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REAL PICTURES OF YOUR FAMILY…
ONLY BETTER!

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Family Session

$250
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Up To 6 People (inquire for larger groups )

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One Wardrobe Change

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One Low Resolution Image

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Retouching Available

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Senior Session 

$600
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Up to 3 Locations

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Unlimited Wardrobe Changes

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One High Resolution Image

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Retouching Included

NEED SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT?

These packages are a great starting point, but sometimes people need a little something different. I’m happy to put together a custom quote for you and your family.

My session with Rick was terrific. A lot less painful than I had feared. Fantastic shots. Also, Rick communicated promptly and efficiently on email to set up the shoot.”

★★★★★

Nancy Taylor

“Rick was very willing to work with me in terms of scheduling, and very friendly and professional. Made the process totally painless.”

★★★★★

 

 

Carl Schirmeister

“Rick was awesome to work with. He took the best photo of me that I have ever had taken. He has my highest recommendation!”

★★★★★ 

 

Sean Figy

 

There’s No “I” in Team

I love working with my clients to help them look their best.

 
What Forms of Payment Do You Accept?

I accept cash, Venmo, ApplePay, checks, and all major credit cards.

If you have any other questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me by email at [email protected] and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks and look forward to working with you!

What Do You Recommend for Hair & Make-up?

Long hair is beautiful, but stray hair in the face is not. Dryer sheets can be helpful to control static. If you are working with one of my stylists, they have hair spray and will continue to touch up as we shoot. If you choose to do your own makeup, cover any blemishes as you normally would. Do not assume that you need excessive powder or cover-up as you may have seen in the movies or on news anchors. Anchors are working under a completely different light source with different equipment. Bad makeup is very noticeable with the high-resolution camera equipment I use. The general rule of thumb is “just slightly more than usual.”

Do You Have a Hair and Makeup Artist Available?

Yes. I have literally spent years cultivating some of Boston’s best professional on-site hair and makeup artists and I highly recommend availing yourself of their services. I am lucky enough to have a relationship with makeup artist Bre Welch, who was voted “Best of Boston” by Improper Bostonian Magazine and several other great artists who are part of her team. The cost for a hair and makeup session is $200, takes about an hour and will make you look and feel your best. The goal of using a professional for hair/makeup is to create a natural yet finished look. Plan to reserve appointment times well in advance as schedules are nearly always full.

As I said, the team of artists can leave you looking completely natural or with the appearance of a New York City runway model. Or both in the same session. They work on national magazine campaigns, celebrity shoots, and assist with hundreds of headshots with me each year. Men generally don’t require makeup but if you have shiny skin and you want a little help, let me know. I can try to fit your session in just before a female client. We can apply light powder and then remove it after the session is over. Let me know if you are interested and I’ll see what we can work out.

How Do I Prepare For the Hair/Makeup Artist?

Come to the studio with clean, dry, manageable hair and a clean face.  Feel free to bring a separate set of clothes when sitting in the makeup chair and please be a few minutes early as we normally schedule a full day of back to back appointments with our artists. There are two bathrooms just steps down the hall from my studio that we use as changing rooms.

Should Cut My Hair Before My Portrait Session?

I advise people to get a haircut about a week before their portrait whenever possible. This assures your hair is neatly groomed, but has “settled” from being freshly cut.

Should I Wear My Glasses During My Session?

Opinions differ on including glasses in photos. I believe that if they are not a dominant part of someone’s appearance, they can be left out. Glasses can create glare and reflection that may or may not be fixable in post-production, but don’t let that stop you from wearing them. If it’s possible to pop the lenses out and keep the frames, that’s a huge help, but only do it if you know you can put them back in. If you want to wear them, be sure they’re super clean, and I will work with the lighting to reduce the glare as best I can. If you choose not to wear your glasses, be sure to take them off when you arrive so as to eliminate the little red spots where the glasses rest on the bridge of your nose.

