Frequently Asked Questions

What are your studio hours?
Tue - Sat 10:30 am - 6pm. Appointments are recommended.
What areas do you commonly service in California?
Ray currently photographs in the Davis, Vacaville, Fairfield, San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, Tahoe, Woodland, and Napa, Sonoma Valley wine country areas.
What types of portraiture do you create?
Ray specializes in family, children, baby, pregnant mothers, high school seniors, weddings, business portraits, modeling, event, and commercial photography.
What are your prices for Portrait Artistry?
Please contact us to tell us what type of photography you are looking for. Please share your vision with us of your desired portraits.
What are good times to photograph children? At what points in time should I photograph my child's life?
We recommend even starting before your baby is born, usually in the last months of pregnancy. Then after your child is born, at 3 weeks, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. With these images, we can create a beautiful album showing the first year of your child's life, growing up. After this every year is recommended. We want to be your child's photographer for life.
What type of clothing should be worn for our portrait session?
First, we recommend setting up a consultation appointment for us to meet you. This way we can see your eye, hair, and skin tone, helping us decide together which colors work best for you and your surrounding environment and the the time of the year - in the studio or on location.
What happens during a portrait session?
Being on time for the photo session is very important, especially for outdoor portraits, when the lighting near the beginning or end of the day can change quickly. During the portrait session, Ray will take hundreds of images. Ray will continue to photograph until he really feels he has captured your portrait. Sessions usually last an hour to two hours.
I have a blemish, I'm a few pounds overweight, I want to hide my double chin or a wrinkle, or I am not photogenic.
Many times people will avoid a portrait just because of a past bad experience, or physical appearance. Ray will use lighting and the angle of the pose with the camera to hide or balance so that you look your best. Many times posing will not work and a more candid or natural moment will help you look your best, for example a side profile view of you conversing, laughing with a friend. In addition, Ray is also a professional digital artist to enhance, hide, shadow, and add or reduce makeup. You can have the perfect portrait.
How long do your images last?
Ray Johnston Designer Photography images are guaranteed to last a lifetime. Ray uses the finest of museum grade quality papers and coatings for your images to maintain their beauty for generations to come.
How do I view and order my images after a portrait session?
After your portrait session, we will set up a date for the viewing of your images. It is always best to view and order in the studio with help from Ray and his trained staff of artists. We use large projections of your images for you to make your selections. During this time, we can show all the images including cropping, black and white, color or other artist rendered enhancements of your images. We will also discuss all of the re-touching and signature wall portrait options for your portraits.
We dedicate as much time as you need for the viewing and decision making in a relaxed atmosphere in our studio. There is no extra charge for the first viewing and we ask that you plan on making your decisions during this scheduled time. For an additional charge, additional viewing sessions are available. Please allow approximately one and a half to two hours for your viewing time, as we do not want you to be rushed.