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An Interview with the Photographer
The philosophy behind Casual Portraits, Inc.

Harwell is the photographer and portrait artist for Casual Portraits, Inc. We asked Harwell about the company and his approach to portrait photography.

It's a small business, but one that provides a high degree of service to its clients.

Question: I've never heard of Casual Portraits, Inc. How big is it?
Harwell: I'm the only photographer. I believe in providing personal service to my customers, so I do all of the photography and customer interaction. I also do all of the portrait art, including digital image enhancement and retouching, in order to keep the goals of the customer in mind when I work on images. So it's a small business, but one that provides a high degree of service to its clients.

Q: Have you been a photographer long?
H: I've taken pictures since I was a child, and I've been a pretty serious amateur photographer for about the last thirty years. I was the one who was always asked to take pictures at parties, weddings, and family gatherings. My friends and family have told me for years that I ought to do photography professionally. But I only started selling my work in 2003, so I guess you could say that I'm new to the business and yet very experienced.

Q: How about digital photography? When did you start that?
H: I switched to digital in 2000 when my primary film camera was stolen, and I decided to replace it with a new Canon professional digital SLR which has interchangeable lenses just like my old 35mm cameras. Since then I've shot tens of thousands of digital photos. I've also become very proficient in using PhotoShop® software to adjust and retouch the photos.

the quality of the resulting images will be much higher

Q: Why do you prefer digital photography? And why should a customer care whether you use film or digital?
H: I prefer digital because I can see the resulting image immediately on the monitor screen on the back of the camera. If I need to make an adjustment, then I can reshoot immediately. For a customer, this means that the quality of the resulting images will be much higher. Also, because there's no film cost for shooting extra images, I find that I shoot a lot more, giving the customer more images to choose from. There's also no delay to change film since I can shoot an entire session on a single memory card. And finally, the digital image can be loaded on my computer as soon as I return to my office, and I can adjust images right away. This means that the customer can seen proofs sooner, and can easily see Internet proofs.

The word "portrait" implies much more than a picture of a person; it conveys an image of the way they want to be perceived and remembered.

Q: Why did you call your company "Casual Portraits, Inc."?
H: I really like taking pictures of people that capture their essence or show the way they feel at a certain point in time. To me, the word "portrait" implies much more than a picture of a person; it conveys an image of the way they want to be perceived and remembered. At the same time, the word "portrait" seems very stuffy and formal, and frankly, I think most people think that having a portrait done is a big hassle. I want to make it easy for people to have portraits made, so I added the word "casual" to convey the message that this isn't your old-fashioned portrait we're talking about; it's a portrait that's more relaxed, more easygoing, and much less effort for the customer.

I turn photographs into "portrait art."

Q: You say you're a "portrait artist" in addition to being a "photographer." What does that mean?

H: I want to make it clear to potential customers that I do a lot more than just take their photograph. The digital photo becomes the basis for something that goes a lot further. I enhance the digital image and use artistic techniques to create a mood. I make the customers look better, and call attention to the best features of the people in the portrait. I turn photographs into "portrait art." This is a time-consuming process, so I typically deal with only a few clients per week.

Q: And you do the portraits in people's homes?
H: I do the photographs in their homes, or in their yards, or at a nearby location they really like. Then I take those images and turn them into portraits. I had one family who wanted their portrait done by the stream of a nearby abandoned mill. They drove past the mill every day and kept saying how picturesque it was, and they decided they wanted photographs taken there.

Q: Some of your marketing material talks about a "portable studio." What's that?
H: When I do portraits at people's homes, I don't just show up with a camera. I bring the equipment that's needed to give professional results. That includes lighting equipment such as flash heads, soft boxes, and various reflectors, and it includes backgrounds to use behind the portrait subjects. I don't always use all of the equipment—for example I didn't use the backgrounds when I photographed by the mill stream—but I use whatever I need to give the result that the customer wants.

Q: And is this the same type of equipment that we would see in a permanent studio?
H: Yes, except my equipment is more compact so that I can transport it more easily. And I have battery power so that I can shoot at locations that don't have electricity.

Q: What about prints? Do you do them yourself too?
H: No, all my prints are done by one of the best imaging labs in the country. The prints are done using the same process that's used for prints made from film, so you can be sure that the prints will last for many years. That's one of the primary reasons people have portraits made: to pass them on to their children and grand-children. These are heirloom quality prints.

A customer can get high-quality images that convey the spirit of the people in the portrait.

Q: Summing up, why should someone have you do their portrait?
H: A customer can get high-quality images that convey the spirit of the people in the portrait. You can get these images with an absolute minimum of hassle: I can take the photographs in the person's home or in any convenient location, you can view your proofs over the Internet, I enhance the photographs to turn them into portraits, and I deliver your prints directly to your home. More than anything, you should expect a high level of personal service; you deserve the best, and I'm determined to give it to you. I take the time to give you the best possible photographs, the best portraiture, the best retouching, and the most artistic portraiture.

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