Frequently asked questions

FAQ for Families

How do I book a sitting?

You can book your sitting using our online booking system 24/7. You will need to pay for your sitting at the time of booking using a credit or debit card. To book, visit our home page and then follow the links.



The time I am looking for is not available. What options do I have?

Bookings can fill up fast! Especially morning times between 9am-10am. If you are looking for an afternoon time, some of our larger shoots will run into the afternoon. We don't offer afternoon bookings until all of the more popular morning times have been filled. You can try checking back a little closer to the shoot to see if afternoon times have been made available. If you are looking for an early morning time (before 9am) please send us an email at admin@borderstudios.com.au and we will see if we can arrange an early start time (although this might not always be possible!). If you can't find the time you're looking for, you can also try looking for another shoot in your area which might have a more suitable time. Please note though, your sitting fee will go towards helping out that organisation's fundraising efforts, and you may have to collect your portraits from that location.



Can I book more than one sitting?

Short answer, No. There is a strict limit of ONE sitting per family. Some allowance may be made for split families or other special circumstances. Please email admin@borderstudios.com.au before booking a second sitting to avoid disappointment on the day. No child or adult can appear in more than one special offer ($15) portrait. We can take several photos and different combinations of people within one sitting, and it is usually cheaper to combine one sitting and order a shared package than to have separate sittings and order separate packages.



Can my friend of family member from outside the organisation book?

Yes! Its a fundraiser, so the more the merrier!



How do I choose which photos I want?

You will be able to view your images and select what you would like to order on the day immediately after your sitting. Purchasing decisions should be made on the photography day, and payment is required before printing.



How can I pay for my portraits?

You can make payment on the portrait day using cash, visa or mastercard. If you need a few days to make payment, we can send you an invoice to pay with your card online. We do have payment plan options available if nessasary. Please speak to one of our staff on the day, or email admin@borderstudios.com.au for more information.



When will the photos be ready?

Photos will usually be ready for you to collect within 2-3 weeks. It just depends on factors such as postage times and school holidays. If you need them in a shorter amount of time, please email admin@borderstudios.com.au and we might be able to arrange a rush order for a small fee.



How many people can I have in my sitting?

We can photograph almost any size family (the largest we have photographed is 23 people!). If you have a larger family, please shoot us an email admin@borderstudios.com.au as we may be able to arrange a longer sitting time to accommodate, or bring along additional posing benches so we can fix extra people in.



FAQ for Hosts

How much do we earn with a portrait fundraiser?

We pay $25 per participating family to you. In addition to this, you will receive $375 bonus for every 25 participating families. This brings your total raised to $1,000 for every 25 families.



What do we need to do?

Once you have selected a date for your fundraiser, we will provide you with a selection of online and print maketing materials to advertise to your families. We recommend using facebook, email and newsletters, as well as any other communication options you might have. We will need a space for the portrait day. This will need to be an indoor space with at least 4mx4m of open space for us to set up. During October-February, it is preferable to have air conditioning, as it can get VERY hot working under the studio lights. After the portraits have been printed, we will return them to you for distributing to families. Only paid packaged will be printed, so there is no need to chase up payments etc.



How do we book?

Email us at admin@borderstudios.com.au to secure a booking. Let us know your location, the month you would prefer, as well as whether you would like a Saturday, Sunday or week day evening.



What areas do you service?

We are based on the Gold Coast (QLD) and work mainly around the Gold Coast, Logan Brisbane & Ipswich. We take bookings regularly for northern NSW, Sunshine Coast & Darling Downs regions. We do accept bookings for areas all up and down the East Coast of Australia, but these will be dependent on what other jobs we have in the area, the time of year, and the size of your oganisation. Higher minimum numbers may apply for interstate jobs where travel will be required.



Is there a minium number of bookings we will need?

We don't have a set minimum and take it on case by case basis depending on what other jobs we have on, and the distance from home for us. Generally, we require around 10 booked families, but we are quite flexible.