Quality portrait in the Twin Cities

November 5, 2009 7:19 PM

Can you recommend any good, budget-friendly, family portrait photographers in the Twin Cities area? We would like to spend under $125 for a sitting fee, but don't really want to go to Sears or Target.
posted by Mrs. Green to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

How much are you willing to pay for prints? I don't live in the Twin Cities but I know that some private photographers in my area charge a slightly higher sitting fee but will give you a disk of images instead of making you pay per print. You might check craigslist under creative services. Make sure you see a portfolio on line before you even call.
posted by dchrssyr at 7:34 PM on November 5, 2009

My husband and I got our engagement photos done at Proex in Woodbury. Might not be exactly what you are looking for but we were very happy with the result and the price was right.
posted by beandip at 7:45 PM on November 5, 2009

it has been quite a long time since i lived in mpls, so i'm not sure of current rates, but i recommend erika rinkleff. she's great with kids and cut her photography teeth as assistant to one of the top wedding photographers in the cities...meaning she's goooooood with the photography skills.
posted by ms.jones at 9:11 PM on November 5, 2009

Amy Anderson took pictures of me a couple years ago & I love them. (I never like how I look in photos, but she did a wonderful job.)

Other friends who do photography:
Sarah Sampedro (did my wedding photos, but might be higher than your price range)

Jennifer Madvig Benson (has taken wonderful pics of mutual friends' kids, but I have no idea what her prices are)
posted by belladonna at 6:09 AM on November 6, 2009

We've done a group shot of a bunch of kids at the ProEx in Highland Park, and it was good. A pro may do better work or get shots with more personality/spontaneity, but you'll pay for it.

My SiL may know someone; drop me a line if you're still stumped.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:41 AM on November 6, 2009

Photographers Guild at Snelling & Selby in St. Paul has done an awesome job for us. Base sitting fee is $40, and there is a "kids club" where you pay the $40 and can bring the kids in as often as you want. Also, their annual holiday special should be starting soon: no sitting fee and half off a set of photo cards when you bring in a bag of food for the food drive.

Their prints are a bit pricey... they make up on that end what they lose on the low sitting fees. But we (and the grandparents) have been thrilled with their work.
posted by Flannery Culp at 9:32 AM on November 6, 2009

Seconding the ProEx in Woodbury. We had good experiences both with our engagement photos and with a family photo. You can buy a disc with the images for, like, $200 right away, or $20 in a year, so that worked.
posted by Coffeemate at 1:22 PM on November 6, 2009

Response by poster: Great suggestions - I will check them all out. Thanks!
posted by Mrs. Green at 7:35 PM on November 6, 2009