Share my vision of a family portrait as art!
Here's more detail on my vision.

You love your family, and you want the very best for them. Good memories are important, but memories fade, and it helps to have a reminder. Family portraits serve that purpose: to remind us of the way we were, and of all of the good times we shared together.

I’m looking for a small number of special people

Look at most portraits that are done today and you see mass production, with photos taken by young people just out of college who have been given just a week or so of training. Most money in photography today is in volume: taking school photographs, doing portraits on an assembly line basis, with just a few minutes devoted to each customer.

I’ve been taking photographs for over forty years, but as a hobby, not as a livelihood. In 2002 I left my business job and spent some time trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And surprise! It was right there in front of me. I really enjoy making extraordinary portraits of people.

I’m looking for the kind of person who wants more out of a portrait than they can get at one of the inexpensive photo stores.

But volume photography is not what I want; I want to do portraits of people who I get to know a bit, and who I like. I want to understand them enough to have a portrait convey their inner strengths along with their outer beauty. I want to spend time on a portrait, making each and every image the very best that it can be.

I can’t earn a living doing this kind of work at the prices charged by Wal-Mart or some of the chain photo studios. And so I’m looking for the kind of person who wants more out of a portrait than they can get at one of the inexpensive photo stores.

Are you one of these special people?

Of course you can get a family portrait done at the mall or at one of the photography chain stores. But how much attention is devoted to your unique needs? How much time do you get from the photographer? And how much of a hassle is it to get everyone dressed and ready, and then transport them to the studio?! Then what’s the result? You have to pick your portrait from a limited number of choices, to give you a finished product that’s adequate but certainly not memorable. Some people are satisfied with these inexpensive mall photographs. If you’re one of the people who consider Wal-Mart photography good enough, then you don’t have to read any further; you’re not the type of person I’m looking for. You may be in the majority, but you’re not the kind of special person I want.

I spend as much time with your family as you want, taking group shots and individual shots, using lots of different poses, even with multiple clothing changes if you like.

A Different Approach

I take a different approach to family portraits. To begin with, I come to your home, or to your favorite nearby location. I spend as much time with your family as you want, taking group shots and individual shots, using lots of different poses, even with multiple clothing changes if you like. Soon afterwards I’ll show you proofs over the Internet, on your computer, on a television using a DVD player, or on paper. You can choose the photos that you like the best, and we can talk about how to do the best portrait for your family from those images. We can use one of the photos or a collage of multiple photos. I can even put together a composite portrait that takes the best smile from each member of your family and puts them together into a photo that makes everyone look their best.

My work is just beginning when the photos are taken. I’ll retouch your chosen shots to make them even better, and add any special effects you want, like soft focus, color enhancement, special backgrounds or star effects. If you prefer a more stylized paintbrush effect, I’ll even do a digital painting from your photograph. Then I’ll frame the finished portrait to fit your décor so it’s ready to hang on the wall in your home.

Easier for You, but more time for me

I appreciate fine photography for its beauty and its ability to convey a message, and I want to share that type of portrait with you.

All you have to do is look your best and tell me what you want. What could be easier!

I don’t take a mass production approach like mall photographers. I appreciate fine photography for its beauty and its ability to convey a message, and I want to share that type of portrait with you. In addition to the hours I spend with you, I’ll spend many hours behind the scenes enhancing your portraits and making them the best that they can be.

A Remembrance of the Present and a Legacy for the Future

I believe that a family portrait is something to be proud of, something to hang on your wall as a remembrance of the present as well as a legacy for the future. We all have cherished photos of our grandparents and maybe even our great-grandparents. But it’s rare that those photos capture an image of our relatives the way they would want to be remembered. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a fabulous portrait to pass on to your own grandchildren and great-grandchildren? Wouldn’t it be great to have a portrait that is artistic, well-done and worthy of the person you are?

If you share my vision of a family portrait as art, then please call me to arrange for a free consultation at your home. I’ll bring some samples of my work, and we can discuss your ideal family portrait. There’s no obligation, but I think you’ll be pleased with what you see.

What You should Expect from Me

You should expect me to be on time for our appointments.
You should expect me to care even more about your portrait than you do yourself, so that I can provide you with the best possible result.
You should expect me to perform services at such a level of professionalism, artistry and craftsmanship that the results are superlative and enduring.
You should expect me to do a portrait for you in the same way that I would do a portrait for a member of my own family, with full appreciation of the need to help you look your best.
You should expect me to use materials of the highest quality, to provide the best possible portrait to endure the years to come.
You should expect prices that are very reasonable when you consider the amount of time I'll spend creating the portraits you want
If there is a problem, you should expect me to take care of it in a way that will be pleasing to you. I will take care of any problems in the same way that I would take care of problems for my own family.

