The GFS Experience FAQ

From your first inquiry to the moment your heirloom artwork is delivered, this page outlines what it’s like to work with Guy Finley Studios—an intentional, full-service experience that’s personal, professional, and anything but generic.

The Experience FAQ

Every session with Guy Finley Studios begins long before we ever pick up a camera. It starts with a consultation—where we listen, plan, and design a photography experience tailored to your story. From there, we craft a session that reflects your personality, values, and style. Afterward, we’ll guide you through selecting and designing heirloom artwork that’s as meaningful as the memories we’ve captured. This isn’t just a session—it’s a curated, collaborative experience that’s built to last.

The consultation is where everything begins. It’s how we get to know you—not just what you look like, but who you are, what matters to you, and how you want to remember this season of your life. It allows us to design your session intentionally and ensure your final artwork is created with purpose. We don’t do cookie-cutter. The consultation is what transforms a session into a legacy.

After your consultation, we’ll take what we’ve learned and craft a clear, thoughtful plan—location, wardrobe, timing, artwork goals, and more. You won’t be guessing what to wear or wondering where we’ll shoot. Our planning process makes sure every decision supports your vision and leads to artwork you’ll be proud to display.

Absolutely—but you don’t have to be. We love collaborating with clients who have a vision, but we’re also here to take the creative lead when needed. The consultation ensures we understand your taste, tone, and goals. You bring your story—we’ll shape the session around it.

After your session, we carefully cull and edit your images to create a curated gallery that tells your story with clarity and intention. Then comes the heart of the process—your Gallery Unveiling. This is where we present the heirloom pieces we designed with you in mind from the very beginning: a full album layout, wall art mockups on your own walls, and any other artwork selections based on your consultation. It’s not just about reviewing images—it’s about experiencing your story come to life through meaningful, lasting artwork.

We believe in crafting a reveal that’s both personal and powerful. You won’t scroll through hundreds of files—we’ll present a curated collection of your best images, often with sample designs already in place. That said, if you’d like to be more hands-on and see a wider selection of images, we’re happy to guide you through that as well. Our goal is to help you make decisions without feeling overwhelmed. This is one of the core differences at GFS—we don’t hand you hundreds of unfiltered images and say “good luck.” We cull, we craft, and we curate. If this were a house, we wouldn’t hand you a pile of bricks—we’d give you the finished home. You’ve hired us for our creative vision, and we believe in delivering a gallery and artwork plan that reflects that. If you're excited to share something right away, we provide a few social media images shortly after your session.

You’re not alone. Many of our clients tell us this before we begin—and they leave saying how much they loved the experience. We don’t rush, we don’t over-pose, and we never expect you to “perform.” This is the difference between someone with a camera, a photographer, and an artist. Guy’s years of experience in the theatre—as an actor and director—bring a rare ability to draw out the best version of you in a natural, authentic way. Our approach is conversational and story-driven, focused on putting you at ease and helping your personality shine through with honesty and grace.
This Is More Than a Session

Artwork & Product Design FAQ

We offer a full range of professionally crafted artwork through our trusted professional lab partner—but we know their catalog is extensive, and our goal is to simplify the process for you. We've broken our offerings into clear categories to help you focus on what matters most:

  • Albums & Books – These are always our primary deliverables. Handcrafted heirlooms that tell your story in a tangible, lasting way.

  • Wall Art – Framed prints, canvas gallery wraps, and modern wall displays, all mockup-ready for your home.

  • Prints – Loose prints and image boxes, perfect for gifting or more casual display.

  • Cards – Custom-designed announcements, thank-you cards, holiday pieces, and invitations.

  • Tabletop Displays – Easel-mounted prints, folio boxes, and small statement pieces for desks and mantles.

Within each of these categories, we present our preferred selections—the ones we know photograph beautifully, hold up over time, and wow in person. Our job is to help you choose pieces that match your style and space without ever feeling overwhelmed. If there's a specific product you have your heart set on that you don’t see here, just let us know—we’re confident we can create or source exactly what you're looking for.

Every product we deliver is treated like a piece of art. Our albums are handcrafted and fully designed to tell a cohesive story—not just a stack of images. Our wall art is curated to suit your space, and we use tools to mock up exactly what it will look like in your home. These pieces are meant to live with you for decades—not disappear in a drawer, get doom-scrolled by in a feed, or end up forgotten on an old thumb drive or cloud service you no longer use.

Absolutely. The consultation and planning process allows us to understand the spaces you’re designing for and the people you’re gifting to. Whether it’s a modern gallery wall, a timeless coffee table album, or a set of prints for loved ones, we design with your needs—and aesthetic—in mind. If you’re looking for artwork that truly reflects you and fits seamlessly into your life, you came to the right place.

The main album is the heart of your artwork collection—your full, handcrafted heirloom piece designed to tell the story of your session from beginning to end. It’s often the largest and most customizable option, featuring the finest materials, the most images, and the most intentional layout.

 

Parent albums are designed as companion pieces. They’re smaller in size, often simplified in finish, and made to be gifted to loved ones—parents, grandparents, or others who want a beautiful keepsake from your session. They maintain the same level of quality, just in a more compact, giftable format.

 

We often refer to the main album as your “core deliverable”—it’s the piece that defines the story. Parent albums extend that legacy outward, allowing others to hold and revisit the same memories, beautifully reimagined just for them.

