PORTRAITS / HEADSHOTS / BRANDING…
It’s all Portraiture
If you are the dominant subject in an image, and (not including infants and pets) you were aware that you were the dominant subject, you had your PORTRAIT taken. There are many kinds of portraits including Actor Headshots, Corporate Headshots or Personal Branding, Environmental Portraits and more. Each specific kind of portrait has a style and guidelines… but it’s all PORTRAITURE
Portraiture is an art form that has been around for thousands of years. It goes back to at least ancient Egypt. Before the invention of photography, peoples’ appearance was recorded by drawing, sculpting or painting.
There is no limit to the reasons and ways people choose to record their own or other people’s appearance. All of this is portraiture and this is one of the reasons it is endlessly fascinating. Portraiture is a true passion of mine. The human face is so complex; we communicate through expression and I believe the true art of portraiture is in the story a face tells. Portraiture captures the communication of a person’s face and facial expression at a precise moment in time. It’s fascinating work.
When hiring a portrait photographer, it is important to communicate what the portrait is for and how you want the finished image to look. This provides the photographer with a starting point on how to approach the session.
One of the most common portraits I take is a business portrait, often referred to as a headshot. This is a closeup; the key information is in the facial expression. My objective in business portraiture is to capture the most authentic, compelling and approachable expression possible instead of directing someone to “smile for the camera” or “say cheese”. The fake smile generated from such direction is typically associated with portraits. I am uninterested in this approach.
I believe that a fake smile is actually closer to a blank expression than to communicating authentic emotion or approachability. When a camera lens is added, we begin to exhibit unnatural behavior and expressions. We do this because we start to pay attention to our facial expression and become conscious of controlling the muscles in our face. That’s when we’re told to “say cheese”. Aaarrg!!
When someone is in front of my camera I take the responsibility of expression away from them. I am the professional and while I have my camera pointed at you, how you look and feel becomes my responsibility.
Portrait FAQs
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Studio session rate is $150.
On-location session rate is $300 (additional travel expenses may apply).
In a session, we review as we shoot. Images are uploaded directly to a computer and viewable, we don’t stop until you are happy with your images.
The quantity of images varies and can range from a dozen to hundreds. Clients can select their image on the spot or review and select from a portfolio site later.
Images are purchased á la carte.
Each image is $50 - this includes a finished image that has been cropped and colour corrected with any lights or equipment removed if it shows up in the frame. Eye glasses glare is also reduced or corrected.
Additional retouching is available.
Starting at $30 per image. A retouch is a clean up or reduction of elements like stray hairs, blemishes or wrinkles.
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Group studio sessions of 3 or more people, the session is capped at $300.
Group on-location session rate is $450 (additional travel expenses may apply).
In a session, we review as we shoot. Images are uploaded directly to a computer and we don’t stop until each person is happy with their images. The quantity of images varies and can range from a dozen to hundreds. Each client can select their image on the spot or review and select from a portfolio sight later.
Images are purchased á la carte.
For groups of 3 or more, each image is $35 - this includes a finished image that has been cropped and colour corrected with any lights or equipment removed if it shows up in the frame. Eye glasses glare is also reduced or corrected.
Additional retouching is available.
Starting at $30 per image. A retouch is a clean up or reduction of elements like stray hairs, blemishes or wrinkles.
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Delivery is fast, I have found that one of the biggest complaints clients have with past experiences with photographers is that they don’t deliver in a reasonable time. This is why we make fast delivery a priority. I have built my reputation on being reliable and delivering on time. We will discuss your timeline before the session and make sure to deliver as promised.
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I don’t limit the session time. If I know my client is only interested in one image and they don’t want to invest a lot of time, I know it’s going to be fairly quick. When I know the client wants several images and some variety, I block off several hours. I have no problem filling unused time with post session editing.
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There is no limit the looks. Bring as much as you want. I have a full size clothing rack, fill it up if you want.
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I don’t count. We shoot until we get a result and then we shoot a little more. I usually cull the session before I deliver. That ends up being 30 - 50 delivered proofs for a one or two look session, it goes up from there. If you prefer, I will send you the entire session as proofs with no culling. For those that find too much selection overwhelming, I can cull it down to only a couple for you to choose from.
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I accept e-transfer, VISA and Mastercard. An invoice is sent only when the finished images are delivered. They will be viewable but with a watermark. Payment is due when the invoice delivered. When payment is received, the watermark is removed and the option to download will be made available.
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Yes I have several monitors for you to review from. There is an iPad near you so you can look when we take a break. I also have a larger monitor near my camera and we review together as we go. This is how we find what works and what you like.
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We are monitoring the session as we go, if you are not happy, we just keep working at it until you likw what you see. Since you don’t pay until I deliver the finished images, you are never at risk of paying for something you don’t like. One day if someone tells me they are not happy I will have to remove this sentence, but to this point I have never had a client tell me they were not happy.
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Set hours
Monday: 9 AM–2 PM
Tuesday: 4 PM–9 PM
Wednesday: 9 AM–2 PM
Thursday: 9 AM–6 PM
Friday: 9 AM–6 PMMy studio is on the same property as my home. I don’t restrict my availability to set open and closed times.
Optional hours may be available upon request. I do have limits on how many sessions I book in a day. Location work may have more limitations.