Northlight

How it works

Photography without the guesswork

From the request to the gallery, in the order it happens. Nothing is charged until you accept a photographer and a price, and every step below is also in the terms.

Step by step

From request to gallery

  1. 01

    You send a request

    The booking form asks for the destination, the kind of session, a date or a flexible window, and how to reach you. It takes about two minutes, and sending it commits you to nothing.

  2. 02

    A coordinator replies within two hours

    The reply names an available photographer who lives and works in your city, confirms the exact price for your date and location in writing, and names any permit the location needs and what it costs.

  3. 03

    Your date is held by the retainer

    The session is confirmed when the retainer is paid, not when the request is answered. Until then nothing is charged, and you are free to ask for a different photographer or a different date.

  4. 04

    You plan the details with your photographer

    The spot, a fallback, the hour, what to wear, and — for a proposal — the signal. Your photographer knows which locations empty out early and which need paperwork.

  5. 05

    The session

    Your photographer arrives on time and works the agreed hours. If lightning, a flood warning, a closed park or smoke makes the location unusable, the session moves to a new date at no charge.

  6. 06

    Your gallery arrives on the stated date

    Edited photographs are delivered to a private online gallery within the window quoted for your session, counted from the session day. The gallery stays online for twelve months.

What you can count on

  • Vetted local photographers

    Every photographer lives and works in the city you book, and is checked before taking a session.

  • Clear pricing before you book

    Every session shows its starting price, length and photo count. Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay anything.

  • A reply within two hours

    A coordinator answers your request, not an autoresponder.

  • A delivery date for every session

    Stated before you book, from 24 hours for real estate photography to 6 weeks for wedding photography.

  • Weather rescheduling

    If lightning, a flood warning, a closed park or smoke makes the location unusable, the session moves to a new date at no charge.

    Read the weather policy
  • Local location expertise

    Your photographer suggests the spot, the hour when the light is right, and the permit if one is needed.

Questions about the process

What happens after I submit a booking request?

A coordinator replies within two hours with an available photographer and your exact price in writing. Nothing is charged until you accept, and your date is held once the retainer is paid. After the session, your edited photographs arrive in a private online gallery on the date stated for your session type.

How do I choose a photographer?

Tell us the city, the kind of session and the date on the booking form, and a coordinator matches you with a vetted photographer who works that city and that kind of session. You can ask to see more of their work, or for someone else, before you confirm anything.

Can I request a specific photographer?

Yes. Name the photographer in the notes on the booking form, and the coordinator will tell you whether they are free on your date. If they are not, you are offered another vetted photographer in the same city before anything is paid.

Can I reschedule my photo session?

Yes. A session can be moved once at no charge with at least seven days’ notice. Inside seven days the retainer is forfeit and a new one is due, except when the weather makes the location unusable, in which case the move is always free.

What happens if it rains on the day of my photo session?

Overcast skies and light rain are working conditions, and often flattering ones, so the session usually goes ahead. If lightning, a flood warning, a closed park or smoke makes the location genuinely unusable, the session is moved to a new date at no charge, whichever side calls it.

Ready when you are

Tell us where and when

The first step takes about two minutes and commits you to nothing.

Find your photographer