Custom Portraiture.
What EXACTLY does that mean?
To me, it means whatever YOU want. I provide a custom, boutique, one-of-a-kind, bespoke portrait experience. For you and your beautiful family!
Want to shoot at a castle? Okay!
Want to shoot in a poppy field? Lavender field? Downtown London? Bury St. Edmunds? Ely Cathedral? Beach in France? Okay! (and I mean it about the beach in France- pick a DAY!)
How about everybody inhaling ice cream cones? Family game night? Baking Christmas cookies? Want to include your puppy/kitty/gerbil/tarantula? YES!
How about wearing dirndls and lederhosen? Football jerseys? Its YOUR choice! These are YOUR family portraits, they need to be about YOU. Not just "well, sure, how about the Abbey Gardens because my friends Susie, Sally, Sophie, and Fred all had theirs done there!" That is not how I work and not what I want for you. I want memories. Lasting lifetime, personal, and cherished memories.
So, how does the session work? It really has 3 parts:
Included in your session fee is a pre-session consultation. Most clients choose to do this via phone, but I'm always available for a coffee date (or a margarita!) if you'd rather. During this, we'll discuss locations, wardrobe, session themes, timing, seasonal options, and everything else under the sun related to your session.
During the session, I am there for YOU. I only book 2-3 sessions a week, maximum, so that I am 100% devoted to your family. Raining at 7am Saturday morning when we're supposed to shoot? No worries, we'll push to sunset because my schedule is cleared. Kiddo have a tummyache or a black eye? Just call me and we'll work it out! My sessions normally last just over an hour. They can be shorter as I'm quite good at being very fast; but they can also stretch past the 2 hour mark if everybody is having a great time! We can stop for snacks, breastfeeding, wardrobe changes, or just plain old kiddos-need-to-run breaks!
After your session, that's when even more of MY work starts! I process each and every photo individually. I batch through them two-three-four times to make sure that I'm selecting only the best of each set-up. I process them again as a group to make sure that they flow together and are consistent (wouldn't want a wall gallery up with 3 different green tones!), and then I run through them individually AGAIN. During the process, you'll receive a few sneak peeks on Facebook!
I will have your proofs up within a week or two (studio policy is 2 weeks, but I always aim for quicker!) on a password-protected proofing gallery. You will be able to share this with friends and family, at your discretion. A few days after, I will get together with you- either in your home, or my studio- for an in-person ordering consultation. This is the part where I will show you all of my amazing products that I offer (gorgeous canvas, wood prints, etc!) and we will talk about each picture and how they will be presented.
Some of my clients opt simply for my digital collection- and that's a great option! Being military or living so far from family, or simply because you like to have everything makes digital a great choice. I will provide you with a custom flash drive with all of your files in high-resolution and web-sized resolution for sharing on email and social media. I always recommend ordering at least something in print- those memories should be hanging on your wall somewhere!- simply a few desk shots are a great add-on.
I also offer custom leather albums in a few sizes. The 5x5 is a great grandparent special. Just small enough for Grandma to tuck into her purse and still have better quality than those 4x6's she kept tucked in a baggie inside her book. (Or is that just MY Grandma?!) The 10x10 is a European special- I order these from Poland and they get their leather from Italy. They are simply to.die.for and must be seen (and felt!) to be appreciated. I LOVE when clients order these and they are absolutely one of the most gorgeous products that I offer. As a slightly more affordable option, I also offer 3x3 custom mini albums. These are sold as a set of 3 and are the cutest.things.EVER. I may also refer to them as "grandparent crack." But don't tell my husband. They come with a sweet little frosted slipcover and are designed just for your family with pictures chosen by you!
If you choose to go the print route, most of my collections include a custom wooden print box. They are either 4x6 or 5x7 sized and just simply stunning! I truly love these and they're a fantastic way to rotate out some of your desk prints and have a wonderful display piece for a table or entryway. I also am a premium vendor for Organic Bloom frames. These are gorgeous bespoke frames. They actually match the paint colours to your portrait colours- how cool is that?
Canvas are one of my favorite things- I absolutely adore the lifetime quality of my favorite shots. They look stunning on a gallery wall and are definitely a statement piece about your love for your family. Personally, I love a black and white gallery wall. They're timeless and amazing and absolutely eyecatching!
Your products will all be packaged up beautifully (because who doesn't love to unwrap a present?!) and prepared lovingly for you- and quality checked! They're normally ready within 3 weeks of your ordering session.
All of this leads me to being a CUSTOM portrait photographer. Custom portraits, custom products, and a custom experience.
Unfortunately, it also means that I am definitely not the cheapest photographer around. I'm probably not even middle ground, realistically. However, I don't want cheap or affordable or even middle ground for your family. I want you to have the best, and that is what I aim to offer. I want you to have an absolutely blow-me-away experience and rave about me to all of your friends and family, and come back next year! I do offer payment plans because I understand that custom boutique photography is not in everyone's immediate budget. I also understand that 'life happens' and sometimes payment plans go awry: for this reason, I ask for 25% down on your collection purchase and then you continue to make payments using your best judgement for up to a year. Pretty simple, right?! *All products and digitals will be delivered after payment has been made in full.*
1 Comments
Jun 18, 2014, 11:12:19 PM
Lauren Nygard - This is a great explanation of what you do and what your clients can expect from you! And I love your beautiful packaging!