About Us
Hello and welcome, thanks for stopping by to see what we do! I’m Chris, and my business partner and wife is Kate. I’ve been taking pictures as hobby for around twenty years. I started with everyday scenes then transitioned to landscapes and wildlife. As I improved my skills I started getting hired to take portraits and the odd wedding.
This is where I have to confess something, I never wanted to be a portrait photographer. Seems odd saying that on my portrait photography website, but it’s true. I wanted to shoot wildlife but I’ve never had enough time to do it properly. In point of fact the only thing I wanted to shoot less than portraits was weddings. However as time passed, I continued to shoot portraits, and my skills started to grow. Portraits didn’t scare me anymore, and oddly enough I started to enjoy shooting them.
One summer I had a particularly busy portrait season, booking more shoots than I normally would since portraits still weren’t in my game plan. I shot some friends and family, their kids, a family reunion complete with a group shot and individual portraits, and some individual clients who contacted me. All of my shoots went pretty well, I got paid, clients got prints, and we were all happy. Then I noticed something when I happened to be at a clients house.
Sitting in a chair with a cold beer discussing another shoot, I glanced around the room, and on the wall was a 16 x 20 print in a frame. It was the select from the previous shoot I did with that client. It was the center piece of their living room. My client noticed me looking at it (I get VERY critical of printing) and said how much they, and their relatives, love the shot.
After that I started being sure that I looked around the rooms of other clients if I were lucky enough to get hired again. I also looked around the houses of my family members whom I had taken portraits of. Every single one of them had larger prints somewhere central in their homes that I had taken. It was enlightening! My images meant enough to each and every client that they got prime real estate in people’s homes and lives. I was, and am very touched by this, and it changed my view of portraiture. What a portrait could mean, or be to someone. A single picture can record memory, and share it. It can be put on a wall where it can be loved, looked at, glanced at, until it becomes such a regular part of the surroundings that it almost seems to go unnoticed. To have that much impact on a person, or family, is a gift that I don’t think enough photographers appreciate.
This epiphany caused a shift in my business model. I started to seek portrait and headshot clients. Instead of doing portraits on the side I invested time and money into developing a portrait business. My wife helps run the business, taking care of a lot of the time consuming behind the scenes stuff like scheduling, qualifying clients and booking shoots, and much of the direct communication with the clients. She also helps with the shoot itself, often times producing the entire shoot! Arranging hair and makeup, a location and any other amenities that are needed, often doing much of the work herself. She helps with creative direction and keeps an eye for problems during a shoot that can easily be overlooked. We strive to make sure you have an enjoyable, carefree experience. After the selects are processed every client gets a print. Made here, at our office, by us, on archival fine art paper, with archival inks.