Joy-Filled + Connection-Focused San Francisco Bay Area Family Photographer
Hi, I’m Ellie!
As a wife + mama of three, documenting my own precious family is so very important to me, which is why I consider it such a joy + privilege to help other families do the same!
I believe in wholehearted, intentional living and fully embracing each season of life, no matter what joys and trials each may bring.
I’d be honored to photograph your family + capture a little glimpse of this special season of your life.
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"We could not be happier with our experience with Ellie- she is wonderful! The photos she took for us are stunning. She has a very kind and calm energy that makes the session feel so comfortable. She is wonderful with kids, too."
-Rachel K.
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"My one year old and five year old warmed up to Ellie quickly and they were much more cooperative for pictures than usual! She made the process fun and easy. Ellie sent our full gallery of photos quickly, and we are so happy with them."
-Allie L.
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"Cannot recommend Ellie Meberg enough!! I was hesitant about golden hour because I have a 16 month old and a 3 year old that are used to an early bedtime, but the lighting in our pictures actually looked like HEAVEN!! Ellie is unbelievably talented!"
-Lydia L.
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"Ellie is such a fantastic photographer and even better with handling young kids and making it feel easy and natural. We were a little nervous with two very busy young boys, but she managed to capture some magic moments and the kids loved it."
-Heather M.
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"Ellie was such a treat to work with! She walked us through the whole process and gave us super helpful tips on how to dress ourselves in a way that would be most flattering in photos. She showed up on time & prepared, which is a big deal for me."
-Elise G.
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"Her warmth and enthusiasm put us at ease, setting the tone for a memorable photo session. She effortlessly guided us through various natural settings, making us feel comfortable and allowing our genuine emotions to shine through."
-Shubhi P.
Each Golden Hour Session includes:
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I truly consider the photo session itself to be a sweet, bonding experience.
You’ll spend quality time together as a family: interacting together and laughing together — all while experiencing + exploring the gorgeous outdoors of our beautiful Bay Area.
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The days are long, but the years are short — and documenting this sweet, precious short season in your family’s life matters. Don’t keep letting the weeks and months slip by, always thinking you’ll get to family photos “one day.”
I believe you will never regret capturing your family in the here + now.
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I’ll set you up with my styling guide & give you as much wardrobe assistance as you’d like, so you can be confident you’re picking the perfect outfits to achieve that gorgeous, timeless look you’re after.
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I've spent dozens of hours driving around + scouting out gorgeous spots in our beloved Bay Area, and I will share my location guide with you so you can pick out the absolute best location for your family's session.
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We will speak over the phone at least once to plan for your session, but I am happy to give unlimited pre-session consultations via phone (or email/text!). Truly I am happy to be as involved as you would like in helping you + your family prepare for your session.
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Each family session gallery includes a heartwarming slideshow. I love slideshows because I find that they’re always such a special way to be able to bond together as a family, reliving precious moments + memories together!
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Each of my session packages comes with a complimentary print credit which you can put towards prints, frames, or albums in your online gallery store — so you can effortlessly bring your favorite images out of the screen world, into the real world, and into your home, where they belong. :)
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I promise that your family will absolutely love your experience and your photos. If for any reason you do not, we will schedule a reshoot for free!
“She truly works with you to provide the best experience for you and your family. By the time I met her I felt like we had such a great connection since we had been in contact many times before the shoot. She’s friendly and was so great with my little girls.” — Katelyn B.
The Experience
I. Get in touch.
After you fill out the contact form below, I’ll reach out within two business days to schedule a quick 15-minute phone call. This call will allow us to “meet” each other and more efficiently answer any questions you might have.
II. Plan your session.
Next I’ll send you a booking link, where you can (super quickly + easily!) sign my general contract, pay the Retainer Fee, and fill out a short questionnaire for your session. After completing your booking, you’ll receive a confirmation email with my Styling + Location Guide. We’ll continue to be in touch, and make sure we set ourselves up for the smoothest, most enjoyable family photo shoot possible!
III. Have an amazing session.
As soon as we meet at the outdoor location you choose, we’ll do everything we can to take all the pressure off so that your entire family has a great time together! We’ll keep things relaxed & natural throughout our session, keeping the mood fun + light, and taking breaks as needed — ensuring that you end up with heartfelt, natural-feeling images that you absolutely love.
IV. Receive your beautiful images — digitally + physically!
Two to four weeks after your session, you will receive an email with a link to your private online gallery! Here you will be able to access all of your high resolution digital images, so you can easily choose your favorites to download onto your phone, laptop, etc.
You’ll also be able to order prints, frames, and/or albums directly from your online gallery. Each of my sessions comes with a complimentary print credit, which will hopefully help spur you to get your images out of the digital world and into the real world — and into your home!
(I have a 5-Star Experience Guarantee, so if somehow you do not end up loving your images, we can schedule a reshoot for free!)
“Ellie is the sweetest and really knows how to work well with kiddos!”
- Christine R.
