Photographer FAQ
Photographer FAQ
Short answers with real numbers. Prices come straight from the GKPhoto price list.
Short answer
This page answers the questions clients ask most: prices, booking, headshots, family and graduation sessions, travel fees, park permits and delivery. Portraits are delivered in 48 hours. Travel is included within 10 miles of Apex. Every session includes edited digitals and a print release.
Pricing and booking
How much is a photographer in Wake County?
GKPhoto prices are published. Headshots start at $250, graduation at $200, family at $225, athlete sessions at $225 and events at $500. Those are prices before NC sales tax, and the quote builder on the price list shows your exact total with travel and tax.
How do I book and pay?
Pick a date on the booking page. A 25 percent retainer reserves the date and is non-refundable. The balance is due on the day of the session. NC sales tax of about 6.89 percent is added automatically, and quotes are shown before tax. You can also call or send a message first.
Can I reschedule a session?
Rescheduling is free with 48 or more hours notice, and one reschedule is included. Weather reschedules are always free. If you reschedule inside 48 hours, ask first, because the answer depends on the calendar. Send a message or call as soon as plans change.
What happens if I cancel?
If you cancel, the retainer is not refunded and the balance is not charged. A no-show also forfeits the retainer. Weather is the exception: a weather reschedule is always free. The retainer is 25 percent of the package price, so the amount at risk is known before you book.
What is a print release?
A print release is written permission to print and share your edited digital images. It is included with every GKPhoto session, along with the edited digitals themselves. You do not pay extra to print your photos. A print store is also available if you want prints, albums or wall art made for you.
Is there a referral credit?
Yes. Refer a friend who books a graduation session, and you both get a $50 credit. The credit is listed on the Elite graduation package and on the graduation page. Ask about it when you book, so it is applied to the right session.
Do the prices include sales tax?
No. Prices are quoted before tax. NC sales tax of about 6.89 percent is added automatically at checkout, so the total is higher than the package price by that amount. The quote builder on the pricing page shows the retainer and the balance so you can plan the day-of payment.
Can I get my photos faster?
Yes. Rush delivery puts your gallery in your inbox within 24 hours for $100, on any session. If you have a deadline, such as a launch date or a graduation party, say so when you book and I plan the edit around it.
Headshots
How much do headshots cost?
The Professional is $250 for 2 retouched images. The Personal Brand is $395 for 5. On-site team headshots are $150 per person, $1,200 for a half day or $2,200 for a full day. Prices are before tax, and the quote builder adds travel and tax for your exact total.
How long does a headshot session take?
The Professional takes about 20 minutes and includes 1 to 2 looks. The Personal Brand takes about 45 minutes and includes 2 to 3 outfits or backdrops. Team days run about 4 hours for a half day or about 8 hours for a full day. Add time to meet and park.
How many headshot photos do I get?
The Professional includes 2 retouched images. The Personal Brand includes 5. Extra edited images are $15 each, or $150 for a full gallery of extra edits. Every session also includes a print release, so you can use the images on your profile, website and print materials.
Do you come to my office?
Yes. A quiet room with a window or a plain wall is enough, and a conference room or an empty office works well. Tell me your address, the room and how many people need a photo, and I confirm the travel fee before you book.
When do I get my headshots?
Two days after the session, in a private online gallery. The link comes by email, and every retouched image is ready to download, share and print. If you need them the next morning, rush delivery is an option. Tell me about any deadline, such as a new job or a launch, when you book.
What should I wear for a headshot?
Solid colors in mid or deep tones photograph well, and a jacket or collared top gives structure. Skip busy patterns and tiny stripes. Bring a second outfit if you book The Personal Brand. The headshot wardrobe guide has a checklist for LinkedIn, executive, medical and team headshots.
Family and graduation
How much is a family photo session?
A Mini is $225: up to 20 minutes, up to 5 people and 10 edited images. A Signature is $475: about 1 hour and 30 or more edited images. An Extended is $675: about 90 minutes and 60 or more edited images. Prices are before tax.
Do you offer seasonal mini sessions?
Yes. A Seasonal Mini is $275 for a short 20-minute slot. The listed locations are Dix Park, Pullen Park, Umstead, Bond Park, Hill Ridge Farms and Yates Mill. Seasonal dates are announced on the booking page, so check there for open slots.
How much are graduation photos?
Classic is $200: about 30 minutes, 1 location and 15 edited images. Signature is $275: 2 locations, 2 outfits and 30 edited images. Elite is $375: about 90 minutes and 50 edited images. Every graduation booking earns a $50 referral credit.
