are going to be used for, where they will be displayed and how, and create a balance of final images that works for you.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT OF RAIN?
I know how much goes into planning a session for your family. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we will certainly reschedule. Your session payment will be transferred to the new date.
HOW FAR WILL YOU TRAVEL?
I cover all of southeastern Mass ("home" mass base is Medfield) and Rhode Island ("home" RI base is in Portsmouth).
Portsmouth, RI is conveniently between the gorgeous towns of Newport and Bristol. The northern most town on Aquidneck Island, I am a few moments to Newport and a few minutes drive to Bristol, Barrington, and Jamestown. Rhode Island has an incredible array of public lands and I'm happy to travel to any of them!
Medfield, MA is in southeastern Mass, snuggled between Dover, Walpole, and Millis, There are several parks in southeastern mass I have photographed at dozens (one literally hundreds!) of times. If you are in Mass, let's pick one that's convenient to you!
WILL YOU WORK WITH MY SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD?
Absolutely. Let's start with a phone call so I can understand your child's specific needs. Adjusting location, time of day, and most importantly approach is going to help get authentic, beautiful portraits of your child.
After volunteering with Autism Speaks for their annual fundraising event at Colt State Park several times, I ended up taking their boot camp class to increase my awareness and effectiveness in working with children on the spectrum.
DO YOU DO MINI-SESSIONS?
I have offered fall mini sessions for over 10 years. They occur September through early November. Preferred clients will get notification by email in early August with booking information.
WHAT THE HECK IS CHAOS LOVED?
If you've seen this word somewhere on the internet or old social media posts, you may be wondering! ChaosLoved was the children and family division of JESSICA McHALE PHOTOGRAPHY for many years. I was looking for a name that would encompass the crazy beautiful, sleepless, messy, joy-filled moments of having young children. I have three of my own and it's complete chaos! But we're always laughing, growing, and supporting each other. It's pretty awesome.
The two divisions of my photography work held separate web addresses until early 2019 when they were placed under the same umbrella. I'm one person, one photographer, one artist capturing my client's lives. But it was hard to let this name that is so perfect go. So you'll still see it everywhere on my branding.
Life with kids is chaos. Chaos loved