Picture The Family
SOMEONE in the family may have developed chickenpox. The baby may be teething and tearful. If you've chosen an outdoor setting, rain clouds could appear. But take heart. Celebrities have to do just as much planning as you would to get that perfect family portrait. -----------------------------------------------------------------
Visualizing a charming family portrait for posterity? Count on considerable planning and a few glitches between the click of the camera and hanging that portrait.
Photographers say it's not uncommon for someone in the family to develop chickenpox on the day of the appointment. The baby may be teething and tearful, or have a fresh cold. If you've chosen an outdoor setting, rain clouds could appear.
But take heart. Celebrities have to do just as much planning as you would to get that perfect family portrait.
When Paul D. Skipworth of Dallas photographed the Clintons the summer before they moved into the White House, they had a pre-photo consultation about apparel and location.
Skipworth, a member of the Professional Photographers of America, has photographed several first families, presidential swearing-in ceremonies, inaugural balls and all 180 members of the United Nations. A veteran of three decades behind the lens, Skipworth tells his subjects they should look like a unit.
He tells them he wants them to look like "a six-pack of Cocoa Cola. It's a package with six units and we want a family to look like a unit, not a parochial school class." You don't want such a mixture of outfits and colors that the portrait looks like a three-ring circus, Skipworth adds, stressing subtle coordination.
So what did the Clintons wear?
Bill wore a blue suit, a white shirt and red tie; Hillary chose a red dress. Skipworth's staff went shopping and found a dark blue-and-red dress for Chelsea, then 12 years old.
Skipworth asked Hillary to choose a couple of family mementos for the photo. She chose a quilt made by her grandmother and a book on Lincoln she had given her husband.
About the time Skipworth had the Clintons pose outdoors on the quilt, Socks the cat wandered into camera range. Voila! The family portrait was complete; Socks was on his way to fame.
Just as other families do, the Clintons plan an updated family portrait this year before Chelsea goes off to college.
Other milestones frequently chosen for family portraits are when the first child is about a year old; when the majority of succeeding children are between 6 and 12 years; just before the oldest child gets married; special wedding anniversaries and birthdays; and extended family reunions. And there is more emphasis on storytelling in pictures these days, according to the Professional Photographers of America, a 117-year-old association.
Portrait studios are a $600 million business annually, according to the Photo Marketing Association International. Growth niches are sports photos and environmental or location portraiture.
The busiest day of the year for photographers who specialize in family portraits often is the day after Thanksgiving. Appointments for that day can be booked months in advance.
Traditionally, Thanksgiving weekend is when extended families gather, with the oldest children home from college, and married children and grandparents visiting.
Skipworth doesn't arrange his subjects in stair-step fashion or according to age. Instead he tries to discern family relationships when positioning people. It may be that the oldest and youngest child have a closer relationship than two siblings nearest in age. Or maybe one of the grandparents has an especially close relationship with a grandchild.
Technology has made many changes possible in the portrait business. For instance, the glare of light on glasses or a hair out of place can be eliminated when printing photos by computer. And Skipworth says he has "plugged" in a family member when that individual couldn't make the family reunion portrait session.
Locally you can find a wide range of prices and styles of photography, from 20-minute sessions in a department store - where you choose prints the same day by computer - to pricey photo studios that take appointments for outdoor on-location shots lasting several hours. At the latter studios the family gathers in a few days for refreshments and to view a slide show set to music, during which they'll choose prints for purchase.
Skipworth's prices start at about $300 and go up to $11,000.
In a Troubleshooter price survey this month, we learned a family of four could have a studio sitting and get one 8x10, two 5x7s, 12 wallet-size and 36 mini-photos for less than $40 at Photography by JC Penney at Northgate. Specials might bring further savings.
Last week, using a JC Penney coupon special, the extended family of Kanwar Jit Singh ordered 36 sheets of prints for $154. His parents were visiting here from Delta, B.C., and it was a good time to update the family portrait, Singh said.
"We always come here for our pictures," he added. They had poses taken of all seven in the extended family, the women as a group, the men as a group, and the three children.
When Singh didn't like the way some photos turned out, Jennifer
Lasky, manager of the JC Penney Northgate studio, did some retakes. A satisfied customer who buys pictures and returns is the goal at all photography studios.
At Christopher of Kirkland Photography, where on-location shots represent 90 percent of the business, the average order is about $1,500, according to owner Christopher Riesenweber.
