FAQ

Yes, James Tan Photography is a registered entity with ACRA Singapore since 2021. I want to give you the confident and assurance that I treat your photoshoot seriously.

I specialize in natural, documentary-style portrait photography across these categories:

• Lifestyle Portraits
  – outdoor portraits for families, friends, solos, and couples
  – on-site or outdoor birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, personal celebrations, etc.
  – proposals, ROM, pre-weddings, and engagements, etc.
• Corporate Events – Seminars, workshops, company dinners, awards ceremonies, etc.
• Wedding Actual Days

The recommended coverage durations varies by your group size and activity:

• Lifestyle Essential (1-hour)
  • solo, couple, small family/group up to 6-pax
  • intimate celebration, graduation
• Lifestyle Classic (1.5-hour)
  • solo, couple – 1 outfit change
  • medium family/group up to 10-pax
  • ROM, lifestyle pre-wedding, proposal, celebrations
• Lifestyle Extended (2-hour)
  • solo, couple – 2 outfits change
  • extended family or large group up to 18-pax – 1 outfit change
  • Banquet style celebrations and gatherings
• Corporate Events: begins with a minimum of 2 hours coverage, recommend for guest capacity up to 400 pax
• Weddings: begins with a minimum of 3 hours coverage, recommend for guest capacity up to 400 pax

These coverage durations are tailored to give you sufficient time to be naturally and comfortably documented, allowing genuine moments and interactions to unfold at a relaxed pace.

Yes! Session extension is available as optional add-ons for all session types, please feel free to approach me if you plan to have a larger group or to explore more locations throughout the session.

• Lifestyle Sessions – 30-minute increments, up to total 5 hours session coverage;
• Corporate Events – 1-hour increments, up to total 10 hours session coverage;
• Wedding Actual Days – 1-hour increments, up to total 12 hours session coverage.

No, I don’t impose a strict participant limit. However, I do recommend a longer session for extended family or larger group, to ensure everyone gets enough attention with beautiful, well-composed photos – without the session feeling rushed or overcrowded:

• Lifestyle portraits – up to 18 pax;
• Celebrations, ROM, banquet – up to 50 pax;
• Corporate events, wedding actual days – up to 400 pax;

Feel free to reach out to me via the contact form, I’m happy to help you figure out what fits your group size and plans best.

You may book a lifestyle portrait session through the booking page, which will guide you through a step-by-step process.

For corporate events and wedding, please kindly reach out to me via the contact form. I’ll confirm the availability and guide you through the next steps – from booking to shoot day prep.

Lifestyle sessions are usually flexible and can often be arranged on short notice at least 2 days before your desired date, depending on availability.

For events and weddings, I recommend you to reserve your session as early as possible once your date and timing are confirmed — especially for photoshoot on weekends or peak seasons.

• Lifestyle portrait sessions – often take place outdoors — at parks, landmarks, or any meaningful location you love.
• Celebrations like birthdays or anniversary can be held in the comfort of your home or a private indoor setting.
• Corporate events and weddings are typically carried out at venues such as hotels, offices, function rooms, or private residences.

Absolutely! If you’re unsure what to wear or where to shoot, just let me know. I’m happy to suggest ideas that suit your style, lighting, and the vibe you’re going for.

Yes — every story is different. I’ll be happy to tailor a package that fits your session type, schedule, and preferences. Just get in touch and we’ll work something out together.

Some public venues like galleries, museums, or heritage sites – may require a paid photography permit, and such permit fees aren’t included in the session package. I will give you a heads up if your preferred location requires a permit.

You’ll receive all Good Photos, usually around 50 photos per hour of coverage, depending on the pace and flow of the session. Every photo is carefully selected and gently edited to reflect the moment in its best light.

“Good Photos” are the ones that truly tell the story of your session – natural, expressive, and free from distractions like blinking, mid-speech expressions, or unflattering moments. I carefully curate the gallery so that you receive all the meaningful moments, not just an overwhelming series of similar photos.

No, you can download all the photos you received through the private online gallery for FREE.

Photos that don’t add value, such as test shots, or those with distractions – like when a passerby unexpectedly steps into the frame and blocks you – are thoughtfully left out from the delivery. This helps ensure your gallery is filled with images that truly tell your story, not ones that interrupt it.

