Q: Where is your studio located?A: Click here for a map to our location on the 3rd floor in the College of Medicine - Tucson building.Q: What should I wear to my portrait session?A: Business attire is recommended. Keep in mind when you are choosing your wardrobe what background your department has chosen. If they have no preference, our default is light brown so tan jackets or tops will blend into the background. If you are wearing a white shirt or blouse, we suggest pairing it with a jacket especially if your department has chosen our light gray or white backgrounds. For white coat doctor portraits, take into consideration that only the portion of your shirt or blouse under your coat that is in the neck V will be visible and it lands approximate 6in below the collar bone. If your top has an asymmetrical neckline or deep V-neck, it may not produce the desired look under your white coat. Bold patterned clothing will show through the white coat and is not part of the regular retouching process to fix.Q: Do I need to wear extra makeup?A: We suggest you keep your regular makeup or skin care regimen for your shoot. Extra makeup is not necessary. We do retouch face shine and blemishes in the retouching process. During summer months you may want to bring powder to refresh upon your arrival.Q: I wear glasses. Should I not wear them or worry about reflection in the lenses from the studio lighting?A: Please wear whatever you feel comfortable in for your photo. We take measures to eliminate reflection in the lenses.Q: What do you retouch in the editing process?A:We retouch by request eyeglass reflection, skin smoothing, blemishes, teeth whitening, fly-away hairs. Major cosmetic Photoshop retouching is available however may not be covered by your department. No retouching is done automatically by AI.Q: Do I get to choose my photo?A:Yes, all clients get to choose their photo as well as make specific retouch requests. No retouching is done automatically by AI.Q: I need to reschedule my individual portrait session. What do I do?A: Email ops@biocom.arizona.edu as soon as possible so we can rebook your time slot. Include possible reschedule days/times in your email to expedite the process.Q: I forgot to come for my appointment. What do I do?A: Please contact us know at ops@biocom.arizona.edu as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment and let your department admin know of the new date.Q: Can an individual or department access past portrait session photos?A: Yes all photos are archived at BioCom under the subject's name and the service request number assigned to the session. There is a service fee for retrieval that is billed at $62 per hour. Most retrievals take on average 1/10 an hour for a single image. Email ops@biocom.arizona.edu to request a quote for a larger retrieval project.Q: How long does it take to receive my retouched photos?A:7-10 business days although during our busiest months May/Aug/Sept/Oct, it may be up to 14-21 days. If you have a publication deadline, make sure to let us know when booking your session.Q: I need a portrait session but my department is not going to pay for it. Can I still schedule?A:Yes, we do offer self-pay. There is an additional 18% admin fee added to your total to pay via credit card or cash. Enter XXXXXXX in the billing account box. DO NOT ENTER CARD INFO ANYWHERE ON THE REQUEST FORM. We will charge your card or take cash when you arrive in person.Q: Does the subject receive a copy of their photo(s)?A: Yes, for individual portrait sessions the subject and other contacts indicated receive the high resolution digital image(s). Group rate subjects, photos are only sent to the main contact who booked the session. Please contact them for access to your photo.
Event FAQs
Q: What do you charge to photograph my event?A: For events M-F 8am-5pm, we charge $62 per hour to photograph, plus $62 per hour for digital processing of the images. Hourly billing also includes travel time to and from your event. For events away from Main Campus we charge mileage at $.625 per mile.Q: Are you available to photograph events on nights and weekends?A: Yes! Events after 5pm M-F or on weekends are billed at our after-hours rate of $93 per hour. Hourly billing also includes travel time to and from your event. Photo processing is done during normal business hours unless you request after-hours processing for quick turnaround for social media needs. All weekend and after-hours events we require 7 days advance notice.Q: When will my photos from my event be ready? A: On average your photos will be ready in 7-10 business days UNLESS you have requested our social media turnaround which is 5-10 images available the next day. For busy months (May, Aug, Sept, Oct) turnaround time may be 14-21 business days so make sure to let us know of any publication deadlines you may have so we can plan accordingly.Q: How many photos should I expect from my event?A: Depending on how much action will be occurring during your event, expect 30-50 photos per hour of coverage. For example, a speaker at a podium will have less photos than a community health fair.Q: Should I provide a “must have” shot list?A: YES! We photograph a variety of types of images (details, overall, and close ups) but having a list of people or interactions to be aware of is always helpful. The more information the better including timelines or event programs.Q: Should I book one photographer or two?A: Especially for graduations, booking two photographers is key if you want a photo of the graduate getting their diploma/hooding/coating AND also a shot of them in front of a banner/gonfalon/backdrop to the side. It will insure that every graduate will have an in focus shot of both actions without anyone missing that key handshake moment. Ask us what our thoughts are when booking our services so we can make sure to have two photographers available.Q: How will our photos be delivered?A: We send a 3-5MB high resolution JPG via Box. If you need a higher resolution JPG please let us know before your event. We will notify you when your photos are ready and request at that time you send us a Box invite to share a folder. We then put your photos in that folder. That makes it so you can permanently have them for your department’s use and not rely on our department to keep the shared folder.Q: Do you archive photos from past events?A: Yes, we store them in BioCom’s archive and make them available for use for a nominal fee billed at $62 per hour for retrieval. Email ops@biocom.arizona.edu to request past photographs.
