Why Custom Portraiture?

When our grandparents and great-grandparents were young, having a family portrait made was a big event, often reserved for special occasions or milestones because of the time and investment involved. Cameras were expensive and complicated to use and film had to be hand-developed, so photography was an art solely practiced by those who had studied and invested extensively. The resulting heirloom photographs were lovingly preserved, and can often be found in places of honor in the homes of the subjects’ descendants.

Today, nearly everyone owns a camera that can take pictures at the press of a button. As camera technology has improved, it has become possible to take a well-exposed, focused photograph without any knowledge of how these elements are managed, and with no more specialized equipment than a cell phone. Whereas having a photographic record of one’s family was once a luxury exclusively available to an elite few, now anyone has the ability to record even the smallest of life’s events.

What camera technology has not been able to do, however, is teach the art of photography – of composition, lighting, depth of field, and selective focus. These concepts must still be studied and practiced in order to achieve professional results. Further, the digital age has created a new world of post-processing possibilities. Whereas darkroom edits were limited to cropping, dodging, and burning, Lightroom editing is nearly limitless. This, too, is an art form to be learned and applied with care, as the results can range from stunning to ridiculous.

Choosing custom photography is about more than recording the existence and appearance of your loved ones. It is about creating beautiful, heirloom-quality pieces of art that will grace the walls of your home and the pages of your albums, telling your story for generations to come. Like a Porsche, a Louis Vuitton handbag, or a Viking range, custom photography is an investment in artistry, quality, and attention to detail. Unlike these, however, your photographs will never depreciate in value. The potent reminder of the petal-soft curve of your newborn’s cheek or the nervous excitement of a groom’s first glance at his bride will, in fact, become more precious as those things inevitably fade into the past.