There’s no need to do so. You’ll receive the full story of your session with my signature editing, without needing to shortlist or make selections, and there’s no extra fee regardless the number of photos you will receive.

Turnaround times depend on the session type:

• Lifestyle sessions (1 – 3 hours coverage): within 5 days
• Corporate events (2 – 10 hours coverage): within 5 – 12 days
• Weddings (3 – 10 hours coverage): within 21 – 30 days

You will receive all your photos through a personalized online gallery. The online gallery will stay available for a period of time – but rest assured, you’ll have ample time to view, download, and share your photos. I’ll include all the details in your final delivery email, so everything’s clear from the start.

If you ever need more time or anticipate downloading at a later date, don’t be shy to tell me. I’m happy to help where possible.

No worries, your online gallery will stay available for a period of time (the delivery email will specify the relevant details), so you can re-download your photos anytime during that period.

If the gallery has expired, just reach out. I’ll do my best to help – while I can’t guarantee the archival availability, I’m happy to check what’s still available on my end and bring it back to you if possible.

To maintain a consistent quality and experience, I don’t offer sneak peeks. Previews may not reflect the final look and feel of the full gallery, and I want to ensure that what you receive is a complete and polished story from start to finish.

Your final photos will be delivered as a softcopy in high-resolution JPEG format, suitable for both digital use in social media sharing and printing.

To maintain the quality and consistency of my work, I don’t provide RAW or unedited files. Each image is carefully refined before delivery to ensure it meets the professional standard you see in my portfolio. Sharing unedited images would be like serving raw ingredients instead of a finished dish — they lack the color, clarity, and storytelling that bring your photos to life.

If you’re planning to print your photos at a large size, I recommend checking with your preferred print vendor for their specific requirements like DPI and resolution, before booking your session. Every vendor may have different standards depending on print type, size, and material.

Just let me know your intended use or size, and I’ll be happy to guide you or help prepare your images to fit those needs – ensuring they look their best in print.

For outdoor lifestyle portraits, I recommend scheduling your session 

• end before 10am 
• start after 5pm 

We take advantage of the soft, flattering natural light at these timing, where everyone is comfortable and less sweaty, resulting in a more beautiful outcome.

Indoor sessions can be scheduled at any time that’s convenient for you.

Before the session, we will have some discussion through WhatsApp or email you provided.

Feel free to share your preferred location, style, or overall look with me in advance. I’m happy to offer guidance on outfit choices and settings to make sure everything complements your vision beautifully.

To keep things efficient and flexible, we will discuss your ideas and plans over a video call or WhatsApp chat.

In-person briefings are not part of the standard arrangement and are subject to availability.

Absolutely! Pets and props add wonderful personality to your photos. Just let me know when you book or before the session so we can plan accordingly.

Sessions are typically booked as one continuous block to maintain a smooth flow and consistent lighting. However, I’m open to discussing custom arrangements if you have specific needs – just reach out and we can explore options together.

Yes, though please note that any travel time between locations will be counted as part of the session.

Typically, we’ll explore a few different spots within the same location to get a nice variety. If you’re booking a longer session (2 hours or more), we can plan for a second adjacent location – just let me know your preferences, and we’ll work something out together.

I’m glad to share insights and advice based on my experience to help your event or wedding run smoothly.

However, I highly recommend hiring a dedicated event or wedding planner who can expertly manage all the details before and coordinate everyone during your special day.

You can get the best feel for my editing style by browsing through my portfolio – it showcases the photos in a variety of lighting conditions, from soft daylight to evening ambience, indoor and outdoor settings, and different types of decor and setup.

While every space and setup brings a unique mood, I keep the overall gallery a cohesive, natural look – with soft tones, warm, and gentle highlights that complement real moments beautifully.

No heavy retouching or sculpting is done by default, keeping the edits timeless and honest.

To ensure a cohesive and polished look, I don’t replicate third-party presets or drastically different styles.

That said, I’m always happy to hear what you like. If there are certain tones or moods from my work that you love most, feel free to point them out before the photoshoot – it helps me tailor the final gallery to your preferences while keeping everything beautifully cohesive.

