Honest Portraits - San Francisco Bay Area Portraits FAQ

San Francisco Bay Area Portraits FAQ

Note: Price increase Effective July 15th, 2008! For all shoots booked after July 15th, 2008 the sitting fee changes from $200 to $300. A shoot is considered booked when the deposit is received.

Q: So what's an "Honest Portrait"
A: The idea is that there's nothing like a nude or implied nude portrait to really show what a person's like. It's not just that more of you is visible, it's a whole different feel to the image. They typically show a lot more character and emotion than you can get in a standard shoot, as an example. There's a bunch of ways to do "implied nude" pictures that don't really show anything if that's what you prefer.

Q: Any examples?
A: You might want to just check out my regular portfolio but here's a few:

Q: I really just wanted a clothed portrait shoot.
A: I can do that too. It turns out a lot of folks aren't quite up for a nude shoot, but they don't want to go to a mall portrait gallery either. If you would rather work with an artist with quality gear who will set up the lights as bright or moody or whatever you want instead of being locked into some one size fits all setup you've come to the right place. It's also possible to do a mixed shoot where you get some clothed portraits for the living room but some nudes for a private album. Just let me know when you first contact me what you're interested in so I can plan accordingly. It doesn't affect the rate unless you want to do something really crazy. For more details see the clothed portrait page.

Q: So why "HonestPortraits.com"
A: I do a lot of nude figure work as a professional photographer (I sell fine art prints, have four books out, etc.) and get inquiries from somebody who would like a nude portrait - perhaps as a gift for someone special, perhaps for themselves - and I thought I'd just formalize it a bit - let people know it's something I do. As it turns out it's been very popular. In particular it turns out that there's a lot of people out there who would like to do a maternity portrait that's a bit different from the same three shots everybody seems to be taking and as a result I've been doing quite a lot of maternity work. It's not like you can just go up to most portrait places and have them do nudes, and anyway the whole thing's much more pleasant in the privacy of an artist's home studio.

Q: What's this about maternity portraits?
A: I have a special page about maternity portrait photography.

Q: Tell me more about yourself.
A: Here's a little bio.

Q: Where are you located?
A: My home studio is in the east San Francisco Bay Area - San Leandro near the Oakland border. It's very close to BART and I can pick people up there easily enough.

Q: How long is a session?
A: It takes a while for people to get used to the lights and relax a bit, but once we get to that point it goes pretty fast. It also takes time before we start shooting to talk about what we're going to do and it can take quite a while to pick your favorite images after so please allow for that. You really don't want to be rushing this process so I recommend allowing three hours just in case although two hours is much more typical.

Q: Where would the session take place?
A: Usually I'll work in my home studio but I do shoot nudes outdoors on occasion and can suggest some places that are pretty and where we're unlikely to be hassled (although one never knows). I don't generally shoot at your location since setting up a studio just anywhere isn't trivial, but if you think you can afford it feel free to ask. I do have the capability of bringing studio lights outdoors, so as an example if you have a lovely backyard it's possible to do some interesting things.

Q: What do I get?
A: The $200 base package ($300 after July 15th) includes the shoot and one 8x10. I also email an edited web-sized image of anything you purchase as a keepsake - if you are doing the shoot as a gift for somebody overseas this is particularly nice. I'll let you pick the images immediately after the session. It takes a couple of business days to get prints back from the lab - I get the same archival, professional quality prints as I use in my fine art business so you're getting a true work of art. They're signed on the back just like the ones I sell. Typically people buy additional 8x10s (see below for prices) but you can decide that when you see the results - you have no obligation other than the price for the base package. It's also possible to get larger sizes, or handmade platinum prints made - contact me for details.

Q: How edited are the images?
A: In my art photography, other than some basic cropping and minor contrast tweaks I generally don't edit my photos much - I'll just remove the occasional zit or whatever. With portrait work you get input - if you have some scar or tattoo you hate, depending on the size and location chances are it will be no big deal to either pose around it or remove it digitally. But my style is definitely to show skin texture and personality so if you want something super airbrushed that's not really what I do and I retain the final decision. If you have any concerns about what is and isn't possible please ask ahead of time - I'd hate to have you assume something can be changed when it can't be or when it could have easily been avoided during the shoot but might be nearly impossible in editing.

Q: How discreet is this? Will my pictures be on the Internet?
A: It's very discreet. I won't use your pictures for anything without your permission (when I shoot models they sign a release so I can legally use their image - there will be no such paperwork in your case).

