Creating Heirloom Artwork Worth the Investment
Professional photography is an investment in time. In your family’s visual history.
Your children will easily walk past your displayed imagery thousands of times during their childhood. These images on display hold gravitas – they are a large part of the quiet, daily reinforcement that your children belong. That they are cherished. That they are seen. That they are loved.
Read more: How Photography Fosters a Sense of Belonging in Children
Framed 20x30s in common area
Variety of sizes near pool entry
Hallway images: 20×30 and 20×20
From Storage to Story
We believe that memories in storage (or on social media for likes and clicks) aren’t memories at all. We are here to ensure your family’s story is put into circulation on your walls, not left to chance in a junk drawer.
Because every family is a unique “pack,” one-size-fits-all pricing doesn’t exist. Every family’s story is different. Your vision, your family size, and the scope of your session all factor into creating a custom collection that’s right for you.
While there is no minimum spend—you simply buy what you love – clients should anticipate their investment to start around $800. This varies on your session type, location, and the custom heirloom products you choose to put into circulation.
Session Types
Session fees cover the photography experience itself – the time, any travel, expertise, pre-session planning, the actual session, and intensive post-session work of curating and custom-editing your gallery. Session fees are payable at the time of booking to reserve your date.
Artwork & Digitals: Wall art, albums, prints, and digital files are ordered separately after you view your finished gallery. Gift print pricing starting at $70.
Signature Sessions
Photography for Life
Most sessions find their natural rhythm and completion within 60 to 90 minutes. We don’t watch the clock; we watch the energy – the “sweet spot” before the littlest members of the pack reach their limit. We stay until the story is told, ensuring a stress-free environment where your family can simply be.
On
Location
Your home or favorite Chicago-area spot.
Up to 6 people.
$375 (Fri-Sun)
$295 (M-Th)
Marmalade
Location
Our exclusively curated southwest suburb locations.
Up to 6 people.
$275 (Fri-Sun)
$195 (M-Th)
Includes:
- Creative Consultation: A pre-session deep dive to map out your vision, personality, and goals
- Curated Wardrobe & Styling: We don’t place a cap on outfit changes, though we recommend 2 to 3 looks to maintain a seamless rhythm. We’ll help you balance variety with the comfort of your “littlest” and “biggest” family members. This of course is session dependent.
- Artistic Direction: Professional guidance on timing, light, and location selection to ensure your story holds the right gravitas.
- The Reveal: A dedicated post-session ordering appointment to view your gallery and select the heirloom pieces that belong on your walls.
Day in the Life Sessions
The Photography For Life Full-Circle Storytelling Experience – $5200
The Day in the Life (DitL) is designed for families who value the art of the unposed. It is a cinematic, fully inclusive photographic experience for those who want to bottle the magic of their actual life – capturing the “threshold moments“ – that exist somewhere between a memory and a masterpiece.
Whether you want the “full paparazzi” experience while exploring Chicago or a quiet, photojournalistic eye to document a slow morning at home, the DitL puts your family’s unique rhythm front and center.
This is serious MAIN CHARACTER energy. This isn’t just a photoshoot; it’s a curated production of your daily life.
This fully inclusive legacy experience includes:
- Signature Pre-Planning: A deep-dive consultation to map out your family’s narrative.
- The Documentary Session: 3–5 hours of continuous coverage at your home or on location.
- The Complete Digital Suite: A curated gallery of every final, custom-edited image that tells your story. (We cull the noise to ensure only the most impactful moments remain).
- Tangible Memories: A full set of reference prints (4×6 or 5×7) of every presented image from your gallery.
- The 10×10 Heirloom Album: A custom-designed, 30-page Storytelling Album – the permanent anchor of your family’s visual history
Additional heirloom products and upgrades are available from our complete menu.