It’ll be assessed case by case, and may subject to additional fees.

For more complex edits (such as object removal or advanced retouching), please kindly inform me before we start the photoshoot, and additional fees may apply.

Yes, beauty edits such as advanced skin retouching, face and body sculpting are available as an optional add-on.

These aren’t included in the standard editing, please let me know before the session and we can explore what works best for you.

Nope, your final gallery will be delivered in high resolution and watermark-free, ready to share or print for personal use.

I use full-frame cameras and paired them with a carefully chosen set of lenses to adapt to different lighting and environments. This helps me capture your moments with the highest quality and detail, whether indoors or outdoors, bright or dim lighting.

Yes, I do use flash, especially during indoor sessions where natural light may be limited.

For outdoor sessions, I generally rely on natural light to keep things soft and organic, but I’ll use flash only when it’s needed to enhance the lighting without disrupting the mood.

I will not use flash light when

• there is any newborn in the session;
• outdoor portrait session;
• location prohibition;

For indoor sessions, photos taken without flash light may be drastically different than what you have seen in my portfolio.

It is crucial to me to preserve your memories and deliver them to you. During the photoshoot, each camera saves photos simultaneously to two memory cards, and I switch cards at key moments like different locations or venues to minimize any risk.

After the session, your photos are securely backed up in multiple places, including RAID storage, ensuring there are always multiple copies of your images safely stored until I deliver the photos to you.

I always carry backup cameras, lenses, batteries, memory cards, and accessories on every shoot to be prepared for any unexpected issues. This ensures your session goes smoothly without interruption.

For corporate event and wedding photoshoots, please kindly approach me via the contact form directly.

James Tan Photography accepts credit card and debit card payment, which include Apply Pay and Google Pay if your device supports the relevant payment method.

If you prefer to use PayNow (a secure fund transfer through the Singapore participating banks), please kindly approach me via the contact form directly.

No. James Tan Photography absorbs the transaction fees imposed by the credit/debit card during the booking.

Generally, no. The session fee shown in the package will be the full amount you have to pay for your photoshoot.

However, if you request to carry out the photoshoot in a photography studio, or in a venue that requires photography permit or entrance ticket, then you are required to pay for such request for the photographer’s entry. I will do my best to highlight any possibly additional fees to you before we proceed with such request.

Besides, if you request to extend the session, or have advanced editing like face and/or body reshaping, then such add-ons request will incur additional fees.

Yes, full session fee, inclusive of a non-refundable retainer are required at the time of booking to secure your session.

The retainer serves as a consideration for James Tan Photography to reserve your chosen date and time by declining other potential clients, and undertake preparation works such as client consultation, location scouting and planning, etc. 40% of the session fee constitues as a non-refundable retainer.

Yes. Life happens, and I’ll do my best to support you. Your new session date should be within 30 calendar days from your original booking, and you may request to reschedule the session for one times.

In short, if you request for rescheduling:

• at least 48 hours prior to the session, no additional cost is required;
• in less than 48 hours prior to the session, an additional rescheduling fee of SGD 50 will be applied accordingly, if the photographer is available for your new proposed date/time.

While I’d love to be there, I hope you’ll understand that the additional availability isn’t always guaranteed – especially during peak seasons.

If you request to reschedule but I’m unavailable on the new date/time, we shall proceed with the originally scheduled session. If you cannot make it, then it’ll be considered a client-side cancellation.

We may reschedule the session to another location, date or time at no additional charge.

Weather forecast has hourly update frequency, and will be more accurate when the timing is closer. I will monitor the weather forecast and inform you the weather condition according to your session time:

• morning session – the night before the session;
• evening session – in the session morning;

If it rains during the session, we will shift to an indoor facility for the remaining photoshoot if feasible, or simply wait till the rain stops and resume the session.

If you cancel the session, the retainer and any applicable rescheduling fee are non-refundable, and you will be refunded with the remaining balance of the session fee.

However, there is no refund if you No-Show (late for 30-minute or more) or request to cancel the session in less than 48 hours before the session.

If the photographer cannot attend your originally scheduled session, the photographer may propose a reschedule option to you at no additional fee.

If we cannot agree on a new session, you will be refunded with all paid session fee, including the retainer.