A few years ago, The Portrait Artists had a display of our work near Nordstrom’s at the Dulles Town Center.  The display was beautiful!   One young mother was so impressed with our canvassed portraits, she told herself that some day she would own one of her 2 daughters.  Her wish came true not too long ago!

The day of the session we arrived at their home mid morning.  Donna and I set up the background, Donna was decorating the set and I was lighting to create my traditional ”Old Masters Portrait” style, popular in Washington DC and surrounding areas.

Delicate, white dresses were chosen for the girls.   Simple is always best for a timeless portrait.  Earlier that morning the girls were treated to the beauty salon.   I remember how proud and carefully the girls descended the stairs as they came downstairs to say hello.

I always sit down with children and talk with them a few minutes before their session.  They usually have a few questions for me.  Here we’re talking about her favorite class at school. 

 
We sit and relax for a few minutes before beginning the session to establish trust.  They also will relax and enjoy themselves more. 

It’s nice to take the focus off the portrait for awhile.  Some parents are anxious before the session, and often if I relax, the kids are relaxed, and finally the parents will relax.  Then we can start!  Here’s the finished portrait on canvas!

The Portrait Artists provide both oil portraits and photographic portraits in the Old Masters style.  We are among a very few artists referred by the National Portrait Gallery for this type of portrait work. 

Here’s the portrait framed and on the wall in the Sucherman home.

We’re blessed to have our talent, but more so to be sharing it with our clients.  Here’s how mom feels about  our work.  

“I wanted to let you know how much I am in love with the portrait of our girls. I find myself gazing at it many times in a day. I feel so happy and lucky that I found you and your amazing talent.  In my mother’s words . . “It is absolutely exquisite!”  The girl’s grandparents love theirs and we will treasure ours forever.  Thank you again for the wonderful experience and the investment that will last for lifetimes.”   … Amy Sucherman

And the girls?  This was so sweet, the girls were proud to pose in front of their portrait!

This shows first hand why Psychological studies prove that having your child’s portrait displayed in the home builds self esteem.  From the look of these two, I’d say it’s working pretty well!   Just another benefit of owning personalized wall decor by the Portrait Artists.  Here’s a second note we received from Dad. 

“Dale and his partner Donna are not photographers, they are artists. You will notice right away that their approach to photography is completely different from what you may have experienced. They feel getting to know a subject and family helps ultimately bring out the essence in a person that is brought to life on canvas.

His expertise at lighting and capturing that perfect split second is what initially attracted us to Dale’s work. All of the attention to detail, from using the right film to the exquisite painting process ensures you will be left with a work of art that becomes a treasured heirloom. We are in love with the portrait of our children that Dale created. He has my highest recommendation.”  Joel Sucherman

Your children will never be this age again.  As we approach the end of summer 2010, please contact us to discuss having a portrait made of your children.  You don’t even need to leave the house! The complimentary design consultation takes place in your home, our way of showing you just how important creating your portrait is to us!

Saturday we scouted locations for an upcoming portrait of a couple with their horses out for a ride. I think we’ve found it.
 

 We were looking for shady area for the couple to tie the horse up and graze while they enjoy a glass of wine or a picnic after riding to this secluded spot on a lake.

These are just digital photographs of the areas we found.  They give us a rough idea of scale and depth of the area for the actual portrait.  Which of the three do you like best?  Let us know!

Wishing you all a great 4th of July. It’s true that America is going through some serious and problematic times, but America is still the most amazing country in the world. Let’s remind ourselves today that it’s our reponsibility to do what needs to be done to maintain our independence.

We’ve been out and about enjoying the summer heat at the pool and looking forward to a concert and fireworks this evening in Old Town Manassas, the biggest fireworks display in Northern VA. Should be fun! This fireworks image was created a few years ago in Cathlamet, WA near our west coast studio.

We miss our family and Washington friends especially on the 4th.  This image of the annual fireworks display which happens during the week following the 4th is the finale to the towns “Bald Eagle Days” hometown celebration.  Have a Happy 4th!

Stop by and visit The Portrait Artists display at this years Greek Festival at Saint Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church, May 15-16, 2010 from noon to nine pm.  We’ll be there answering questions about our portrait process and you can support Saint Sophia’s by bidding on one of our portraits featured in the Greek Festival’s  silent auction.  Dozens of items have been donated and will be on display for bidding.

Saint Sophia’s Greek Festival is the first cultural festival of it’s kind created in the United States and dates back to 1948 in Washington DC.  The Festival features the most amazing food, drink and  ”stuff” to buy.

Donna and I created a few pics in the Cathedral there yesterday.  It’ a  really beautiful place of worship.

Thanks to Dina and Theo Margas for inviting us to participate in the 2010 Saint Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival. 

The detail in the design of the cathedral is amazing, consisting primarily of half inch mosaic tiles.  As we were creating these images, I noticed the entire cathedral design is incredibly symmetrical and balanced from wherever we were shooting.  Visit The Portrait Artists Photo Tips and Tricks for an upcoming lesson on creating beautiful images in Cathedrals and low light.

