Great question! Seeing them in person is the best way to understand what these portraits are all about, but let me try to describe them here. First, our intention is that these images end up on your wall, in a large format. We offer 20×20” and 24×24” prints—combined with the composition, this makes an unusually high impact portrait. But this is much more than a “normal” headshot that’s been cropped in a bit tighter. We’ve spent months fine-tuning every aspect of shooting, lighting, editing, printing, and framing these portraits, and the details make all the difference in these beautiful works of art.
- The session fee is $475 for a standalone session, with a free 20×20” paper print (mounted on black styrene) included. We discount this price to $375 on our multi-session days…so don’t miss out! Be sure to pay for the session when you book, and be sure to add 8% for sales tax. Venmo is my preferred method of payment–it’s fast and easy for paying and receiving. Otherwise, a check is fine, but please drop it off or mail it right away. Cash is fine, too, but again, make arrangements with me to drop it off asap.
Yes, we certainly want to encourage you to bring all the kids (ages 4 and up)! The session fee is just $275 for each additional subject (in one nuclear family, please). And you still get the mounted 20×20″ print, included.
Yes, be sure to add 8% for sales tax on the photo session.
If your session is $375, add $30 for the tax, totaling $405.
Twice a year, we schedule B&W Close-Up sessions at half hour intervals. One date will be in the winter, and one in early fall (so there will be time to get your order by the holidays).
Pretty much! Babies should be able to sit up, even if they need a little help. Toddlers may want to run off, but we really only need them to sit for a minute or two–we can usually make it work! Ages four and up work great.
These photos are shot very tight, so subjects should wear a plain black t-shirt, if possible. No collared shirts, please! If you feel you don’t have the right top, we have a selection of black shirts (kids’ XS – Men’s L), either brand new or freshly laundered, that you can wear for the shoot.
For anyone with longer hair, your hair should be worn down and loose…looking natural. However, with that said, you know your hair better than I do! Please bring a brush or comb, bobby pins, hair spray, etc.
And regarding makeup–for teenage and older clients, a little makeup is often appropriate. A touch of mascara makes eyes pop, and is usually flattering in a photo with studio lighting. A little lip gloss or lipstick can work well, too.
Note that I’ll retouch and soften skin blemishes, etc. Heavy makeup is not necessary and really doesn’t look as good as what I can do to make your skin look great.
For closer photos especially, grooming is important. There’s no right or wrong per se, but think in advance about haircuts, shaving, etc. Makeup is another very subjective matter—if a natural look is your style, that’s certainly fine—for photography, though, a little mascara can make eyes pop a bit more, and can actually look more natural than wearing no makeup at all. We can certainly discuss this in more detail. A suggestion, though…be sure to bring stuff to fix hair (brushes, bobby pins, hair spray, etc.) and bring any makeup supplies you might want to have on hand.
First, we’ll take a few minutes to chat with the subject(s) of the photos, to get everyone comfortable and relaxed. There may be a knock-knock joke or two, depending on the subject’s age. But it’s very important for people to be comfortable with us and what’s expected of them, so we’ll talk about all that. We ask that no parents be in the studio when we’re shooting—kids generally don’t act the same when their parents are around, and we actually don’t want any input from parents while shooting. However, you’ll be able to see what’s going on live on my iPad, and be assured that we always have a female assistant in the room when shooting. The actual shooting part of these sessions is very short—10 minutes or so. We’ll be working hard to make everything perfect, but it’s a fun and easy process for the kids.
At your session, we’ll schedule a time for your viewing and ordering session. There won’t be any high pressure sales (I wouldn’t know how if I wanted to), but we’ll show you options for various print media and presentation styles. Plan to spend about an hour with us—we’ll go through an edited selection of your photos, narrowing it down to your favorites as we go through them. When you’ve settled on your top choice for your included 20×20” print, we’ll talk about paper prints vs. canvas and metal options. And we’ll show you several possibilities for framing and presentation, too. Prices for everything will be clear and the final decisions are yours alone.
For these portraits, the digital files of your final selection is included with the purchase of any of our presentation upgrades (canvas or metal prints) or our framing options. You’ll receive the high resolution file I use to print from, and also a smaller “web ready” version.
