Visitors to our web site will find a vast array of information…but one of the things you will not find is a list of our prices. And there is a reason for this. Because no two photographers anywhere (Houston, Texas, the United States, the world) are alike, it is impossible to compare prices between us. Also, please remember that professional photographers cannot be compared to the likes of Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, etc.
With that being said…here are some strategies on how you can save money with your portrait photography with Photography By Ski.
The easiest way to save money is to become a VIP Member (it’s free!). VIP Members receive exclusive special offers as well as our entertaining and informative weekly e-zine, SnapShots.
I also encourage you to bookmark our blog and continue to check our Facebook fan page for special offers.
The point I am making is that very rarely does anyone ever pay our “rack rate” or full price for our services. If you just do a little searching, you will save some serious money!
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Let’s talk about child photography.
Perhaps more than any other type of portrait photography that we do, child photography is the most challenging.
While all portrait sessions have their share of challenges, the older the subject is…the easier it is to get cooperation.
But when it comes to child portrait photography, we not only have to consider lighting and clothing but the temperament of the child.
For the most part, young children are shy and do not like changes to their environment (or a new environment for that matter). So what to do?
Well, here at Photography By Ski we encourage parents to schedule sessions at the child’s home (familiarity). During the session, we also encourage parents to relax.
We love children! And we want to capture them being themselves. That’s one of the reasons we allow two hours for a child portrait session. We don’t care if they ask a lot of questions or run around. We even get down on the ground to get on their level. Fun is the name of the game when it comes to children.
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More than you probably realize goes into your portrait session. While many aspects are within the realm of our control as portrait photographers, there is one major one that isn’t…and that deals with clothing. Here are some things to consider when it comes to preparing for your portrait session.
We recommend that you avoid clothing with stripes, patterns, spots, etc. Also, emblems, bright decorations, patterns or coats of arms on a shirt or sweater will become obvious in the portrait. Your best bet is to keep it simple.
By matching or carefully coordinating the colors and styles a more attractive portrait will result. Blue jeans and blue shirts or khakis and white shirts work really well.
If you are considering a low key portrait (where the overall tone is dark), you should choose subdued colors (avoid the primary colors). Clothing should be in the middle tonal range or darker.
For group portraits, it is crucial that everyone in the group dress in similar tones and colors. To help you understand this, try to   visualize in your mind a portrait with four people in front of a dark background. Three of the four people are dressed in dark blue jeans and blue denim shirts. The fourth person is wearing bright yellow pants and a lime green shirt (this has never happened…I’m trying to illustrate the importance of coordinating colors). Now, I ask you, would you think this was a good portrait?
If you should have any questions about this, just give us a call. We are here to help you.
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I highly recommend Ski for both professional and personal photography sessions. Ski gave a presentation at the February 2010 meeting of Executive Forum which was very informative and right on queue regarding how to prepare for a Professional Head Shot. We were also able to view photos from his portfolio which were shot on location instead of in a studio.
Elisabeth Duhon
Houston, Texas
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One of the objectives Photography By Ski has when we create your portrait is to make them look timeless. There are many ways we can accomplish this.
For starters, we carefully plan the clothes you will wear in the portrait. It is important to avoid wearing clothes that are trendy. This will definitely cause your portrait to look dated.
Included in clothing would be shoes. To be sure men’s and women’s dress shoes will always have that timeless look…but one thing you might want to consider is to having your portraits taken in bare feet! You can’t get more timeless than that!
Going hand in hand with clothing would be hair styles, although this is a more difficult hurdle to cross. Blue or pink hair, mohawks, and colored streaks are fine for high school senior portraits but will not have that timeless look.
Finally, piercings. If you have them, you might want to consider removing them for your portrait for that timeless look.
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An open letter to everyone who reads this blog post (that’s you):
We need your help. We recently created a brand new Facebook page. Unfortunately, we are in a catch-22.
We can’t rename it until we have 25 fans.
But it’s difficult to get people to become a fan because of looooooooong URL.
Sure, you can become a fan by clicking here or visiting our web site. But we want to make the page easy to tell others about. And to do that, we need to change the name.
So…would you please become a fan (if you’re not one already) or invite your friends, co-workers, etc. to become a fan?
Following us on Twitter is really easy:Â http://twitter.com/PhotoBySki
But to become a fan on Facebook is not so easy…YET.
Thank you!
Ski
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Dear Ski…
I want to thank you and Michelle for a wonderful job! We are very pleased with our portaits.
You not only worked with our crazy holiday schedule, but made all of us at ease- even our dog Pagos!
We appreciate you making the images available promptly to meet our needs.
You both are great and we will definitely recommend you to our friends.
Thank you,
George & Geetha Mammen
Houston, Texas
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When you think of portrait photography, what comes to your mind?
If you think only about in-studio sessions, you would only be 33% correct. Photography By Ski offers two types of portrait photography. They are on-location and environmental (Photography By Ski does not have a studio…we come to you).
On-location is just what the name implies…we come to you (whether it be to your house, a local park, etc.).
But let me explain what environmental portrait photography is all about. Environmental portrait photography is built around a theme. Suppose, for example, you own a horse. We would come to your stable and photograph you, your horse, you and your horse, you grooming your horse, you riding your horse and any other activity that you do.
This type of portrait photography could also be your son and his dog, your daughter and dance lessons, or you and your spouse on your boat. The opportunities are limited only by your imagination!
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It’s no secret that many business today—locally, nationwide and worldwide– have policies in place to protect both the business and the client. Here at Photography By Ski, we believe it is the best policy to be upfront and honest with all of our clients. So with that having been said, let me tell you some of the things you get from us.
To start, we give you a solid guarantee on all of our products and services: you’ll love your portraits or your money back. We understand that it’s a risk trying someone new, so this guarantee is meant to take the risk away from you and put it on our shoulders.
The other thing that we do is to offer online posting of your images and minor retouching as part of your price. We will quote you a price up front for any major retouching work you request.
Our aim is to be a company of integrity. We promise to treat you with integrity and to always be up front and honest in all matters.
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Thank you, Ski, for the help and guidance in my recent professional photo session. Thanks to your guiding hand, I will use the photos as I update my website and business development effort. We are very grateful in making the photos available so quickly and offering a variety of selections.
With such professionalism, it is very easy to recommend you and your outstanding service to others.
Best personal regards,
Joe Stiles
Houston, Texas
www.joestiles.com
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