A guide to what a fine art school portrait is, the benefits, and the 5 ways in which it is better than a traditional portrait.

In 2020, with the support of Elena S. Blair, Holly Rigos Media started to offer fine art school portraits as an alternative to traditional school portraits. It allowed me to start capturing Fine Art Portraits or Boutique Portraits of my own children that would be worthy to be featured on our family walls and printed in an album.

The fine art school portrait is a new trend in portrait photography. It is the result of the evolution of the traditional portrait, a portrait that is typically taken with a digital camera and printed on paper. It is a growing trend that has started to replace the traditional portrait and is a growing trend in the photography industry. Many people are drawn to the fine art school portrait because of the benefits it offers.

Check out my own daughter below!

Holly Rigos Media Copyright

Do you have your children’s School Portraits hanging on the wall?

Are these images of your child’s authentic personality?


01. What is a fine art school portrait?

A fine art school portrait is a type of portrait that is made by a professional artist and artistically captures the essence of an individual. There are many benefits of a fine art school portrait, such as saving money and time.

This is an in-depth guide to what a fine art school portrait is and the benefits of the fine art school portrait.

Introducing Fine Art School Portraits that are a little different than your normal corporate school portraits offered by the bigger box corporations. It is a session catered to YOUR child and not a timetable with stiff poses and forced smiles.

02. Benefits of a fine art school portrait

Boutique fine art school photography provides a quiet, kind, and encouraging environment that allows children to relax and be themselves. Photos are taken against a black or grey backdrop with natural light or flattering lighting.

Fine Art Portraits are Timeless

Moreover, there is no cost to the school, and parents pay nothing upfront. Families receive online galleries with different options to order. They can choose which image or images to order, instead of one image selected by the photographer.

A fine art school portrait will provide you with a unique and individualized work of art. It is a work of art that will be enjoyed by the people who are close to you. It will also provide you with a work of art that will last for many years to come.

I am in love with all of these.

I trusted you implicitly and I love every image that you took.

-Melissa Stock, A Happy Parent

03. FIVE ways in which a fine art school portrait is better than a traditional portrait

A fine art school portrait is an opportunity to place your child in the spotlight and etch those rapidly shifting phases of each age.

From the toothless grins, squishy cheeks, and long eyelashes of a toddler to the often cumbersome, yet extremely loveable attributes of a pre-teen, families barely have time to recognize a particular stage before their child moves on to the next. 

This is why I am passionate about capturing children from multiple angles and working to get a variety of expressions. One picture can’t possibly embody everything you want to remember about the stage they are in, so sessions include a minimum of 6 images in both color and black & white.

Here are FIVE more reasons to consider a Fine Art School Portrait (or a More Boutique School Photography Approach Than Traditional School Portraits):

  1. A Personalized Experience
  2. A Slow and Kind Environment
  3. No forced smiles – Authenticity is the goal, not awkwardness
  4. Setup is easy
  5. ONLINE Delivery of digitals works with today’s technology and busy lifestyle

A Fine Art Portrait is Authentic

The photography style is really a combination of lifestyle and documentary style.

The lifestyle approach is more prompt led and since this is a staged environment it means that this isn’t a “normal” day-to-day documentary activity.

The documentary approach is the piece that allows your child to be authentically themselves.

young child dance studio fine art portraits by holly rigos media on simple black background red hair pale skin toddler

The Background matters because it either makes your child pop or flop!

Consider this… Here are sessions that are captured on a solid colored background, such as black or grey, therefore your CHILD is the sole focus on the school portrait – not a busy background.

These timeless, artistic portraits can be proudly enlarged and displayed in your home because the art is your child.

During these sessions, in my home garage studio or at your local daycare, preschool, or private school, the sessions use a simple one-color backdrop with a one-light setup.

Just check out what these parents are saying:

All images in your gallery are not only provided in color but also in black & white. Color images give a sense of warmth and remind you what it was like to embrace your child’s warm hug, but there is something about the removal of color that allows a person’s physical features to come through (so when comparing your child’s portraits to those of Yiayia and Uncle Cody, the resemblance is undeniable).

cheerleading dance studio fine art portraits by holly rigos media on simple black background mixed child smiling

04. What can I do with Fine Art Portraits?

The online gallery and storefront offer premium options for your convenience.

You can choose from prints, canvas, framed prints, albums, and a slideshow.

artwork wall art of child smiling holly rigos media carrollton ga

05. How do I get my hands on a Fine Art Portrait session?

You can work with Holly Rigos Media in two ways – book me for your next Fall or Spring photo session at your school, daycare, preschool, and/or private school, or sign up to be an INSIDER and be the first to know when I am holding the next mini-session.

Book me for your school portrait day

At no cost to you – the school or organization!

Yep, the real client, are the parents of the children photographed.

06. Who is this session good for?

Daycares

Preschools

Private schools

Dance studios

Individual teams or leagues

BOOK YOUR SCHOOL FOR

Fine Art Portraits

Get all the details and register your school, organization, team, or studio for a fun and relaxed session of Fine Art Portraits TODAY.

07. Conclusion

Each session is designed to help your child relax and be themselves, so they don’t mind (and even look forward to) coming back year after year.

Want a quick tip for ensuring your child relaxes during their session? Have them prepare a joke for me. This flips the roles and puts them in charge. Children who come with a joke in hand often can’t wait to get started, and, inevitably, can’t resist a grin as they execute their punchline!


08. Sign up for the Insider’s Club:

The bi-annual school portrait mini sessions are offered in my home garage studio located in Carrollton, GA.

If you want to know when I am offering my FALL and/or SPRING mini-session, please sign up below to be the first to know and sign up for your spot.

Who is this session good for?

  • Parents with children not schooled age (children should be able to sit on their own)
  • Children who do not attend the school I photograph
  • Parents who want something different than the normal school portraits
  • Families who want fine art prints on archival quality paper that will last
  • BONUS: I will photograph one MOMMY & ME pose as a complimentary image
SIGN UP TODAY for the

Insider’s Club

Get all the details for upcoming mini-sessions, deals, discounts, and more from the Holly Rigos Media family.

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