Chilmington Photographic Services – Environmental Portraiture
We pride ourselves in creating exciting innovative images of all types – including individual portraits, headshots, couples & family portraits in the beautiful Kent countryside close to Ashford.
We shoot exclusively on location or at client’s homes and pride ourselves on offering a fun & enjoyable experience – a world away from the more traditional & sometimes intimidating photographic studio.
Environmental Portraiture
Of course, everyone’s a ‘photographer’ nowadays, with the advent of cameras on mobile ‘phones but there’s no denying that the skills of an experienced & skilled professional photographer can produce far superior results than your average smart-phone can!
What is ‘Environmental Portraiture’?
Photographing people in natural surroundings is able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features.
Portraits of this sort capture people’s interaction with their natural surroundings to tell stories that generate an emotion in the viewer, giving an insight into who the people really are.
It is also generally accepted that by photographing people in natural surroundings, the subject(s) will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can sometimes be a rather intimidating and artificial experience.
As an alternative to traditional studio-based portrait photography, we undertake portrait photography on location.
We shoot using natural environmental backgrounds – for example, the scenery at nearby Hothfield Heath lends itself particularly well to outdoor shoots during all seasons, with free on-site parking available.
Whether for an individual, a couple or a family group, we aim to shoot a selection of images to capture the subject(s) in a fun, natural & vibrant way.
Environmental portraiture lends itself particularly well to family groups, with the emphasis being on creating images encapsulating lively interaction between those involved.
Location shoots generally take around one hour, with at least one hundred images being produced from which you may select your favourites from an online album shortly after the shoot.
Once a shoot has been arranged, we will send you our fact-sheet with lots of tips & advice as regards clothing etc. to ensure that your photoshoot goes smoothly and is a fun & productive experience.
Whilst we shoot on location in all seasons, this is Britain after all, so in the event that the weather is inclement on the day, your shoot can be re-scheduled to another date at no additional cost.
Prices
We want your experience to be as enjoyable & stress-free as possible, so you can rely on us to look after you throughout!
Our location shoots provide for around an hour of shooting time which is generally ample to allow for taking a good selection of images.
If a group or family shoot, we will happily also shoot individuals & sub-groups (ie: just Mum & Dad and/or the children together) and would expect to produce at least a hundred different images in total.
We will discuss with you prior to the shoot any particular ideas you may have in mind, or you are welcome to place yourselves entirely in our hands and let us guide you through the process.
We will also send you our fact-sheet prior to your appointment, which has tips on what to wear etc.
Following the shoot, your images will be uploaded for you to view via an on-line album (usually within 72 hours) from which you may then select your favourites.
A one-hour shoot (individual, couple or family/group) is £95. This includes online proofing of all images and one 10×8″ print with digital file. Basic image retouching is included within this price.
Additional images may be purchased as prints, digital files (downloads) or framed wall-art in various sizes & styles at additional cost – see our Prices & Products page.
Home Shoots
Alternatively, we can travel to client’s homes with our range of portable lighting equipment for both indoor & outdoor photography – perfect for family gatherings & special events.
For further details and a personalised quotation, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Please contact us with details of what you have in mind and we'll be pleased to put our creative skills to work for you today!
About Us
Husband & Wife team Mark & Lyndsay are the creative team at Chilmington Photographics.
Mark Matthews LMPA is an experienced photographer of some thirty years standing, having qualified as a Licentiate with the Master Photographer’s Association back in 1989.
Lyndsay Matthews BA (Hons) studied Fine Art at Newcastle University before graduating at Canterbury University in 2005.
