Portraits should be a reflection of your individual style and personality. At Apogee Studios, we make it our goal to get to know you and find out what your portrait goals are. We custom tailor the sitting to meet the needs of the client.

Because we are a private studio, our appointment times are limited and precious. For this reason, all appointments must be secured with a credit card or on-site payment at the time the appointment is booked. This is a non-refundable booking fee. It is important to understand that your appointment is a commitment to arrive on time for your session, with your clothing and accessories assembled, props in hand and any other portrait participants in tow. Preparation is key to a good portrait experience.

This brings us to planning:
Planning your session is more than simply calling the studio, setting an appointment and paying the booking fee. You need to think about what you like in photographs of yourself and others, and what you want to portray in you images. We can offer suggestions and help with this, but the onus is on you to convey your desires to us as early as possible. We will ask you several questions and show you some samples of images to help you determine your photographic style, but you can get a head start by looking at (and clipping out) images in magazines, in the newspaper, from other persons portraits (friends, family, etc.) and on the internet. If possible, clip, print or remove these images and bring them to your session with you. This will give us a good starting point in designing the session with you. Pay particular attention to the types of lighting that you like (flat, hard, contrasty, soft, feathered, high key, low key, spot lit, etc.).

Bring hair styling tools, makeup, jewelry, hair ties and all your other accessories in a sturdy bag (no Fred Meyers plastic bags please). Clothes should be freshly cleaned and pressed, and brought to the studio on individual hangers, arranged by outfit group if possible. It is a good idea to bring more clothes than you think you will want to shoot, so that we have some options when you come into the studio. Packing your bag and setting up your clothes a day or so in advance of your appointment is also good, as you may forget something important if you are running about trying to pack the half hour before you are scheduled to be here!

If you are scheduling an outdoor sitting, keep in mind that you will need 1-3 indoor clothing options and 1-2 outdoor clothing options. If you intend to do a personal activity image (featuring sports clothing or equipment, a unique prop, etc.), be sure to bring your complete outfit. Likewise if you have a personality photo that you want to do (instrumentalist, dramatist, etc.) you should choose an outfit that compliments your props. Black and white clothing are sure winners when doing portraits with an instrument (or for most any personality piece). We are happy to talk with you about your desires and give suggestions on what would work well.

Everyone should include the following items in their "kit" at the bare minimum:

• 1 formal attire (shirt and tie or nice dress, sweater, etc.) (commonly for the yearbook image)
• 1 semi-formal (for family and friends)
• 1 casual outfit
• 1 white button up shirt or blouse (and undershirt if necessary)
• 1 black shirt (flat fabric that is non-reflective)
• blue jeans or similar casual pant
• black dress pants (Dockers style pants are acceptable)
• Khaki dress pant (Dockers or similar are acceptable)
• Styling Equipment (brushes, combs, scrunchies, barrettes, blowers, curlers, whatever...)
• makeup, hair gell, etc.

DO NOT drastically change your appearance the two weeks prior to your sitting (get a drastic haircut, change makeup brands or application style, color or highlight your hair in a dramatic way, etc.). Doing so is more likely to make you hate your portraits than it is to improve the outcome of the session. You do not need to change your makeup style to meet a "photographic" requirement (some studios suggest you use darker colors or heavier applications, etc.). I take classic images that will show you at your best if you are dressed and coifed in your usual manner.

"How much should I anticipate spending?"
This is a good way to phrase your pricing concerns to a photographer.
"So what's your cheapest package?" is not.

Your portraits will be admired by your friends and family for many, many years (and God forbid you get famous and the movie screen people get hold of it)! Don't sell yourself short by going with the "cheapest deal". Our prices are about in the middle of the pack, but our personalized attention is unmatched

Here is a partial list of pricing options: Click HERE to download our Print Pricing PDF

Your Print Order:
The good news is we do not have traditional "packages". The bad news is we do not have traditional "packages".