Q: What will this cost me?
A: I like to structure things with a relatively low sitting fee and then charge for prints at my usual (affordable) art print rates. This keeps a basic shoot as affordable as possible while allowing those with extra resources the ability to really go for it. The sitting fee covers up to an hour or so of shooting time if needed, one 8x10, one email sized digital file - that's $200 ($300 after July 15th). Additional 8x10s are available at the rate of $30 each, 11x14s $60 each, 16x20s at $125 each. Feel free to ask about other sizes. I can also handmake platinum and cyanotype prints - ask me for details about this, but it isn't cheap. I also can make pigment prints on a high end Epson printer if you like those and want to keep the lab out of it. Additionally see the deposit question, below.

Note that if you want me to do something out of the ordinary like shoot on location that's extra (details depending on where you are and how much gear I need). I have very limited weekend and evening availability and usually shoot during normal business hours. Weekend and evening shoots, when available, require a $100 deposit and an extra $50 sitting fee.

Q: I can't afford that. Any other options?
A: If I can use you in my print business we can do a trade shoot. Check out my modeling page on my other site for details. However I've gotten very picky about my models recently and can't even reply to all the inquiries I get, let alone shoot all of them, so if you're willing to do it either way please let me know that's your intent so you don't get lost in the shuffle! In particular, your best bet is to use the email address here and not the one on the modeling page. This tends to really depend on what I'm looking for moment to moment so don't be disappointed if I can't use you right now.

Q: What about couples?
A: Same price. Please note that I don't do porn but it's not like I'm going to freak out just because there's contact. If you have something in mind and are concerned about if I'll go for it just email me and ask. Be blunt, it's not like I haven't heard it before. You can see a shoot I did with two gals here. I have shot male/female couples; but none I can share (because of their privacy). I'll typically shoot some shots with each person alone and some together but it's up to you. It's very common to include the father in a few maternity shots and I have some good poses that will allow him to be included without showing more than most guys want to show.

Q: What if I want to do a joint shoot with some friends?
A: If it's just two people I just treat it as a couples shoot (see the last question). But if there's at least three I'll sometimes arrange deals as long as you all arrive and pay at once. You can shoot separately or together - just let me know what you have in mind and I'll see what I can do for you.

Q: Is there a deposit/retainer?
A: I require a $50 nonrefundable retainer at the time the appointment is scheduled. If you need to reschedule and give me 24 hours notice I'll reschedule you once without any problems, but if I don't receive notice or you try to reschedule multiple times the retainer will be kept as my fee for time spent so far. That sounds rather draconian but as a practical matter I have had zero hassles from anybody who was organized enough to pay the retainer and it's been a total non-issue after that point. I can take either a check or PayPal or a credit card through PayPal for this.

Q: I'm in the military or am shooting a gift for somebody in the military. Any discounts?
A: If you can't afford the usual rate contact me and we'll try to figure something out.

Q: I'm a guy. How about that?
A: I've done a couple of shoots with guys - mostly as part of a couple - and have a pretty decent idea which of my lighting styles work and which don't with guys but obviously it's not really my focus. Still, if you're interested, drop me a note and we'll talk about it!

Q: Transgendered?
A: Just let me know what to expect and what you do and don't want to show in your initial email. To some extent it's the same as the last question - I've done it before, and it went fine, but we might have to experiment a bit more than in a standard shoot to get the result we want.

Q: How about children?
A: There's several issues with shooting folks under 18 - everything from potential legal problems to safety issues - a working photographic studio is not exactly child safe. Different photographers have different limits on this. I'm still kind of feeling this out. I've shot a 4 month old of one of my maternity clients and it went great. But I've also said "no" to shoots involving much older children. Basically if you want to bring a child to a shoot, even if you don't intend for them to be part of the shoot, contact me first and we'll discuss what you have in mind.

Q: What about the negatives?
A: There are no negatives! For this kind of portrait work, digital has several advantages. You can learn to pose with the light very quickly if you can see immediately how it works, and you can choose the pictures right after the shot. People love getting everything done without having to come out here more than once. If you're insistent on working with film I have the ability to shoot and develop medium format film with a variety of professional and/or classic cameras dating back to the 1950s. It will be a very different experience - slow paced, deliberate, and you'll need to come back another day to see proofs. If you are interested, ask, but it's a high end option (that's photographer-speak for "expensive").

Q: Can I get a CD of the images?
A: People usually have two variations in mind with this. One is "Can I get the entire shoot on CD?" - this is unworkable both for technical reasons and the fact that I'm way too much of a control freak to let unedited shots out there. But if you just want a copy of prints you've already purchased I'll give you a copy of the same file I send to the lab for $50 each. (This is in addition to the cost of the print).

Q: Anything else I should know?
A: You will be treated in a highly professional manner. You must be at least 18 and provide ID. I photograph the ID as the first frame of the shoot.

If you're interested write to info@honestportraits.com - let me know a little about yourself and what you're interested in and we can start hashing out the details!