Every November, without fail, I get a version of the same message: “I know it’s last minute, but do you think we could still make Christmas?”


And every November, without fail, I think the same thing: we have a little less time than you think.


I say that with warmth, not alarm. The families who reach out to me in November almost always make it, but only because we move quickly and honestly about what’s possible. So consider this post my way of having that conversation before the inbox fills up, so you can make a real plan instead of a hopeful one.


Here’s how the timeline actually works, and what’s still possible if you’re reading this right now.


What happens between “I booked” and “I have my photos”

A portrait session or a photo restoration order doesn’t end when we meet. That’s actually when the real work begins.


For portraits: after the session, I spend roughly nine hours in post-production for every hour we photograph. Culling, editing, preparing your gallery, then the selection call where we go through your images together. All of that takes time, and I do it carefully, because these photos matter. From the day we shoot to the day your digital gallery is delivered, you’re looking at approximately two weeks, depending on my current workload.


For printed products, add the lab. Folio boxes, prints, framed pieces that ship from professional labs, not a printer in my house. Under normal circumstances, that’s already a few weeks of production. At Christmas, every lab in the country is running at capacity. Turnaround times stretch. That part of the process is genuinely out of my hands once your order is placed.


For photo restoration: the timeline depends entirely on the condition of the photo. I work pixel by pixel to make sure every detail is accurate and true to the original. A heavily damaged photo can take many days. I always do my best to accommodate, and I have never missed a delivery promise. But last December, I had restoration clients come to me in the final days before Christmas. I worked through the night. It was, as I told them afterward, a small Christmas miracle because there were no guarantees that we'd receive the prints so quickly.


The honest deadlines

If you want printed portraits under the tree: the last realistic session date is the first week of December. Albums take longer than folio boxes, so if an album is what you have in mind, we’re already in sprint territory.


If you want digital images as a gift: the safe deadline is the first ten days of December. Digital files don’t have a lab to wait on, but they still require the full editing and selection process.


If you want a photo restoration: a restoration ordered this week gets my full attention. A restoration ordered December 15 gets my full attention and my overnight schedule.


The gift people don’t forget

There’s something that shifts around the holidays. People are more intentional. They’re booking because they want to give someone something that will outlast the season: a mother who’s always behind the camera, a family that hasn’t had real photos taken in years, a grandmother whose face exists mostly in phone screenshots.


I love being part of those moments. Both portraits and restorations are about preserving something real. That’s why I do this.


If you’ve ended up with images and want to do something beautiful with them, I always send clients to RUDMA Picture in Miami. They’re the best and always create the most beautiful frames for my clients.


The second best time

The best moment to book your session or order your photo restoration was last month. This is the second best moment.


Reach out here and let’s figure out what’s still possible. I’ll be honest with you about the timeline, and we’ll make it work.