​​​​​​​David Rumley
​​​ P h o t o g r a p h y
Fine Portrait and Fashion Photographer
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What should I wear for my portrait or headshot session?
​
A: This is a commonly asked question before most portrait shoots. The short answer is; wear what you want to be seen in. The longer answer is; it all depends!
Generally, for actors and performers looking to acquire headshots or promotional material, the less distracting the outfit the better. Solid colors always work well, and the more muted the better. Try to avoid outfits with patterns, logos, flowers, or too many facets as they will pull focus away from the face, which is what's making you the bucks.
​
For family portraits, matching style and color is a must. White or black tops are best, and jeans or matching pants/skirts are preferred.
​
​
Q: Can we just shoot wherever?
​
A: The unfortunate answer to this is; No! Most large municipalities, cities, towns have VERY strict rules when it comes to professional photography. San Diego is no exception. Generally, the city requires upwards of $250 for a two-hour professional photography session which is to be conducted on public grounds. Plus, photographers are required to have in excess of $1,000,000 in liability insurance to photograph publicly. These expenses have to be passed on to the client, and in many cases can make outdoor sessions in your favorite park or downtown location far too expensive.
If you DO have any questions regarding location, please don't hesitate to send me a message.
Q: What about makeup for my session?
​
A: You're perfect just the way you are....BUT, I get it. My strongest suggestion is; go to someone you like/trust and just do a SMALL bit of makeup work. Cameras are extremely good nowadays, and pick up nearly everything. Overdoing your makeup can create less-than-flattering images which are hard to adjust in post. So, keep it simple. After the shoot, it's much easier to fix the little incidental things that show up on a normal person's face or body when not contending with too much pre-shoot artwork. But, it's totally up to you how far you go.
​
​
Q: What am I paying for with this rather lofty fee?
​
A: A LOT of time and professionalism. Photography can be unfortunately very expensive. And I'm not talking just for the client, but for the photographer as well. David Rumley Photography uses only top quality, full frame cameras and professional lenses for our shoots. These run into the thousands of dollars, and occasionally need work to keep in top condition.
In addition, editing, online storage of client photos, software and other miscellaneous hardware contribute to the high cost of these types of businesses.
​
Plus, the shoot doesn't end when we wrap up the actual photographing component. Each digital image supplied to the client will undergo cleaning and editing with professional software and can take upwards of an hour or more per image. This is all time billed into the overall fee.
Q: Can I just get ALL the images from the shoot? I mean, c'mon...it's just digital!
​
A: As with ANY photography studio or photographer, all images taken by David Rumley Photography BELONG TO David Rumley Photography...until the end of time (or the Cowboys win the Super Bowl again...whichever comes first)! The fee paid by the client is to release printing and digital sharing rights to the client. In addition, any image presented to the client will go through the above-mentioned editing process BY David Rumley Photography. This is what makes our pictures unique and special. Editing any image on one's own and printing or posting without consent of the photographer violates Intellectual Property Law. And nobody wants to deal with all of that....least of all, me.
My goal is to make sure your images are as perfect as they can possibly be before you share them with friends and family. So, by allowing the client to choose his or her best images from a proof gallery, and editing only those, I can ensure the highest quality product is released, and that it's an experience we can BOTH be proud of.