it’s all about
YOU + YOUR FAMILY
A session with Diamondview Photography is all about you and your family. We take care of everything from props and sets, newborn clothing and maternity gowns, to our carefully selected products and wall design. You can rest assured that we will take care of you and all of the details along the way.
our goal is to provide you with
a momentous experience and beautiful images to cherish forever
The Experience
As a busy mom, I know that life happens and there can be a million things to juggle at once. We work hard to create a seamless experience from start to finish to make things as easy as possible for our clients. You’ll be guided through every step of the way and this means you can relax and truly enjoy your photo session and the beautiful artwork we will produce for you.
The very first step in the portrait experience is to have a phone call with Sam! Here we will go over your needs and all of the service options for your portrait session. We will also look at the calendar to see what the session availability is.
This is the planning process! You will meet with Emily in-person a few weeks before your session to go over your vision in detail. We’ll discuss wardrobe, location, as well as plan for what you would like to do with your portraits in the end.
This is your time to shine! Relax and enjoy the process while we guide you through every frame.
This is the fun part! About 1-2 weeks after your session you’ll view all of your images for the first time on the big screen at the studio. This will truly be the highlight of your experience. At this appointment we’ll go over all of the options we discussed during the Discovery Call and during the Style & Prep Consultation to bring your vision to life.
Another exciting point during the experience is when your final products are ready for you! Most orders are picked up at the studio, but we are also happy to arrange delivery if that is what you need.
Design Services
Before your session we encourage you to be thinking about what you would like to do with your images and how you might display them. At the Session Premiere we will help you to choose what works best for your space and we’ll take care of all of the design. You simply need to decide which image(s) you want to display and we’ll offer you some options that you’ll be proud to show off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our full service boutique studio is located at 130 Terence Matthews Crescent.
Outdoor family, maternity and child portraits take place around the nation’s capital. We have a carefully procured list of outdoor locations that we will share during the planning process.
A custom session is a great idea to allow plenty of time for your child to warm up and get used to the idea of being photographed. You might also consider an outdoor session where your child feels less confined to the studio space.
Emily has many years of experience working with children of all ages, including children on the autism spectrum and children with other special needs.
We have a no-rush session policy, however typical custom session times last anywhere from one to three hours.
This question comes up a lot! Please understand that we do not look at the weather forecast until the day before the session. We have learned in the past that the forecast can often change (multiple times) so in order to keep the calendar functional we do not reschedule or postpone a session based on forecast until approximately three hours prior (for afternoon and evening sessions). For morning sessions we will decide by 9pm the evening before.
If it is not possible for a session to take place on a scheduled date and time due to weather, Emily will make the decision to postpone to the next available date.
Examples of inclement weather are, but not limited to, 40% or higher chance of rain at the scheduled session time, humidex of 30 degrees Celcius or higher, wind chill of minus 15 degrees Celcius or colder, smog, and sever weather warnings.
Yes! We understand that some prefer to pay in instalments. We would agree about the payment terms if that is what you need. All portraits will be ordered and ready once final payment is made.
We understand why an in-person appointment might be a hesitation for some, but we have found that by viewing and ordering your photos in person it actually makes the process quicker and easier! Emily is readily available to answer any questions and will help you decide what type of artwork is best for your space. A lot of clients tell us afterwards that the Session Premiere was a lot of fun and it was the highlight of their experience!
You will receive the digital images that you purchase through a secure digital download link.
You will have the option to either pick up your order at the studio or have it shipped. Shipping charges will apply for all shipped orders. We ship to most Canadian addresses.
Yes! You will have personal printing rights for your purchased digital images. This means that you may have them printed at a consumer lab of your choice for your own personal purposes (i.e. to display in your home, to give as gifts). The photos may not be used for financial gain, commercial purposes, advertising, stock photography, competitions or contests of any kinds, print sales, resale, editorial purposes, or the like. The photos may not be shared with third parties for the purpose of their own advertising or commercial use (i.e. prop vendors, birth professional, etc). Explicit written consent from Diamondview Photography is required. Under the Canadian Copyright Act, Emily Brown retains full copyright on all images created. When in doubt, please ask!
Our schedule varies based on the season. Outdoor family, maternity and child portrait sessions typically book 3-4 months in advance, with weekend fill up first. We reserve newborn due dates 4-5 months in advance.
If anyone participating in the session has become ill, we kindly ask you to notify us as soon as possible and we will reschedule to the next available date for when everyone has recovered and is healthy.
For the best possible results for outdoor sessions, we start one hour before sunset. High sun causes harsh lighting and in turn creates less than flattering shadows and facial expressions.
We do understand that certain times of day are better for children considering bed times and nap schedules, however in our experience most children have no problem staying out a bit later than usual on picture day! It is something new and they are outside in a new environment so it helps to keep them happy and occupied. The lighting just before sunset is so beautiful and flattering that parents are always glad in hindsight that they decided to do a sunset session. If the last start time is truly a concern, we recommend scheduling a studio session, or scheduling and outdoor session in the fall when the sun sets earlier.
Yes! All final images that you choose will be fully edited. We retouch things such as blemishes, scrapes and bruises (as well as newborn skin tone and baby acne). We also retouch any unflattering body attributes that were not corrected with our posing (i.e. double chins).
Frequently Asked Questions
for Maternity + Newborn
We recommend scheduling your maternity session between 32-36 weeks, however you may opt to schedule earlier if you prefer that your belly is less prominent.
In your last month of pregnancy you may not feel as comfortable so it is best to book early! We only schedule maternity sessions after 36 weeks for last minute bookings if time in our calendar allows.
It is highly recommended to pre-book your newborn due date as we generally reserve due dates 4-5 months in advance. We only reserve two due dates per week.
With a reserved due date (paid session fee) we will save approximately three weeks on either side of your due dates to ensure your session takes place within our favourite age of 1-3 weeks old. Sometimes babies are born early and we make every effort to accommodate this scenario.
Once baby is born we ask that you get in touch within a day or two and we will provide a personalized calendar specific to your baby’s gestation and birth date. Newborn sessions take place in-studio on weekday mornings starting at 10:00 AM.
We have found that our favourite time to photograph newborns is between 1-3 weeks of age. This period helps us to achieve the sleepy, curly poses. Babies older than 1 month are less likely to fall asleep soundly and they are also not easily posed. We acknowledge that every baby is different and while the optimal time is in the first few weeks, we do not guarantee that every baby will cooperate, regardless of age. This is simply a recommended guideline so that we can document baby’s first few weeks of life before that newborn look has passed. We will not photograph babies less than four days of age unless the circumstances are extenuating.
Emily has successfully posed and photographed newborns in sleepy, curled up poses up to 13 weeks of age.
Our full service boutique studio is prepared for new families and babies. We have a comfy family room with a sofa and reclining rocking chair, as well as other amenities for promoting relaxation. We invite you to cozy up with a pillow and warm cup of tea while you watch your previous new baby being photographed.
We offer complimentary makeup and light hair styling on all custom session, so this means that mom gets to be pampered as soon as you arrive for the session. While mom is being styled, the session will start with baby and then we’ll finish with family photos once mom is fully styled!
We understand that might sound like a big adventure, and it IS, but all you need to do is get here and we’ll take care of the rest.