Before you book
What a professional session should cost, and why
A professional portrait is priced for the work behind it. Here is what that work is, and how to read what any photographer charges.
What a reservation covers
At Born & Raised our reservation is $1,000. Of that, $500 returns to you as a portrait credit toward your finished artwork. The session itself, in real terms, costs $500.
- Studio strobe lighting and a controlled set
- A photographer trained to direct children
- Professional retouching of your final portraits
- Archival printing
- Conservation framing built by hand in our own shop
The portraits are the beginning
Most of what a family invests goes into the finished artwork, not the session. That is the cost of a portrait made to hang for generations, not a folder of files. See our studio's current figures on the Book with us page.
Be careful with a very low session fee
A very low fee usually means the time, the lighting or the finishing has been cut somewhere. A professional portrait is priced for the work behind it.
What to ask any photographer about cost
- What does the session fee include?
- What do the finished portraits cost, framed?
- When will I see my proofs, and when do I choose?
- Is there a minimum purchase?
- What is included in the price, and what is extra?
Every photographer is an independent business and sets their own prices. A good one will answer these plainly.