The Ultimate Portrait Guide | Portrait by Chrissy | Houston Portrait Photographer
INTRODUCTION TO MODERN PORTRAIT
Thinking about booking a Modern Portrait session? Are you on the fence? Have questions? Just curious? I got you! I am creating this Ultimate Modern Portrait Guide to help you understand more about portrait, what to expect, and answer some common questions.
Why You Should Have A Modern Portrait?
Set your legacy!
Establishing your legacy is the number one reason you should consider a Modern Portrait session. We are every changing, every growing, and every aging. Why would you not want to freeze this moment in time in your life? We often put things on our “someday list” and then look back full of regret and “I should have.” Throughout history people have documented their lives by sitting for drawings, paintings, and now portraits. Why wouldn’t you document your life? We can look back through a history and see legacies of people who have lived and existed for a moment in time and you deserve more than a pixelated cellphone selfie. One day your children’s children will go looking for your pictures, what will they find?
Now you know why you should. Let’s talk about the Portrait by Chrissy Experience…
THE PORTRAIT BY CHRISSY PORTRAIT EXPERIENCE
The Portrait by Chrissy Portrait Experience includes complimentary dry hair styling and makeup application for those who want it, some of my clients like a natural look and that is fine too. On the day of your session clients arrive to the studio at 10 am and go into hair and makeup. Hair and makeup lasts anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half depending on how much hair you have.
Once hairstyling and makeup is complete, or if you have opted for a natural look, we go through your wardrobe and start planning the order of wardrobe, additional accessories, and backdrop/scene. Each portrait session comes with 3-4 outfits/looks. This process generally takes about 10-20 minutes.
Once we have the game plan the shoot begins. I begin to guide you through a series of poses keeping in mind any concerns you will address in the booking process and keeping poses strategic and flattering to your body shape, and minimize insecurities. The shoot generally lasts about an hour and a half.
After your shoot clients come back to the studio in 2-3 weeks to review their images and make album or folio selections, order upgrades, and any additional product such as wall art or enlargements.
PORTRAIT BY CHRISSY PORTRAIT STYLES
Glamour
Contemporary Portrait
Headshot Portrait
Editorial
Fine Art
WARDROBE & STYLING
When it comes to styling your portrait session, start by looking in your own closet! You don’t have to go out and spend a ton of money on wardrobe. You can even borrow from our Client Wardrobe Closet and mix and match with your own wardrobe and accessories.
When planning your portrait session, plan each look to be different from one another do your session doesn’t seem repetitive. While I only shoot 3-4 looks, I recommend bring at least 6-8 outfits/pieces. Use this opportunity to create different looks with a purpose. You can mix and match your session to accommodate different uses and needs for your portraits.
I always recommend the following looks:
A glam look
A business look
A casual/contemporary look
A fun and sexy look
Why? You can use your images from you session for a legacy portrait to pass down, a dating profile image, a business look to polish your your headshot and brand, a social media profile look, so many different ways to use your final images. Start writing all the different portrait styles that could be beneficial in your every day life, then plan your looks around that.
Below are some examples of what to consider for your session:
Evening Gown
Cocktail Dress
Spaghetti Strap Dress
Strapless Dress
Flowy Dress
Wrap Dress
Slit Dress
A Little Black Dress
Jeans and Sweater
T-Shirt and Jeans
Jeans and a Jacket
Slacks and a Sweater
Slacks and a T Shirt
Pant Suit
Skirt Suit
Where to get your wardrobe:
Start with your own closet!
Amazon! You can even see my Glamour Shopping List on Amazon. If you are a curvy girl, heres my Curves Shopping List on Amazon.
Local Shopping:
Windsor (Galleria, Willowbrook Mall, Deerbrook Mall, First Colony Mall or online)
Camille La Vie (Memorial City, Galleria)
H&M
White House | Black Market
Ann Taylor
Off Saks 5th Avenue
Neiman Marcus
The Buffalo Exchange (Shepherd Dr in Montrose)
Torrid
Online Shopping
PRODUCT & WALL ART
What products do I offer my clients? When I shoot I shoot with albums and wall art in mind.
We offer albums, folio collections, and wall art.
COMMON CONCERNS ADDRESSED
A lot of women have concerns when it comes to portraits, in this section I am going to address what is common objections or worries when it comes to having your portraits done.
Yeah but all these women look like models…
But they’re not! They are women like you and I from all backgrounds and walks of life. In fact, most women who come through my studio feel as if they are not modelesque enough…until they see their final images! The most common phrase said after a client sees their images at their reveal is “I can’t believe that’s me.” ALSO, we need to address something, don’t compare yourself to other women, we are all beautiful and we are all unique which makes us even more beautiful.
I’m just not photogenic…
The biggest myth on the planet next to “I need to lose ___ pounds” (see below). There is no such thing as not being photogenic. That is a misnomer, you are either comfortable with the camera or you are not comfortable with camera. It’s my job to to make you comfortable and do the work to put you at ease. Let me stress over your portraits looking amazing!
I’m so insecure about my….
ALL women have something about their body they are insecure about! Often, our insecurities is our mind telling us we are not good enough when in fact we are. Never the less, when you book your session I will go over everything! If you don’t like or are worried about a specific part of your body, we will minimize and/or accentuate through posing and wardrobe.
