Before the beginning and six years later – studio history
Before I opened my studio more than 6 years ago, I told my parents about what I wanted to do. This is the portrait of my parents on top left taken in 2006, it is hanging in the studio as many of you have noted when you visited my studio. I will get to the photo on the top right in a minute.
My father told me that they had once driven an hour away to a photography studio for a portrai. I was surprised because I never saw any such portrait, I asked “where is the portrait?” He said he hated the portrait and the experience and the portrait was in the closet. My father said the photographer asked him to pose with his leg propped up, in a pose more suitable for a young man, and he felt very unhappy about the whole thing. The finished portrait just didn’t look like him and when he looked at it, he just remembered the poor experience. I thought that was terrible and I promised myself I would never want my clients to feel that way.
Fast forward 6 years…
A client had high expectations and a wonderful experience at the studio just before the holidays, as expressed by Joann in a review on Google:
We found Portia at Positive Vista Photography through a Living Social coupon. The quality of her work is impeccable. There were three generations for the portrait and two granddogs. She took the time to make sure that not only was everyone in the right position and looking their best but even made sure the dogs were paying attention and posing for the pictures. The final product was one of a kind and done with such care and detail. I would recommend Portia for anyone wanting professional photos. Thanks, Portia!
This was a wonderful review, not only because they had good things to say about their studio experience, but because this is exactly how I want the experience to be remembered . Life is too short to be unhappy with something as important as getting a family portrait. My motto is “Be thrilled or bust”, and I mean it!
So about that top right photo. Last summer my family went on a cruise to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday, and I thought we should create something special for her. The top framed photo is actually a 1000 piece puzzle, created from the portrait on the left (a smaller version is below the puzzle), the whole family, kids, grandkids, mom and dad all participated to assemble the puzzle, it took 3 days! Then we separated it carefully into 6 sections and carried them home, and then glued them together and had it framed. It was a very unique gift with special meaning to my mom because we all shared in its creation!
Now a slightly late Happy New Year to you! Please check back periodically I am going to post stories, photos, amazing images I encountered, and tips on portraits and photography in the blogs to come.