Session timeline planner

How the run of day is built

The planner starts with sunset for your town and date. It uses the NOAA solar equations for the town centre, in Eastern time with daylight saving.

For an event, sun timing does not drive the plan, so you enter the start time and the planner builds the same run of day from it. Each row is general guidance, labelled as a tip where it is one. The exact time and place are settled with you when you book.

When to start, by session type

• Family Mini: about 90 minutes before sunset, so the session finishes in the warmest light.
• Family with toddlers: about 105 minutes before sunset. Little ones fade fast, so the best light should land while they are still happy.
• Couples or portrait: about 75 minutes before sunset, to leave time to walk and settle in before the golden window.
• Graduation or senior: the same 90-minute lead, which leaves room for an outfit change.

A worked example

Take a family Mini in Cary on a fall date. If sunset is at 5:30 p.m., the start is about 4:00 p.m. A 25-minute drive and 10 minutes for parking put you out the door at 3:15, and ten minutes of settling time means arriving at 3:50. Dressing starts at 2:45, and a real meal comes before that. A nap should end about an hour before you leave.

The numbers on the page change with your date, because sunset moves by minutes each day. Check again a week before, and again if the date changes.

Naps, meals and tired kids

A rested, fed child is the best accessory. Kids can dress last, or in the car, which keeps new outfits clean. Pack a spare top for each child. This is general advice, and every child is different.

If the nap and the sunset cannot both fit, choose the nap. Soft light on a happy child beats perfect light on a tired one.

Events, half days and full days

Event coverage starts at $500 for 2 hours. A half day is $1,000 for up to 6 hours and a full day is $1,800 for up to 12 hours. Extra hours are $250 each.

Drive time, parking and arriving early

Add the real drive time for the day of the week and the hour, not the best case. Add ten minutes for parking and a restroom stop. Arrive ten minutes early, so everyone can walk around and burn off a little energy. Travel is included within 10 miles of Apex, and the quote builder shows the fee for farther towns as its own line.

Picking the date

The same plan works on any date, but the date changes the numbers. Sunset moves by about a minute or two each day, and by several hours of start time between June and December. A weekday evening is usually quieter at a popular park than a weekend, and a school night changes the plan for children. These are general tips, not rules.

If the start time does not fit your day, move the date or change the session type and run the planner again. The seasonal photo calendar shows what is in bloom or color each month, and the golden hour calculator covers any date for a named spot. Pick a backup date at the same time, because weather reschedules are free.

Delivery and weather

Portraits are delivered in 48 hours in a private online gallery, and events and larger sessions take 2 to 3 weeks. Weather reschedules are always free, and one reschedule is included with 48 hours notice. If the forecast is bad, pick a backup date at the same time and run the planner again.