St. John Photo Studio

A family portrait photo can be very meaningful to any family member because it is a testament of how well-bonded the family is because every family member spent both time and effort for the family picture.

Many years after the photoshoot, this photo can still bring happiness to everyone, especially to mom and dad, because it can make them realize, not only of how much everyone has grown, but also of how happy they all are in the years gone by.

This is the sort of photo that a son or a daughter (years later) will proudly show to his/her children and grand children.

At St. John Photo Studio, we strive to give the family members truly memorable family photos via our Family Photoshoot Service.

About the Photoshoot

In this service, we already designed several setups for Family Portrait Photoshoot so that it is easier for you to see the sort of photos you will get from this service. To view, click this.

In each of these setups, we placed very few props - so that photo's main attraction is the emotional connection each family member has for his own family.

You can make the photo more appealing by:

1. Wearing simple and cohesive clothes so that viewer’s attention are drawn into the people’s faces, not on the garments.
2. Not wearing accessories that attract too much attention.

We will put up a photography lighting setup where we can take either full-body shots or 3/4 (knee up) shots. We'll position the strobe light to throw the right amount of light that will evenly illuminate everyone's face and torso and spill some low intensity light on the lower body.

How we photograph your family photos depends on how your family is composed of. If, for example, yours is a single set family that has mom, dad, and one or two kids, we shall take five (5) combination shots, namely:

1. Mom and dad
2. Mom with the kids
3. Dad with the kids
4. All the kids
5. Mom, dad, and the kids

If you include others (e.g. grandparents, aunt, etc.), we would have to take a lot more combination shots.

What Sort of Photos Do You Get From the Photoshoot ?

Our resident photographer will:

1. Give you all the straight-out-of-camera (SOOC) image files at the end of the photoshoot, provided the service fee is fully settled and you have a flash drive.
2. Lightly retouch some of the really good photos (of our own choosing). We will format each for best viewing in social media and send these to you on your Google Drive within five (5) days after the photoshoot.
3. Fully retouch one photo (of your own choosing) from each of the identified combination shots. We will format each for best printing and send these to you on your Google Drive within seven (7) days after your advice.

Service Fee

Because the shoot duration and number of shots to be taken depend on (a) how the family is composed of and (b) how many people are in that family, we charge each family differently.

For this single set family, our service fee (if you hire our resident photographer) are as follows:

1. P3,500.00 - if without any kid
2. P4,500.00 - if with 1 or 2 kids
3. P5,000.00 - if with 3-5 kids
4. P5,500.00 - if with more than 5 kids

If you include others (e.g. grandparents, aunt, etc.), we have to first identify and count the number of combination shots that we will take and charge service fee based on these.

Good news! We are currently giving 50% discount if you will allow us to (a) record a short decent video of your photoshoot and (b) upload this video and your really-good photos on the Internet. Immediately avail of this discount as this may be terminated anytime without prior notice.

In lieu of our resident photographer, you may want to be photographed in our studio by our guest photographers - see them here. Note that they may charge a different service fee and discount and may give you different set of photos, so please discuss this matter with them.

Booking Fee

Please pay booking fee of P300.00 one (1) week before the shoot. Because this covers our expenses on shoot preparation, this is non-refundable but is deductible from the service fee.

What to Wear

What everyone wear can make or break a photograph. Here are some tips to help you:

• Think very carefully about what you’re going to wear, from your top down to your shoes. If you feel uncomfortable in an item of clothing – don’t wear it.
• For women:
1. WEAR simple clothes so that viewer’s attention are drawn into the people’s faces, not on the dress - this is a portrait, not a fashion photoshoot.
2. DO NOT WEAR clothes with heavy prints, large letters, company logo, patterns, or flashy colors - these steal the viewers’ attention.
• For men:
1. Wear dark pants or even khakis. Go for dark ones because they are easy to match with any tops and, unlike lighter ones, these do not steal the viewer’s attention.
2. Or, wear either blue jeans (denims) or even corduroy jeans. But if one is wearing jeans, all other men should wear jeans too.
• DO NOT HAVE perfectly matching outfits (e.g. everyone in maong and white shirts) - this is boring.
• HAVE your family members wear one of the following color combinations:
1. A mix of warm colors (e.g. reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, etc.) - warm colors are exciting to view. Earthtone colors belong to warm colors but is more subtle and pleasing - for being unsaturated.
2. A mix of cool colors (e.g. blues, greens, violets, browns, etc.) - cool colors are relaxing to view.
3. About half wearing warm while the other half wearing cool colors – such mix can be visually interesting.
• Carefully choose colors so that both mom and dad stand out.
• HAVE everyone wear garments of the same clothing style. Choices are:
  1. Formal (suits and gowns), semi-formal (long-sleeves), rugged, party-attire, sporty, etc.
  2. If everyone agrees, go for sexy, bohemian, gothic, etc.
• If you have to wear accessories, make sure they do not attract too much attention.
• Plan your outfits at least one (1) week in advance so everyone is happy with what he/she is wearing.

How to Prepare for the Shoot

We will strive to make everyone look as beautifully or as handsomely as possible in photographs. But it is not all up to us - everyone has to help us achieve this. Start with these:

• Do not do anything exhausting the day before the photoshoot – you will look tired in photos.
• Do not drink alcohol the night before – you will be dehydrated making your skin wrinkly and reddish and your eyes puffy.
• Drink lots of water – hydration will make your skin glow and look fabulous.
• Have a good night sleep.
• Have a good meal before going into the shoot.
• Wear makeup. If you are not good with makeup, hire a makeup artist and ask him to:
  1. Give each one of you a CFN – clean, fresh, natural look
  2. Use makeup foundation that matches facial skin.
  3. DO NOT use white facial powder or cream – you will end up looking like the ghost Casper.
  4. DO NOT to have cheeks that look like a red or pink lipstick has been rubbed on them - the sort you see on a bar girl.
  5. Use a concealer to (a) minimize heavy age spots/wrinkles and scars and (b) eliminate blemishes.
  6. For men, use concealer made specifically for men so that they do not look soft and girl-like.
• If you wish to hire hair/makeup artist, please see portfolio of those who have worked with us in the past - click this.
• Bring items that will get your kids excited about – it may help the kid stay longer in the shoot.
• Do not schedule any activity after the shoot – you might not keep it up because photoshoot may consume a lot of hours, especially when any kid starts throwing tantrums.

For more information, please send us a message via our Facebook account - click this: St. John Photo Studio.