Q: What kind of sessions are available?
A: Sessions are non-commercial privately commissioned portrait sittings for clients' personal use. Sirens sessions available are: The 90-minute Mini Session, The 3-hour Full Session. All sessions include a professional hair and makeup artist, boutique hotel, B&B or private vacation home for location with private hair and makeup room, industry standard retouching services on your proofing gallery images so you can share them with your significant other without being embarrassed by unsightly dark circles or cellulite, one advanced retouched teaser image for you to use as a visual guide for how you can expect your final order to be done and that you can share online if you wish and finally, a rip roarin' good time!

Q: Where are you located?
A: Rachel tours the US throughout the year hosting on average two events per month. The cities serviced are Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Boston, NYC, and Honolulu.

For event schedule, please visit the schedule page: Event Schedule

Q: Where do you shoot these sessions? Do you have a studio?
A: Rachel exclusively uses suites in boutique hotels with a seperate hair and makeup rooom. We do not work in a studio, although sometimes we do use B&Bs or private vacation homes. :)

Q: I want a female photographer but when I called the number, a man answered!
A: It's true, while there are no roosters in the henhouse at any event, Sean is Rachel's studio manager (and devoted husband and father to their three children) and handles all of the backend business items such as bookings, payment processing etc. This is designed to allow Rachel the time to focus solely on her work and with the business ever growing while raising three kids, she sorely needs to focus on retouching when she is not traveling for an event. If you must speak with Rachel prior to booking, Sean will be happy to arrange a phone consultation with her once your session is booked. You can also check out her Facebook page to see what people are saying and we are sure that any doubts as to her legitimacy will melt away.

Q: I can't find pricing on your site. How much does this cost?
A: Sessions are $250 for a mini session and $595 for a full session. We sometimes offer $100 discounts on session fees a few weeks before an event if there are extra spots to fill and we announce these offers on our Facebook fanpage. Clients who book a full rate session are able can earn a $100 order credit (applicable after minimum is met) if they get a friend to book on the same event at the discounted rate. We do not publicly display our product pricing however, pricing information is available to all who inquire. Just call Sean and he will be happy to go over it with you. 503.891.6529 We have many options available including zero fee payment plans for those on a budget. If finding the lowest price is your main objective above quality of the work, chances are that Rachel may not be the right fit for you. It is all relative. Rachel firmly believes that you get what you pay for and works hard to not only create beautiful imagery of each of her clients but also to create a nurturing and fun experience for them. While she has a background in many different styles of photography, for the last nine years she has specialized in boudoir only. Rachel is an award winning internationally published photographer and is one of the most sought after photographers for this type of photography in the country. You can't expect Groupon pricing for the best services out there because they have worked hard to get to the top and no longer need to give their work away!

Q: Do you provide wardrobe?
A: Clients are responsible to bring their own wardrobe. Being that we see up to 34 clients per event, we would not be able to provide clean wardrobe to everyone and therefore, for personal hygiene reasons, we will never offer wardrobe services. If you think about it, it's pretty gross for to reuse a small offering of lingerie to large groups of women.

Q: Do you provide hair and makeup?
A: Absolutely! All sessions include a professional female hair and makeup artist that has been with Sirens for last seven years. She also works as a high end hair stylist in an upscale salon in Portland and an agency represented artist in the Portland fashion industry. She knows her stuff! Her services include a preshoot phone consultation, lightening fast hair and makeup application so you get more shooting time and you keep the false lashes used at your session. As one can expect when going into a high end salon for services, one tips. This is no different with a makeup artist at a high end photo session. Gratutities for her superb work are appreciated. As with salon services and the majority of service worker industries, we do not include service gratuity in our session fee. We cover her service in the fee and respectfully leave the gratuity between the client and the makeup artist.

