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The Portrait Experience
Complimentary Pre Session Consultation
This is where the fun begins!
During our Pre Session Consultation we would be thrilled to go over your final goals, learn more about your kids and family and what you find the most important to portray in the final images. We would love to find out what’s unique and special about your family, we will talk about your lifestyle, personal style and home-decor style to plan for something that speaks to your heart the most.
We’ll have an opportunity to discuss the session day, our plans and special steps we can take to ensure everything goes smoothly, includes LESS stress for you and lets your entire family enjoy this special experience.
At this complimentary consultation we will get to know you and you - us. Great portraits begin with the relationship.
Tell us about your vision and we’ll use all our creativity to make it happen!
In Person Style and Design Consultation
One of the special services that you have in your disposal, is an in-person and on-location Style And Design Consultation. If you chose to add this to your session, Elly will arrive to your house (or your preferred location) and guide you through the best fitting clothes/accessories/hair and makeup selection details. During this appointment, a detailed session plan can be developed and Elly can take snapshots of the walls where your final artistic wall portraits potentially could be displayed. Once we are at the Viewing and Ordering Appointment - those snapshots will be downloaded into our special presentation software to help you select what products/sizes/textures/frames would be ideal at that location.
This appointment can either be scheduled in advance, or right before the beginning of the session, whichever works better for your schedule.
On-Location Session
On location sessions can take place in your home or in any of your favorite outdoor places (within 20 mi of our primary location at Marlboro NJ). Home is where your children are growing up, and creating professional portraits there gives the images a unique and natural quality. On-location sessions in your home are so much fun. It’s not about posed shots and formal portraits. It’s about capturing you … your family … today. It incorporates the things that surround you everyday. The result is images that become heirlooms, and memories that mean the world to you.
You need minimal preparation for the images in your own home: select the outfits for the family (use our What to Wear Guide), make sure everyone had a good hearty meal, keep some snacks handy for keeping the spirits up… relax and enjoy. You can find more preparation tips at How to Prepare for a Session.
Elly is often joking, that when she arrives at your house, it will look as if she is moving in: special suitcases are packed with photographic equipment, backgrounds, prop and accessory options. The best part? All of this new “stuff” will be packed and leave with her as soon as the session is over.
When Elly arrives at your house, she will make suggestions to achieve what she artistically believes will make for the best images. She’ll wander around looking for the best light. Sometimes, she’ll even want to move the furniture to get the most out of the light. For the most part though, her style is documentary-like and she’ll simply follow your family around and journalistic-ally capture the story of your life.
If you choose one of our local scenic areas, keep in mind the style of your home when considering a location. Grassy fields and creeks are timeless and classic, but downtown can be just as fun and often these sessions have an edgier/retro feel. Elly will often select a “grungy” location, as nothing has more impact than the contrast of a beautiful family or innocent child in a location that juxtaposes them (train tracks, graffiti, alleyway), making the subject appear THAT much more beautiful! Location sessions are Elly’s favorite. You can expect to spend two hours or more shooting your session. Elly likes to take her time getting to know you and your children. They need to be comfortable enough with her to allow her to follow them with a camera. Elly will guide you and your children, and ask you to do certain things when she needs it for a shot. Her goal is to deeply connect with who you are, and that means getting to know you and learning what makes your family special.
Viewing & Ordering
You will get to see your images in a slideshow set to music during your Ordering Appointment 3 weeks after your session. You will have the luxury of both enjoying your special images, the comfort of your own home, and ability to review the work on a professionally calibrated screen, presenting images closely matching accuracy of the colors of the final products. We will help you with all of your final decisions on images and products that we have custom designed just for you. And remember those snapshots of your home you sent us? We can show you what your images will look like right on YOUR wall! This is one of the best parts – so please feel free to bring as many people as you would like. But don’t worry! If family lives out of town, a gallery of your purchased images can be posted online for them to view following the ordering appointment .
Can my kids be part of an ordering appointment?
Of course they can! Children are welcome, BUT if you would like a chance to relax and concentrate on the beautiful images and products that we will creating for you, then you might want to arrange either childcare or we can schedule your appointment when your children are in school/asleep/otherwise busy.
What if I only want a few small prints?
What we are is a full service, high quality studio. Elly spends an unlimited amount of time on your session from photography to post processing, and then provides you with the highest quality images to choose from. If you want gift prints only, we recommend you book our “Little Star” line which offers limited time sessions at a more affordable price.
What kind of investment do most families make?
Most of our clients invest anywhere from $450 to $2000.
Remember : everyone’s needs are different – some spend a little more and some spend a little less.
When do I get to bring everything home?
Quality takes time, so please allow 4 weeks from your order date for completion of your order. Custom designed albums and orders with framing will take longer. But we promise, it’s worth the wait!