He charges from $95 to $250 for a sitting, and one 8x10, two 5x7s and eight wallet-size photos would cost $555.
Deborah Hubbart estimates that she and her husband, Kim Hubbart, spend about $2,000 each year on photography with Riesenweber. But she still takes numerous pictures with her own camera.
"I'm very big on capturing kids at different ages," Hubbart said. On a recent sunny day, Hubbart and her two children went to an outdoor setting with Reisenweber. She wanted a portrait of the three of them to match a similar photo of herself and her daughter, taken when Lindsey was about 10 months old.
For Riesenweber, a family portrait is a three-step process. The family meets to see a slide show of his work and discuss prices and clothing. Next they have a portrait session at the location of their choice, be it a park, a back yard, the family's home or some other location that is a part of their history. Several weeks later, when the pictures are ready, the family sees a slide show set to music.
"I want the whole experience to be meaningful," Riesenweber says.
Obviously, time is money, so on-location pictures cost more than studio shots. Not all photo studios offer on-location shots.
And there are studios like Silver Horse Photos of Federal Way that specialize in intimate or sensual photography. Theresa LoSchiavo, owner of Silver Horse, says women are getting away from boudoir or glamour shots.
"I think women are more confident and they don't have to have a make-over and look like a Playboy centerfold to be considered attractive. They can be sensual the way they are," LoSchiavo says. Her most popular package for intimate portraits is $250.
Photographers in all price ranges agree on one thing: Visit a studio and/or a photographer before you make an appointment. Find someone you are comfortable with and someone whose work you like. And check with the appropriate Better Business Bureau on the company's records. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A sampling of portrait-photography prices
When planning a family-portrait session at a photo studio, there are a number of fees to consider. Some studios require deposits, even to make an appointment, and some schedule sitting fees based on the number of people.
In studio only --------------
Photography studio -------------------.
Expressly portraits Northgate Mall (multiple locations) 206-362-9520
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . -----------------------------------------------------------------
$20 - $39.95 1-1/1/2 .
hours. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Photography by JC Penney (Lifetouch) Northgate Mall (multiple locations) 206-364-2232
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . -----------------------------------------------------------------
$27.80 - $9.95 2 weeks . ----------------------------------------------------------------- Portraits To Go/Film Stop Capitol Hill (2 locations) 206-322-4086
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . -----------------------------------------------------------------
$12 - $59.95 Next working.
day ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sears Portrait Studio Everett Mall (multiple locations) 425-356-6767
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . -----------------------------------------------------------------
$10.95 - $30 20 working .
days . -----------------------------------------------------------------
In studio and on location . --------------------------
Brant Photographers Inc. Bellevue 425-454-7676
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- 50% of order $75 for up $125 $220 4-6 weeks .
to 1-hour .
session. . ----------------------------------------------------------------- Christopher of Kirkland Photography Kirkland 425-822-8000
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- $500 to $95-$250 $95-$250 $555 6-12 weeks. book appointment. (applied to . order);50%.
of order. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dove Portraits Auburn 253-833-0901
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . -----------------------------------------------------------------
- $30 $60 $105 2-3 weeks.
for 1 1/2-hr. minimum
for 1 1/2-hr. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Family Tree Portraits Inc. Puyallup 253-840-3776
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- 50% of order $35 $75 $99 3 weeks .
(applied
to order). ----------------------------------------------------------------- Gary Quinn Photography/ Photomagic Studios Seattle 206-235-4366
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- 50% of order $35 $75-$125 $59-$99 2-10.
working days . ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hjordis Madsen Photography Bothell 425-483-1305
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- 50% of order $75 $100-125 $136-186 3-4 weeks.
(applied. (applied to
to order) order). ----------------------------------------------------------------- Mirror Image Studio Seattle 206-233-0867
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- $50 to book $20-$45 $50-$75 $165 3-6 weeks . appointment (applied to
order); 50% of order. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Yuen Lui Seattle (multiple locations) 206-622-0991
Deposit Sitting fees for family of 4 1-8x10 Processing .
In Studio On location 2-5x7s Time after .
8-wallets # ordering . ----------------------------------------------------------------- 50% of order $25 for 20-min. $120 $160 1-2 weeks.
session .
# We asked studios for their best prices for this combination. Some studios include additional items. Some price each print separately.
Compiled by Chery Morningstar, Troubleshooter researcher.