Who are you?
Dave and I met at MassArt in 1997. We were both sophomores in one of the best photography degree programs in the country (many thanks to Jane Critchlow for the first photo).
We studied under some amazing artist-professors; photographers who had mastered the technical and produced the extraordinary. Both then and now, our professors regularly exhibit work at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and at museums and galleries around the world. While we were learning in classrooms, honing skills in the field and in darkrooms, we were also developing ourselves as artists. Anyone can click a button and take a picture, but can anyone make a photograph that takes your breath away and leaves an impression on your soul? Not so much, which is why photography is both an art and a profession.
Why do you work together? Because two heads are better than one. Because we each have unique gifts. Because we've shared photography for 13 years and it's woven into our relationship, both personally and professionally. Because working with your best friend is fun.
But I thought...and I had no idea...
Most people know me as an art teacher and by extension, an artist. Most know Dave as a state trooper and have no idea that he has a BFA in photography and was the top of our class (whereas I was always trying to keep up). When we schedule sessions it seems as though people assume I will be shooting and Dave will be tagging along. Ha! Fooled you! Dave shoots. He is a student of the decisive moment. He's a sharpshooter and he knows his camera and can make it sing. I'm not like that. I have ideas and assist, but he is the master of freezing time. I am always in awe at the end of a session at what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time. I constantly think "Wow, I never would have gotten that!" It's pretty amazing, actually, to watch someone you know very well work through shooting a subject, then to see the final result.
I handle post-production. I'm a Photoshop junkie. I started working with it when I was 14 and have been using it ever since. I know Photoshop inside and out. Many people think that editing the photos involves deleting the bad ones and adding a little contrast here and cropping there. Not so. I may spend as much as an hour working on a single image. If we shoot 200 images in a session... yup, you see where this is going. If a session lasts three hours, editing takes nine or ten. This sweet photo took a long time to process, but I think you'll agree it was well worth it:
Because they're not all good. We're asked this question all the time and that's why. People blink, kids move, the flash doesn't fire and so forth. The first step in my workflow is massive deleting. Then the task becomes selecting the best from the session. This is much harder! By the time we've chosen the right photographs to process we're down to a handful that are technically sound and visually interesting. We don't release blurry photographs. If the photo is "almost there" or "so close" or "just a little bit fuzzy" it's not good enough - which is sometimes very hard for us to swallow. What you are given represents the best work from the session. It's about quality, not quantity and that won't be comprmised for the appearance of success. We can't guarantee exactly how many photos you will receive, but we can promise they will be good.
Why is your session fee $150?
Several reasons. One, we're investing a lot of time into your photographs (two people x three hours on location x 9 hours of editing = $10/hour). Two, we're not making a profit off the images you choose to purchase, which is something many higher end photographers do because it's very, very lucrative. No packages, no minimum purchases, no cut-off dates for ordering. Three, we're dealing with overhead - adding to our photography and editing equipment, hosting the website and so forth. Finally, we have the skill and appropriate training to charge a little more. Our fee is higher than many local photographers charge, but photography can be viewed as an investment in your family's history.
As a parent, I can honestly say that time flies and I'm grateful for all of the photos we have of our children - both silly snapshots and portraits we hang in our home. As with any investment, you have to consider what it's worth to you. If you choose us when the time is right for your family photographs, we'll be honored.
If you have a question I didn't answer, please leave a comment and I will do my best to get back to you. :)
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