New York
Studio portrait · New York
In short
Studio portrait in New York starts at $250: 60 min on location with a photographer who works in New York, and 20 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 48–72 hours.
Why choose Studio portrait in New York?
A studio portrait in New York is a one-hour, controlled-light session in a rented Manhattan studio, priced from $250 for 20 retouched photographs. In New York the brief is usually an author photograph, a press-kit image or a program portrait for a performer. All three uses share one requirement: a publisher or a venue will crop the file to its own template, so the portrait is lit with room above the head and on both sides. Two lighting set-ups in one hour means one soft, even look for the publisher and one with more shadow for the person’s own use.
Worth knowing about New York
Authors booking a New York portrait often ask for the New York Public Library, and the rule there is specific. The New York Public Library prohibits staged photo shoots and commercial photography inside its buildings without prior written approval from its Office of Special Events, and lists tripods, lighting kits, reflectors and backdrops among the equipment patrons may not bring. A book-jacket portrait is therefore made in the studio, with the library photographed separately from the street if the publisher wants it.
What does the session in New York look like?
- A rented studio, Manhattan
- Two backgrounds and two lighting set-ups inside one room, with no weather to plan around. A studio session indoors involves no city permit of any kind, whatever lighting is used.
- Fifth Avenue sidewalk outside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
- For an author who wants the library in the frame: photographed handheld from the public sidewalk, not staged inside the building.
What does studio portrait in New York include?
- 20 retouched photographs
- Two lighting set-ups and two backgrounds
- Selection made together at the end of the session
- Private online gallery within 48–72 hours
- Print release for personal use
FAQ — Studio portrait in New York
Can I have my author portrait taken inside the New York Public Library?
Not as an ordinary booking. The New York Public Library requires prior written approval from its Office of Special Events for any staged or commercial photo shoot, and commercial use of its buildings is normally an after-hours location rental with its own fees. A New York author portrait is shot in a Manhattan studio instead, with an optional handheld frame from the Fifth Avenue sidewalk.
How long does a studio portrait session in New York take, and what do I receive?
A New York studio portrait session runs one hour in a Manhattan studio and delivers 20 retouched photographs within 48 to 72 hours. The hour includes two lighting set-ups and two backgrounds, and the final selection is made together at the end of the session, so the files a publisher or a theater program needs are chosen before you leave.