About Me

CHRISTY TCHAPARIAN

My passion for photography started at a young age with a polaroid camera. I spent years taking photos for friends and family, and the gasp of excitement I had every time I captured a special moment never went away. With the support of my amazing husband and two sweet girls, I opened Sweet October Photography, which has given me nothing but joy.


The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take you by the hand and point the way

- Margaret Bourke-White

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION

Where are you located?

ANSWER

My home studio is located in Fresno, California. I service the Fresno, Clovis, Madera, and Sanger areas. I am also always willing to consider traveling! Contact me and we can chat.

QUESTION

Which photography services do you offer?

ANSWER

Just about anything you can think of…
Portraits to include families, children, pets, graduation and seniors, and couples. These can be held at my home studio (outdoor or indoor studio style), on location in the Fresno/Clovis area, or a lifestyle type session where you pick a place close to your heart and I follow you around like paparazzi and take many, many non-posed, candid images (these are not so secretly my very favorite types of sessions). Examples would be following your family around the zoo, joining you and your significant other at your favorite coffee shop, or capturing the fun of a cookie baking session at home.
Wedding and engagement photography, I specialize in natural light settings, intimate events held outdoors are my jam.
Maternity, newborn, and milestone sessions including Fresh 48s, wrapped and posed newborn sessions, and in (your) home lifestyle newborn sessions, sitter sessions around 6-9 months, milk and fruit baths, cake smashes and birthday sessions (these can be a studio style, or outdoor, whicever your heart desires).
Events, corporate and residential photography, and headshots are also offered.

QUESTION

What is required to book a session?

ANSWER

There is a non-refundable $50 retainer to save your spot on my calendar for every type of session not including events and weddings. These require a retainer in the amount of 10% of the invoice total.

QUESTION

What is the turnaround time for image delivery?

ANSWER

For a regular portrait session my contract states 3 weeks. If you need them before then, please let me know and we can figure something out.

QUESTION

Do you deliver every image you take?

ANSWER

I promise you… you DO NOT want every single image I take. For example, on average for a 4 hour wedding, I shoot between 2500-3500 pictures. When I get home I cull that down to usually around 750-1,000 because of blinking, focus issues, and duplicates. You always have the option to purchase all of the images that meet my standards at an extra cost.

QUESTION

Do you “re-touch” images?

ANSWER

My rule is, if something isn’t going to be there a week from now (zit, scratch, etc), I remove it in photoshop. I also try to catch bra straps, showing diapers, etc. If you notice anything that I miss I absolutely insist that you let me know. I want you to love your pictures 110%.

QUESTION

How do you deliver my images?

ANSWER

I use an online digital delivery service called ShootProof.com. It is secure, and I handle all of my paperwork and image delivery through this one website. You will receive an email with a link to your gallery when I’ve uploaded the images. They will all have my watermark across the middle, but as soon as you make your final selections and download the images, those watermarks go away.

QUESTION

How are contracts and invoices handled? What payment types do you accept?

ANSWER

All of my "paperwork" is done via ShootProof, so contracts can be signed and invoices paid digitally. You can pay your invoice with any debit or credit card.

QUESTION

Do you provide prints or only digital images?

ANSWER

Yes! I always, always suggest that my clients print their photos from my preferred print lab. Contact me for details.

QUESTION

Do we have to use your print lab? How large of a print do your images support?

ANSWER

While I always suggest my print lab, I also understand that this isn’t in everyone’s budget (though I try to keep my print lab prices very low compared to many professional photographers), so you also have the option to purchase your prints from places like Costco or Snapfish. I provide high resolution images, printable up to 24x36.

QUESTION

What gear do you use?

ANSWER

I exclusively use professional Nikon mirrorless equipment.

QUESTION

Do you back up your images, and how long are they stored?

ANSWER

As soon as I get home from a session I immediately upload all of the images onto 3 places, my computer hard drive and two backup external hard drives. There is an additional backup on ShootProof once I upload your final images there. I try to keep galleries up on ShootProof for 6 months, and on my external hard drives for 1 year.

QUESTION

Are you licensed and insured?

ANSWER

Absolutely.

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