Hudson Wren
Portrait Projects
New faces. New stories. Timeless portraits.
Throughout the year, Hudson Wren creates special Portrait Projects celebrating families, motherhood, relationships, dogs and the people who love them.
For each project, we invite a limited number of new faces into our Vancouver and Victoria studios to be photographed.
If you're selected, we'll waive our regular $450 portrait session fee and gift you a 5x7 matted desk portrait valued at $300 to keep.
A $100 refundable reservation credit holds your studio date.
WHY WE CREATE PORTRAIT PROJECTS
Why is the experience complimentary?
It's a fair question.
As a working portrait studio, we're always creating. Portrait Projects introduce new faces and stories into our studios and allow us to create fresh work for our portfolio, social media, advertising and other Hudson Wren marketing.
We also reserve selected openings in our studio calendar specifically for these projects.
In exchange for participating, your session is complimentary, and you'll receive a finished matted desk portrait as our gift to you.
It's a wonderful way for new clients to experience Hudson Wren, and for us to continue creating and sharing the work we're known for.
Portrait Project spaces are limited and not available to everyone.
Portrait Projects are application-based. When you apply, our team reviews your application based on the project we're currently creating, the stories and subjects we're looking to photograph, and the studio dates we have available.
If your application is selected, we'll invite you to participate. As a selected participant, your regular $450 portrait session is complimentary, and you'll receive a gifted 5x7 matted desk portrait valued at $300.
No minimum artwork purchase is required to participate.
How participants are selected
Portrait Projects are not random giveaways or contests.
Each project has a limited number of studio appointments available. When you apply, our team reviews your application based on the particular project we're creating and our current studio needs.
If your application is selected, you'll be invited to participate and receive the complimentary portrait session and gifted matted portrait included with that project.
Not every applicant will be selected, and being selected does not require you to purchase additional artwork.
WHEN THE SESSION FEELS LIKE CHAOS
One mom left her session wondering how on earth we'd managed to get anything.
Kids moving. Everyone doing different things. The usual family chaos.
Then she saw the portraits.
What had felt chaotic from her side of the camera looked completely different through ours.
You don't need to create the perfect portrait session. That's our job.
THE EXPERIENCE
What happens next?
01. Come into the studio
We'll guide you through the entire session. You don't need to know how to pose, your children don't need to behave perfectly, and your dog definitely doesn't need to sit still.
That's our job.
02. See your portraits
Approximately two to three weeks later, you'll join us for a private Zoom ordering appointment and see your finished portraits for the first time.
We'll help you narrow down your favourites and you'll select the portrait you'd like to receive as your gifted matted desk print.
Portrait files are guaranteed to be kept for 28 days from your session date, so your ordering appointment must take place within that timeframe.
03. Choose what you love
You may be surprised by how many you love.
Your Portrait Project includes one gifted matted desk portrait, and you're absolutely welcome to choose just that one.
But seeing your finished portraits for the first time can feel very different from imagining them before your session. Some clients know their favourite immediately. Others discover that choosing just one is much harder than they expected.
If you fall in love with more, you can purchase additional artwork during your ordering appointment.
SHE EXPECTED A SALES PITCH.
One Portrait Project participant admitted after her ordering appointment that she'd expected the experience to feel rushed and sales-focused.
Instead, she spent time looking through her portraits, comparing her favourites and deciding what she actually wanted to keep.
She chose her gifted portrait and added two more.
What surprised her wasn't only how many photographs she loved. It was how comfortable the decision felt.
What if I fall in love with more?
We hope you do.
Many of our clients arrive thinking they'll choose their gifted portrait and leave with exactly that. Others see their photographs and realize there are moments they don't want to part with.
That's why we show you all of your finished portraits before asking you to decide what you'd like to own.
If you choose to purchase additional artwork, matted portraits begin at $300, with most clients who purchase additional artwork investing around $1,400 or more.
Larger wall artwork and collections are also available, and many include matching digital portraits.
We'll share our complete artwork guide before your ordering appointment, so you'll know what options are available.
Your gifted portrait is never dependent on making an additional purchase.
KNOWING THE PRICING MADE THE DECISION EASIER.
One couple came into their ordering appointment having already received our artwork pricing.
