Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions+

Booking & Preparation+

Typically, clients book one month at least in advance. This is very helpful especially during the busy spring and fall seasons.

Yes, during our consultation and the preparation work that happens before your photo session, we do offer advice on how to wear. During our consultation, we talk about different ideas for what to wear for I also have recommended fashion stylists whom I can refer you to should you need a more in-depth experience.

Actually, we can offer you complimentary makeup services right before your photo session in our studio or at the location for the shoot. I work with four different stylists, and each of them is familiar with a variety of skin types and skin tones.
This is one of the beautiful things about having an individual portrait session. You have the space and privacy to explore and discover your authentic self in front of the camera. This is the reason why I do what I do. To help people feel more comfortable in front of the camera by providing a variety of coaching and guidance throughout each of my clients’ photo sessions. We also do necessary prep work well in advance of the photo session, so that you can be more excited about the shoot and less anxious.
Absolutely! During our initial consultation, I get to learn about you and what matters most to you in an image. Even if you don’t know what that is, we build on that during the time we have before the shoot. By the time you enter the studio, I have a clear idea of which poses and expressions you would like to convey, and I guide you throughout the entire photo session on achieving what we’ve decided.

Experience & Process+

  1. Our mission is to help clients overcome their nerves in front of the camera and showcase their best selves during their photo session. For many of our clients, this is the first time they’ve ever stepped in front of a camera or had makeup done in a long time, if ever. Having someone who can provide the necessary tools and guidance is essential to delivering a memorable experience.

  2. We create multiple touchpoints with clients before, during, and after the photo session so that they feel taken care of and trust that the images they receive are the ones they will look at with pride and accomplishment.
For many of our sessions, while the shooting part typically lasts up to 90 minutes, the pre-shoot hair and makeup time ranges between 30 minutes and 90 minutes, depending on the individual. We often ask clients to allocate up to 3 hours with us.
Yes, we do. Some of our clients prefer to shoot in a specific space that aligns with their vision for the session. My stylist and I are more than happy to bring our gear wherever needed. Additionally, we travel throughout the Kanto area at no additional charge. However, for locations outside of Kanto, any incurred costs, such as transportation and accommodation, will be added.
Absolutely, we encourage it! We like to offer a variety of options to our clients for their final images. We even encourage some clients to bring something personal so that they can have a little bit of fun in front of the camera.

Corporate & Business Team Headshots Sessions+

For individual sessions, our sessions are typically 90 minutes long. These are long enough to accommodate outfit changes and location changes if need be.

For our team headshot sessions, we can have 5-minute sessions with each team member or even 30-minute sessions with each team member. The company’s number of headshots needed, budget, and allotted time is entirely up to the company.

For our sessions, we usually present around 100 images to choose from at our ordering appointment.

For our team headshot sessions, we show each person via our tethered laptop what the images look like. This gives each person an opportunity to select their favorite image or perhaps photograph a bit more in a different way.

For a team headshot session, it’s best to confer with the point person coordinating the session. We photographed some teams in uniforms, business casual wear, and business formal wear.

For individual sessions, what message would you like to give your audience? What style of attire do they mostly see you in? During our consultation, we can start by tailoring your photo session.

Pricing & Process+

Our session fee acts as our booking fee. Once that has been taken care of, your date is locked in on our calendar. But we also have a few things included in that fee, such as

  1. a 90-minute photo session
  2. guided posing and directions
  3. a complimentary here and makeup stylist
  4. one complimentary image
  5. the option to purchase more
Deposits paid can be refunded or repurposed for a different session as long as the cancellation is made three weeks from the date of our session.
If the session is cancelled or postponed within 7 days of the session, the cancellation or rescheduling fees are both 50,000 yen. For rescheduling fees, our 50,000 yen payment will be rolled into your image packages once we’ve completed our photo session and ordered an appointment.
We certainly do. We have packages starting from 200,000 yen and go up from there. But we also have à la carte image options, including customized pieces sourced from our Italian print lab.
Yes, they are included in the price. There is no additional fee for any retouching or edits.
Yes, we primarily deliver digital images alongside print options, ranging from simple prints to large poster-size wall pieces, all of which are museum-grade and sourced from our Italian print lab.

Miscellanous+

This is where we excel at TOPTIA Photography. 90% of our clients hate being photographed. Many of our clients wait until they have an absolute need to be photographed before reaching out to us. We like to take the experience from “I don’t want to be photographed” to “I can’t wait to be photographed again”. Ways we encourage that are really holding space for every person to learn more about what brings them joy and what is authentic to who they are. But most importantly, appreciating who they are and celebrating who they are. Surprisingly, not many clients take the time to celebrate their own personal milestones and accomplishments, and we want their photo shoot to serve as a visual affirmation of that.

Yes, we do! Feel free to browse our lifestyle portraits here, as well as our artistic and creative portraits showcased in this portfolio. Being able to leave the studio and create genuine storytelling experiences with clients or fellow creatives is what keeps our edge sharp and our imagination vast.

  1. My philosophy in photography is that everyone deserves to be photographed at any significant moment of their lives. We get so caught up in wanting our bodies to look younger, thinner, or whatever our idea of perfect is before we step into someone’s studio for a photo. But what many people fail to realize is that our bodies do amazing things. They keep us alive, keep us moving. While they change over time, they still maintain those two essential functions.

  2. We tend to take our bodies for granted. We also tend to take our significance to others for granted — our importance to our friends, colleagues, and, most importantly, our family. How will they remember us when we’re gone?

  3. At that point, no one is really counting the pounds, wrinkles, or gray hairs. They’re recounting the memories they had with you, no matter what state your body was in at that moment in time. I want my clients to cherish that captured moment in time.

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