FAQ

What is your photography style?

I take great pride in helping my clients commemorate their special moments with vibrant and evocative images. I believe getting your pictures taken should be a fun and stress-free process. That's why I'm all about creating a laid-back, easy-breezy atmosphere that encourages your unique personality to shine through in your images. As my client, you're welcome to message me anytime before your shoot for styling consultations, location suggestions and any other questions you might have. I'm at your service!

Where are you based, and do you travel?

I'm a Los Angeles, CA based photographer. I love serving my clients in the South Bay Beach Cities and I also love to travel! If you want me to photograph your story and it's well outside of the South Bay area, it may require an hourly roundtrip travel fee, but we'll map out all of those details together to find a plan that works best for everyone!

When will we get our photos?

A stunning online gallery containing all of your beautifully edited and lightly retouched digital photos is delivered within 2-3 weeks of most portrait sessions and events. Faster delivery may be available for an additional rush fee (discussed and paid in advance).

From your private gallery, you'll be able to download to unlimited devices, share with friends and family, and even order prints from one of my trusted printing vendors.

Wedding galleries are delivered within 4-6 weeks of your wedding date, with a handful of sneak peeks (10-15) provided within 72 hours.

What should we wear?

GROUP SESSIONS:
- Lighter, neutral colors & solids are always preferred. They reflect the light, they are classic, they are romantic and they keep the focus on you and your loved ones.
- Light or medium grays, light blue/denim/chambray, blush pink, khaki/cream/beige/white, sage green, or yellow) with simple patterns and a variety of complimentary textures are highly recommended.
- It's usually best to start with one person's outfit and work from there to coordinate the other outfits and colors.
- For the ladies, long maxi or sundresses are always beautiful! (Lulu's, Morning Lavender, Free People, Zara, BHLD and H&M have a ton of wonderful options!)
- Jeans paired with a flattering blouse or pretty sweater is also a great choice!
- Please wear a strapless or self-adhesive bra with any blouses, tops or dresses that don't completely cover bra straps.
- For the guys - dressier shorts, pants or jeans paired with a polo, button-down or sweater works well.

PLEASE AVOID:
- Busy/distracting patterns (If there's a dress or shirt you love that has a bold pattern, try to limit the patterned outfit to one person in the group and then choose solid colors and textures that compliment it for the rest of the outfits)
- Clothing with big logos or writing
- Black and darker colored clothing (this often shows lint, absorbs all of the light and can sometimes cause unflattering color casts on the skin)

I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER INPUT:
- If you’d like assistance choosing outfits, please feel free to send pictures of your outfits laid out next to one another for input!

What can we do to prepare for our newborn session?

Congratulations! I can't wait to meet you and your family! Below are a few ideas to prep for your shoot, but absolutely no worries if any of the suggestions below aren't feasible! We'll have fun capturing all of the sweet, magical moments of this imperfectly perfect time with beautiful portraits you'll cherish either way!

HOUSE PREP & FINDING THE NATURAL LIGHT:
- Whenever possible, try to stash away any distracting items or clutter from the areas where we'll be shooting.
- The best areas to shoot are those where lots of natural light is available (usually near bigger windows, sliding glass doors, etc.)
- Generally, we'll want to turn off all the ambient light to avoid multiple lighting sources coming into the images.
- The living room, nursery / playroom, master bedroom, kitchen, and front yard/backyard are all options we'll want to consider shooting in.

MASTER BEDROOM:
- A large bed with a clean, white or lighter colored comforter or bedspread that has been freshly made (with all of the pillows neatly arranged) makes for a perfect spot to shoot!

CLOTHING:
- Please have a few outfits on hand for you, your partner and your little one(s).
- As you may already know - spits ups, blow outs and other random messes can happen unexpectedly! :)

PROPS:
- Please have any toys, blankets, or other sentimental items that you may wish to capture handy for us to use.

BABY ACNE / ILLNESSES / OTHER CONCERNS?
- Please let me know 24-48 hours before your upcoming session and we can reschedule! I totally get how unpredictable family life can be! :)

What forms of payment are accepted?

To reserve your date in my calendar and confirm the booking, I accept a deposit (typically 50% of the total amount) via Venmo or Zelle.

The remaining balance is due on the date of your session / event via Venmo, Zelle, cash or a check made out to Heather Leven Photography.

If you prefer to pay via credit card, I can accommodate this request, but please note that additional fees will be incurred to cover the related transaction costs.

Deposits & Rescheduling Requests

Please note that all deposits are non-refundable, but are transferable in the event of a reschedule as long as reasonable notice is provided (24-48 hours prior to your session date).

Late cancellations / reschedule requests (within 24 hours of your session date) may be subject to forfeiture of the entire deposit and/or travel fees for locations based outside of the South Bay.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation with these policies.