In some cases, a full session makes the most sense. Shooting in and/or outside your home is often just easier than moving everybody to a remote location. Having a full hour session also means more variety of locations to shoot in, more combinations of people, and simply more time to concentrate on making everything perfect.
Once the Full Hour Session date is booked, we’ll choose a time that works for everyone (taking the optimum lighting into consideration, too). The session will be a full hour, and we’ll shoot all the combinations of people that you’d like. I’ll choose the best images and edit them so that they’re “print ready”. I’ll upload the images to a secure online gallery from which you’ll select any you’d like to order prints from. At this stage, I’ll do more editing and minor retouching (at my discretion, unless you give me specific input) is included at no additional charge.
The session fee is $675, and that includes culling, editing, retouching as necessary, and posting the images to our online gallery.
Yes. For these on-location child or family Full Sessions, the digital files of all the delivered images are included with a total purchase (including session fee, prints, framing, etc.) of $1,500. I retain my rights to use the images for my own advertising, too (on my website, social media platforms, etc.). You’ll also receive the digital images in high resolution, plus lower resolution copies for your social media (both will be downloadable from the website). Prints of various types and sizes can be ordered directly through the website.
For family groups, I usually advise against an overly “matchy” look–I think it makes sense for people to wear the kinds of clothes they typically wear, but within a specified range of colors. Earth tones, for example, or blue/white/gray…and maybe have one brighter color used as an accent. When a group has too many colors or patterns, it can detract from the overall cohesiveness of the final image. Of course, families have their own sense of this kind of thing—ultimately, you should do what everyone involved will feel most comfortable with.
I feel strongly that our Mini Sessions provide amazing value, and the fun and casual style is the best choice for many families. We’ll shoot for 15-20 minutes, and will be working hard to give you as many options for groupings and poses as possible, while still maintaining our professional standard for quality. We recommend a maximum of eight people, so that we can get a good variety of photos of everyone present. For a larger group, you should consider two consecutive sessions.
The session fee is $350, and that includes culling, full “print ready” editing, retouching as necessary, posting the images to our online gallery, and full rights to all the delivered images. I retain my rights to use the images for my own advertising (my website, social media platforms, etc.).
Session locations will always be within 45 minutes of Albany, and will take place in the fall foliage season. Dates will be announced here on my website, and on my Instagram and Facebook pages, as well. There will be a backup date, in case of rain, but otherwise, we’ll be out there shooting if it’s cold, cloudy, etc. Come prepared for the weather!
The final group of photos I choose from your Mini Session (a minimum of 15, usually more) gets edited so that all the images are “print ready” and look their best. Minor retouching (at my discretion, unless you give me specific input) is included at no additional charge. The images will be posted to my website, and you can order prints directly through the site.
For these location child and family sessions, I’ll upload the final group to an online gallery. The high resolution files, plus lower resolution copies for your social media, will be downloadable directly from the website. Prints of various types and sizes can be ordered directly through the website.
My sessions with High School Seniors are up to two hours in length, and can include multiple locations and as many outfit changes as you’d like. I always work hard to get different expressions, compositions, and poses, so that your collection will have a lot of really fun variety. Feel free to bring props, pets, or a friend!
The session fee is $675, and that includes culling, editing, retouching as necessary, posting the images to our online gallery, and full rights to all the delivered images. I retain my rights to use the images for my own advertising (my website, social media platforms, etc.).
Yes, always. Since requirements vary at different schools, you’re responsible for getting me the information on how the photo is to be shot, as well as file size and any other technical info.
The final group of photos I choose from your session (a minimum of 30, but usually more) gets edited so that all the images are “print ready” and look their best. Minor retouching (at my discretion, unless you give me specific input) is included at no additional charge.
Yes. For High School senior sessions, I’ll upload the final edited group to an online gallery. The high resolution files, plus lower resolution copies for your social media, will be downloadable directly from the website. Prints of various types and sizes can be ordered directly through the website.
Feel free to inquire about prices and information for all kinds of business portraits, commercial work from product shots to on-camera talent, and architectural interiors and exteriors. I love doing all of this work, and my many years as a portrait and commercial photographer, along with shooting over 800 weddings, makes me uniquely qualified to shoot whatever you may need.
Please be on time for your session with everyone ready to shoot at your scheduled time…or even 10 minutes early. Sessions are often booked close together, and I want to respect everyone’s time.