Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why commission an Aeterna Portfolio?
A: It's the everyday moments more than any single event that reveal who you really are. And it's those very same moments ... readying the kids for school, cuddling on the couch, eating Sunday dinner ... that are lost to memory as time passes. By having these times chronicled through photographs of the highest archival and artistic quality, you can document your unique relationships and a moment of your life - exactly how you lived it - for generations to come.

Q: How much time is involved?
A: Projects can be photographed in a day, a week or several months. But families need not worry about carving out time or interrupting their routine to create a portfolio. The goal is to document your life as you live it. After an initial consultation and selection of shooting days, the photographer fades into the background and takes great pictures; all you have to do is live your life.

Q: Why do you shoot black & white as opposed to color photographs?
A: Aeterna has chosen to work in black & white in order to provide families with the highest quality prints, comparable to those exhibited in fine museums. Black & white prints on fiber paper are the only photographs known to be truly archival; they also exhibit a greater range of tonality and subtle detail than any other type of photographic print. Properly printed, black & white photographs have a lifespan several times longer than color prints.

Q: Who are your clients?
A: What all our clients have in common is an interest in preserving their family history for future generations and an appreciation for fine art. They are parents with young children, parents with grown children, grandparents, single parents, young couples, domestic partners, sorority sisters, college roommates, and any other close-knit group - not necessarily biologically related - who consider themselves a family.

Q: Do you travel?
A: Yes. Aeterna serves families across the country. A longer lead time is typically necessary when booking Aeterna for an out-of-town project.

Q: How much does an Aeterna Portfolio cost?
A: Portfolios are customized to fit the needs and desires of each client and may involve shooting over the course of a day, a week or several months, making pricing as individual as the family. Aeterna Portfolios (inclusive of shooting time, edits, proof prints, final archival prints, and some form of presentation box) range between two and ten thousand dollars.