We had the pleasure to have our family portrait taken by Bruce Gates as a Christmas present. Thank you to my wonderful sister-in-law Elizabeth! I was thrilled to receive this photography Christmas gift but had no idea the caliber of the photographer.
Bruce Gates is the founder of Bruce Gates Photography in Akron, Ohio. His award-winning photography and full service creative firm has produced work for high profile clients such as Coca-Cola, Kraft, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Sprint, as well as many celebrities, models, and more. To say the least, I was quite impressed and a bit nervous to have a family portrait session by a photographer of such talent and experience.
In Studio or Outdoor Akron Ohio Photo Session
Setting up our appointment was easy. My place or yours? Bruce Gates has a studio in downtown Akron called Studio 526. It is equipped with everything (and more!) you need for a beautiful family portrait with sets and props. However, with the option to shoot outdoors, we took it!
Remember how I said I was a bit nervous to be working with an award-winning photographer? Especially with 2 kids under 5 years old? Well, no worries, Bruce is the most likable, friendly person you’ll ever meet. He is a genuine, humble person.
Bruce Gates offers on-site photography so this could be anywhere, your home, backyard, park, lake, etc. We thought that Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens would be an absolutely beautiful backdrop to our family portrait and it was!
Photo Session at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens has beautiful scenery every where you turn. Many people have weddings and receptions here for this very reason, as well as family portraits, graduation portraits, and more. Bruce has shot sessions here for all of the above as well as professional models. Bruce knew exactly the spots that would look nice for our photos, while at the same time letting us be as involved as we wanted in selecting places to have our photos taken.
Bruce Gates works the camera to capture the best lighting and scene, all you have to do it smile! He doesn’t waste time figuring out what is best for lighting, posing, etc, he just KNOWS it. Bruce even helped us get our kiddos to smile too. 🙂
Check out some of our favorite photographs taken by Bruce Gates.
Bruce Gates and The Art Factory offers special touches, edits, etc to make your portraits absolutely perfect. Here are a couple variations as an example of what he can do for you. I have always enjoyed sepia tone photos but love color the best so we did not request this sort of editing. However, he can get rid of wrinkles, blemishes too which is always appreciated!
I was more stressed over selecting what we would all wear for the portrait session than anytime during the actual portrait session. This was such a relaxing afternoon for us as we strolled Stan Hywet gardens. Bruce made us very comfortable and relaxed during the entire photo session. He even snapped a few shots that were not posed at all, I love the below picture of my son that was leading the way down the path.
After the Photo Session
After the photo session, we were able to meet with Bruce to select the photos we like best. He weeded out the not-so-good photos and put the rest on a nice movie slide show with music. We used that CD to select our favorites for print. Again, this process was made so relaxed and easy.
We had a fantastic experience with Bruce Gates as our photographer. Our family portraits are beautiful, capturing who we are as a family. I will treasure these photographs forever. Thank you, Bruce Gates and Elizabeth for the most memorable Christmas present.
Contact Bruce Gates
If you are interested in learning more about Bruce Gates Photography, check out his profile and portfolio at eventective.com. If you are looking for a photographer with experience that can add a flair of artistic ability to your wedding photos, senior portraits, or model shots, contact Bruce Gates in Akron, Ohio.
1-800-238-9050
Yes, we have the dvd, so excited to have really nice family photos. It is my favorite thing to have.
Well, You must they are on here. Duh!! lol
All of the pictures are nice. They turned out good. Do you have them yet?