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770 428 6520
kp@katerinaphotography.com
The session fee covers the time and talent of the photographer during the session for one subject. It also includes color correction, post processing of the images, a 5x7 black mini-portfolio, and 80 or more finished images in 4x6 to serve as proofs.
Includes two hours of the artist’s time photographing the event. The package also includes a CD containing the day’s images and a password protected online gallery.
This is for two sessions booked at the same time. The first session will capture the expectant mother in the latter stages of the second trimester or anytime during the third. The second session captures mother and child within the first month of the baby or babies’ life.
Includes four sessions within a year to document the life stages of a child. Payment for the first two sessions ($400) is due at the time of the first shoot. Includes a mini-portfolio for each of the sessions
Enlargements Black and White Prints 5x7 $35 8x10 $45 11x14 $75 16x20 $95 Color Prints 5x7 $30 8x10 $40 11x14 $70 16x20 $90
Prices for prints larger than 16X20 available upon request
Please allow 4 - 6 weeks for enlargement orders.
Prices for Gallery Wraps, Mounts, Coffee Table Books and Custom Framing available upon request
Upon completion of her formal studies at the Institute of Photography in Czech Republic, Katerina came to the United States in 1999 on what was intended to be a six month photography excursion. She’s made her home in the U.S. ever since.
“I love it here. Between the natural beauty of the varied landscapes and the millions of interesting faces, my camera rarely rests.”
Although she’s regularly commissioned to shoot weddings and large events across the U.S. and Europe, her first love is editorial portraiture of children.
“Good photographs of children are the truest photography there is. By the time we reach adulthood, we’ve learned how to act in front of a camera. We know which side is our good side. We use smiles we’ve rehearsed. Children haven’t yet learned to be anything but themselves and their curiosity comes right through the lens. The smiles aren’t practiced. Even a cranky child is still a truer subject than a happy adult. With a child, you know the scowl is authentic. An honest scowl can make a breathtaking photograph.”
In July of 2008, Katerina became a mother herself after giving birth to twin boys.
“Being a mother has changed my perspective on photographing children. I’ve always been incredibly focused on producing exceptional work, but having my twins gives me a new sense for how important capturing each stage of life is. They grow so quickly that they’re almost different people from week to week.” Jokingly, she added, “If nothing else, I’m more understanding when mothers call two hours before a session with a sick child.”
We start off by meeting my client(s) at a place of their choosing. Almost without exception, the results of an outdoor session are better than those conducted in a studio. I generally take between 100-250 digital images during our time together. After the session, I head back to the office to do the post-production work. I start by sorting through the images and discarding those that are clearly not among the best. I then run the remaining images through advanced digital editing software to crop where appropriate. I also do minor touch-ups for shadows, blemishes and other things that might affect the quality of the finished product. Finally, I look at each of the images to see which ones work best in color and which work best in black and white.
As a natural light photographer, outside is almost always best. I do studio or “indoor” work for very new babies and expectant mothers but outside of those two categories of subjects, nature will deliver the best results. “Outside” can be a public park or the client’s backyard. All we’re really after is enough space to offer some expansiveness and a bit of open shade to provide texture.
The short answer is it takes enough time to get what I believe the client wants. Typically, the shoots can range from fifty minutes to an hour and half depending on how it’s going. If we get what we want in a short amount of time, we’ll finish at the low end of the range. If it takes us longer, we’ll take the time to get what we want. Generally, if this is my first session with the client, it takes a little longer to get to know one another and establish a level of comfort. If I’m shooting an event, clients typically schedule me to be there for the duration.
You’ll receive the pictures in 14-20 days. You’ll receive a black mini-portfolio in addition to 80 or so 4X6 photographs.
The best place to start is my rates page. If the session you have in mind doesn’t fall into one of the four categories listed, I’m happy to discuss pricing for the session or sessions you want. I do offer some discounts for multiple sessions booked and paid for in advance (a life stages series) and for clients who refer me to others. Because such a large majority of my business comes to me via referral, I try to take good care of those doing the evangelizing.
I accept cash and personal checks at the time of the session.
The mini-portfolio is a matte black, 5X7 heavy paper album with twelve pages that allows me to display my work in a nicer way than by handing a client a contact sheet. While just about all my clients purchase enlargements after their sessions, the mini-portfolio is a great way to present proofs and it gives the parents something to show around to family and friends.
Because the prints I send to clients are the tangible representation of my work, I’m obsessively focused on print quality. I use three different labs on the East Coast to process my work. The choice of the lab is dependent on the kind of shoot and the turnaround time. In my career I’ve probably used over 50 labs in the U.S. and Europe. The three I’ve settled on represent the best of the best and consistently produce outstanding results.
During my time at the Institute in Prague, there wasn’t a choice. Film was all there was. It was great. I had hours of interesting conversations with colleagues in darkrooms. The smell of the chemicals used to develop pictures still stirs up nostalgia for the old days. While nostalgia is great, we now have a choice and I’ve found that digital photography works better for the work I do for several reasons. First, it makes the manipulation of images easier which equates to better results and happier clients. Second, it keeps the cost down making my service more affordable. Third, the advanced equipment I use means that if you want a framed enlargement for a large wall in true scale size, it isn’t a problem. I still own quite a bit of film equipment and it’s great for shooting landscapes from a tripod at a specific time of day. That said, I’ve made the investment in top-flight digital equipment so that my clients receive all the benefits of film without the drawbacks.
I can and I do. While the goal is to capture the true nature of the subject and not morph them into something they’re not, I understand that a pimple or a blemish doesn’t have much to do with anyone’s true nature. I can fix just about all that stuff in post production ( and lots of other stuff you might not see at the scale of a small photograph. ) With the above in mind, I ask my clients to remember that the photography (not the “retouching”) is the art-form. I’m very reluctant to change hair color or length, eye color or other fundamental features of a subject.
One of the benefits of being a new mother is a new-found empathy for cancellations. Actually, I’ve always been understanding of the fact that children get sick. Now I know how fast it can come about. All I ask is that you respect my time by letting me know about a cancellation as soon as you can. I suppose there exists an opportunity to abuse this policy but thus far, each of my clients has been respectful. As a new client, I ask that you do the same.
Yes. I can put together a custom package that seeks to document the life stages of a child or children. If these sessions are booked and the first two sessions paid in advance, I offer a discount on what each of the sessions would cost individually.
After doing this for a few years I came to the conclusion that clothing choice for a photo session isn’t nearly as important as we make it out to be. I’ve had great results with children dressed in simple white clothing and equally good results with children wearing bright, colorful patterns. However, these general rules still apply: 1)Comfortable clothing is better than uncomfortable clothing 2)Solids are better than patterns 3)Lighter colors work better than darker colors
Yes. Of course I’m biased, but I believe photography makes a fantastic gift. Gift certificates are available in different denominations and can be redeemed within a year of purchase. There are no refunds for gift certificates not used within a year.