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Frequently Asked Questions
Q- Where should we be photographed?
A- What kind of look do you want
in your portraits? Review the website portrait pages for ideas.
Our studio can be formal or casual; outdoors can be dressy (i.e.
slacks and sweaters) or casual (jeans). We usually don't recommend
the "coat and tie" look for outdoor portraits.
Q- Can we be photographed at
our home outdoors?
A- Yes. We look for full shade
most of the time. Keep this in mind if you have a favorite spot
at home and watch if a morning or late afternoon session would
be better for shade. It is important that the background also
be in shade. There shouldn't be any speckled sunlight filtering
through trees, unevenly lighting the faces from camera position.
Speckled sun falling on backs is OK.
Q- How about inside our home?
A- Indoor portraits at home are
almost always made in your living room and include your natural
home environment. If you have a plain background in mind, please
arrange for a portrait at our studio. Choose an indoor home portrait
because you love your living room, not for "convenience".
Q- Can we be photographed at
our vacation home?
A- Sure we travel! If you have
a special place in mind, let's talk about it. What better way
to remember that special summer by the lake than with a family
portrait?
Q- Do you do senior portraits?
A- Yes. Students should be photographed
the summer before their senior year. We offer a variety of poses
either in the studio or in a natural outdoor environment. Your
yearbook photograph is e-mailed to your school.
Q- What should we wear?
A- Solid colors are best; avoid
bold patterns, T-shirts, tight short skirts and sleeveless. Clothing
should not compete with faces when viewing your portraits. See
the website portrait pages for the style of portrait you like
best and for additional clothing suggestions.
Q- How long will my portrait
session last?
A- Most sessions last about 30
to 40 minutes. If we are photographing your entire family, we
will probably also do portraits of your children as a group,
children individually and parents as a couple. Grandparents are
encourage to attend too. If you have time constraints, please
let us know as soon as possible.
Q- Can we include our pet?
A- Your dog is welcome at the
park or at our studio. Solid black dogs show up best against
lighter clothing, and you might want to add a bandana for color.
Your cat can be photographed at your home or our studio.
Q- What if it rains?
A- A heavy steady rain will obviously
cancel an outdoor session. If it has been showering on and off
we usually don't reschedule because it usually stops raining
in a few minutes and the portraits turn out well. Overcast skies
produce a soft light that is very flattering most of the time.
Jim brings a waterproof blanket so you'll stay dry if seated.
Q- How far ahead can we schedule
our portrait session?
A- No more than 5 weeks ahead.
Please know everyone's schedule (i.e. soccer games, after school
activities, etc.) so you can commit to your portrait session
appointment. A special occasion portrait session (such as a family
reunion, 50th anniversary, 80th birthday) where extended family
members are totally committed to a specific date can be scheduled
farther out than 5 weeks.
Q- How much notice do you need
for us to reschedule our portrait session or sales appointment?
A- It is usually difficult for
other families to fill in photography appointments that become
available with just a few days notice. We realize people do get
sick (please reschedule if someone has the flu!) and parents
sometime get called out of town for work commitments. If you
must reschedule, we appreciate as much notice as possible
so your time slot can be filled in and not wasted. Even if our
schedule is heavily booked several weeks out, you can sometimes
be photographed immediately if you are flexible enough to take
a last minute cancellation. The "jeans and solid tops"
clothing scheme is simple to coordinate.
Q- What are your hours?
A- Appointments can be scheduled
Tuesday - Saturday. We are closed Sundays and Mondays. Since
we work on location much of the time and our studio is closed
while we're gone, all client meetings are by appointment only.
Q- How soon can I see the proofs?
A- Digital images can be ordered
immediately if we've scheduled extra time for you. With small
children though, it's best to come back without them when you
make your selections.
Q- How do we select our portraits?
A- Come into our studio to see
all the possibilities such as various sizes, collages, finishes,
retouching options, holiday cards, custom framing and albums.
We have a large, high-resolution monitor where you can see all
the subtle details of expression changes between similar images.
This is especially appreciated when viewing a family group. The
average appointment takes about 90 minutes. Since we don't have
facilities for young children during your proof viewing, please
make arrangements for child care.
Q- Can we see our images online?
A- Yes, you can see your images
online. We ask that you prepay $400, which will be applied to
your order. It may be more convenient to see them at home but
there is much we can offer and show you at our office including
digital retouching services, "head swaps", holiday
cards and custom Larson-Juhl frames.
Q- Should the wall portraits
be covered with glass?
A- All our photo collages and
wall portraits 11x14 through 30x40 are protected by several coats
of lacquer and do not need glass. For additional protection,
glass may be used. Framed portraits can be dusted with a lamb's
wool duster.
Q- Do you offer holiday cards?
A- We offer several styles of
cards... the Trimline cards with a holiday logo and personalized
name imprint, traditional cards that have a photograph attached
to them and also cards where the photo is printed on card stock
with printer's ink. Another option is to purchase quantity photographs
and enclose them with your own cards.
Q- Do you do black & white
portraits?
A- Yes, and there's no extra
charge to make images B&W.
Q- How long before the finished
portraits are ready?
A- Finished portraits usually
are ready 3 to 4 weeks after you place your order. We box and
ship 11x14 and smaller unframed portraits via UPS for $10.00.
Since we are often out of the office doing on-location portraits,
and we wouldn't want you to find our door locked, orders should
be picked up with a scheduled time.
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