Portrait Photography

Not everything is for LinkedIn. A portrait session is for the photograph you actually want of yourself.

Portrait of a woman in a gold gown standing beside a horse under a tree

Studio, coast, shopfront, street.

Same direction, entirely different registers — which is the point of booking a portrait rather than a headshot. Below is a selection of portrait work, in the studio and on location. Tap any photograph to see it full size.

Black-and-white portrait of a smiling woman in a black hat and layered pearls

Portrait of a woman seated on rocks at a coastal cliff beach.

Black-and-white close-up of a woman’s face, half in frame

Environmental portrait of an older man in a straw hat smoking a cigar at his shop.

Editorial fashion portrait of a woman on a red sofa in front of a vintage Coca-Cola sign.

Black-and-white portrait of a bearded man in a leather jacket

Street portrait of a woman in a printed dress walking a white dog.

Fashion portrait of a woman in a burgundy gown and long gloves by a window.

Black-and-white portrait of a woman beside a white horse

Studio portrait of a woman with long dark curls in a black gown.

Portrait of a woman in a pale pink tulle gown seated on the floor.

Vintage-styled black-and-white portrait of a woman in a veiled hat and pearls

Portrait of a woman in a red dress and black hat against a wall of colorful chairs

Studio portrait of a smiling woman in a white top with a jeweled neckline

Black-and-white portrait of a woman in a lace gown and tiara by a window

Bride and groom outdoors looking back over their shoulders, from a branding shoot for a bridal gown designer

Studio portrait of a smiling woman with long red hair in a white knit sweater

Low-key portrait of a bearded man seated in dramatic side light

Portrait of a woman in a red dress seated among stacked colorful chairs

Portrait of a woman in a blue gown holding flowers in front of a flowering hedge

Fine-art portrait of a smiling woman in a sheer veil and gold crown

Portrait of a woman in a jeweled tiara lying among roses

Portrait of a woman in a patterned hooded robe in a stone archway

Portrait of two women with shaved heads posing on a white sofa

Beauty portrait of a woman framing her face with her hands on a cream background.

You don't have to be photogenic.

You have to be directed — that is the whole method. I tell you where to put your hands, what to do with your shoulders and how to move your face. The first ten minutes are always the stiffest, and they are not the ten minutes we keep.

Book a Portrait Session

What the session is like

Up to two hours

1

Unhurried. Enough time to settle in rather than perform for a camera on a clock.

Two to three outfits

2

So you get a genuine range instead of one look photographed twenty times.

Multiple backdrops

3

Backgrounds change the register completely — something warm, something formal, in the same sitting.

You see it as we go

4

We review on screen throughout, so you are never waiting to find out how it went.

What you walk away with

Three chosen images

1

Three retouched images you chose yourself — not three a stranger picked for you weeks later.

A range, not a repeat

2

Different outfits, different backgrounds, different moods — all from one sitting.

Print and screen

3

Files that work in print and on screen, in the crops you need.

Decided in the room

4

Your final selection happens before you leave, with me, while you can still see what the alternatives looked like.

Portrait sessions

Portrait session

From $850 for up to two hours in the Irvine studio, with three retouched images included. The $850 is paid when you book and holds your date. Two to three outfits, multiple backdrops, and direction on posing and expression. You choose your favorites before you leave.

More images

Additional retouched images are $150 each, chosen during the session rather than from a gallery weeks later. Every image gets standard retouching — skin smoothing, blemish removal, color correction and light shaping in the portfolio style.

Something else in mind

If you are thinking about something outside a standard sitting, tell me what you have in mind and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right photographer for it. Email abousaif@icloud.com.

Book your portrait session

Pick a time below — the session fee holds your date.

Questions people ask

A headshot is built to work small, on a professional profile, where the only job is to look credible. A portrait is built to be looked at — more range, more room, less about the job.
A portrait allows more than a headshot does, but the fundamentals are the same: fit before anything else, nothing brand new, and colors that work with your complexion. The What to Wear guide has the details.
Yes. A friend, partner or family member is welcome, and it usually helps. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian present.
Yes, during the session, with me. You will not be sent a gallery weeks later and asked to decide on your own.
Hair and makeup aren’t included, but I can connect you with a professional artist. They work independently and bill you directly. Ask at least a week ahead.
Portrait sessions take place in the Irvine studio. If a particular location is part of the picture you have in mind, email me before booking — on-location portraits are discussed and approved in advance.

One good photograph of yourself is not vanity.

It is the picture you are glad to send whenever someone asks for one. Questions: abousaif@icloud.com