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Helpful information and actual examples of the following photography resources and many other topics:
Decorating with Portraiture
Find out how we can help you design your portrait for impact with the proper placement in relation to your room’s furnishings. We’ll strive to create a dramatic and decorative focal point in your home or office. Use of the elements of design—color, style, composition, and size—should work together in the finished portrait.
Also, see how the portrait’s overall colors should blend with or complement the room’s color palette. Carefully chosen clothing and background elements can add richness to the room’s color scheme. There’s also information on selecting the appropriately sized portrait so that it looks great in the space in which it is hung, but does crowd that space. When planning an individual portrait or a collection of images to be displayed together, be sure to determine whether space lends itself better to a vertical or horizontal composition.
There’s lots more information including framing ideas, designing with creativity, displaying your portraits in your home and office and planning for your portrait session.
Creating a Timeless Portrait
Here you’ll find great information about clothing selection for your portraits. It talks about when more than one person is in the portrait how the clothing and prop choices can make your portraits even better than you imagined. The goal of any great portrait is to direct the viewer’s eye to the face(s). All other elements should be secondary.
For individuals, simple long-sleeved garments in medium to dark tones of brown, rust, burgundy, green, or dark blue are great choices when photographed against a medium or dark background. The following tips are great guidelines to make your portrait really look great:
- Turtlenecks or V-necks can be flattering, but they should not be exaggerated in style. Avoid very wide or particularly deep V-neck garments or bulky cowl-neck sweaters that completely hide the neck.
- Because darker clothing is slimming, it often is a good choice for full-length or three-quarter-length portraits in which a medium to dark background is used.
- Long sleeves are essential for teens and adults, as bare arms call attention to themselves and can overpower the face.
- Bold stripes, plaids, checks, and prints are visually confusing and do not photograph well.
- Women being photographed at full length should wear long skirts, pants, or dark stockings with shorter skirts or dresses in order to keep the eye from being directed toward the legs and away from the face.
- Bright colors, such as red and orange, will overwhelm the face and dominate a portrait.
- Bare shoulders or tops with “spaghetti straps” often make the subject look heavier and take the eye away from the face.
- If feet are to show in the portrait, assure that shoes and stockings are in keeping with the visual intent of the portrait.
- Men should have their hair cut about one week before the portrait session. Women should be photographed whenever they are happiest with their hair in relation to the time it is styled.
High School Seniors – Look Your Best
Great tips and suggestions that will assist you in getting great images from your senior portrait session!
Hair: Don’t try a new hairstyle just for your session; have it cut about a week or more before your appointment.
Skin Problems: Don’t worry if you develop a skin problem. Our finished portraits are fully retouched to eliminate blemishes and soften hard lines.
Tattoos: Visible tattoos are part of you, so it’s entirely your decision if you want a tattoo to show in your portrait. There is an extra retouching charge to remove a tattoo or piercing.
Facial Scars: If you have a visible scar, please let us know whether you want to have it retouched or softened.
Glasses: We can remove normal glare from glasses, but tinted lenses cannot be lightened— even with artwork. If your glasses are tinted or exceptionally thick, they can distort the way the camera photographs the eye. In this case, you should ask your optometrist for a pair of plain glass frames to wear for your portrait session. If you have any questions regarding your glasses or extra retouching charges for unusual lenses, please contact us.
Braces: Braces can be removed with artwork at an extra charge. However, some dentists are willing to remove braces for your session if you take the time to schedule the procedure.
Tanning: Removing tan or sunburn lines could incur additional retouching charges.
For Girls: Makeup can affect the way your portrait looks. Fresh, natural makeup as well as “evening” makeup photograph well. Call if you have questions.
For Guys: Retouching or removing facial hair is never a good idea and often cannot be retouched attractively. So make sure your beard (or lack of it) is exactly the way you want to appear in the photograph.
Nothing is More Precious Than The Story Of A Child
Many clients tell us they regret not having more portraits made as their children grew up. It’s not that they didn’t value childhood portraits, they simply led busy lives, and the years just slipped by. That’s why we’ve created a structured plan to help parents recognize the most important times to have their children photographed: The “7 Ages of Childhood”— times that mark the most significant changes along the path from infancy to young adulthood.
