Portraits of Your Life,
Not a Pose
A documentary session shot on Leica — no backdrop, no cheese-smile, no stiff direction. Just your real day, photographed like an editorial feature.
Documentary, Not Directed
I follow you through a real slice of your day — breakfast chaos, the walk to the park, studio hours, golden-hour wind-down — and photograph what actually happens. The best frame of your kid is never the one where they were told to smile.
The Leica Look
Every session is shot on the Leica M11 with the 35mm Summilux ASPH — a system built for a specific, timeless, cinematic rendering. The color science and 60MP resolution give your images the depth of film and the sharpness of fine art.
Prints as Decor
The full-resolution files are made for the wall. Museum-grade archival pigment prints in limited, signed editions turn your session into decor — a statement piece over the sofa instead of a file in a folder.
What We Photograph
Family Documentary Sessions
Editorial-Style Personal Branding
Founder & Creative Portraits
Day-in-the-Life Coverage
Lifestyle Brand Imagery
Fine Art Print Commissions
Editorial-style portraiture and documentary coverage for people and brands who want images with narrative weight — not another set of interchangeable studio files.
Why Documentary Portraiture Beats the Studio Smile
You're paying for the experience and the aesthetic
Most portrait pricing is a file-count race to the bottom. This session is priced on what the images are, not how many you get: an unscripted, editorial-style shoot that produces photographs you would frame even if they weren't of your own family. The deliverable is a body of work, not a zip file.
Kids and camera-shy adults do better without a backdrop
Nobody has to perform. There's no umbrella lighting to sit under and no rapid-fire "chin up, big smile." A small rangefinder camera and a photographer who stays out of the way means the session feels like a good afternoon — and the photographs look like your life at its best.
One photographer, one signature edit
The same person plans, photographs, and edits every session, so the gallery holds together like a magazine feature — consistent tone, consistent color, the signature Leica rendering from the first frame to the last.
Images that keep working after the session
Families hang the prints. Founders and creatives use the frames as editorial-style brand imagery — website heroes, press features, campaign material with narrative quality that stock photography can't fake. Licensing for commercial use is available on request.
What's Included
$449
2 hours of documentary coverage with 40 fully-edited images.
- Pre-session story call — we plan the day, not the poses
- 2 hours of unscripted documentary coverage
- Shot on the Leica M11 + 35mm Summilux ASPH
- 40 fully-edited images in the signature Fuentes Studio look
- Web-optimized & print-ready files
- Private gallery — 5-day delivery
- Access to limited-edition fine art prints (from $175)
Fine Art Prints
Every image is captured at 60 megapixels — resolution made for the wall. Prints are produced as museum-grade archival pigment prints on fine art paper, in limited editions of 25, signed and numbered.
- 16×20 archival print$175
- 24×36 archival print$325
- Framed statement piece (custom)Quote
Commercial Licensing
Brands and publications can license session imagery for campaigns and editorial use. Contact us with your usage details for licensing terms.
Common Questions
How is this different from a regular portrait session?
A traditional studio portrait is posed, lit, and directed — everyone looks at the camera and smiles. The Authentic Portrait Session is documentary: I follow you through a real slice of your day — a morning at home, a walk through your neighborhood, coffee with your kids — and photograph it the way a magazine would cover a story. You get portraits of who you actually are, not who you are in front of a backdrop.
Who books this session?
Families who are done with the stiff cheese-smile studio look, founders and creatives who want editorial-style portraiture for their brand, and anyone who wants images that feel like film stills instead of yearbook photos. I don't photograph weddings — this is a portrait and lifestyle session.
Why does it matter that you shoot Leica?
I shoot the Leica M11 with the 35mm Summilux ASPH — a system famous for a specific, timeless, cinematic look. The 60-megapixel files carry the color depth and sharpness for gallery-size fine art prints, and the small rangefinder body means no intimidating rig between us. People relax faster, and the photos show it.
Can I buy prints of the images?
Yes — every session includes access to museum-grade, limited-edition fine art prints made from the full-resolution M11 files. Archival pigment prints start at $175 and are produced in editions of 25, signed and numbered. Many clients hang a statement piece from their session as decor.
Where and when do sessions happen?
Anywhere your story happens — your home, your neighborhood, Van Cortlandt Park, a favorite cafe, or an iconic NYC backdrop. Weekend sessions are standard; weekday sessions can occasionally be arranged. We plan the flow together on a pre-session call.
Done With the Cheese-Smile Portrait?
Let's photograph a real day instead. Documentary coverage, the Leica look, and prints worthy of your wall.