Your Portrait Experience

Your portrait session fee includes the following:

  • A pre-portrait consultation to discuss your session and review what to bring
  • A personalized portrait session with communion themed props and a wide variety of backgrounds
  • Editing your images for viewing
  • A cinema style presentation of your session, complete with a slideshow set to music
  • A review of each your images to assist you in picking your favorites
  • A discussion with you about various options for you to display your selected images.

Here's a more detailed explanation of your portrait session:

The Pre-Portrait Consultation

Your portrait experience for a First Communion Portrait by Peter M. Budraitis Photography begins with a pre-portrait consultation. While it is preferable to do this in person so that we may show and discuss samples of our work, it may also be accomplished over the phone, and, when possible, while viewing an Internet connection.

During the pre-portrait consultation, we will discuss your tastes, likes, and dislikes regarding the portrait you are looking to have created. This will provide us with a clear starting point when you come in to have your portrait created. Creating a personalized portrait that you will have the greatest emotional gratification from is our primary goal. We often know that goal is achieved when our clients reach for the tissue box during the preview presentation of their images! Before completing our pre-portrait consultation you will have a clear idea of what to expect during and after your portrait session, including what to wear and what to bring.

The Portrait Session

Your personalized portrait session is designed to be relaxed and fun. Please don't repeatedly instruct your kids to "SMILE" before or during their session. Don't worry, we work patiently with them, put them at ease, and consistently get great expressions that don't have that forced smile look to them. We allocate plenty of time for each session to give us that opportunity to establish the needed rapport, get all the images we need to, and never make you feel rushed during your session. And, with a personal, scheduled appointment time, there are never any lines or waiting for your portrait session. We do have changing facilities should you desire to not have your child wear their formal clothes on your way to our studio. During the pre-portrait consultation, we'll remind you what to bring with you. It's important to make the session as personal as possible. We, therefore, suggest bringing some of your own personal items that may be special to you. For a First Communion session, these typically include your child's prayer book and rosary beads. Girls you may wish to bring fresh flowers, boys may wish to bring their armband if they will be wearing one. Whatever you don't have or forget, don't worry, we keep ready-to-use props, specifically for communions, handy in the camera room.

During our First Communion Portrait session, our goal is to create multiple images of approximately 12 different poses on a wide variety of different backgrounds. This can vary, depending on the child, but we almost always end up with several exposures of at least 10-12 different poses. Check out our samples gallery to get an idea of the backgrounds we regularly utilize. Almost all of the backgrounds you see here in our sample images are ready and available during each photo session. While you may get a "sneak peek" at some of the images we create during the actual photo session, your previews will be presented to you formally in what we call our "Premiere Cinema-Style Preview Session"

Creating Your Previews

After you have completed your portrait session and have left our studio we get busy creating a set of previews for you to view. First, we edit out any less than ideal expressions or "blinks". Next, we may retouch and add some "effects" to a few of the images we like the best just to show off a little. Custom retouching and any special effects are added to any image you order. After some editing and retouching, we will create a personal slideshow, set to music, for you to come in and view. Please consider bringing anyone who needs to be involved in making final decisions to this preview session. Feel free to bring whomever you like to this preview session. However, so that you may give your images the undivided attention they deserve, it is always best not to bring younger children.

Our Premiere Cinema-Style Preview Presentation

During your Premier Preview Presentation, you will view all your images for the first time, projected on a large screen in our cozy living-room-styled presentation room. After your initial viewing of the slideshow we will give you a few minutes to regain your composure after you have viewed such beautiful, emotion-invoking images of your child. Next, we will go through each image one-by-one utilizing our previewing computer system. In this manner we may easily compare individual images close-up and side by side, even zooming in on faces to check for the absolute best expressions. We will work with you to narrow down the images we created and discuss ideas on how you may wish to display them. If you consider investing in a wall portrait we will discuss various sizes and, utilizing our previewing system, show you how your image will look at an actual printed size. We offer custom framing options as well and have many sample frame corners on display.

After your presentation session is complete we will get right to work creating your order. We offer flexible financial arrangements to suit any budget. And, remember, all of our portrait work comes with our Unconditional 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!

Your First Communion Portrait Experience starts with a simple call or contact to our studio. We hope to hear from you!