Feb 13, 2005, 23:01
You wouldn't believe what my wife got me (err us) for a valentine's day present - a photoshoot at a studio! It was the first time I've done a formal shoot (apart from my school and uni graduation photos), and it was an interesting experience! 
The package was from Blush Photography (http://www.blush.com.au/) included 3 costume / makeup and hair changes, and 3 themes. The place was very busy - you brought your own clothes, but they had a stylist on location to do your makeup and hair.
All up, the experience took about 3 hours. They had a waiting area where they served you drinks (champagne, coffee, tea) and you could browse their portfolios. Initially, a consultant gets you to fill out a questionnaire asking what themes you wanted, clothes, etc. and also signature portion down the bottom which doubles as a model release form (oooo sneaky).
The stylist would do your hair and makeup (believe it or not, they put make up on me too) before passing you on to the photographer for each shoot. For our themes, we chose casual (jeans and shirt), formal (suit and dress), and natural (jeans and singlet).
The actual photography was very exciting for me, as I got to look at all their equipment. They had about 3 photographers working for the company, and they worked in a separate rooms all darkened with drapes. Each photographer had their own area, so they could shoot independently. The shooting area was set up with 3 backdrops (white, blue and black) with a coloured spotlight illuminating the background. The floor was industrial metallic which the photographer used in some shots. She had 3 studio lights as well - one gigantic softbox, another which had adjustable flaps, and one more conical looking light.
Our photographer was using a Canon DSLR - looked like a 1Ds or similar to me (couldn't really tell as it was dark) and a big L lens with an orange stripe. There was a wireless adapter hooked to the camera which triggered the flashes, and she also worked with a stepladder to get angled shots. It was quite interesting talking to her - she said she used to do weddings, but hated that. This type of work was more 9-5, plus she had complete control over the environment, lighting, etc.
All up, she took about 20 shots, after which, she burnt them to a CD and handed them to our "consultant". We then browsed the photos on a TV hooked up to a Photo CD player, and she basically took down the shots we liked, and then did the hard sell -- choosing the sizes and how many prints we wanted. Basically their prints were priced as follows:
5x7 - $75
8x10 - $125
11x14 - $175
16x20 - $240
20x24 - $375
They kept the "negatives". If you ordered above a certain amount (I think above $750 or thereabouts) they gave you a preview CD of lower quality images, which saved you $375. The actual photo shoot + make up etc. usually costs $150, but they waived that, as my wife won a competition on their webstie.
Finally, they also asked if you wanted framing done - they had sample mats and frames there... but we gracefully declined.
So an interesting experience... I must say that I was very impressed at how slick and polished the whole process was, and it was all very enjoyable (except the part where you had to fork out the cash at the end). From the shots we saw on screen, the photographer had done an awesome job. I'll be getting the prints in 2 weeks time, can't wait!!
The package was from Blush Photography (http://www.blush.com.au/) included 3 costume / makeup and hair changes, and 3 themes. The place was very busy - you brought your own clothes, but they had a stylist on location to do your makeup and hair.
All up, the experience took about 3 hours. They had a waiting area where they served you drinks (champagne, coffee, tea) and you could browse their portfolios. Initially, a consultant gets you to fill out a questionnaire asking what themes you wanted, clothes, etc. and also signature portion down the bottom which doubles as a model release form (oooo sneaky).
The stylist would do your hair and makeup (believe it or not, they put make up on me too) before passing you on to the photographer for each shoot. For our themes, we chose casual (jeans and shirt), formal (suit and dress), and natural (jeans and singlet).
The actual photography was very exciting for me, as I got to look at all their equipment.
They had about 3 photographers working for the company, and they worked in a separate rooms all darkened with drapes. Each photographer had their own area, so they could shoot independently. The shooting area was set up with 3 backdrops (white, blue and black) with a coloured spotlight illuminating the background. The floor was industrial metallic which the photographer used in some shots. She had 3 studio lights as well - one gigantic softbox, another which had adjustable flaps, and one more conical looking light.Our photographer was using a Canon DSLR - looked like a 1Ds or similar to me (couldn't really tell as it was dark) and a big L lens with an orange stripe.
There was a wireless adapter hooked to the camera which triggered the flashes, and she also worked with a stepladder to get angled shots. It was quite interesting talking to her - she said she used to do weddings, but hated that. This type of work was more 9-5, plus she had complete control over the environment, lighting, etc.All up, she took about 20 shots, after which, she burnt them to a CD and handed them to our "consultant". We then browsed the photos on a TV hooked up to a Photo CD player, and she basically took down the shots we liked, and then did the hard sell -- choosing the sizes and how many prints we wanted. Basically their prints were priced as follows:
5x7 - $75
8x10 - $125
11x14 - $175
16x20 - $240
20x24 - $375
They kept the "negatives". If you ordered above a certain amount (I think above $750 or thereabouts) they gave you a preview CD of lower quality images, which saved you $375. The actual photo shoot + make up etc. usually costs $150, but they waived that, as my wife won a competition on their webstie.
Finally, they also asked if you wanted framing done - they had sample mats and frames there... but we gracefully declined.
So an interesting experience... I must say that I was very impressed at how slick and polished the whole process was, and it was all very enjoyable (except the part where you had to fork out the cash at the end). From the shots we saw on screen, the photographer had done an awesome job. I'll be getting the prints in 2 weeks time, can't wait!!
