We take lots of time.
Our shortest (budget) portfolio session booking is two hours, but most are better served with the longer half-day session (we always allow some slack in the calendar, so we can add a little extra time if needed).
That extra time allows for changes of make-up, hair and clothing. We’re rarely rushed which makes for a pleasant experience all around.
We don’t give you lots of images.
We don’t value quantity – just quality. In all honesty, we can’t promise you a specific large number of images from your session. The “almost good enough” images are just that and it is probably best if they never see the light of day. Portfolios should just be the best shots – weak shots just dilute the overall portfolio. You buy what you need and want, without padding it out with the dross.
Our standard half-day sessions deliver six images – most will add some extras.
We don’t expect you to be experienced in front of the camera.
For many of our clients, this is their first photo shoot – that’s fine, we’ve done this lots of times. Putting a nervous client at ease is just something we expect.
We know that what worked well for the last client might not work as well for the next – everyone has different bodies and different abilities. We try lots of options to get the best from you.
We review as we go.
We always shoot connected to the laptop in the studio, so we can review high-resolution images on a large screen. If something isn’t working it’s easy to spot it early and correct it.
You will leave confident that you’ll have a hard time choosing the final shots.
We’re not surprised or bothered if you have a big spot. We expect dancers to have bruises and scabs.
Retouching the images is part of the service. We expect skin blemishes and your finished images are meticulously retouched to remove transient blemishes – your image will show you at your best (but still you).
We shoot for you.
Not every client session is the same. We shoot what you need for your portfolio – that can include headshots, bodyshots, dance & ballet, fitness, commercial – if we have enough time, we’ll shoot it.
We don’t include hair and make-up styling,
We can add hair and make-up styling on request, but it would likely double the price and time needed for the session (we’re not cheapskates when it comes to paying other professionals and we don’t generally expect professional hair and make-up to take less than another hour and a half).
We know what you need.
Most of these images are destined for social media and professional sites like Spotlight.
We deliver print-ready digital copies in both colour and black & white.
For headshots, you get a square crop for profile images on social media (and Instagram) and an upright 5:4 (10×8) for professional sites and print. We also include our preferred landscape orientation shot (the negative space works well for poster images adding text – agents like these for announcements on social media).
Other portfolio images are upright 5:4 (10×8) for professional sites and print. We occasionally (and optionally) include other crops such as square if it suits the image.