What I should Expect from You

I don't ever want you to pay me for anything if you do not feel that it was provided at the level of competence and professionalism that you expected. If I do provide that level of service, however, then I expect you to tender payment promptly as we had previously agreed. I do not want to send you bills or worry about you when I would rather concentrate on portraiture.
If you are happy with my work and I give you the portrait that you wanted, then I expect that you will help me keep my business alive by referring to me—at the very least—two potential clients who have the same appreciation for fine portraits that you do. Because you know how I work and you appreciate the time that a good portrait takes, you are the best source to identify other people who can also appreciate this type of portrait.
When I say refer to me, I don't want you to just give me their names. I want you to talk to them and tell them how happy you are with my work. You should convince them to call me and make an appointment to interview me. When you send your friends and relatives to me, I can concentrate on portraiture and not devote efforts to finding new clients. By keeping those costs down, I can keep your costs down and focus on doing my very best work. If you fail to do that, I'll have to charge more in the future because it means I have to expend more effort and money on marketing my business.

Portraiture is Scary

Portraiture to some people is a scary thing. They’re very worried about the way they look, and how their portrait will be perceived by others. They have a vision inside them of how they want to be viewed, but somehow they never see this vision realized in any portrait, because, frankly, they never go to a true artist to have a portrait done. Then they lose confidence in their own ability to be represented as they want to be viewed, and they may even go through their entire life without a good portrait on which others can base their memories. They say things like, “I don’t take a good picture,” or “I break the camera.”

There is beauty in everyone, and it’s possible to translate that beauty into an image.

Trust me, there is beauty in everyone, and it’s possible to translate that beauty into an image. There’s an inner beauty that comes from each individual, and it’s my challenge to find that inner beauty and bring it out into a fabulous portrait. If you want to be perceived as strong, then that’s what we’ll go for in the portrait. If you want to be perceived as beautiful or mysterious, powerful or intelligent, or even whimsical, then those things are all goals for a portrait. And even for children there are individual qualities that can be embodied in the image, showing the child’s playfulness or tranquility, athleticism or grace, or just their silliness and carefree spirit.

Can these qualities be captured by a photographer who spends fifteen minutes with you? No. It takes time and preparation, and discussion about who you are and how you feel about yourself.

Are you special?

I want to do portraits that cause a visceral reaction in people, portraits that make them cry out in joy or in awe, portraits that they’ll view over and over again because of the emotional reaction they get each time they look at them. If you share a desire for this kind of portrait, then you’re the special kind of person I’m looking for. You’re the kind of person whom I would like to have as a client.

If you’re one of these special people, then I hope you’ll accept this invitation to meet with me and discuss your dreams for the perfect portrait.

If you’re one of these special people, then I hope you’ll accept this invitation to meet with me (again, at no obligation) and discuss your dreams for the perfect portrait. After our discussion, if you want to move forward, then I will do everything in my power to make those dreams come true. You can count on my best efforts to capture beautiful images of your family, and then to build your desired portrait from those images.

The result will be something you’ll cherish for the rest of your life.

I’m different from other photographic artists

I don’t have a studio. I don’t have any staff. I don’t have any advertising other than word-of-mouth and an occasional letter like this. I just have a collection of some extremely good photographic tools, including cameras, lighting equipment and computer software, and the experience and creativity to use them to create truly special portraits.

I don’t follow a formula, setting up equipment the same way every time. Everything is coordinated for your special, specific circumstances and revolves around the best approach for you and your specific goals.

A Fair Trade

If I am to fulfill my own dream to create an adequate income from doing the portrait work I love, then it’s important that I find a few special people who can sponsor my work. But it’s a fair trade: you get portraits that you’ll love, and I get enough of an income to cover my basic needs.

I hope you'll accept this invitation to become one of my very special clients, to become part of a group of people who are not average and are not treated like average.

This is portraiture at its full power and impact. It's portraiture that depends on the honesty and vision of the individuals, and the results are dramatic because I bring your vision to life by using the photographic techniques and tools that I know and love. It’s hard work on my part, but it’s very fulfilling to me when I see the way you view the final result.

This is a portraiture that is not driven nor directed by mass merchandising or the complacency of routine. Instead, it is driven by what's best for you, and the emphasis is on you and your wants and needs.

I look forward to seeing you and meeting someone who is as interested in good portrait art as I am. I look forward to knowing you well enough to convey your essence in a wonderful portrait.

A Gift for your Family

You love your family, and you want the best for them. Give them the gift of remembrance. Give them a family portrait of exceptional quality, something that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. Call me today at 770-331-6979, and let's discuss your portrait needs.

Sincerely,

You love your family, and you want the best for them. Give them the gift of remembrance.

Harwell Thrasher
Portraitist
Casual Portraits, Inc.

P.S. Portrait prints make great presents, and you can even use your portrait in holiday cards. Call me today to set up an appointment, and I’ll add 2 extra 8x10 prints of the chosen portrait to your package at no additional cost.

Share my vision of a family portrait as art!Here's more detail on my vision.

Share my vision of a family portrait as art!
Here's more detail on my vision.