Portrait FAQ

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

I am based in Pimlico, south west London.

WHICH CLOTHES ARE MOST SUITABLE FOR A PHOTO SHOOT?

You should wear coordinating colours. I would recommend that you pick a colour and then have different combinations of that colour. It is best to avoid bold stripes and checkes or any  large logos. On request I will be able to advise on which colours work best on camera and feel  of the  location. 

HOW DO WE CHOOSE A LOCATION FOR THE SHOOT?

A photo shoot can either take place at your home or anywhere that you have a special connection, such as a beach, wood or park. I could also combine part of the shoot at home, with a photo shoot on location.

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT RAINS?

Damp days should not be discounted for the photo shoots as the soft light that results from cloud and drizzle can produce beautiful portraits. It is a misconception that the day must be sunny and bright to be suitable for a photo shoot!

If it is pouring on the day we can either plan part of the shoot at home or, if you prefer, reschedule. 

HOW LONG IS A TYPICAL PHOTO SHOOT SESSION?

I normally suggest allowing a 2 hours portrait session, which will take into account shooting in different areas within a location and a change of clothings to create variety in the images that I will produce.

WHAT IS A COPYRIGHT AND WHO OWNS IT?

The copyright is a piece of legislation which is in place to protect photographers against unauthorised copying of their work – In the UK there is no system for registering a copyright – it exists automatically and it will last for the life of the photographer plus 70 years.

I retain the copyright to all my images. However, you will be granted usage rights to get the images reproduced at a print lab for your personal use or to give to family and friends and for social sharing. You are not permitted to sell any images that I have created to third parties, including stock libraries, whether this means a print, a digital file, framed images or finished album.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RAW AND A JPEG IMAGE AND WHAT DOES POST PRODUCTION DO?

Post production is a process that transform images from what were captured in a camera, either to be closer to what our eyes have seen or to alter the image artistically.

When a photographer shoots in RAW the image out of the camera will be un-processed and not the finished product. If you were to try to print a RAW image it will look “soft” (slightly out of focus or lacking details) and the colours will look “flat”. You can compare a RAW image to a negative, that in the old days of film, wasn’t of much use until it was developed in a dark room for the image to come to life.

When shooting in JPEG, the camera will do all the processing on the image for you, whereas, when shooting in RAW the processing is done by the photographer in post-production using software like photoshop.

Once an image has been edited in post-production with software such as photoshop, it will look beautifully edited and finished. The editing process is as much part of my artistic and creativity skills as it is the way I photograph.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HIGH-RESOLUTION AND LOW-RESOLUTION IMAGE?

Basically, low resolution images are used on the web and for viewing on your computer screen, Ipad and phone and high resolution images are reserved for printing. Resolution is measured in DPI (dots per square inch). This is the measurement printing companies use to determine how sharp an image is. A dot (also known as pixel) describes the number of points that can be captured by digital cameras. Photos or images used for online or web can be at low resolution (72 DPI) and will look fabulous on a computer screen. High resolution images will need to have between 240 and 300 dpi (dots per square inch) to look clear and detailed, once they have been printed.

If you were to print and low resolution images they will look pixelated and out of focus.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PROFESSIONAL AND HIGH STREET CONSUMER PRINTING LAB?

You may think that you are saving money by having your high resolution images printed by the high street printing lab. I understand how easy it is to “think” that you are getting a good deal with many of these labs but it is until you compare printing between a pro and consumer lab that you can really see the difference. Professional labs offer several options of superior quality of paper, including fine art quality, ink and sizes which are just not available with the high street labs. In addition, they will not be able to handle larger size prints as they are mainly geared towards smaller sizes. At any professional lab a human reviews the images before they are printed on state of the art color calibrated machines and they are trained to make adjustments if need-be. In addition, I can tell them to print as “it is” and don’t retouch anything on a print to print basis, whereas at consumer labs, a computer algorithm is going to decide if my prints are too dark or too light and adjusting the exposure without caring about the artistry that it has taken in creating the image. Like all professional photographers I edit on a colour-calibrated monitor, meaning what I saw on my monitor,after I edited the image, should look exactly the same when the digital file is printed. The creamy newborn skin and overall soft palette that I see on my screen will look completely different if I was to use a high street lab. Sending your prints to a non-pro labs is going to leave you with not only substandard quality prints but inconsistent colour results.

You are investing in my professional skills to get beautiful portraits and, therefore, you are entitled to get the best photography products including pro prints which will be printed exactly as I have envisaged them to be.

WHAT IS A FINE ART PRINT?

This is a term used to describe an extremely high quality print. Fine art prints are printed from digital files using archival, pigment based inks and acid free fine art paper.

An acid free fine art paper will be free of chemicals, including acids, that are normally added to the pulp mix in order to achieve the desidered whiteness. These acids have an adverse effect on paper as over time they cause the paper to yellow when exposed to air and with time may attack the colours on the print causing the image to fade even without being exposed to air or sunlight. Archival quality paper, will last well over 100 years without losing its colour or without fading or changing its tones because it is completely acid free and specially coated to ensure that the ink is absorbed as accurately as possible whilts retaining a vibrant and clear image. The pigment-based inks used on fine art prints, mainly giclée inks, will result in an amazing colour gamut and spread of colours.

HOW MANY IMAGES WILL WE BE ABLE TO CHOOSE FROM?

It is difficult to specify the exact number of images I will be producing as this will depend not only on the hours you have booked me for but also on the variables that need to be taken into account when shooting small children as, for instance, we may have to take breaks for snacks and even tantrums! However, I will aim to present you with 60 images to choose from which,when viewed together, they will tell a story of the session. The majority of my clients choose a number of images to display on their walls, either as framed prints, or any of the acrylic and aluminium mounted products or an album which will include all your chosen images.