Saturday, February 23, 2008
When I'm Rich
I've been pricing out photography studios to get Charlotte's one year old photos. (Because a year can't pass without taking professional photos right?) I stumbled across this photographer's site. I LOVE IT. If I were rich I would totally use her! I love the photos. There really is a difference. Alas, I have enough money for JCPenney portraits or Olan Mills. She'll be cute either way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Great site. You get a taste of kids' personalities in her more informal pictures. Get really good at Photoshop & you can do your own! One of my favorite pictures of you & Dan is the one you aunt (I think) photoshopped to look like a pastel.
How much is this photographer?
LeAnn-That's one of my favorites too.
Dad-She is A LOT of money. More than we spent on our wedding photography.
Ooh. I love that your dad asked... someone's cooking a gift! How sweet!
Maggie, that photographer is AWESOME! I hope I can be half that good someday. Aside from her incredible composition, the color saturation and crispness is unreal (I wonder how much is courtesy of photoshop?)
I'm working part-time at a Sears portrait studio so I can offer some advice about these affordable studios.
There can be a lot of employment turnover (because believe me the pay is lousy) so when you book your appointment - you want to find out who has been there a while and if they're any good. Honestly, if they're any good 4-5 months is a decent amount of time. (well it is for me, but I'm a grownup and blessed with a good eye.) If they're dorky college kids or HS kids, it's a crapshoot.
When you book your appt ask if they know who is working that day/ time of day. (Bring Charlotte after a nap and after she's fed) Feel free to ask who is great with 1 year olds, and see if you can get in when that photog is available.
Look for an opening with more than an hour until the following appointment - that way they can spend as much time as it takes.
When you get there... tell them what you're interested in. Close ups? is it okay if she's not looking at the camera? anything special to duplicate a pic of your or Dan at age 1?
They will shoot full length / 3/4 length / seated/ on her tummy/ close ups and extreme close ups of her face. If you have something in mind... let them know... but also be open to the fact that exactly what you want may be hard to capture - - let it come naturally.
Feel free to bring some favorite toys or props to photograph her with (Sears is cool with that - ask other studios before you drag them there) Ex. The other day, a couple brought in their daughter's favorite bear and a little bench with her name in puzzle pieces. I got a great shot of her sitting next to the bear they're about the same size! looking like she's having a conversation with it - it looks so goofy and cute... and another with the puzzle pieces spelling out her name in front of her with her grabbing the capital letter... they loved it!
Also bring a favorite squeaker or attention getting toy to get her to look at the camera.
Tell them a little about her personality. Is she shy, is she a ham? And remember, she's in a foreign environment... Charlotte could fool you and do the opposite of what you expect! Also remember... if your kid is not in the mood for pictures (and you never know it until you're 10 minutes into the session) nothing you or the photographer can do can change that. Ask if you can come back later in the day or the next day.
Lastly... of course they are there to make money (and they're competing for high sales) but don't feel pressured to buy more than you planning to spend. If you buy the $129 collection the salesperson will be satisfied. But if you can only budget for a few... feel free to buy by the sheet. Don't worry about hurting their feelings.
A low $$$ purchase can ruin the studio's average for the day. If you want to be extra nice - ask them if they're having a strong/ high volume day - if not, come back the next day if you know you're going to buy the $9.99 set. (they hate that! - but if it's a strong sales day they can eat the loss.)
I'm terrible about long comments and offering unsolicitated advice... but I hope it helps.
And if you ask all these questions... don't worry about coming off like hyper mom. I doubt you could make a bad impression. Just tell them you're new to this and you're trying to make it easy on them.
OMG that's long! Sorry!!
Okay... you have to be sick of me.
But I looked at that photog's site again... she does commercial photography... you just have to figure out how to have Char model for her... then you get all kinds of pics.
Figure out where that loft or that park is... run into her there and let her 'discover' Charlotte!!
TRS-Thanks for the advice! I'm writing it down to ask while on the phone. I have to do that or I get flustered and then forget to ask the important things. Anyway, I'll post about how things go when I get done with them.
Wow, that is a REALLY expensive photographer! She charges more than my wedding photographer...by a lot!
I'm sure you could get someone talented who doesn't charge that much. There is some middle ground between that photographer and Sears.
Katie has a good point. You might check out your local Arts college and see if a student or recent grad is particularly talented.
Offer them about $200 for a session and a CD of all images.
just keep in mind...generally you get exactly what you pay for......how important are these images to you?
Dana
Custom portraiture isn't for everyone but you definitely get what you pay for. Life is short - find a way to save up for the photographer you really want. Our kids are only little once.
Post a Comment