wedding | portraits | links & blogs

Portrait photography FAQ

How long will our shoot last?

We typically book portrait shoots into 90 minute slots, chances are it won't take that long but we find that not rushing means we can get people relaxed, sit and have a coffee for a few minutes if they like while we chat about what they want and we get to set-up a number of backgrounds and lighting options.

Is there a booking or sitting fee?

No, none whatsoever. Absolutely no upfront frees followed by absolutely no hard sell and no catch.

Do you sell gift vouchers?

Yes, drop us a mail and let us know what value of gift voucher you want to give someone and we'll let you know how to pay and post you a voucher.

What presentation options to you offer?

Loads of stuff; prints, digital images, acrylic blocks, acrylic panels, canvas prints, MDF block mounts, framed prints and portrait books.

Do you do makeover or boudoir shoots?

Yes indeed! We've not built that bit on our website yet but we can do makeover and boudoir shoots and get in hair and make-up artists. Get in touch with us for more details.

How do we view the images?

There's a couple of ways; everyone gets a gallery in a private section of our website with all their images on. If you like we can arrange a viewing at the studio which can help sometimes as we have all the different presentation options available there to demonstrate or we can even come out to see you if your reasonably local.

Is there disabled access / facilities?

Yes, we are ground floor located and we have a large opening doors with a ramp. There are also disabled toilet facilities onsite

Do you work with schools / charities or playgroups?

Yes, please get in touch. We can directly help with fundraising by coming along and selling vouchers at events, provding gift certificates for auctions / raffles or event photography.

What should we wear?

The easy answer is whatever you feel comfortable in as we like to photograph people in a relaxed natural way - however there's a catch! What one person feels comfortable in another may not so try an avoid a mixture of jeans and tuxedos! Here's some general pointers:

You should all 'blend' - that doesn't mean 'match' however if three of you wear dark colours and one of you wears bright cerise, eyes will be drawn to the person in pink who will dominate the photograph.
Avoid large logos or graphics - these draw attention away from the face and can date the photograph very quickly. Fashion houses spend enough on advertising as it is so you don't need to help them out by putting their slogan on your living room wall!
Don't forget the socks! - we'll ask you to take your shoes off as they can damage the material we use to create the white background, so avoid the old favourites with the big toe sticking through or comedy / bright coloured ones as these will distract the viewer.
Avoid bold patterns - spots stripes of vivid floral prints can again detract from the subjects faces.
Gents - if your hair tends to be on the darker side shave as late as possible, unless you want to go for the stubbly rock star look of course!
Ladies - avoid heavy makeup, especially around the eyes - this can actually take attention away from the eyes and focus it on the makeup itself!
Parents - sometimes children can be a bit shy and nervous. It's often a good idea to bring a few favourite toys along with you to relax them or even have in the shot as well. You could even bring a favourite outfit for them to get changed into if you like.
A note about glasses - glasses can be the plague of portraits. We can light portraits in such a way as to avoid excessive reflections but this can limit the options and poses. If you think you look odd without them then we're more than happy to work with it however you may want to consider leaving them off during the shoot or if you have an old pair you don't use anymore you could pop the lenses out and wear them instead!

Can you photograph motorbikes?

Yes, we have wide enough access to get a motorbike in with clear access through to the shooting area. We do ask that the bike is clean and you try to avoid pulling donuts on the floor.