West Yorkshire portrait photographers - frequently asked questions
WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR FOR A FAMILY PORTRAIT?
You need to feel comfortable in whatever you are wearing but here are some basic tips which will help you decide. The colour of the background of the photograph should be taken into account so if you are having your photographs taken against a white background, jeans and white or light coloured shirts are a good option. If your portrait will be taken with a black background, clothing should be kept as dark as possible so that the focus of your photographs is on the faces, which should be the lightest area in the images. This might be the opposite of what you would expect because you may think that light coloured shirts on a white background or black tops against a black background won't show up. The fact is, they will with the correct lighting.
Probably the most important advice is that all members of the group should be dressed in the same style, so if this is classical, wear smart clothes and if the style is relaxed and casual, wear casual clothes. Under no circumstances should these styles by mixed within the same photograph, as this simply doesn't work. You don't all have to dress indentically, but it's really important that everyone dresses in toning colours so that you all compliment one another in the photographs.
ARE THERE ANY THINGS I SHOULD AVOID?
Things to avoid are stripes, bold patterns, light colours or white in portraits with black backgrounds, designer logos, sleeveless or short sleeved tops on adults in a classical portrait as long sleeves look better and are more flattering, anything very high fashion, as it will date your photographs quickly, socks, tights or shoes on babies and small children as bare feet are look much better and this prevents the problem of wrinkly tights or the toes of socks hanging off the ends of tiny feet, pinafore dresses or dungarees on small babies as the bib part often rides up and obscures their face, short dresses or skirts on baby girls and toddlers as these tend to bunch up which doesn't look very flattering and very short skirts on ladies except for a fashion shoot.
DO I NEED TO WEAR MORE MAKE-UP THAN USUAL?
Not really, as it's important that you look like you!
WHAT ABOUT SHOES?
If your feet won't be on show, shoes don't matter. If we are working on a white background, we will ask you to remove your shoes anyway.
WHAT'S BEST TO DRESS MY BABY IN?
For new babies, a nappy only is great and a terry towelling one is better than a disposable. The studio will be warmer than usual for sessions involving new babies. For older babies who are sitting, jeans and a tee shirt look good for boys and girls as long as they fit properly. Try to ensure that if the baby is wearing something with long sleeves, that they aren't too long as they will obscure little hands. The same goes for the length of jeans, as it's nice to see a baby's bare feet. Avoid short skirts on baby girls who are sitting, as they ride up and create a very unflattering view.
HOW MUCH DOES A PORTRAIT SESSION COST?
Our normal session fee is £35 but for a limited time only, we are offering portrait session at the amazing value price of just £25. If you were one of our wedding clients, we have an offer of a complimentary family portrait session and viewing appointment running at the moment. Please call us for details or to book your session.
WHEN DO I PAY FOR MY SESSION?
The session fee is payable on the day, at the end of the session.
HOW LONG WILL MY PORTRAIT SESSION LAST?
It varies and this is another reason why our session fee is such great value. We don't place a time limit on it as every session is different and requires a different length of time to complete. Obviously, if your session is for a straight forward head and shoulders portrait of one person, this doesn't take as long as several different groupings of a family or a model portfolio shoot. With babies, co-operation with the photographer is never on their list of priorities and we allow for this, so if the baby needs feeding, changing or both, there's no need for concern. A good guide is to allow between one and two hours, depending on what's required.
WHAT'S THE BEST AGE TO HAVE MY BABY PHOTOGRAPHED?
We are happy to photograph your baby at any age, but experience has shown us that there are two ideal ages to do this. The first session should be when your baby is less than ten days' old, as any older than this and they start to lose that lovely new born baby appearance. This is a great age to get close up images of their hands and feet, as they will never be this tiny again. Babies of this age also sleep a lot and if yours does fall asleep - great! This isn't the problem parents think it is, as we can get some really cute shots of a sleeping baby and we can position them just where we need to in order to get the best angle for the photographs. The next best age to bring your baby for a photo session is when they are sitting solidly with little risk of them toppling over, but before they can crawl away from us! This is a brilliant time for photographs because we can keep them where we want them and get some interaction and fantastic expressions at the same time.