I just need to lose 20 pounds first…
Let me be honest, you are probably perfect just as you are. Second, there is a myth that the camera adds 10 pounds, an inexperienced photographer adds 10 pounds. A professional photographer who is experienced in their profession can take 20 pounds off you through posing, angles, and using their equipment to its advantage. Now I want to get real with you, do you know every person who has said “Let me just lose____ first,” fast forward six months, one year, two years, and they STILL haven’t lost anything and a lot have gained. Don’t let the false idea of needing weight-loss to be photographed beautifully stop you from one of the most amazing experiences you can have.
I want to do this but I am not sure I can afford this…
I work with women from all walks of life and socioeconomic backgrounds. In the next session I’ll answer how you can afford your portrait session as I make it easy for everyone to do this!
Q&A
In this final section, I will address some of the most common questions about boudoir and my boudoir studio.
I saw your black and white portraits. Can I have my session in black and white?
Yes! Yes you can!
Where is your studio located and is it an actual studio?
Good question! My studio is a home based studio. I converted a large room in my home to a home studio to work out of, while it is in my home, it is an actual studio. My studio is located in the CyFair Area of Houston in the Copperfield Area. In late 2020 I will be looking to open another studio location to inside the inner-loop.
Do you offer wardrobe?
I do! You can see my Client Wardrobe Closet to view some of the items I offer. There is way more than pictured and you are always welcome to come in for a fitting before your shoot. In fact, I highly recommend it!
Do you give digitals?
Yes, yes I do. Every image selected for your album comes with a digital web image.
When do I see my images?
2-3 weeks after your shoot, you’ll come back to Portrait by Chrissy’s studio to select the images you want in your album or folio, select any package upgrades, and order additional wall art if you want wall art.
How long does product take to come in?
Prints and wall art take 7-14 days
Albums take up to 3 weeks from the date you approve your album design.
I don’t want prints either, I just want digitals do you do that?
You can do digitals only, it does not change the price of the session or images to a lower price point.
What does retouching go over?
When you book, you’ll receive a questionnaire that will go over all your retouching concerns. We can leave you natural in your beauty but we understand that some women want things out of their images, basic retouching includes removal of acne, blemishes, red spots, dark circles.
We can remove or soften scars, tattoos, stretch marks, eczema, psoriasis, cysts, at clients request.
I don’t want my images on social media, your website, or I want to control what is shown.
Not a soul outside you, me, and my professional print lab will see your images or know you had a shoot with me unless you give sharing permissions. At your reveal I have a form you will fill out with sharing permissions if you want your images shared at all. You can even set the control website and blog only, studio samples only, no one, etc… your privacy is our top concern.
Will you blog my images?
Only if you give permission.
What forms of payment do you accept?
As of February 2020 all payments are done through Square, our card processing merchant. we are no longer accepting PayPal or PayPal Me payments. Square accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover, and cash. Checks are not accepted.
I’m pregnant and I’d like a portrait session. Do you do that?
Yes! We will photograph maternity in a portraiture style.
Can you shoot at my home or a hotel or an outside studio?
Yes! We are equipped to go mobile. We will not shoot in an AirBNB without express written consent from the owner, we can conduct your shoot in a hotel, and your home. There are several studios in Houston that rent to photographers and clients for sessions, the cost of the rental and all fees will be factored into the cost of your shoot. Please contact me at info@portraitbychrissy.com with the location, desired date, and any fees or permits required for full pricing plus a travel estimate for Portrait by Chrissy.
Will you travel out of town or State to conduct a shoot for me?
Yes, all travel costs will be factored into the shoot. Please email me at info@portraitbychrissy.com with the location, desired date for a quote.
Do you photograph couples?
Absolutely!
Do you photograph men?
Absolutely!
Do you photograph families?
I do! Large family groups over four people please email me at info@portraitbychrissy.com
How can I can I get your pricing?
Fill out the form below and I will send you my Pricing Guide ASAP!
How can I book my session?
To book your session you can call or text me at 832-598-1172, or you can email me at info@portraitvychrissy.com as soon as you are ready to book. If you need my Pricing Guide or want to know “How much” you need to go to the form below and I will send you price list ASAP, if you message me inquiring I am going to link you back to the Pricing request page. Once you get to the Pricing Guide there will be a link to book.
Chrissy Guthrie is a professional portrait photographer in Houston, TX with a studio located in the CyFair area of Houston near Cypress, TX and Katy, TX between 290 and I10 off Barker Cypress near Highway 6. All full modern portrait sessions include the Portrait by Chrissy Experience which includes: Our comprehensive PortraitPrep Guide, Hair styling and Makeup on the day of your session in our portrait studio, 3-4 outfits or looks, guided posing with Chrissy’s own strategic posing system that works to flatter each woman’s figure, and fully retouched images. Chrissy walks clients through every step of their portrait experience. For more information about scheduling your own portrait session, or if you want more information on portrait sessions, you can visit our Modern Portrait section of our website, or you can fill out the form below and Chrissy will send you information on how you can have the portrait session of your dreams.
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March 22, 2020 @ 4:12 pm
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