What Should I Wear for My Headshot Session?

I get this question more than any other. Let me do my best to offer suggestions – but in the end, it’s up to you.

If there’s more than one person in the shot, I suggest trying to make sure the colors worn are similar in appearance. Be sure the clothes share a similar value, which is simply defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. For example, if the photo were shot in black and white, all clothing would look similarly light or dark. Another way to gauge the value of color is to squint your eyes. The goal is to not have one item of clothing overpowering another, to create balance, and to not have any person or item of clothing becoming the focal point.

Think about bringing options to the studio with you. Bring something black, something gray, and something you love that you think makes you look like a rock star.

Men should avoid collars with buttons, mostly because I don’t like them and it’s not as crisp looking in a photo. Take the time to press your shirt, dry clean your suit, and get a haircut. Put in strong collar stays. Use your session as an excuse to buy a new wardrobe, or at least a new shirt and tie. Men with pale skin tones should probably avoid a white business shirt, especially in the winter. Light blue is a better choice. If you have darker skin tones, a white shirt can be great. I’ve also seen pink (salmon) shirts look incredible on the right person – as I said, it’s really up to you. Bring multiple outfits, ties, shirts, etc. I have pretty strong opinions once I see it on the screen and I’m here to help…whether or not you want it. 🙂

Try if you can to keep to solid colors. Patterns, designs, logos, or graphics will stand out and lead the viewer’s eyes away from where it should be – your eyes. The goal is always to lead the viewer to the people in the portrait, and not to their choice of clothing. And even though I just said solids are the standard, there are no rules! I photographed a family who all wore different color plaid shirts and although we were laughing at the time at how insane it looked, it turned out great once we converted it to black and white. Be authentic, bring tons of options, consider what the images will be used for and who the end audience will be. You cannot bring too many clothes to the studio – suitcases welcome!

What Time Should I Arrive for My Appointment?

Vince Lombardi once said “If you are 5 minutes early, you are 10 minutes late”. Coming a few minutes late to your session makes everyone feel rushed and that’s not great for creativity. Please be considerate of the clients who follow your appointment who are likely on a tight schedule. Please leave enough time to find the building, use the restroom, get changed, apply makeup, etc.  I recommend to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled session so we can actually start on time. No need to come more than 10 minutes early, or you might end up waiting on me. All missed appointments without 24 hour notice will be billed the full session fee.

Can I Take Pictures During My Session?

Although it should go without saying, please do not take photographs (iPhone or otherwise) during our session without permission. Not only could you inadvertently set off studio lights, but you could distract someone and ruin a shot that we are trying to create. Also, since I shoot tethered to a computer to allow my clients a live view, images will pop up on the screen every few moments. These images are in fact protected by copyright. Unauthorized photos taken with any camera, even an iPhone, are in violation of copyright protection. That is a long way of saying, please ask before using an iPhone in the studio.

Can I Post Images on Social Media?

Absolutely! Please follow me on Instagram, friend me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. If you want to post images online that’s awesome. My only request is to tag me and give “photo credit: Rick Bern”.

office headshots

FAMILY PORTRAITS

I am lucky enough to have a relationship with makeup artist Bre Welch, who was voted “Best of Boston” by Improper Bostonian Magazine and several other great artists who are part of her team.

SENIOR PORTRAITS

I shoot tethered to a computer to allow my clients to see the images in real-time.

Environmental Portraits
office headshots

PET PORTRAITS

I am lucky enough to have a relationship with makeup artist Bre Welch, who was voted “Best of Boston” by Improper Bostonian Magazine and several other great artists who are part of her team.

I’m so sure that you will be thrilled with the results, that I offer a 100% money-back guarantee of your session fee if you are not completely satisfied with your photographs. 
*Refunds do not apply to special offers or promotions.

Send Me an Email

I’ll be in touch within 24 hours. If you need a quicker answer, please feel free to give me a call at 617-504-7005