Who sits for Personal Portraits?

Literally anyone. Donald R. Douglas is southeast Alaska's only experienced specialist in Personal Portraiture styles. He has shot many hundreds of professional personal portraits over more than fifteen years, and he has made personal portraits with people of all shapes and sizes, ages from twenty to sixty, and from every profession and endeavor. It is part of the philosophy of Personal Portraiture that no one should define beauty by the images which they see in publications and advertising, but should recognize the beauty found in themselves and the beauty which their spouse or partner sees. Personal Portraiture expresses, reveals and celebrates that very individual beauty which each person possesses and which exists in each loving relationship.

What are Personal Portraits used for?

Most often a personal portrait is intended as a gift for the subject's spouse or partner. They are wonderful and uniquely personal gifts for a birthday or anniversary, Christmas or Valentine's Day, Father's Day, a wedding day, a host of other occasions or as a just-because-you're-in-love gift. Personal portraits are the loving and highly personal gift that, literally, only you can give. For those not involved in a relationship, personal portraits are often made as a celebration of self, as an expression of self-realization, as a documentation of health, fitness or sports achievement, or as a reflection of a positive self-image. Many clients will sit for a personal portrait near a milestone birthday: because they are twenty-nine about to turn thirty, thirty-nine about to turn forty, forty-nine about to turn fifty. Reasons for making personal portraits are as numerous, varied and individual as the people who sit for them.

Can this really be for one as conservative and modest as I am?

The great majority of people who make personal portraits are just as personally modest and shy as you are. That is one reason why Personal Portraiture with Don Douglas Photography encompasses such a variety of styles: so that you can find a portrait style that is right for you and with which you feel comfortable. Don Douglas Photography consults with each personal portraiture client prior to the studio session to look through portfolios, exchange ideas, and discover what images each client does, and does not, want to produce. Personal Portraiture is an expression and celebration of a committed, romantic marriage or other adult relationship, and as such builds on a very conservative concept: strong, involved, growing and dedicated romantic relationships. Many who could not imagine posing for revealing photographs in a publication still find to be entirely appropriate a personal photographic expression of their love for and dedication to their spouse or partner.

How do I begin to produce a Personal Portrait?

Call Don Douglas Photography at 586-9666 to make an appointment for a consultation. Please be prepared to place a deposit on your portrait work as indicated in the package price list. At this consultation we will schedule your studio session, review portfolios and discuss portrait styles and image ideas. Please bring images you have seen in publications or books similar to those you would like to create. If your spouse or partner is involved or has encouraged you to produce these portraits, please come to the consultation together.