Portrait Simple

There are a lot of places out there to bring your child for a portrait. I’m not one to go for overly artsy or too high end, nor am I thrilled with the “cookie cutter” look of many of the in-store portrait services available at chains. Thankfully, an alternative has spring up around the North East – Portrait Simple.

While not the cheapest of the bunch, Portrait Simple has a definite “look”. It’s clean, classy and bold. Their photographers are excellent, and the services are broad. If you want a family portrait, a yearbook photo, a great gift for a special relative, or your holiday card photo, you won’t be disappointed. We’ve used Portrait Simple on three occasions and each time, the pictures have come out with personality and high quality.

Sessions are typically 30 minutes each, with the option to book longer if you have a more complicated situation to capture (say a large family). Then, following the session, you sit down with your photographer and select the pictures that you like the most. If you have a small child, I would highly recommend that you bring a second adult with you to “babysit” while you are in the midst of the selection process, as it can take some time.

I was impressed with the quality of the prints and cards that we received. Most prints are made available shortly after the session has concluded. And, you can purchase up to 30 photos to be burned onto a CD right then and there—an option that I really liked. While it isn’t cheap, it’s still a value relative to many professional photographers—especially if you are going to print photos on your own.

Better still is their Rewards program. Rewards members do not pay for sitting fees, plus they receive a 10% discount on all in-studio purchases. The best aspect of being a member of the Rewards program is the heads up they give you on sales and specials. This past holiday season, I got to save 40% on my cards. Now, I’m no math whiz, but that’s a damn fine savings.