At no time in your child’s life will changes occur so rapidly than they do during the first year and early childhood years that follow. In what seems like the blink of an eye, a tiny helpless bundle is transformed into an active, robust, and inquisitive youngster. These changes have already begun! So it’s not too soon to call for your baby’s first studio appointment. We’ll explain the many fun possibilities for capturing the developmental stages of the first year and beyond.
Preserve the wonder of infancy in a portrait collection that captures your child’s first milestones . . . from birth . . . to sitting up and crawling . . . and finally the independence of walking. This “portrait story” can become the first chapter of your child’s personal portrait history.
New Beginnings
Here you’ll find lots of great information on baby portraits. Nothing illuminates the meaning of family more than the arrival of a new baby. Whether a first child or a new little brother or sister, a newborn writes a fresh new chapter in the life of a family. Preserving those precious days in portraits is truly an act of love.
Rarely can a single photograph capture the priceless heart-touching emotions you feel about your newborn. But a beautifully conceived image collection can . . . by revealing the artful nuances of expression, physical charm, and heartfelt emotion that characterize the fleeting days of infancy. The result can be a truly artful view of family relationships that create an exceptional decorative focal point for your home.
Tiny feet and hands . . . delicate features and expressions: Your newborn truly is a work of art! Let us create your own very special artwork . . . a composite or individual portrait featuring those charming physical characteristics that fill your heart with so much love.
A “Baby’s First Year” portrait collection captures your child’s first milestones . . . from birth . . . to sitting up . . . to crawling . . . and finally the independence of walking. This lovely “portrait story” can become the first chapter of your child’s Portrait History — an album of priceless images of childhood — which someday your child can share with their children and grandchildren. A baby’s first year also is the perfect time for portraits with family members — including older siblings and even grandparents — or create the ultimate heirloom: the multi-generation portrait.
Portraits that include parents with the newborn or portraits of the new baby alone are appropriate in either color or black and white, depending on your decorative intent. Life-like color portraits can blend with any décor, and black-and-white images possess the capacity to create drama and convey emotion. Either style will stand the test of time, and when displayed prominently in your home they will convey warmth and character. What better way to demonstrate how you feel about your child than to decorate your home with portraits made at important milestones in his or her life.
Every Wedding Story Begins With A Promise
The Romance of Wedding Photography
Turn Moments into Memories
It’s one of life’s greatest pleasures; seeing your family together. Chances are your family will be gathering sometime soon. There’s no better time to create a family portrait that will capture the spirit of family for you to enjoy all year round. Take this opportunity to capture this time in your family’s history and give your family a gift that will turn those special moments into memories they can hold on to forever.With creative attention to detail, we can provide your family with a quality portrait that will bring years of enjoyment.
Seven Ages of Childhood
A guide to preserving your child’s portrait history. Starting with newborn portraits, then age two, age three, ages four to five, six to eight, nine to twelve and finally ages thirteen to fifteen.
Every child’s portrait history should be carefully planned. That’s why our studio has joined with a select group of photographers. We are inspired by members of Professional Photographers of America. They have created a structured program that helps parents recognize the most important times to have their children photographed. These are the “Seven Ages of Childhood” — times that mark the most significant changes along the path from infancy to adulthood. When these milestones are recorded by a true professional, they become a treasure to enjoy today and a valued family heirloom as years go by.
Preserving Your Precious Memories
Here’s information about our professional copy and restoration services. Have you ever discovered an old photograph of a loved one? Perhaps it was your grandmother’s wedding portrait or a picture of your great-grandfather as a child. Chances are, the photograph was in poor condition — cracked, faded, scratched or even torn. But not for long!
We can take your treasured photographs and bring them back to life with our professional copy and restoration services. Your original photograph will be handled with tender loving care. We’ll copy it, then restore the copy, and return the original to you untouched. We’ll turn your old photographs into timeless works of art that will be enjoyed by generations to come.
Timeless Expressions of Family
Family portraits capture and preserve the love, affection, and expressions that are uniquely your family. Portraits of family members play an important role in building a family. Portraits are a gift you give yourself, your children, and generations to come. They tell the world how much you value your loved ones, and they grow more precious as time goes by.
Great family portraits are a tradition with us. We have the knowledge and experience to create a portrait that will reflect the special qualities of your family while you’re still together. Take this opportunity to capture this time in your family’s history.