I will automatically take photos of siblings together and separately, so as long as you have signed them both up on the form to take part then we will arrange the rest.

Please note that I will do my absolute best to capture both children, but there are occasions where one child doesn’t want to participate, or maybe they will allow me to capture them alone but not with their sibling. I usually visit nurseries annually so if this year one of them isn’t keen then hopefully we will have more luck the next year.

Absolutely! I will include timings in the email which has the sign up link in it, so please check when you can bring them in and come during those times.

Sometimes kids can be more shy with parents around, if possible then I would suggest you encourage them whilst taking a step back and letting them engage with me through play so I can get some lovely photos of them. It’s very tempting as a parent to make noises in the background, but it can be very overwhelming and distracting for the child so it’s better to see if they are responding to me and if you can see me struggling to get natural reactions out of them you can assist, or give me some tips of things they love.

Please also note “smile” is a word I try to avoid at all costs! Natural smiles through play are always better, so please also avoid asking your child to smile whilst I am photographing them.

Please only have one outfit for your child as we have a lot of children to get through so we cannot change them into multiple outfits.

I usually have 2 backgrounds – 1 neutral and 1 colour. I aim to photograph them on both, but if they are very nervous the may only have photos on one (usually the neutral). there will be posters in the nursery showing the colours I will be using.

I would suggest a complimentaty or a contrast of the coloured background, or something neutral. The most important thing is that the photos represent your child well, so if they always wear bold colours then this is great! Simple is good for photos as lots of fuss can be distracting so also don’t overthink it and keep it simple.

I will be aiming for top quality photos of your child, so if their have a well considered outfit and look nice, the outcome will be of better quality overall.

IMPORTANT – The nursery staff have a lot to do on photo day, they have all of their usual tasks and then they have to get all of the children photographed. If you tell them what you want your child to wear in the morning, and so do 8 other parents then they might understandably forget. If you have a particular outfit you want your child to wear I would suggest writing a note for the staff which includes every item you want your child to wear, including hair bands and if you want their hair a particular way. Give the staff this note in the morning at drop off and make sure your child’s name is on it!

Many nursery age children have to wear glasses for a temporary period, and it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want them in your child’s photos.

Usually If a child is wearing glasses I will try and take photos with and without them, unless I am told otherwise by the staff. This then gives you some options.

If your little one has glasses to help correct a lazy eye, this may show in the photos where the glasses aren’t present so it’s important that you have some options so hopefully you will have some images to reflect your child as they are. You want to look back on them in the future and feel they are true to your child at that time.

Nursery age children are rarely blemish free! whether it be red cheeks from teething, a bruise from falling over or remnants of chicken pox – I’ve seen it all!

I am a premium nursery photographer and that means that I hand edit each photo and remove any signs of impermenant blemishes.

On the very rare occasion I remove a permanent feature i.e. a birth mark, please get in touch asap and I will re-edit the images including this back in.

There are some things that are harder to remove i.e. very watery eyes or excessive nose crust. We will do our best to ensure your child is clean and tear free though!

Normally your photos will be ready to view the Friday of the week after the photo day. So for example if your session is on Monday 1st July, the photos will be ready on Friday 12th.

You will get an email as soon as they are ready which could be as late as 8pm on the Friday.

Whilst I know you might be excited, I will be unable to answer emails asking me when photos will be ready before the deadline has past, as in order to meet this deadline and get your photos to you onetime I will be very focussed on editing, which is a huge job!

There is absolutely no obligation to buy photos.

I will do my best to get some lovely natural smiles from your child and offer you photos that reflect their cute personality. But some children are overwhelmed by the whole situation, maybe they are still settling in, feeling ill or they are just shy.

I will always do my best, as will the nursery staff, to support your child through encouragement and play to relax them and capture some great images. If this isn’t possible and you don’t like the final results then you will not have to purchase them.

Myself and my assistant will both have a valid basic DBS check which will be provided to the nursery before photo day along with my risk assessment and insurance details.

We will also never be left alone with children as they will always be accompanied by the nursery staff.

You will have until 2 months after photo day to purchase your images. I have a limited capacity on the sales website I use, so I am unable to keep them up there indefinitly but I try and give you as long as possible to purchase them before removing them.

When you complete the consent form to sign your child up for photo day, I will ask your permission. If you don’t give me your permission then your images will not be shared.

If you ever see your child’s images on my social media and you have not given me permission then please reach out immediately. I have never posted photos in error, but I have had parents tick the wrong box before and not mean to give me permission, and I would always remove your images immediately.

If you do give me your permission I could use your child’s photos on my instagram, website or linked in, or I could email them as samples to other nurseries who wanted to see examples of my work. My reach isn’t very big, and I am also not great at posting, so I won’t always use photos I have permission to but I will always try!

If your child attends an N Family Club nursery then it’s worth getting in touch with me as I work in lots of branches across London and I might have another photo day in the future that you can bring them to.

If not, then you would have to wait until next year, or look at attending a family session in my studio bin East London.

I am not here to force anyone into something they don’t want to do!

I use play, encouragement and distraction to try and encourage little ones to take part, but this doesn’t always work. When I’m struggling nursery staff will always step in and if we can’t get your child to participate we will always work with the staff to try different tricks i.e. their favourite staff member.

Even with all of our experience combined, this is not a full proof plan which works for every child and unfortunately there will be times when children cannot be persuaded. If this happens myself or the nursery staff will let you know.

If you are worried about your child, please don’t be! Often the shy children can be warmed up and relax on photo day, so it’s worth signing them up and giving it a go – you have to be in it to win it!

I need each child to have a form filled in before I take their photo, this is to match their photos up to your account.

You can complete the online form, even on the day when I am at the nursery (although it’s much better to do it before to ensure we don’t miss your child). If you do decide on the day to complete the form, please call the nursery and get them to tell me as during the shoot we don’t see the notifications.

I use flash photography, so if your child has sever epilepsy then taking part is not advisable.

Staff will usually highlight to me if any child has needs that they are concerned about i.e. some children with autism don’t like loud noises and as long as I know this in advance I will work with them in an appropriate way.

If your child has any physical conditions, which might include for example a feeding tube or a disability where they can’t sit up unsupported then I may use my editing skills to remove tubes or the hands of staff supporting them. If I do this, I will usually inform you personally, but if you miss my email please don’t ever be concerned we have put your child in danger! I would never remove any medical devices or leave a child unsupported, it’s just the magic of photoshop!

I am used to working with all different types of children and adapting to their needs.

If your question hasn’t been answered above, the best way to contact me is by emailing nursery@elizabethmayphoto.co.uk and make sure you put your child’s nursery name in the subject line