Frequently Asked Questions

How much does portrait photography cost?

A standard portrait session costs $295. Print prices start at $59 for an unframed A5 print (the size of half a piece of photocopy paper). Please contact us for a full pricelist.

For prices of modelling or acting headshots, please contact us.

For information on business portrait services and prices, please visit www.businessportraits.co.nz

Can I have my hair and make-up done?

Yes, we can arrange for your hair and make-up to be done by a professional stylist before your shoot, at an extra cost. Please contact us for more details.

Where can we have the photos taken?

Your portrait session can take place at our fully-equipped studio in Northcote Point, Auckland, or out on location: a beach, park, café, the choice is up to you. It’s great to choose a location that says something about your personalities and lifestyle. There may be an additional charge for travel for locations outside of Auckland – please contact us to discuss your location ideas.

How long does a portrait session last?

Your portrait session lasts up to 2 hours, which gives us plenty of time to try different combinations and styles, and have fun! When photographing children, it is really great to have time up our sleeves for the littlies. They can take breaks and have snacks, and we have an excellent chance of capturing them in a sparkly mood, at some point within the two hour session.

Can we meet you before the portrait session to talk about some ideas?

Absolutely! We encourage our clients to come and see us at the studio for a free consultation before the portrait session. We can show you images and discuss what kind of photos you would like to create, and find out more about you. You can also bring images you like from books, magazines, or the internet to show us.

What should I say to the kids before the portrait session?

Emphasise fun when you talk about the upcoming photo session. For example, you may say ‘we’re going to the beach to play and have a great time with Lisa/Megan. She’s going to take photos of you having fun.’ Please, do not bribe your children. When parents say ‘if you are a good girl and smile for the camera, then I’ll buy you an ice-cream afterwards’, the child starts to imagine that the photo session is like a trip to the dental nurse – an ordeal to be endured! They are likely to give fake smiles and demand their ice-cream after every shot. It is much better to have a truly fun photo session, where the child is enjoying the moment. Then, we can capture that joy in the camera.

What should we wear for the portrait session?

Please bring several different outfits for each person, so we have choices. If you like projecting a casual tone, jeans always look great.

For outdoor sessions, we recommend that family members wear a range of dark-toned coloured tops. These blend well with each other in the images, and do not distract from the faces. Please avoid tops with large images or logos on them, as they will be distracting in your photos. The simpler, the better.

If you feel that bright colours project your personality better, feel free to bring bright-coloured clothes as well.

For a studio shoot, we recommend a range of clothes, including black and white. Black tops are very useful to use with a black background – they give a beautiful, pure result. This set-up gives particularly stunning results with newborns. The white background looks fresh and fun and is great for close-ups of children’s faces. For the white background it is best for the parents to wear white or pale tops. The kids can also wear white or pale clothes, or bright-coloured clothes for a high-energy feel.

What will happen at the portrait session?

During our portrait sessions we try to get a range of photos, from formal portraits to candid, fun shots with movement. So, at times we will direct you where to be and where to look, whether that is standing on some steps, lying down in the grass, or sitting on a sand-dune. At other times we will let you loose to have fun, and we’ll capture you being yourselves. Our clients often tell us how much fun they have on their shoots – it’s a time to celebrate yourself, your loved ones, and life itself.

How do we choose our photos?

Around three weeks after your portrait session, we will contact you to make an appointment for a viewing session. The viewing session is the time for you to see and purchase your images. In our viewing room, you will see your photos on a large screen. These images have already been digitally processed by Lisa or Megan, so that you are seeing polished works of art.

Can we ask for an image to be digitally enhanced?

Yes, if you love an image but there is something about it that bothers you (for example, a blemish, or misbehaving hair), then we can probably fix it for you in Photoshop. We also love to create unique digital artworks for clients on request.

What kinds of products can we buy?

We offer unframed prints, framed prints, artmounts, canvas prints and albums. Other products are available on request. All of our products are of the highest possible quality.

Do you offer payment plans?

Your portrait session fee is payable as a deposit to secure your booking. Payment plans are available for product purchases.

Do you help any charities?

Yes, we are proud to be an official partner of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ. The Foundation is a Kiwi not-for-profit organisation dedicated to restoring sight and reducing avoidable blindness in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. We donate $25 to The Fred Hollows Foundation for every family portrait session we do. $25 helps fund a simple cataract operation. We will also be collecting donations at our monthly Photo Frenzy events.