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Portrait Client Info

PRE-CONSULTATIONS

Pre-consultations are not mandatory, but we highly recommend them for clients planning their first portrait session with us.  It gives us the opportunity to connect with you about location and clothing choices, show you some of the photography product we offer (albums, framing, etc.) and answer any questions you may have prior to your session.  We do require at least a 50% payment for your session at the time of booking, so many of our new clients will bring their payment in at their pre-consultation to get both taken care of at the same time.  Our studio is centrally located in close-in Portland and we have appointment hours available to accommodate both daytime and evening scheduling needs.

LOCATIONS

Our portrait sessions are styled in an effort to capture who you are and to tell your story. This means we primarily photograph “on location” so that the location becomes part of the story as well as providing us with an interesting backdrop. Our clients tend to choose a variety of settings, all making it a personal choice based on what kind of atmosphere they want to do the session within – ideas include the client’s home or backyard, a favorite nearby park, or various settings within a close drive or designated travel spot (urban, beach, mountains, farm/country, etc.) We are always happy to provide ideas and location suggestions – we’ve got some fabulous favorite spots all around Portland, such as neighborhood parks and urban spots throughout the city.

CLOTHING

For our kids sessions, we suggest interesting colors, fabrics, patterns and textures that help to express your child’s personality. We encourage you to be bold with your choices, and stay away from whites and pastels as they tend to wash people out. Small patterns or tiny stripes do not photograph well, so stick to broader patterns or stripes. When preparing for the session, be sure to bring lots of clothing options and we will help you put things together that will photograph well.

Here are some clothing ideas you might want to consider… (You don’t necessarily have to buy anything from these websites and boutiques – just hunt for ideas/inspiration and then piece together outfits using things you may already have plus new items from your favorite local stores. Borrowing from friends & family can be a great way to save some money. Don’t forget shoes, hats + other fun accessories!

We also have a list of links on the blog to our favorite Portland area children’s clothing boutiques that we LOVE. Scroll to the bottom of the blog to access their website links for ideas and addresses/store hours to check them out in person.  We highly recommend shopping locally, if you do need to purchase some additional items.  However, we know sometimes you can only find certain treasures online!

Fun + Funky:

Classic:

Trendy:

Retro:

To get your creative juices flowing a little more, think about:

  • rock n roll kids
  • playing dress up
  • vintage
  • beach
  • fishing/camping
  • urban/downtown kids
  • balloons
  • blowing bubbles
  • hula hoops
  • superheroes
  • gardening
  • “a day in the life”

You may also want to consider bringing along any special toys, sports items, pets, or other props that will make the shoot more about the individual and help to capture this special age/moment in your child’s life.

Above all, have fun and make sure your children are comfortable in their clothing! Happy kids enjoy having their photo taken, we promise!

For adults, we recommend pretty much the same approach to selecting your clothing – stay away from too much white & pastels, choose boldly, bring choices, and be comfortable.

TIME OF DAY / SCHEDULING

Where the sun is in the sky in relation to our location is super important, which means the time of day we schedule the session is crucial for beautiful portraits. When the sun is too high in the sky, it creates un-becoming shadows on the facial structure and too-bright highlights on our faces and clothing.  Our ideal times to photograph portrait sessions generally year-round are either in the morning between 8am – 10am or in the evening between 4pm-6pm.   (Note: Depending on the time of year. the best time of day to do portrait sessions will vary – the above times are merely a guideline). Babies tend to be happiest in the morning hours, so we generally recommend sticking to AM sessions only for our littlest clients.

AFTER THE SESSION

After the portrait session, we bring you back into the studio for a viewing & ordering session one week after your sitting.  We show you our favorite selections + the full collection of images for you to review, along with some tasty beverages and yummy treats.  You will need to come prepared to place your first order with us at this time.  If you need to have your partner there with you to make these decisions, we are happy to accommodate scheduling needs.  If childcare is an issue, please have one other person with you at the ordering session to help keep the kids entertained while you review your images.

PRINT & PRODUCT DELIVERY

Payment is due at the time of order placement.  We can make arrangements for a scheduled payment plan, if desired, with 50% due at order placement.

Print orders have a 1-2 week turn-around time.  If you have any print needs that need to be delivered sooner than 2 weeks, please let us know when you place your order.

Product orders have varying turn-around times depending on the company and what kind of product you are ordering.  Framing and mounting usually takes 1-3 weeks.  Albums can take anywhere from 3 weeks – 12 weeks, depending on the company and type of album.  We will give you approx. delivery times at the time you place your order.  Again, if you need the product to be delivered within a certain time frame, please let us know when you place your order so that we can accommodate your request or  make suggestions for an alternate selection.