Then they saw their portraits.
They loved far more than they'd anticipated and ultimately decided to create a larger collection.
They were candid that it was a meaningful investment. But they also told us how much they appreciated knowing the pricing beforehand and having the space to decide what felt right for them.
They saw the value for themselves and made the decision that was right for their family.
WHAT HUDSON WREN IS
A different kind of photography studio
Hudson Wren is a print-focused portrait studio.
We believe photographs become more meaningful when they leave the screen and become something you can hold, display and eventually pass down.
That's why we don't photograph your session and simply send you a large online gallery afterward.
Your finished portraits are revealed during your private ordering appointment, where we'll help you select your favourites and decide what, if anything beyond your gifted portrait, you'd like to own.
If you're primarily looking for a photographer who provides a large gallery of digital files, we may not be the right studio for you.
If you want to create something lasting, we'd love to photograph you.
SOMETIMES ONE PORTRAIT REALLY IS ENOUGH.
For one family, simply getting everyone together had become increasingly rare.
Their Portrait Project session became about more than photographs. It was an opportunity to stop for a moment and capture their family exactly as it was in that chapter.
They loved their finished portraits.
And when it came time to choose, they decided their gifted portrait was all they needed.
That's exactly what they left with.
Because participating in a Portrait Project doesn't require purchasing a collection. Sometimes one photograph really is the one that matters.
FAQs
Is this really complimentary?
1
Yes. If you're selected for a Hudson Wren Portrait Project, we waive our regular $450 session fee and gift you one finished 5x7 matted desk portrait valued at $300.
Yes. Hudson Wren Portrait Projects are application-based portrait experiences offered through our Vancouver and Victoria studios.
We know some people search to check whether Hudson Wren Portrait Projects are legitimate, or even whether they're a scam, before booking. That's a reasonable thing to check.
Here's exactly how it works: you apply for a specific Portrait Project, and our team reviews applications based on the project we're creating and the studio availability we have. If your application is selected, your regular $450 portrait session is complimentary, and you'll receive a gifted 5x7 matted portrait valued at $300.
Additional artwork is available for purchase if you'd like more, but there is no minimum purchase required.
Is the Hudson Wren Portrait Project legitimate?
No. Your complimentary portrait session and gifted 5×7 matted portrait do not require an additional artwork purchase.
If you decide you'd like more than your gifted portrait, additional artwork is available for purchase. Individual matted portraits begin at $300, and you'll receive our complete artwork pricing before your session and again before your ordering appointment.
2
Are there hidden costs?
We only make a limited number of complimentary Portrait Project sessions available, and different projects call for different participants. Applying doesn't guarantee selection.
3
Why do I have to apply?
Do I have to purchase additional portraits?
4
No. You can select your gifted 5x7 matted portrait and purchase nothing else.
Are digital photographs included?
5
Your Portrait Project gift is one finished 5x7 matted desk portrait. Your gifted portrait does not include a matching digital file.
Hudson Wren is a print-focused portrait studio. Your Portrait Project includes one finished matted portrait. Digital files are not included with the gifted portrait. They are available through selected artwork collections and digital collections, but they are not intended as a lower-cost alternative to printed artwork.
How much does additional artwork cost?
6
Individual matted portraits begin at $300. Most clients purchasing a collection invest $1,400 or more. Larger wall artwork and collections are also available.
You'll receive our complete artwork guide before your session and again before your ordering appointment.
When do I choose my gifted portrait?
7
During your private Zoom ordering appointment approximately two to three weeks after your portrait session.
No. Portrait selections and purchases are made during your private ordering appointment. We do not send an online gallery afterward for additional decision-making.
9
Will I receive an online gallery afterward?
8
A $100 refundable reservation credit is required to hold your studio date. This is not an additional session fee.
Your reservation credit is fully refunded when you attend your scheduled portrait session, attend your ordering appointment within 28 days of your portrait session, and don't cancel or reschedule your portrait session within seven days of your scheduled date.
If you cancel or reschedule within seven days, or don't complete your ordering appointment within three weeks of your session, the reservation credit becomes non-refundable.
Please note that portrait files are only guaranteed to be kept for 28 days from the date of your session.