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overview pricing & policies
My complaint about the portraiture I had to endure while growing up is that all it did was capture how we looked. There's value in that, and I understand why most portrait photographers like to work with standardized poses and lighting, but it could be so much more.
I try to capture who people are, in addition to how they look. This means I generally produce black and white portraits, and I generally take enough time to get to know the subject in order to capture something of their essense on film. Generally this means hours per session, rather than minutes, but the results are worth it.
None of the children's portraits you see on this site were posed. Pre-school children have an honesty and openness that flows naturally. All I do is capture what's already there.
My technique is to play with your child, and to let your child show me who he is. I'm not interested in dress-clothes unless dress-up is fun to your child. I don't use props or artificial lighting. I depend on sensitivity and a willingness to see your child for who he is.
I create black and white images. Black and white gives me the control to strip away the unnecessary details in the scene, which results in a much more engaging, powerful portrait. After all, the image is about your child, not the color of their clothing or surroundings.
I get the results that you see here because children have fun during the session. My subjects and I play at the playground, explore the golf course next door, tell jokes, chase the dog, throw rocks into the stream, and act like ourselves.
Sessions are generally conducted outside, so inclement weather may require a rescheduling of the session. Sessions can be conducted year-round, so long as the weather is accommodating.
The focus is a bit different here. It's easy enough to make children look good if I can engage them. Making their parents look relaxed, comfortable, and happy another set of skills entirely. My goal in these sessions is to produce images that parents love of themselves and their children.
These sessions are more structured than children's sessions. We will plan wardrobe decisions in advance (especially if you are wanting a color portrait), and will work to get a series of poses shot quickly and efficiently. I will pose older family members in order to make them look their best on the final print, but my corrections will be limited to minor tweaks of your natural position. We want you to look comfortable, and we want you to face the camera in a way that minimizes any perceived flaws, but I have no interest in head tilt angle, or perfect hand positioning, or any of that overly traditional nonsense.
Outdoor lighting is still hard to beat, so it is my first choice. I can get all the control over the light that I generally need with a small, portable lighting kit mixed with sunlight. If you'd rather shoot indoors that's also an option, but I'll need to look over the location first to determine which lighting equipment to bring.
I charge a $375 fee for the session, and allow you to order whatever additional prints you wish directly from my lab. The session fee is payable in advance, and is refundable if you are not happy with the images, or if you cancel at least three days in advance. Please see the pricing and policies page for more details.
Pricing can be found here for images in sizes up to 24x36" that do not require retouching. Additional products are available; please ask.