Extended Family: The Matriarch Session
Perfect for multi-generational gatherings
As families grow, move, and evolve, the moments when everyone is under one roof become rare and sacred. These sessions are designed to document the entire lineage – the grandparents who started the story, the parents carrying it forward, and the children who are its future. Whether it’s a milestone anniversary or a summer reunion at the lake, we capture the connections that define your family’s history.
The coordination: To ensure a seamless and stress-free experience, we provide dedicated guidance through a single family liaison. By coordinating all session details through one primary contact, we maintain a clear, unified vision for your portraits – making the process effortless for every branch of the tree.
This Multi-Generational Experience Includes:
- Signature Logistics & Planning: Professional coordination for multiple households to ensure a seamless, stress-free experience for everyone from the toddlers to the Great-Grandparents.
- The Orchestrated Legacy Session: 60–90 minutes of curated group portraits and candid “sub-family” moments, ensuring every branch of the tree is honored.
- Artistic Direction: Expert guidance on wardrobe coordination and location selection to ensure the entire group holds a cohesive, timeless gravitas.
- The Multi-Family Reveal: A dedicated post-session ordering appointment to view the full-circle story and select heirloom pieces for every household in the pack.
The Investment Structure
Session Fee: $495–$695 (Varies based on number being photographed, location and day of the week)
What to expect after your session:
After your session, I spend approximately 3 weeks curating and editing your gallery – selecting only the best images from your session and custom editing every single one prior to viewing. Once complete, you’ll receive access to your online slideshow gallery.
Weeks 1-3 (The Artistry): I curate and custom-edit every single image that you will see in your gallery to ensure your gallery is a masterpiece in telling your story.
The Reveal: You’ll receive access to your online slideshow gallery for a 3-day viewing window.
The Ordering Appointment: On Day 3, we meet via phone or video*. I’ll share design drafts via text/email to help you finalize wall art, storyboards, and album selections.
Delivery: Within 3–5 weeks, your finished artwork is delivered directly to your door.
*If you prefer in person ordering or ordering via video call – we can arrange that as well. For the majority of our clients our streamlined phone ordering appointments work very well – we utilize email and text to send mock-ups of arrangement, storyboards, cards, etc.
Products & Collections
After your session, you’ll design your custom collection from these options:
Wall Art
Museum-quality prints designed to be displayed
- Canvas gallery wraps: Museum quality canvas wraps – not consumer grade inkjet. These are photo emulsion mounted to canvas. They are ready to hang and are available from 16×20 to 30×40
- Metal prints: Modern, vibrant option with incredible depth (11×14 to 30×40)
- Acrylic prints: Stunning contemporary option with brilliant color (11×14 to 30×40)
- Mounted, prints: available in either UV sprayed lustre or metallic/pearl option – mounted on either styrene, foamboard or matboard (size dependent)
Wall art pricing: $350-$3,500+ depending on size and medium
Pre-Planned Wall Print Collections start at $1275.
Albums
Heirloom-quality albums you’ll treasure for generations
Our albums are professionally designed, printed on archival paper, and bound to last. These aren’t the flimsy photo books you make online – these are museum-quality keepsakes.
- 8×8 albums: 20-30 pages
- 10×10 albums: 20-40 pages, perfect for focused sessions – our favorite size!
- 12×12 albums: for when you want to make a statement! 20-40 pages
- Grandparent albums: Smaller versions (5×5) for grandparents – only available after an 8×8 or larger purchase and will represent as an exact duplicate copy of the larger album
Album pricing: starting at $1300.
Digital Files
High-resolution files for printing and sharing
Digital files are available as part of comprehensive collections or as add-ons to print purchases.
Important note: Digital files alone don’t do the emotional work that displayed portraits do. I always recommend designing your print collection first, then adding digitals later.
A Few Specialty Products
- Holiday cards: Custom-designed cards featuring your session images
- Birth announcements: For newborn sessions
- Graduation announcements: For senior portrait sessions
- Thank you cards: Beautiful stationery featuring your family
Ready to begin? Let’s talk!
Email directly:
marianne at marmaladephotography dot com or call 815-603-8450