Some Frequently Asked Questions

Most importantly, wear something that makes you feel good. You should wear business attire based on your company preference or type of business you represent. Solid white should be avoided unless the individual is wearing a darker jacket or if its part of your professional uniform. We recommend solid, subdued colors.

You don’t want a strong pattern or a brightly colored dress or shirt to divert attention away from your face. Clothing with fine, tight patterns (herringbone or small, regular squares for example) can create unexpected interference patterns with digital camera sensors.

Keep in mind that our most frequently used background is a charcoal gray, so you might wish to avoid a charcoal gray suite or top. Because your photo will potentially be viewed all year ’round, sleeveless tops or dresses are too season specific and should be avoided.

If we come to your office, we bring equipment (typically lights and a background) in addition to a camera. Because we don’t want the subject right up against the background, and because we need some room to the sides for lights, an area about ten by ten feet is a comfortable minimum. We frequently find that a conference room has been reserved for us. That’s usually great, but conference rooms tend to be dominated by a table, and sometimes there’s not a lot of room left over! A lunchroom often turns out to have more space available. A private office is generally too confined.

It takes us a minimum of 20 minutes to set up and another 20 to break down, so do consider that when reserving a space.

For portraits, the short answer is “absolutely yes.” Optimizing one selected image per person is included in the cost. We also provide multiple cropping and sizing of your images when requested.

For event photography, the somewhat longer answer is that we typically generate a large number of images on an assignment. Recognizing that you are unlikely to use all the images you receive from us, our policy is to ensure that all images are, at minimum, corrected for color and exposure.

If you have specific requests for work beyond these basics please let us know.

We try to make a distinction between image enhancement (which to us means “polishing” an image) and image manipulation (which to us means changing the content of an image). The former might involve subduing blemishes or controlling fly-away hair. The latter might involve adding a missing person to a group photo or putting a sign on a new building.

We have a very skilled and experienced staff available for perfecting your images.

We want to make this process as frictionless as possible, so we offer a variety of options. Each of our clients seem to have settled on a system that works for them, and you are encouraged to discuss what your needs are when you book an assignment.

Our standard practice currently is to capture portrait images directly to a laptop, review images with the subject, take more if necessary, and arrive at a selected image right then and there. This selected image is then optimized (“polished”) in our office before delivery. This is a very efficient workflow for portrait assignments but we need 10-15 minutes per person for this to be a satisfying experience for the subject.

Some of our clients prefer digital (PDF) proofs delivered via email; others request that a temporary gallery be posted to our web site to make a selection after the sitting.

We recognize that no single solution meets the needs of everyone. One of the solutions described above will probably be appropriate for your needs but if not… talk to us!

FayFoto Boston releases images shot on assignment without usage restrictions. The company that booked and paid for the assignment is free to use the images in whatever way they wish. FayFoto retains the actual copyright but what that means in practical terms is that you (the client) can not resell the image. We reserve the right to use the image for our own promotion. FayFoto Boston will never release images shot on assignment to another party (such as a stock agency or even a former employee) without express written permission to do so.

Portrait photography

For a small number of portraits in the same session we charge a per person fee that includes the photographer’s time and the retouching of a selected image. For a large number of individuals in a session we charge an hourly rate or day rate for the photographer’s time plus a post-production fee (retouching) of each selected image.    

Event photography

For event photography we charge an hourly or day rate plus the post-production fee. At times we include the post-production fee in the hourly rate based on the type of event covered.

For both portrait and event photography, additional cost include CD/DVD, parking expenses and sales tax (if applicable) as well as a travel fee (time, mileage and tolls) for assignments outside the Greater Boston area can also apply.

Please contact us for an estimate.

We are very conscientious about backing up the work we do for our clients. We don’t guarantee this service (we know that bad things can happen to good data) but we have a very good track record.

We do not charge for this service. Should you need to have a CD replaced or a duplicate made or some retouching done on an image we created in the past then we do charge a modest fee for the labor involved. You may read more about our archiving policy on this page.

We recommend a telephone conversation (617-267-2000). The majority of our bookings are handled verbally. Because an assignment consists of so many small but important details we find that email almost invariably omits something important. Although we are happy to provide a written estimate upon request, we are rarely asked to generate written contracts. It may seem casual but in reality this proves highly reliable.

If some detail concerning an assignment changes (for instance the time, the day, the location or the number of portraits) then by all means feel free to communicate that change by email.

There are many delivery options and it is best to explore what works best for you in a direct conversation with us.

Options for electronic delivery of images include email attachments, or download over the internet (which is increasingly the preference for many of our clients). We can write files to optical disk (CD or DVD), or to small flash drives. Hard copy prints and CD/DVDs can be delivered via courier, mail or FedEx. Let us know what’s most convenient for you.

FayFoto Boston accepts major credit cards. However because most of our customers are businesses the normal process is to send an invoice via postal mail.