We’re Killing The Sitting Fee
Looking at how people invest in their portraits, we’ve decided to take the bold step of having no sitting fees with a minimum investment of $400 – all of which goes to the final portraits you buy.
Why are we doing it this way? We believe you’re looking for value and by linking the pricing to what you actually want to display in your home we have to make sure to provide the absolute best value to you.
That being said, there is one type of session we provide that still has a direct fee and that is the Social Session which includes 45 minutes of photography (during which you’re welcome to make changes in clothing and background) and features 3 digital files for use on social media or dating sites.
To learn more about our photography and our pricing, please set up an appointment to come down, see our samples, have coffee (or other beverage) and get our price list by calling us at 403-457-5031.
Yes, I could have saved a lot of money by…..
Alberta Portrait is a professional portrait studio in Calgary – and yes, I could have saved a lot of money by doing out of my home like so many photographers these days. Why go to the extra expense of doing photography in a professional space?
I have talked to so many photographers who have to deal with limitations like an 8 foot ceiling (and they are very jealous of my 12 foot ceiling.)
I also have a space that a person who has trouble with stairs, or someone in a wheelchair can actually get into.
I have a space for people to relax, a space for people to get changed, a space for people to view their photos in confortable chairs, AND a space where we can do the photography. They are not all the same room.
Unless a basement is fully finished with insulation and drywall, decently painted and decorated, do you really ‘like’ hanging around in a basement? I don’t.
As well, my studio is centrally located near downtown in the Mission and Beltline area – easy to get to from all parts of Calgary.
And finally, I am a professional – why would I want anything other than a professional space?
Now I don’t want to infer that photographers using their spare bedroom or basement are not good photographers – they well may be fantastic photographers. However many of the beginning photographers do seem to be among those who work out of their own homes – offering ‘cheap’ photography. Unfortunately, cheap photography ‘looks’ cheap.
If you’re considering having a family portrait or personal portrait – I would suggest you arrange a time just to come down and talk with me at my studio, see samples of what I do and we can talk about what you are looking for.
I love to create portraits which work not only as a record of your history, but also as fine art decor for your home which you’ll treasure today, and will be loved for generations to come.
Call me (Neil) at 403-457-5031 to arrange a consultation – there’s no obligation and I can answer all of your questions, and most importantly – we can see if you and I are a good fit to create the kind of portraits you will love.
Family Portraits
Your family is on a vacation trip. Father takes out his digital camera, and takes quick snapshots of “mom and the kids”. Somewhere down the line, the photos are developed and placed in your family photo album.
Our family photos are more than just snapshots of a loved one; each picture is a chronicle of history. Our photographs contain history; they tell the story of our families and preserve the memories of our family relationships.
The intricate details in each picture, along with knowledge of the family history, can fill in the blanks and tell us volumes about the circumstances behind the picture.
You can search for clues in your family photographs and learn more about your ancestors by the documentation they have left for you hidden in their photographs. A persons complete life history can be captured by photography. You can see the time line from baby pictures, school yearbook portraits, significant events at work, wedding pictures and much more, for they all paint a bigger picture. family portraits can freeze one moment in time and allow us to not only see into the past but also allow us to see what effect those moments in family history have on us today.
While candid photographs have their place, professional portraits allow you to carefully preserve your family memories in a professional manner chronicling important life events.
Family portraits were originally done by painters. These paintings were very expensive and took a long time to be produced. In these modern times, the task of creating portraits has now gone to photographers and family portrait studios have now received the baton from the old portrait painters. The artistic techniques of portraiture are still the same although the tools used to achieve this have changed substantially. The portrait artists’ ability to capture the personality of the subject and store it in a physical form has been enhanced by the modern technology used in family portrait studios.
Photographs can be an invaluable information source when trying to recall family history. Photographs are not affected by poor memory recollection, and a person’s description of events can be very different from what appears in the photographs. This information is very intimate because family photographs are collected from the inside compared with media institutions, which are usually viewed as outsiders . Photo albums provide a rich source of memories about the family. They offer a deeper look at personal relationships.
Photographs are powerful ways to revive memories of bygone years. The primary reason people take photographs is to preserve happy memories permanently.
Photographic portraits allow you to capture that picture perfect memory. This will allow you to look your absolute best and have things preserved in an ideal form. A family portrait studio will make your family look their very best, using a variety of tools are used to preserve these memories for a lifetime and beyond.
The best Calgary photographer and family portrait studio is Alberta Portrait Inc. We have several years experience in capturing that perfect photo for your family photo album.
The roots of being “Photogenically Challenged.”
The roots of being “Photogenically Challenged.”
When we were two years old, we had no problem looking really cute in our pictures. Then what happens? We get school pictures done, our parents take us to ‘factory like’ photo studios, and we’re constantly told to “say cheese.” Being non-photogenic is a learned reaction to photos.
We see the resulting pictures and begin thinking there must be something wrong with our looks because the photos really aren’t how we see ourselves. And photos never lie, right? (Wrong!) Actually, lenses can distort things, bad lighting reveals all the wrong things, the wrong moment captures a bad expression, our own fears of being made to look ridiculous makes us tense up – and we look ridiculous.
What we see daily is in the mirror – which is reversed from reality, so reality automatically “looks wrong.” Then it’s really easy to look at all the little things that aren’t perfect and they become magnified in our minds. Okay, it is true, your looks aren’t perfect. Nobody is perfect. I’ve even seen world famous (and arguably beautiful) models complain about aspects of their looks.
We forget that when family and friends look at our pictures it is not the imperfections they see, but their own love for us.
If you can “learn” to be non-photogenic, you can “unlearn it” as well. Check out a few quick posing tricks that can help at my web site: AlbertaPortrait.com Or, work with a truly experienced photographer, they can help you with posing and lighting which will help bring out your best features.
PS – Don’t say – or teach children to say – “Cheese” for photos. It pulls the mouth back in a fake smile rather than up to a natural smile, and looks “Cheesy.”
Here’s a quick video on how to look better in any photo: (sorry about it being a bit noisy.)
How big should a family portrait be for your wall?
How BIG should your photos be on the wall
Let’s start with a question that has nothing to do with size:
On your coffee table is an album of your family photos – once in a life time memories that you have collected for years. You children growing up, places you’ve visited, your parents and friends.
On the wall is a $2000 painting by a reasonably well known artist.
A fire breaks out: you can grab one of those items – which do you save?
If you’re like 95 per cent of people, you grab the album. Why? Because those photos are among the most precious possessions we have. They are the touchstones of our memories of people and places we know and love.
What better way to create deeply personal decor for your home that celebrates your families love, recalls memories of your family’s history and have something that that will be cherished for generations to come that by having a well produced and artistic portrait done?
The question is then ‘how to display that portrait.’
Just how big should that portrait be? Walk into any gallery – are the paintings all 5×7 or 8×10?
We’ve been kind of brainwashed to think those are proper sized images because that is what budget studios sell or are advertised by photo labs. Those sizes are great for albums or on desks, or in the hall and you see them from 2 to 3 feet away. However behind a couch or over fire place, those sizes are – well – ridiculous. When you were young, you probably had posters on the wall that were 36×48 inches.
If you’re enlarging one of your photos, try standing in front of a wall you’d put it on while holding up a 5×7 at a distance that is comfortable to see the details – and note how much of the wall it blocks out. I’ll bet that is anywhere from 12×18 inches to 30×40 inches.
If you put up a photo that means something important to you at those sizes, I guarantee you’ll love it every time you walk by.