There are so many things that have to come together just right to make an amazing image. Like so many things in life, producing something great takes passion, effort and collaboration. As a young photographer starting out in the mid 1990’s, I spent a lot of time in the darkroom learning the craft of photography. That was a time when the print was generally the end product, whether it was a large format, fiber based fine art print or eagerly rushing to the drug store to pick up film from the 4th of July BBQ(We’d even order doubles to give to friends!). No doubt the world has changed since then, notably to me as we rarely take the time to print our images these days. While it’s always fun and maybe even important to share our memories on social media in a digital format, it’s more valuable than ever to document your families legacy in a tangible, printed form. In a day when we all rush around and instant gratification is the norm, I seek to create heirloom family art that will be cherished for generations to come. All of that said, there are a few steps on the way to hanging those pieces of art on your wall:

Initial consult:

Fill out the form below to request a free consultation, then we can arrange a time to discuss your vision for your images. This is a critical first step to make sure we are all on the same page going into the shoot. Would you like to create these photographs at a particular location or at home or even in the studio? Is the wardrobe causal or formal? Either way, there are things to discuss to make sure the final images are worthy of the walls in your home. Also, it is important to discuss the amount of space you have to display your artwork. Living in Hawaii, we are all too aware of the value of space in a home. I personally love to make quite large gallery prints with a generous cotton fiber mount and mat in a classic frame, but to get the proper proportions in a smaller space sometimes we need to reduce the mat and frame size or even do a flush mounted frame to get an image of the appropriate size in the space. Generally, this process takes 20-40 minutes for the shoot to take shape, but if you have big ideas make sure to set aside at least an hour! It’s ALWAYS easier to spend more time creating the vision, than it is to change something after the fact!

Shoot:

If we are shooting at your home, you can relax a bit. For individual portraits, I won’t need much space to set up equipment. Shooting these classic portraits puts the focus on the subject: your loved ones. While beautiful scenery makes a great backdrop for many photographs, it’s equally important to document the growth and changes of your family with these low-key, renaissance painting inspired portraits. Another advantage to shooting in the home is that we can still shoot in the middle of a storm! We can shoot on a hot, sunny day at noon without squinting or sunburns. Maybe most importantly, we won’t have to worry about the wind!

For location shooting, I will be waiting there for you and we will quickly get to work. I don’t like to rush anyone, but being that I specialize in children and families, I don’t always get to decide the timeline. Young kids make for timeless portraits, but they tend to work on their own schedule. I try to go with their flow. Sometimes there will be changes to the original vision to accommodate the whims of the youngest family members. This is normal, we can only control certain behaviors as much as we can change the weather! Speaking of weather, Hawaii is a place with very dynamic weather patterns. On the day of your shoot, don’t worry too much about what the sky looks like when you first get out of bed. The weather changes equally by the minute and mile. Besides, clouds give character! Blue skies are great, but I personally prefer days with some clouds; be it fluffy white clouds against a deep blue backdrop or thick, dramatic storm clouds when the sun is low in the sky. These are the best times to make the most beautiful portraits. While your actual shoot will be reasonably quick, lasting 40 minutes to an hour on average, you will likely be ready for a substantial meal afterwards. Do feel free to ask for recommendations!

Review:

After the shoot, we will need to meet to review the fruits of our labor. This is best done in person, but due to proximity and the current COVID situation, sometimes this must be done remotely. Regardless, we will meet to review the images created during the shoot and make decisions about photo selections, sizes, retouching, color grading and such. This is another essential component of the perfect portrait. During this post-shoot consultation, we will discuss final sizes, retouching and make final frame choices.

Retouch and Print

After the post-shoot consultation, your final images will be retouched and prepared for final printing on the finest quality Hahnemule Baryta papers. I truly believe that post-production and retouching are like salt and pepper; a great and necessary way to bring out the most in a delicious dish, but heavy-handed seasoning won’t fix a bad meal and can quickly degrade an otherwise great one! We specialize in complex yet gentle editing to enhance, not fabricate. You will receive a final, smaller proof print to confirm composition, color and retouching to approve before the final print is made. After mounting, matting and framing, the work will be prepared for delivery.

Delivery

Once the final, mounted and framed image is finished, it’s recommended that we install the piece. We can adjust for changes in the living space and properly mount the work in a secure, balanced way that will accentuate the beauty of your new artwork!