FAQs about Portraits

How much do you charge?

Please call the studio and Scott will be happy to go over the studio charges with you. There are many options to choose from and we will guide you to what charges would apply to meet your needs.

How do I make an appointment with you?

Just call! (941-924-9287, we work by appointment only)

What are the steps involved in creating a portrait?

THE PORTRAIT AGENDA

Pre-Portrait Conference

· This time allows us to talk about your desires for your portrait.

· Is the portrait to be formal or casual?

· Should we schedule the session at home, outdoors or at the studio?

· On which wall in the home do you wish to display the portrait?

· The clothing color scheme can be decided upon to compliment your home.

· The Creation Fee is due to reserve the time for your session.

Portrait Session

· The session should last approximately 1/2 hour to 2 hours, depending on the location and number of poses that we do.

The Projection Appointment

· To aid you in your selections, you will view your originals presented via our new innovative projection system. Because of the many styles and prices of our portraits, we will assist you with your selections. This is a sizable investment for you and we want your decisions to be the correct ones! There is no additional charge for this service. If you have a question about this, please ask us prior to your portrait session, so there are no misunderstandings at a later date.

· What a thrill it is to see your portrait projected! Be sure to bring everyone who is involved in making the final decisions. There are no "proofs" to take home and there is only one projection appointment.

· Only the portraits from which you order will be kept on file for 5 years.

We will schedule your projection appointment during regular studio hours.

· Due to the custom nature of our product, we ask that you place your order and pay the amount due at the time of the projection appointment. Thank you!

When we work on location, such as the beach, what do we do if it rains?

There are only two conditions that make it impossible to do the portrait, and that is actual rain and high winds, Overcast skies are great to work in. When we do have rain or high winds we reschedule at no additional charge to you. Since there are two times of day to do a location portrait, sunrise and sunset, and it rarely rains in the morning, we usually reschedule to the next sunrise.

What happens if I do not like the portraits that were created for me?

Our policy is total satisfaction guaranteed. Out of the hundreds of portrait sessions that we do every year there may be one every other year where we did not capture the mood the client is after the first time. We offer to do a continuation of the session. We talk about what we want to do different in the second session and make the changes and go out and have a successful session. If that were to fail, (it hasn't yet) the session fee would be refunded.

What should we wear?

See the CLOTHING SUGGESTIONS Page

What is the time table for portrait delivery?

We can be ready to schedule your projection appointment as soon as the next day after the portrait session. Once you have placed your order it is usually completed in 4 weeks. Depending on circumstances it sometimes can be completed quicker, if you have special needs, please ask!

How do I determine what the best size is to hang in my home?

Of course, the first decision is which wall you are going to hang the portrait on. Then you would want to measure that space. With those measurements we will guide you in the proper size to fit comfortablely on that wall. We would want to take in to consideration the decor of the room and the framing you will choose. Yes, we also offer complete framing services.

How do you work with those from out of town?

A large portion of our business is photographing families who come to our area for a family gathering. (The beach here is just incredible!) We suggest that the portrait is scheduled early in the trip so that we have the time to reschedule in case of rain and we would also want to schedule the projection appointment while you are here. We often hear that our clients wish to schedule the appointment later in the trip so that they have an opportunity to get a tan. Just being on the white sand gives the skin a healthy glow and it is near impossible to retouch the the red of sunburn out of a portrait! The best choice is to create the portrait early in the trip!

Once you have chosen your images at the projection appointment we would then ship them to you (usually by UPS) when they are completed in about 4 weeks.

How often should we have the family photographed

For the immediate family I recommend three times in the life of the family, the first time is when the last child you plan on having reaches the age of two. That child is then starting to show their personality.

The second time for the family's portrait is when the children reach the ages of eight to twelve.

The third time for the immediate family is when the oldest child is ready to go off to college This is the point when new mates and grandchildren start to enter the picture and the immediate family is changed to an extended family as a result. 

I suggest that the extended family is photographed at least every four to five years. The largest problem is with our mobile society all the family members are scattered across the country and it is usually rare to gather them all together at the same time. When they are all together is an excellent time to have the family portrait created!

How often should we have our child photographed

We recommend that a child be photographed at Mother pregnant at 8 1/2 months, Mother and Child at 1 month, Child alone at 3 months (Holding head up), 6 months (Sitting up), one year (Standing up/Walking), 18 months, 2 year and yearly from that point.

If you have any other questions, we would we happy to answer them!

Please Call 941-924-9287