Ever wonder why some digital images look great and others look really bad on your monitor?  Follow these steps using this grayscale chart to adjust brightness and contrast on your monitor as the first step to consistent viewing of images.  This is written for PC screens, but the principles will be similar with an Apple display.  OK, Let’s get started!

1: Set your monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2. Some monitors may not allow this adjustment.

2: Set your monitor Color Temperature to 6500k or closest value.

Now we’ll adjust Contrast and Brightness so you can make out different values between all of the grayscale blocks in the chart below. To see the most of your digital images you should be able to see the difference (at least) between chips X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C chips on the grayscale.

3: Set the contrast adjustment so you see the 4 whitest chips. An older monitor usually needs full contrast, where an LCD screen will usually needs less than full contrast.

4. Set the brightness adjustment so you can see the difference between the 4 darkest chips.

NOTE: You may have to make the adjustments a few times to get the perfect balance for your monitor.  It’s all right if the difference between the chips is subtle as long as you can differentiate between them.

This will verify that your images are correctly exposed and allow you to see the overall tonality of your images, but will not assist in determining whether colors in the image are accurate.  That will be taken up in the next chapter of ” Dale’s Camera Tips and Tricks”.   Good Luck!

Dale

The Washington DC Winter 2010 Snowstorm – Family Portraits in the Snow

Dale and I have been going a bit stir crazy lately staying indoors due to the biggest winter storm in the history of Northern Virginia/Washington DC areas.  The Washington DC Winter 2010 snow storm has afforded us with beautiful opportunities to create “Family Portraits In The Snow”.

 Why not take advantage of all this beautiful snow?  The contrast between intense blue sky and white snow makes for beautiful portraits.  And, we need new samples to show off the work we do.

Our first session was on Monday February 8th with Lorena and Jeff Blalock in front of their home in the Clifton area of Fairfax County. We also created a portrait of Lorena and her sister Aimee Saldivar.  The ladies looked fantastic and were fun to work with.  This one was made as a gift for their mom and dad. 

Having previously scouted the location, Dale and I had a good idea where the portrait would be made.  Upon our arrival Dale could see we needed to work quickly since the morning light was changing rapidly.  Lighting is the most significant technical consideration when creating a portrait, especially outdoor portraits.  The snow acts as a very large reflector which can be helpful to fill in shadows from sunlight. 

As we all gathered to discuss the portrait details, we realized there may be a problem with the depth of the snow.  The storm had dumped about 30″ of powder so coming up with a way to keep the clients from sinking down into the snow while we worked was crucial.  Who wants a portrait made buried in snow up to your hips, right?  Dale’s solution was brilliant!  Slide a 30”x40″ piece of cardboard just under the snow’s surface.  It worked perfectly.  The cardboard distributed their weight just enough to support them and prevent sinking into the snow.   Session saved! 

Our motto is “Preserving Your Legacy is Our passion”.  Dale’s film and television background makes him an expert in creating portraits that tell your family’s story.  Using the Blalock’s home as the background for this portrait was our first choice.  It is the home where they raised their family.  When creating a portrait we want to represent family history in the image.  After all, this portrait will be enjoyed for many years by generations to come.  Secondly, the winter storm of 2010 is of historical interest as the most severe winter in recorded history. 

In life, family’s mature, living situations often change and investing in a wall portrait will remind us of where so many happy memories took place.   If you find the idea of a family portrait in the snow interesting, please contact us at the studio 703-655-2606.  Call now and we will give you a complimentary 8×10 and free session as a “Thank You” for allowing us to create a new sample to add to our portfolio of work.  We can schedule sessions at the home or location you and your family have enjoyed time together. 

We may only have a few days of beautiful snow laden countryside remaining, so contact us now.

Colonel William “Jeff”  Blalock and his wife Lorena have wanted a retirement portrait to be made for some time, but said they hadn’t found an artist whose style appealed to them or complimented their home decor.

Just before Christmas we delivered Colonel Blalock’s portrait and placed it over the fireplace in their living room.  One of our new portrait lights was installed to provide the perfect color temperature and brightness of light on the portrait.  The Blalock’s were completely overwhelmed with the results.

We were invited back to the Blalock home for their annual Christmas party.  We had a wonderful time meeting their friends and answering many questions about our portraits and how they are created.  Several people are interestedin having us create their own portrait after seeing our work.

We are grateful for all of our clients and the friendships that develop in creating our art for them.  As we begin the New Year we wish you all the very best and look forward to our next meeting. 

Stay in touch!   Dale & Donna

Welcome to our Blog everyone. 

We will be posting detailed information and images on our portrait sessions and educational information about improving your photography at home.

We are very excited about adding this new dimension to our website.  We encourage your questions and comments.

 Dale Dimmick & Donna Alija