Lansing Fine Art Portrait Photographer

ABOUT

For all time, there will only be one YOU!

I’ve never had a professional portrait taken before. How does it work?

It’s easy! Just reach out to me using the form on my “Contact” page describing what kind of portrait you think you might like, and then we’ll discuss the details (the location, mood, wardrobe, etc.) in emails and on the phone. Then we’ll set a date for your portrait session and that date will be reserved exclusively for you.

The photo session itself will probably take about thirty minutes to an hour, but we’ll take as much time as we need to create a portrait you will love! Creating your portrait is a collaboration, so during the shoot we’ll look at the images together on my computer, see what you like and what you don’t, and then we’ll fine-tune things until your portrait is exactly the way you want it.

Within three weeks (usually sooner) after your session, I will personally show your finished portraits to you at your location. This is also when you will make payment for any prints or digital files that you want to purchase, as well as pay the fee for your photography session. If for some reason you aren’t happy with your portrait (it’s never happened yet!), then you pay nothing.

All print and digital files are purchased à la carte, so you may purchase as little or as much as you would like. There is never any pressure to buy anything.

Can I have my portraits done in color?

Sure! While I enjoy converting portraits into black and and white, all of your portraits are shot in color. So you can have whichever you prefer: color or black and white.

Why should I commission you to do my portrait? What makes you different from any other photographer?

First, I’d simply ask that you look at the portraits on my portfolio page.

Second, the nearly four decades I’ve spent photographing world leaders, corporate CEOs, celebrities, major news and sporting events, and just regular people have helped shape who I am as a person and as a photographer. One thing it has taught me is that regardless of whether someone holds the highest office or the lowest, is rich or poor, lives in fame or obscurity, it’s always just a human being I’m photographing.

Fine-art portraits are usually about capturing someone’s quieter, thoughtful, more reflective side, often while they are wearing simple or vintage outfits, and often against a fine art backdrop. To achieve that, I treat a portrait session as though I were a painter looking to create a singular great portrait, because quality is always my goal, not quantity. So I take my time, carefully studying and tweaking the way the light falls on the subject and trying to create a portrait that captures their personality and reflects who they truly are as a unique and special person.

I’m pretty camera-shy! Can you still do my portrait?

Absolutely! If you are camera-shy or reserved, my style of portraiture will be perfect for you. It’s casual, laid back, and there’s no pressure on you to smile. Rather than a fast-paced, high-energy session with big smiles, these portraits are all about showing your character, your inner-self. So, serene, thoughtful expressions with no smiles, or just a hint of a smile, are best for this style of portrait.

Can I get the digital files?

Each fine-art print you purchase includes the artistically-retouched digital file of the image. If you prefer to not purchase a print, the artistically-retouched digital files themselves are available for purchase individually. I do not offer original unretouched files, as that would be like giving you an unfinished painting or the rough draft of a novel!

Do you keep all of the digital files from my session?

While I’d like to say I keep every single image I’ve ever shot, I do not. I may or may not keep one or two of my personal favorites from your session, and the rest are deleted. So you alone are responsible for the safe-keeping of any digital files that you purchase. You will need to purchase any images you want to keep at the time they are shown to you, as after that, they most likely will no longer exist.

If you have any questions or if you would like to commission your own personal work of portrait art, you can reach out to me using the short form on my Contact page.

William Pugliano is professional photojournalist and fine-art portrait photographer based in Lansing, Michigan. Portrait photography in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and throughout the Midwest. Specializing in personal fine-art portraiture of individual adults.