Lifestyle Portrait
FAQs
What are Lifestyle Portraits?
The idea behind Lifestyle Portraits is to
capture you and your personality. This can range from
serious and stoic to funny and goofy to sexy and sensual. It can be of you
working in your garden or relaxing on your deck, hanging out at the beach,
your children playing in the park or even their playroom. It can include elements of fashion,
casual, glamour, commercial and sports photography. Just tell me about
yourself - what you like to do, what are your passions, your past-times,
that sort of thing. Together we'll work out a session that will work for
you.
How long does a
lifestyle portrait session take?
That really depends on a number of factors: the number of subjects
to be photographed, the location of the portrait session, and the
personality of the subject or subjects. Most lifestyle portrait
sessions will last 1-2 hours.
How many photos
will be taken during the session?
On average, expect about 50-100 photos per hour will be shot. Of
these, only about 10-20% will be usable. The reason is that I will be trying
out different angles, different poses, moving you around in an attempt to
find what works best for you. Posing and angles are not a one-size-fits-all
type of thing, especially in Lifestyle Portraits.
How many photos
will I get out of a session?
Again, there is no set average. Some people warm up to the camera
easily and get into the session. Others remain tense and shy through the
whole session. On the low side, 5-10 usable photos per hour of shooting is
normal. For those who are photogenic and like being in front of the camera,
the number of usable photos taken during a session hour can be 15, 20, or
even higher.
How long after the
session until I get my copies of the photos?
Normally about a week depending on the speed of the U.S. Postal
Service and my own workload. After the session, I will separate the
good photos from the bad, then post-process the good photos. I will adjust a number of things such as color
and balance, retouch the photos where necessary, burn them to a CD or DVD,
and have them mailed out to you. What
do I have to do to prepare for Lifestyle Portraits?
Not much, really. I do recommend wearing clean and unwrinkled
clothes, of course, without any detailed patterns or designs. Solid colors
always look best. I also suggest
you have your hair combed and styled and the area in which we'll be shooting
to be clean and clutter-free. If you are a woman, make sure your make-up is
properly applied. Too little will let all the little imperfections (yes,
even supermodels have imperfections) show through, too much and you will
look like a $5 hooker on dollar night. Use a matte powder to reduce the
shine of make-up and skin. This helps prevent those shiny areas in
photographs. This just makes for better photos overall. If the session is to take place indoors, make sure there are some areas
where I can plug in and set up a couple of small studio lights if necessary. How
can I get my Lifestyle Portraits for free?
Let's face it, the economy here in
Michigan is in rough shape. Not everyone can afford the services of a
professional photographer, but they want something more than a simple
snapshot. That is why I offer this option. Among
the types of photography I do, stock photography is one of my specialties.
Stock photos are pictures that are sold through stock photo agencies to
clients world-wide for illustrations in magazines, ads, brochures, business
presentations, book covers, websites, and even on television. Lifestyle
Portraits are often excellent sources for stock imagery. The qualifications
for stock photography are an attractive or unique subject and an interesting or
popular concept. You do not need to be a model or even look like one. You do
need to be photogenic. The session also needs to be within 30 miles of
me. Applying
for free Lifestyle Portraits is easy. Simply send an email to pywrit@msn.com
or pywrit@pywrit.com along with a
recent photo or snapshot of yourself or the subjects. Use the subject line
"Free Lifestyle Portraits". Include in the email any ideas you have in
mind of what you want, if anything, for your portrait session. Whether you are
selected or not, I will reply
to the email and give you reasons. Don't worry if you are not selected, it
doesn't mean you are ugly or unphotogenic. Most of the time it is simply
that I do not have a need for the look or theme that you have presented. Before
the session, I will have you sign a general model release. This allows me to
sell these photos through stock agencies. Without it, I cannot sell the
photos. This is how I make my fee for the session. So instead of paying me
upfront to take your pictures, you allow me to sell them and make my fee on
the backend. |
