HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD YOU SCHEDULE A PORTRAITURE SESSION?

You should schedule your portraiture session a minimum of two weeks in advance, although it’s best to schedule at least four weeks out. About 90% of the scheduled portrait sessions are on the weekends, so the available dates are limited. It is sometimes possible to schedule a session at the last minute; you just have contact me as soon as you decide to have pictures done to check my availability.

HOW LONG DOES A PORTRAIT SESSION LAST?

It depends on the client and the type of image we are after. A family portrait with young children could last a couple of hours, as we set up the shot, get the adults in place and work the kids into the portrait without locking them down and making it a miserable experience. An individual wanting a simple headshot could take less than an hour, depending on how many variations we are shooting. In general, most sessions are 1 to 3 hours with breaks and setup changes. If the session is on location, away from my home studio, you can add an hour for setting up lights, etc…

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

A simple headshot in my studio can start as low as $300.00 for the session, a print and low resolution file for internet use. Each project is quoted individually; please contact me so we can discuss the scope of your project.

WHAT FORMS OF PAYMENT ARE ACCEPTED?

Cash, Check, Credit Cards and Money Order

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET MY PRINTS?

1-2 weeks. The unknown is how long will it take for me to get the editing done before I send the files to the lab. The editing time just depends on how many prints and how much editing. If my schedule is open I can get most sessions edited in a few days and the proofs are submitted to you for approval before I send anything out for printing. The proof review / approval process will be done via the internet or in person. The lab will process the prints in 1 to 2 days and it will take 2 to 3 days to get them back. If you are purchasing canvas artwork or framed products it will only add 2 or 3 days to the process.

DO YOU WORK WITH MODELS, ACTORS – TRADE SESSION TIME FOR PRINTS OR CD’S?

Yes, you can see a few examples of modeling work in the flash galleries and a complete explanation of a standard Photographer – Model TFP arrangement t is here. You will need to contact me and provide recent images or a website with recent images.

WHAT DO I WEAR?

Great question and the answer is too long for this FAQ. See this article on what to wear for portraits.

WHERE DO WE SHOOT?

The location of the shot largely depends on you and what you want from your image.. I can shoot up to five people for group portraits in my home studio.. The real advantage here is all of the equipment is setup beforehand so we are shooting shortly after you arrive. We can also shoot at your residence if you have the necessary space and ceiling height. We can shoot on location somewhere else, indoors or even outside. Natural light portraits outdoors can be very effective but we are extremely limited on the useable hours of the day. The midday sun makes for lousy lighting so the preferred times are the first 2 hours and last 2 hours of the day.

Don’t get too caught up in the actual location itself. The location’s purpose in a portrait (should be) extremely limited with the exception of environmental portraits.  A photograph should emphasize the person or the location, but not both.  The location is just a place to set up the equipment, pose and capture the subject and the light.  Typically the surroundings are blurry so the person looking at the image will focus on the person in the portrait.

WHEN CAN I SEE MY PROOF IMAGES FROM THE SESSION?

I prefer to shoot tethered if we are in studio or on location indoors. This allows me (and the client) to review the portraits on the computer screen as we shoot and make any necessary adjustments. At the conclusion of the shoot, if time allows, we can review the session right away and make some preliminary selections based on the type and number of images agreed upon before the session. The week following the portrait session, I will send you a password protected link so you can review your images online and you will make your final selections from there.

DO YOU TOUCH-UP THE IMAGES?

Yes, I can touch-up the images. What to touch up and how much on a portrait is a matter of taste, and individual tastes will vary. Touching up a portrait is typically removing blemishes, whitening teeth, brightening eyes and so on. The more advanced touch-ups can include straightening teeth or making a nose smaller, making lips bigger or carefully smoothing a face to take years off without looking like the photo was touched up.

Once we pick the final images from the many proof shots, I will edit the images, including the touch-ups, color adjustments, cropping etc… I will make some standard adjustments for your review and then you can decide if you want additional editing. These options should be discussed beforehand so we are in agreement on what the touch-ups are and how many images are involved. This is where the artistry comes in and some real time can be spent making these adjustments.

CAN I PURCHASE DIGITAL FILES? HOW MUCH?

The short answer is yes, $300 per image. However, please consider the following:

Do not purchase digital files with the intent on saving some money to have prints made somewhere else or on your printer at home. You will never be able to produce prints near the quality of the commercial lab I use. If you are going to spend money to hire a professional photographer for a portrait, it doesn’t make sense to have a bush league retailer process the professional image. If you want prints, wall hangings or framed artwork, let me get this done for you because you really do get what you pay for.

Copyright Act – all digital images taken by me are forever owned by Mike Robison Photography as a function of current copyright laws and The Berne Convention. This is simply the state of the photography business and not unique to my business. The Copyright Act protects photographers by giving the author/creator of the photograph the exclusive right to copy, edit, and distribute image by sale or transfer. Rights to use an image can be signed over or purchased by the client. Different types of copyright agreements range from “one time use” to “exclusive” and everything in between. Generally speaking, when you purchase digital files you will have the right to produce prints or use that image online but you do not have the right to sell or profit from the use of the image other than self promotion.

I PURCHASED PRINTS; CAN I SCAN THE PRINTS AND MAKE ADDITIONAL COPIES?

The Copyright Act does not allow you to make copies unless you have purchased the rights to do so. Even with the better scanners out there, the quality is not going to be the same. If you need digital images for internet use, let me know beforehand and I can make a CD/DVD with low resolution copies of the images. These files will have a watermark (Mike Robison Photography) and they are fine for internet and email use but not for printing.