Let’s get your images into your home.
In this digital age, printing out our family photos is more important than ever before. This is why each of my session packages comes with a complimentary print credit which you can put towards prints, frames, or albums in your online gallery store — so you can effortlessly bring your favorite images out of the screen world, into the real world, and into your home, where they belong. :)
Pricing + Investment
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$875. A short + sweet 20-40 minute session — 7 high-resolution digital images.
(Includes a $50 complimentary print credit.)
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$1095. A standard 30-60 minute session — 15 high-resolution digital images.
(Includes a $150 complimentary print credit.)
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$1375. A full 40-60 minute session — full gallery of high-resolution digital images (30+).
(Includes a $300 complimentary print credit.)
Five-Star Experience Guarantee:
I guarantee that you’ll go home with images you’re obsessed with + want to hang all over your walls. If you do not absolutely love your images, we’ll schedule a reshoot for entirely free.
FAQs
What is your approach with kids?
My philosophy is that if you treat children with kindness, sincere interest, and respect, they will reciprocate it. I always do my best to connect with your kid(s) on a personal level & help them understand the important role they have in our session.
But we’ll of course let your kids be kids! I love capturing them running around, playing, throwing rocks, and just being their cute little selves. We’ll definitely do our best to get some photos where you are all looking at the camera and smiling, but my goal is to authentically + naturally capture this season of your family’s life — and I especially love family interaction images where you’re just interacting together too!
Where will we have our session?
Your family session will be held at an outdoor Bay Area location. If you already have a spot in mind, I can most likely accommodate that, provided that the space is relatively wide open + spacious, with great natural lighting. If you do not have a specific location in mind, I will happily suggest my favorite Bay Area spots in my Location Guide & we will work together to find a location that fits your family’s style & preferences.
What should we wear for our session?
Your outfit choices will have a major impact on the overall look of your images, so what you choose to wear is extremely important! I would love to help you pick & style outfits that will give you the timeless look you’re hoping for. My styling guide goes into much more detail, but to sum it up, I always recommend flowy dresses for mamas + girls — and light, neutral colors that coordinate well together (but that do not all match)!
When + how will we get our images?
Between 2-4 weeks after your session date, you will receive an email with a link to your private online gallery, where you will be able to view + download your favorite digital images. I do my best to get galleries back as quickly as I am able! But good things take time, and it takes a significant amount of time for me to go through each of your images, select out the absolute best, hand edit them in my signature light + airy style, and put together your family’s online gallery. I promise the wait will be worthwhile!
What is the complimentary print credit & how do we use it?
It is very important to me that your images make it out of the digital world and into the real world! So I include a complimentary print credit with each of my session packages. The print credit can be put towards prints, frames, or albums in the store attached to your private online gallery. Your images will already be uploaded into the store, so all you’ll need to do is pick out your favorite images, choose the prints or products, add them to your cart, and have them shipped directly to your doorstep! The ordering process is as easy as placing an order on Amazon ;) So it’s quick enough + simple enough that even busy mamas like you & I can actually follow through with getting our precious family images out of our screens and into our homes. I promise it will be very easy and very worth it. :)
What if it’s going to rain?
If on the day of our session, it is looking like it will rain during our session time, we will touch base to reschedule + will find a date in the near future that works well for both of us.
How many family members can be included?
My standard pricing (for Petite, Classic, and Full Sessions) applies to immediate families only (dad, mom, and their kids). Sessions including any extended family members start at $1425. The exact pricing will vary based on how many extended family members will be included.
What if my kids don’t behave?
They’re kids! I’m not concerned about whether they’ll behave perfectly for our session because I don’t expect that. Trust me, I’ve seen it all — and I can work with it all.
But there are definitely some things you can do to help set them up for success! First and foremost, do everything in your power to make sure everyone arrives at the session well-rested and well-fed! Another factor that will play a huge role in how your kids do during our session is the tone and mood you set beforehand. If you can set a light mood on the day of the session (and especially on the drive over!), your littles will have a much better chance of being happy & cooperative.
And lastly, thinking about the session from their little perspectives and figuring out what would genuinely incentivize them to want to do well during our session will go a long way, but that will look different for every child, of course!
What areas and regions do you service?
All over the San Francisco Bay Area! But I am based in the Tri-Valley Area of the East Bay, so many of the locations where I hold my sessions are right in that area. However, I LOVE many of the gorgeous locations that we have all over the beautiful Bay Area, and we can probably figure out a way to do your session almost anywhere you’d like — but depending on the distance from the Tri-Valley Area, there may be a travel fee.
My question isn’t answered here. How can I reach out?
I am happy to answer any questions you may have! You’re welcome to fill out the contact form on my “Contact” page — or feel free to email me at ellie@elliemeberg.com
I look forward to hearing from you!
Let’s cherish this season you’re in.
Whether you just have a quick question or are interested in learning more about potentially booking a family session, I’d love to hear from you! I do my best to reply to all inquiries within two business days.