California Portrait Photographers
Los Angeles Portrait Photographers:
Long Beach Portrait Studio
& Main office
call (562) 981-8900
Pasadena Portrait Studio
call (626) 744-9104
Irvine, Orange County Portrait Studio
opening soon
call (949) 753-1600
by appointment only
Frequently Asked Questions
Hover your mouse over each question to read the answer
Can I get the negatives? Digital files?
What is included in the sitting fee?
What prints are included?
Why Is Linnea's minimum an 11x14?
Can I get prints smaller than 5x7?
How many people can be included in a session?
- We work digitally so there are no negatives.
- We cannot release our digital files because they are copyrighted; U.S. law establishes that they are the creative property of the photographer, for the same reason scanning and copying prints from your session is illegal.
- You do have the option to purchase the proofs from your session, you will receive thumbnails of all the images from your session and the images will be stored for a year by the lab.
- We work with a professional digital camera; we made the switch to digital after improvements in digital technology made professional digital images of a high enough resolution to be comparable to film and a fast enough speed to capture an instant expression.
- Digital sessions have many benefits:
- You can make your color choice after your session, you are not limited to the type of film in the camera at the time the image was photographed.
- Orders can be processed more quickly, we don't have to wait for negatives to come back from the lab to schedule your order session.
- Retouching can also be done more quickly on digital images because they do not have to be scanned or use the tedious process of painting on a negative, again cutting down on the time it takes for your prints to get back from the lab and improving the quality of your prints.
- The sitting fee covers your time with the photographer, your time with our art consultant in your order session, and your studio time.
- Portraits are purchased separately.
- We are a Wall Portrait studio and our focus is to create images with Artistic Impact that you can't help but want to hang in your home, smaller portraits are great for albums, but once you see them you're going to want to put Linnea's artistry on your walls.
- Most people want a portrait larger than the portrait minimum, and you are welcome to upgrade to the larger print for only the difference in price.
- We can print portraits in 4x6, 4x5, and 3x5 sizes but they are the same price as the 5x7 portraits. You can also order wallets from prints that you have ordered larger.
- We have found that if you make a portrait package it is never exactly what anyone wants, so Linnea's portraits are priced individually by size and our Art Consultant will help you customize a package to suit your needs.
- Our Associates have set portrait packages.
- We are in studio only. Our lighting is something we pride ourselves with here at Linnea Lenkus Studio, the studio is a controlled environment where we can adjust the lighting to make you and your family look their very best.
- Outdoor lighting is unreliable and can be problematic, plus weather is unpredictable.
- Achieving similar lighting in your home would require us to bring a lot of equipment into your home, it would be disruptive and time consuming and could damage your floors or furniture.
Do I need to bring my own clothes?
- You are welcome to bring as many people to your session as you like. Especially with newborn portraits we recommend bringing in grandparents.
- Absolutely. At Linnea Lenkus Studio, we use a lab that prints with Kodak "Endura" photo paper, which is guaranteed to last 100 years or more, and is a professional portrait paper.
- Our Art Panels are printed on special acid free art paper with inks that are guaranteed for 100 years, just like our prints.
- Acid-free paper and paper products are key preventing damage to your prints over time. At Linnea Lenkus Studio all of our mats boards including our art panel mats and memory box boards are acid free as are the mount boards we use in our framing. We want to make sure you can enjoy your prints for years to come.
- Sepia is one of the three print tone options we offer here at Linnea Lenkus Studio. Sepia is similar to black and white but it has a subtle brown tone to it that adds warmth to the image.
- Many people think of sepia as brown. And it is, however, there are many different sepia tones. At Linnea Lenkus Studio we use a sepia tone that looks very similar to a black and white, many people see our sepia images and think they are black and white.
- Because of her background with film Linnea prefers a look called "split toning." Split toning is a darkroom technique that involves taking a black and white print and adding just a "kiss" of brown to warm it. This is the look she replicates in her sepia tone.
- In comparison to sepia, true black and white can often look "blue" it is a cooler image, we do offer both at the studio so you have your choice, and you can see examples of both at your order session.
- We will photograph your little one as early as you feel comfortable bringing them in. They grow so fast in those first few weeks that they loose their "newborn" look quickly.
- People bring their newborns in as early as three days old, we recommend bringing them in the first month if you want to capture that "newborn" look. Give us a call while you are in the hospital to schedule your session with your newborn.
- We strive to make you look like the best YOU possible, we have found that if you do your own hair and makeup as you would if you were going out for the evening our lighting takes care of the rest
- Having someone do your makeup for you often results in you looking made up and not like yourself, when this happens clients tend not to enjoy thier portraits as much because, "It dosen't look like me."
- We offer retouching at the studio so we can take care of trouble spots that way as well
- If you would like to do something special with your hair we recommend scheduling an appointment with your own hairdresser the day of your appointment, you hairdresser is familiar with your hair and will know best how to achieve the results you want
- We do not recommend having your hair cut or colored differently in the week prior to your session, if for some reason something goes wrong you may not have time to get it fixed before your session, plus hair needs time to get over the shock
- We have various cloth drapes for pregnancy sessions and cloth diapers available in studio
- We have a small selection of clothing available in the studio, but we cannot guarantee it will be the right size for you
- We recommend our clients bring their own clothes as well.
What if the baby is asleep the whole time?
How young do people bring their newborns in?
Are your portraits archival quality?
- If your baby is fussy during the session you have the option to stop the session before you reach the maximum time or number of images and reschedule the remainder of your session. If we spend the entire session with you and then you decide to reschedule, a new sitting fee (but not minimum) applies.
- Please do not schedule a session for your child with in the week following a vaccination. We find babies and childern are often fussier than usual, and wary of strangers as well. (We don't blame them we would feel out of sorts too.)
- We have had sessions where the baby is asleep for most of the session and we embrace this time. There are so many wonderful creative things you can do at that time.
- If it is important to you that the baby is awake the entire time we stress that the session should be rescheduled. You have the option to stop the session before you reach the maximum time or number of images and reschedule the remainder of your session. If we spend the entire session with you and then you decide to reschedule, a new sitting fee (but not minimum) applies.
- Linnea has been a professional photographer full time since 1990.
- She worked for 8 years as a commercial photographer before opening her own studio to do portrait photography.
- We have been established in Pasadena since 1998 and opened our Long Beach studio in 2004.
How long does it take to get my portraits?
- Your order is ready pick up between 2 and 5 weeks from the date of your order.
- Portraits generally come back in about 2 weeks, our specialty products can take a bit longer.
- Studio appointments book up quickly, we recommend calling to schedule your session at least 2 weeks in advance.
- We recommend our pregnant clients come in between your 30th and 33rd week of pregnancy. Most women are showing well at this time but have yet to gain the water weight common in the last month of pregnancy.
- We photograph babies as early as 3 days old. Call us in advance to set up so that you can call schedule while you are in the hospital.
- Yes. We understand that our pets are often as much a part of our families as people are. It is important to remember however that being in a new environment can make pets excitable or nervous making them more challenging to photograph
- We do not schedule sessions for pets only; we photograph pets as an extension of your family (as a portrait studio we like to have people involved in our sessions). We will photograph your pet solo just let us know that is something you'd like to do during your family session.
