How do you choose a maternity photographer in Sacramento?

Choose the photographer whose complete galleries you would be glad to be inside, who directs the posing rather than leaving it to you, and who puts the inclusions in writing before you pay anything. Those three answers separate photographers more reliably than anything on a home page. Nearly everything else is taste.

My studio is in Roseville, and a large share of the women I photograph drive here from Sacramento. The questions below are the ones I would ask if I were the one choosing, whether you end up in my studio or in someone else's.

Ask to see a full gallery, not a highlight reel

A portfolio is a selection of the best frames from many sessions. It tells you what a photographer can do on a good day. A complete gallery from one session tells you what you would actually receive: whether the light held across every look, whether the woman was photographed well from more than one angle, whether the last look is as considered as the first.

Ask for one whole gallery from a session like the one you want. If the answer is a link to more highlights, that is an answer too.

Ask whether you will be posed

This is the question that changes the photographs most, and it is the one people are least likely to ask. Some photographers hand you the room and photograph what you do with it. That works for a woman who is comfortable in front of a camera, and it leaves everyone else looking uncertain in a beautiful dress.

Every session I photograph is fully guided. I direct posing, posture, hand placement, the angle of the chin and the expression, and I keep directing throughout. No modeling experience is needed. If a photographer cannot describe how they will direct you, assume you will be directing yourself.

Ask what is included, in writing

Vagueness before a session becomes disappointment after it. Before you reserve a date anywhere, you should be able to read the numbers.

• How long the session runs, and how many looks it covers
• How many retouched images you receive, and what an additional one costs
• Whether your partner and children are included or priced separately
• Whether a wardrobe is provided or you are expected to bring your own
• What reserves the date, what is due later, and what happens if you cancel

At my studio those answers are published rather than negotiated. The three maternity experiences are $1,099, $1,499 and $1,799, hair and makeup may be added to an eligible package for $399 and is included with Premium, a $399 deposit reserves the date with the balance due on the day, and additional retouched images are $20 each.

Ask what is in the wardrobe

Driving in from Sacramento with three outfits on the back seat is a plan that can fail in the fitting room. A studio wardrobe removes that risk. Mine holds gowns, flowing fabrics, bodysuits, accessories and statement pieces, and we choose from it by what you want the photograph to say: more coverage, the belly emphasized, a longer line, support for a fuller bust, something bolder. Never by your size.

Ask what happens after the session

The session itself lasts one to two hours, depending on which experience you choose. The delivery is the part you live with for years. Ask when proofs arrive, how you make your selections, and how long the finished photographs take. Here, unedited proofs reach a private gallery in approximately one to two days, and retouched photographs are delivered within 21 business days of your selections.

Ask also how a photographer retouches, because that is where a face can quietly become someone else's. My own rule is that retouching should complete a photograph without erasing the person in it.

One practical note for anyone driving over from Sacramento: if your week allows it, book Monday through Friday, because code WEEKDAY2 adds two extra edited images to a weekday booking. I photograph most women at approximately 28 to 32 weeks, so begin this conversation earlier than feels necessary.

Everything about traveling to the studio from Sacramento