Ridgeway Seniors

The best part of being in the professional portrait business is the way people feel after John photographs them. He truly can find the real personality of his subjects and make them comfortable enough to relax and be themselves. When that happens the portraits turn out so much better than the person expects. That’s good for one’s self-esteem.

Your senior portraits should be more special than the last 11 year’s of school photographs and choosing a studio that will capture the images you want is probably the most important decision you and your parents can make. So, what should you look for? Well, a few things:

First, you should choose a PROFESSIONAL studio. In today’s environment, digital cameras can be purchased very easily and while most people love taking pictures, it does not make them a photographer. Your friend’s mom or your uncle who does it for fun doesn’t have the training to see how the light will fall on a person. Lighting can make a person look heavier or thinner, but knowing how to position the subject so that the light is the most flattering, takes training and not just over a weekend.

Another important factor, does the photographer’s style match the style that you like? If, you are not sure what studio you would like to go to then schedule an appointment to go to the studio and check out the work, the people, the camera room (as long as it isn’t being used for a photo shoot). That can tell you whether the personality of the studio is a good fit for you.

One of the biggest things to consider is pricing. There isn’t a studio or photographer that prices the same. Some price by having packages and while this is usually, the least expensive pricing, but not very flexible. Packages are cheapter because you are only dealing with a few poses. Discounts come on the duplicates. So during your last 11 years, you only had the choice of one pose and you get a lot of pictures for a pretty low price. Another thing to look at is the pricing complete? By this I mean, will you have to purchase more to display it, such as framing, artwork, anything that will be extra cost for you to take it home and enjoy.Ridgeway Portrait Design has been in the business for 21 years and throughout the years we have found that purchasing senior portraits is completely different than what you are used to doing. It is rare that a senior client will want less than 20 images and that’s on the low end. So, how do you purchase all of those poses, when a package will only include a few of those poses? Does the studio you are going to have photograph you have a lot of different options? At Ridgeway, there are products for all; wallet poses for the seniors, separate poses for mom and dad’s portrait and then their are those special people in your life that you want to share your images with…grandma and grandpa, Godparents, aunts and uncles… AND, the pricing includes everything. Framing is included on all wall portraits and collages and the frames are some cheap frames so that you have upgrade in order to have it look great in your home.

We understand that this can be very confusing and expensive, but it will be more expensive if you choose to pay someone who doesn’t do this for a living. If you don’t LOVE your portraits, then you paid too much. Make sure you do your homework. This isn’t an inexpensive project to just go to anyone who claims to be a photographer.

Also, Ridgeway Portrait Design guarantees all work. If you are not happy with the images, John will rephotograph you at no cost or give your session fee back (which ever you prefer). All finished images are guaranteed also. If you aren’t happy with something, it will be reprinted or corrected to your liking at no charge to you.

We want to show off a few images of seniors that have been photographed recently. We would love to have the opportunity to photography you so give us a call and find out if we are right for you.