We are deeply committed to transparency in our pricing. There’s no hard sell, no bait and switch, and no games. We offer a sliding scale on most services to make our services as accessible and approachable to as many people as possible.

For large custom projects like brand new websites, or marketing plans, we’ll need you to answer specific questions to help us provide a proposal and estimate as accurately as possible.

The economic concept of sliding scale at its most basic is that people pay as they can for services, events, and items. We expand on that here.

The answer to this question is always it depends. If items are small and relatively similar, numbers are higher than if they are large or vary widely in size, texture, and detail.

Although we want you to walk away with as many great photos as possible, our first priority is quality over quantity.

The standard turnaround for photo delivery is 3 weeks from the shoot date. If you need your images sooner, we offer 1-week processing for an additional $100 or a 24-hour turnaround for an additional $250.

Rush turnaround isn’t always available depending on our schedule and therefore, it must be booked before the shoot.

Your photos will be delivered via email with a link to an online gallery where you can view, download, and share your favorites. The gallery is viewable on any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection. You can download your photos to your computer or mobile device, and we strongly encourage you to do so as soon as possible. Note: You can download the whole set or individuals on a computer while you can only download individuals one by one on a mobile device.

The photos will be saved in high-quality JPG format.

If you have specific image format needs, please let us know in advance so we can deliver the highest quality images suitable for your purposes.

The allowed usage of your photos is outlined in the photo usage license delivered with your photos.

We retain the copyright to all photos, but this does not mean you cannot use them for what you want! We provide a license covering a broad range of uses most commonly required for artists and creatives. If you have a specific usage in mind that may be outside the scope of our regular license, please let us know so we can discuss your needs.

The answer to this is always it depends. It depends on what we’re working on and what you need, but generally speaking (as of 12/19/24), we’re booking at least 3-4 weeks out.

Yes! We can offer video services to artists and creative small businesses through an exciting partnership with local lens-based artist Sandra Bacchi. Learn more here.

In general, no. We believe that part of what you hire us for, and the service we provide, is selecting and delivering the best images. We provide plenty of examples of Nathan’s shooting and editing approach and style throughout the website. We do that so you can decide before you hire us if he’s the right photographer for you.

We are never withholding photos from you intentionally. The shots you don’t see are either a) duplicates of shots you do see, b) test shots or missed focus shots or c) equipment or subject malfunction (the flash didn’t fire for some reason, you blinked, etc.)

Part of what you hire us for is to know the difference between a good shot and a bad one. It is a waste of your time to click through 7+ of the same shot when we can deliver the single best one.

If you are ever concerned about your images - something might be missing, send us an email and let us know. We want you to be delighted with the photos we create for you and will double-check our files if needed. Communicating honestly with us about your images and concerns is always preferred over asking to see all the photos.

In general, no. We believe that part of what you hire us for and our service is delivering finished photos. We provide plenty of examples of Nathan’s shooting and editing approach and style throughout the website. We do that so you can decide, before you hire us if he’s the right photographer for you.

To us, delivering unedited photos is like if you ordered cupcakes from a bakery and they gave you little paper cups of unbaked batter with frosting on top. Ick! Not yummy.

Nathan shoots in a camera raw format, creating a file that functions somewhat like undeveloped film. There are dozens of raw formats used by different digital image capture equipment manufacturers- because we shoot Nikon, our camera raw files are Nikon Electronic Format or NEF. The purpose of raw image formats is to save data obtained from the sensor with minimum loss of information. Nathan has over a decade of experience shooting and manipulating raw files. Therefore, he often makes shooting decisions knowing what steps he will take in the editing process to achieve the best possible finished product.

A camera raw file is the only genuinely unedited file possible. We can generate JPGs from the raw files before edits, but by its very nature, that is an edited file because of the information loss. Most of our clients do not know how to work with these raw files and often do not have the necessary software to open them. So delivering a completed product is essential to the service we provide.

That said, if you are ever concerned about your images - that the color might be off in an image, send us an email and let us know. We want you to be delighted with the photos we create for you and will do corrective edits if needed. Communicating honestly with us about your images and concerns is always preferred over just asking for unedited photos.

Short answer first: Yes.

Long answer next: It depends. We love artwork and look for opportunities to grow our burgeoning collection whenever possible. But we also love having a roof over our heads and being able to afford to feed the dogs. And this is not a side hustle - it's a full-time job for both of us, how we sustain ourselves, and most importantly, the puppers. Depending on how things are going for us financially and how interested we are in what you have to offer, a trade may be more or less of a possibility.

Big takeaway: We're always open to folks asking us about a trade option. But folks have to be equally open to the prospect that the answer could be yes or no.

Reduced-rate photo sessions with Porter Loves are currently on a break. If you want to see them get scheduled again, shoot us a message to let us know. We can't make promises, but if and when we reach a critical mass, we'll let you know. Our goal is always to meet the needs of our Pittsburgh area artist and creative community.

In the meantime, we have lots of resources available for free over here.

The #1 one MOST frequently asked question in Porter Loves history :)

He’s our dog, our bubba, our love bug, our Mr. Frog Legs, our baseball head and many more silly nicknames. He’s got a sister too. Learn more about them both.