Q: There sure is a lot of information to read, it's a little intimidating, do I really have to read all of it or can I just book my session?
A: Being that we see upwards of 500 women per year, we have experienced a wide variety of issues that interfere with the event and design process. To pare those issues down to a minimum, we provide all the information about what clients can expect from us, what we expect from our clients, how to prepare, session & ordering protocol and what our two party contract involves. That said, being that everything is laid out for you, there are no surprises.

Q. I would love to be a Siren but I am not sure I want to be on your website. Is that okay?
A. Of course. While Rachel owns the copyright to all of the images that she creates and reserves the right to use them to promote her business, the comfort of her clients is paramount. She always gives her clients the option to opt in or out of the showcasing of Rachel's work.

Q: When should I book my session?
A: Deposits are only $100 and go towards your session fee with the balance due two Wednesdays before your session. To secure a spot with your desired time preference, it is best to in as early as possible. More info on booking: Book Your Session

Q: Do you photograph men or couples?
A: Rachel loves shooting couples! She humbly elects not to photograph men alone. An additional fee does apply to secure a couples session with Rachel which covers the increase in retouching for a couples session. These are shot female-centric. Absolutely no male nudity is permitted. Please contact for terms and availability. You can see many samples of Rachel's couples work in her galleries on the website or on the Facebook Fanpage.

Q: If I book a mini session, how long will Rachel spend taking pictures of me?
A: Clients may expect to spend 30 minutes in hair and makeup per look (mini sessions have one look and full sessions have two, this does not pertain to outfit changes) and 30-40 minutes of actual shooting time with Rachel per look. The rest of the time is used for wardrobe changes, lighting and set changes and Client perusal of the RSP product line on display in the makeup room. Rachel has been doing this for nearly a decade and doesn't need more than 30-40 minutes to capture enough images to create a beautiful gallery for her clients. If Clients want more shooting time with Rachel, they may upgrade to a full session before the event and we will be happy to accomodate if there is room on the schedule. RSP embraces the Quality, not Quantity philosiphy.

Q: What if I don't like my pictures?
A: Since we invest 100% of session fees into the event itself, we rely 100% on orders to survive. That said, we do not offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. There are times, not often, but it does happen when a client here and there gets buyer remorse and tries to get out of ordering by saying she doesn't like her pictures or perhaps her expectations exceeded the services that we offer. Every client is given multiple opportunities to communicate displeasure in the makeup, hair and the images being shown to her in the camera. We work hard to make each and every client happy. This is art not a pair of shoes bought at a mall. You can't return them. Rachel has already performed the service to her clients and clients are contractually bound to order at least their minimum order. Rachel's artistic style is well showcased on her site and Facebook pages, clients can expect their images to fall in line with her signature style. Clients who opt to induldge in the incredible experience of the session and viewing gallery and breach their contract by not ordering will go into debt collection procedures which reports to all three credit bureaus. We hate having to do it but this is a business after all, please be a lady and keep that in mind.

Q: Do you offer gift certificates?
A: Yes! We have a beautiful two sided lustre coated gift certificate on gorgeous card stock that we will send USPS Priority Mail. Please inquire.

Q: Can I bring a friend?
A: Rachel does not allow chaperones of any kind for any reason. Chaperones may walk the client to the room but then must leave and no entry will be offered. This is for the privacy and safety of all Rachel's clients, her makeup artist and Rachel herself. When Rachel is working with a client, she needs to be able to focus completely on her client in order to connect and capture not only her outer beauty but her inner beauty as well. She has many references upon request available if you would like to speak with ladies who have met her and gone through the experience themselves. Read the testimonials, check out our Facebook fanpage and even feel free to add Rachel as a friend on Facebook and see the response and interaction between her and her clients. Many ladies opt to have their sessions with a friend so get a friend to sign up for a session with you and we can make sure you are booked together so you can have your experience together. Groups of three or more booked on the same event each receive 15% off their session fee.

If you have any further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact studio manager, Sean at 503.891.6529 or by email at rachelstephensphotography@gmail.com