How do you handle kids and pets?
I direct the whole session, so it stays easy with kids, dogs and grandparents. Pets add $25 per pet. An extra person beyond your package is $25. Short sessions work best for toddlers, and a nap and a snack beforehand help more than any pose.
Locations and permits
How much is the travel fee?
Travel is included within 10 miles of Apex: Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville and New Hill. Towns 10 to 25 miles away, such as Raleigh, Fuquay-Varina, Garner and Pittsboro, add $50. Towns 25 to 50 miles away, such as Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Clayton, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wendell and Zebulon, add $100 and are by arrangement. Beyond 50 miles is a custom quote. The fee shows in your quote before you pay.
Do I need a permit for a photo session in Wake County?
Wake County Parks requires a free online permit for client-based photo shoots. You reserve a date and a window of 1 to 3 hours, and carry the printed permit. Towns set their own rules: Holly Springs and Raleigh require a permit, and Rolesville charges for one. The permits guide lists each source.
Do I need a permit for a photo session in Cary?
The Town of Cary has a Film and Photography page and routes questions through 311. The Cary parks in the location guide do not publish a photography fee on that page, so ask before you book. I confirm the rule for your spot, and office sessions need no park permit.
What happens if it rains?
Weather reschedules are always free. Most park spots have no covered area I can promise for a session, so a rain day is usually a new date. Office headshot sessions are not affected by weather, which is one reason they are popular in winter.
Which towns do you photograph in?
GKPhoto is based in Apex and photographs across Wake County: Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville, New Hill, Raleigh, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wendell and Zebulon. Durham, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro and Clayton are available by arrangement. Ask about any other town.
Delivery and prints
How fast do I get portraits?
Portraits are delivered in 48 hours. That covers headshots, family portraits and graduation sessions. Every image is fully edited and full resolution, and you can download, share and print them. If you have a deadline, such as an announcement or a party, rush delivery in 24 hours is an add-on.
How long do events and large sessions take?
Events, weddings and large sessions are delivered in 2 to 3 weeks, because there are far more images to select and edit. Event packages are priced by the hour or the day, from $500 for 2 hours to $1,800 for up to 12 hours.
How do I get my photos?
You get a private online gallery with every image fully edited and ready to download. The gallery link comes by email. There is also a client login for the print store, where you can order prints, albums and wall art from your images.
Can I order prints?
Yes. The print store sells downloads, prints and wall art, and the print release lets you print elsewhere too. A single photo download is $20 and all photos are $125 for extra downloads beyond a package. Print sizes and prices are on the pricing page and in the print size visualizer.
About GKPhoto and Gabe Key
Who is Gabe Key?
Gabe Key is the photographer and owner of GKPhoto in Apex, North Carolina. He photographs headshots, families, graduates, athletes and events across Wake County and the Triangle. He learned the work at The East Carolinian, where his photography earned two North Carolina College Media Association awards. He also builds websites for local businesses at Firmkit.
Is GKPhoto the same as GKeyPhoto?
Yes. GKPhoto and GKeyPhoto are the same photography business, run by Gabe Key in Apex, North Carolina. The name is also written GK Photo or GKey Photo. The website, the Instagram account and the booking page all lead to the same business, the same price list and the same person.
Does GKPhoto have a studio?
No. GKPhoto works on location: at your office, in a park, at your home or at your event. Headshots are shot where you work or at an agreed outdoor spot. There is no walk-in studio to visit. Tell me the place you have in mind, and I check the light and the rules before the day.
Where is GKPhoto based and where does it work?
GKPhoto is based in Apex, North Carolina, and works across Wake County and the Triangle. Travel is free close to Apex and priced by distance farther out, and towns 25 to 50 miles away are booked by arrangement. The travel table on the price list shows the fee for each town.
What is included in every GKPhoto session?
Every session includes edited digital images and a print release, which is written permission to print and share your photos. Prices are published before you book: headshots start at $250, family at $225, graduation at $200 and events at $500. A 25 percent retainer reserves the date.
Has Gabe Key won photography awards?
Yes. Gabe won second place in Photography at the 2024 North Carolina College Media Association Statewide College Media Awards, and second place in Photography/Art, General Interest Magazine, in 2025. His photographs have been published in Carolina Alumni, ECU East Magazine, The Daily Reflector and Pirate Media 1.
See the plain glossary, or read what all-inclusive covers, how delivery works and the accessibility statement.
Next step
Still have a question?
Send a message or call. Replies come within one business day.
Prefer to talk first? Call 919-917-3015 or see pricing.
Updated