baby feet The answer, of course, is that I offer Professional Custom Portraiture. Now, many of you may be scratching your heads at this answer. You may even balk at the high fees of custom portrait photographers, especially in this age of affordable digital cameras! The beauty of today’s photographic technology is that we can all carry our trusty Point & Shoots in our purses and take as many snapshots as we want. It’s cheap, we can delete the images we don’t want, and place print orders for the ones we like at the local supermarket while shopping for groceries. Here’s the thing though: a custom portrait is NOT a snapshot. “Alright Sandy, I hear you. But what about those portrait sessions offered by the big department stores? Why are their prices so much more affordable?” I’m not going to use this blog to knock the department store photographers. Heck, I’ve even sat for portraits at those stores over the years. They come in handy. They certainly are affordable, making it easy for families to head out there to get their photos taken regularly. Having said that, I’m sure you’re aware that their portrait sessions last an average of 10 minutes. Anyone who has children knows that it takes little ones a few minutes to warm up to strangers. By the time your little tyke gets comfortable in front of the camera, you’re already being ushered out of their studio and guided to the sales desk to select your 3 poses within 5 minutes. I can only imagine what your 15 minutes must be like if your child is having a particularly cranky moment and needs some soothing! Ready to hear about custom portrait photography now? Then click on Part 2 of this article!