IS THERE AN IDEAL TIME OF DAY FOR BABY PHOTOGRAPHS?
Your baby will no doubt dictate their ideal time! We are happy to arrange your session for a time when your baby is at his or her happiest and most content and we do understand that this doesn't always go to plan. If your baby needs feeding or changing during the session, this presents no problem at all.
SHOULD I BRING TOYS ALONG TO MY CHILD'S PHOTO SESSION?
If your child has a favourite toy or one which we can use to make them smile for the photographs, please do bring it along to the session. Traditional wooden toys, painted in bright colours make brilliant props in white background portraits of sitting babies and small children.
DO I NEED TO GET INVOLVED WHILST MY CHILD IS BEING PHOTOGRAPHED?
It depends on the child and how they react when they arrive at the studio. Often mum, dad or a grandparent can coax the best expressions from the child and if this is the case, they will be asked to encourage this from an appropriate position, usually directly beside and at the same height that the photographer is working from, to get the child looking in the right direction.
CAN I BRING ALONG FAMILY MEMBERS?
Only bring along those members of family who are to be included in the photographs. When a child is being photographed, it can be very confusing for them when several people, including the photographer, are calling out for their attention. The result is that it takes a lot longer to get good expressions, the child doesn't know where to look and they can quickly lose interest. Please leave direction to the photographer until we see how the session is going. We may well ask you to step in and assist. If anyone else is present in the studio, it's vital that they sit quietly and do not distract the child whilst the session is taking place.
WHAT SIZE PRINTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE SESSION FEE?
We do not include any prints within the session fee. This fee is a modest contribution to the cost of our time only. It does, however, include a separate viewing session so that you can choose the photographs you would like to purchase.
WHEN DO I PAY FOR MY PRINTS?
A deposit of at least 50% of the total cost is payable at the time of ordering, with the balance due on collection.
WHEN WILL MY IMAGES BE READY TO VIEW?
We aim to process your images ready for viewing within a week of your session. Sometimes we can do this more quickly if images are required in a hurry and sometimes it takes a little longer depending on our workload at the time.
WHO SHOULD COME TO THE VIEWING SESSION?
Whoever is making a contribution to choosing the photographs. Please do not bring children along to this session, as they will get bored and prevent you from viewing your images without distractions.
CAN I BUY SMALL PRINTS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS?
Of couse you can. We offer three sizes of print which are suitable for frames which stand. These come in presentation folders.
WILL YOU UPLOAD MY IMAGES TO THE INTERNET?
We ask that you come and view your images with us and place your own order first. This way, you will see your images at their best and we can also answer any questions you have and offer advice if you need it. We have a large range of beautiful frames to choose from to display your portrait at its very best and you may wish to consider a multi-frame which can display more than one image. We have special software which enables us to show you exactly how your images will look framed together. None of this is possible if you view your images online. However, once you have placed your order, we are happy to upload your images if you wish so that your family and friends can view them. The images will remain online for approximately four weeks.
DO YOU OFFER PACKAGES?
We no longer offer packages because we found that whatever we included in the package, most clients wanted something different. Therefore, we took the decision to offer our portrait sessions at a fantastic value for money price and then allow our clients to purchase whatever the wanted afterwards.
WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU OFFER?
We offer individual prints up to 10 x 8 inches in presentation folders, larger prints in frames, canvas wraps, acrylics, montage prints and portrait albums. We have a stunning range of fabulous frames and beautiful mount styles, to show your portrait at its best. We are happy to offer you advice on how best to present your images and we can show you, using special software, how several images will look displayed together in a single frame.
CAN I BUY A LARGE PRINT AND FRAME IT MYSELF?
Sorry no. We took the decision not to offer this option simply because we pride ourselves on the quality of our photography and we want to see it displayed at its very best. We want you to leave the studio with a product which you will treasure and be proud to display in your home and we want to produce a finished piece of artwork which is the best we can make it. If you buy a large print and display it in a cheap frame, it spoils the look of a beautiful photograph and it also reflects badly on us as photographers. Every photograph which is framed by our studio is mounted on to art board before being framed. This ensures that it remains perfectly flat and results in a top quality, superior, professional finish which is impossible to guarantee otherwise.