Because I feel that your portraits should meet YOUR needs, I do not put together packages of print sizes that you must choose from. We do have an initial minimum order requirement of not less than $175.00, but you can achieve that minimum in a number of ways. Choose the number of prints and wall portraits that you NEED, not what the studio says you HAVE TO HAVE. This affords you the opportunity to create a photo package that precisely meets your expectations, nothing left out and nothing that you didn't really want. It also means you have to make choices.

The most common thing I hear is that "there are too many good ones!" I know, terrible thing... But the trouble is, if you have a hard time making choices, it can become expensive to print one of EVERY pose. I try to encourage clients to pick between five and ten frames max from their session. Even with my help, many folks have a hard time. This is where planning can once again save the day. If you come to the session with a list of sizes and names of persons who are going to get them, it will help you in the selection process. Also have a good idea of how many wallets you will need, then add about 25% to that number. It is common to run short on wallets and if you run out, you will have to wait for the additional prints, plus pay a reorder fee for the add on's.

Most importantly, because we are a completely digital studio, we show and order your images in one session! Your family and friends should come to the session not less than 45 minutes from the scheduled conclusion. They are welcome to attend the entire shoot, but they need to be there at the end if they are going to help you choose or are responsible for paying for the prints you choose. Alternatively, we are happy to create and host a web gallery of your images on our website. Hosting your gallery is free. Galleries can be "open" (available to anyone who clicks on them) or "closed" (requiring a password to get in).

Which brings us to our last item, the session and reprint fees. When you book your appointment, we will block out an appropriate amount of time in our master schedule. You own that time. No one else will be scheduled into it on top of you. Because we do not book multiple clients into the studio at the same time, we require THE SESSION TO BE PAID IN FULL BY CREDIT CARD at the time the session is reserved. This is a NON REFUNDABLE booking fee. If you are able to cancel your appointment with 72 hours notice (or more) we will be happy to reschedule you and apply the fee to that future booking. Appointments that cancel with less than 72 hours notice (or God forbid just do a NO SHOW) will be charged the full session fee and will need to make an additional deposit to schedule another appointment. Please help us to keep our schedule flowing and our clients happy by keeping your appointment time.

Usually, we can have prints up to 24x36 inches ready for you in about 3 days, however, in heavy production times, that time may stretch. Larger images and special request sizes or finishes may take from 4-6 weeks for delivery, sometimes longer depending on the portrait size and finish options. High School Yearbook images are done electronically and will be available on CD at the end of your session. Please allow the appropriate amount of time for prints to return to the studio before calling to check on your order.

Single image folders:
8x10's for $5.00
5x7's for $3.50
4x5 for $2.00
These are black folders with black borders (very elegant).

Double image (side by side) folders:
8x10 2-up vertical for $7.00
5x7 2-up vertical for $5.00
4x5 2-up vertical for $3.00
These are black folders with gold foil trim.

We also have leather folios that hold many different combinations of prints. These are 10x10 inch leatheret folios with 2 panels that accept many different layout options (4-4x5 vertical/horizontal/mixed, 2-5x7's vertical/horizontal, 1-8x10 vertical/horizontal, etc.). If you are interested in these, they are $50 each, plus the prints to go in them, and we will work with you on what prints to include in order to optimize their display potential.

Giclee prints are a special type of collector quality museum archival prints on canvas, watercolor or DuraFlex substrate. These images have a wider range of tone and color than photographic prints and, because they do not involve any chemicals at all, are known to last more than 100 years. These prints lend themselves particularly well to images that have been treated with an artistic modification such as watercolor enhancement, pastel imaging or such similar effects. These are our top of the line, one of a kind art prints that will be a topic of discussion and enjoyment for many, many years.

Additional services and sizes may be available, such as life-size prints, selective color reduction or toning, and many other techniques. If you can think of it, we can probably do it, so please ask. These additional services may require an additional fee on top of the regular print fee.

Please be aware that print handling, display location and display mounting and protection techniques and materials can have a significant impact on the longevity of your prints. Please follow our Image Care Guide (PDF) for optimal results.