 

The main album is your full, handcrafted heirloom piece—the centerpiece of your session. Parent albums are smaller duplicates or simplified versions designed for gifting. They feature the same quality and storytelling, just in a more compact format perfect for family.

That’s exactly why we guide you through every step. During your Gallery Unveiling, we’ll show you fully designed albums and visualizations of how your portraits can live on your walls. You’ll never have to guess. You’ll see, feel, and understand the options before making any decisions.

All artwork is selected and finalized during your Gallery Unveiling appointment. At this point, you’ll see mockups, layout proposals, and curated image selections based on everything we planned together. It’s a collaborative process—but we’ll do the heavy lifting. This is also when we’ll finalize your order and handle payment, ensuring everything is seamless and clearly understood before production begins.

Thanks to our partnership with a world-class professional lab—renowned for quality, speed, and consistency—production times are surprisingly fast. Many pieces arrive well ahead of typical industry timelines. We don’t believe in padding delivery windows just to make things feel more 'serious.' We trust the best, and they deliver. Being located in the Midwest also helps ensure your artwork gets to you quickly and safely. We’ll keep you informed every step of the way, and your heirloom pieces will arrive beautifully packaged and ready to display or gift.
Let’s Turn Your Story Into Art
Not Us GFS

Editing & Style Philosophy FAQ

Our editing style is intentional and cinematic—focused on clarity, tone, and storytelling. We hand-retouch key images, and when appropriate, we may use AI-assisted tools to support batch consistency while keeping the human touch front and center. Every final image is reviewed to ensure it reflects our style and your story.

Our philosophy is rooted in authenticity. We’ll clean up distractions—like a blemish that wouldn’t normally be there or a stray hair—but we don’t believe in overly smoothing skin, reshaping bodies, or making you look like someone else. We’re here to celebrate how you looked, felt, and were in that moment, not to alter it beyond recognition.

Nope—that’s not our style. We don’t use special effects, digital backdrops, or background swaps. Our goal is to create images that will stand the test of time, not ones that follow passing trends. We believe timeless artwork should feel grounded in real, beautiful life—not manufactured.

Both—and we love both. Fortunately, this is a choice that doesn’t necessarily need to be made at the time of the session—modern editing tools give us full flexibility to create black and white versions later. That said, different lighting and shooting techniques can sometimes elevate black and white imagery even further, so knowing in advance that we may go that direction allows us to be even more intentional during the session. Today’s professional cameras and editing tools allow us full creative control when converting to black and white—and you’d be surprised how many beautiful variations there are. Beyond editing, the surface and paper you print on plays a huge role. Nearly every material interacts differently with B&W imagery. We bring our expert eye to pairing each image with the perfect printing process to ensure your black and white portraits feel timeless, intentional, and stunning.

We’re always open to collaboration, especially when it comes to color tone, grading, and emotional feel. If there’s a vibe you love—moody, airy, warm—we’ll take that into account. What we don’t do is replicate someone else’s work or alter our core style to fit a passing trend. You’re here because you love our style, and we’re here to deliver on that with intention and artistry.
Where Authenticity Meets Artistry

File Delivery & Licensing FAQ

Yes—but digital is not the main event. Our studio is built around delivering beautiful, lasting artwork. That said, we do provide social-media-ready digital files with every artwork selection. These are curated, optimized for sharing, and perfect for celebrating your session with friends and family.

  • Albums & Books – These are always our primary deliverables. Handcrafted heirlooms that tell your story in a tangible, lasting way.

  • Wall Art – Framed prints, canvas gallery wraps, and modern wall displays, all mockup-ready for your home.

  • Prints – Loose prints and image boxes, perfect for gifting or more casual display.

  • Cards – Custom-designed announcements, thank-you cards, holiday pieces, and invitations.

  • Tabletop Displays – Easel-mounted prints, folio boxes, and small statement pieces for desks and mantles.

Within each of these categories, we present our preferred selections—the ones we know photograph beautifully, hold up over time, and wow in person. Our job is to help you choose pieces that match your style and space without ever feeling overwhelmed. If there's a specific product you have your heart set on that you don’t see here, just let us know—we’re confident we can create or source exactly what you're looking for.

With every piece of artwork you select—whether it's an album, wall art, or custom print—you'll receive a matching social media digital file. These are web-sized and watermarked or logo-branded depending on the context. Full-resolution or print-ready files are not included by default, but can be purchased for specific use cases.

In most cases, we recommend ordering prints through us to ensure quality and archival integrity. This isn’t about locking you into our process—it’s about maintaining the artistic integrity of the work we’ve created together. Our imagery is an extension of our craft, and how it’s reproduced matters to us. Instant photo labs and low-cost consumer printers simply aren’t capable of producing professional-quality work, and poor reproductions reflect not only on your portraits but on us as the creators. We’ve invested in professional print partners for a reason—to ensure that every piece of art bearing our name is something we’re proud to have created. If you need print-ready files for a particular reason, we offer a licensing upgrade that allows you to print selected images yourself. We do not release full image sets for printing outside the studio. If that’s a non-starter for you, we understand—and we wish you the best in finding a photographer who better fits your needs.

A usage license grants you permission to use your digital files in specific ways—such as posting to social media or printing a limited number of copies for personal use. All digital deliveries from GFS include a perpetual limited-use license.

Parent albums are designed as companion pieces. They’re smaller in size, often simplified in finish, and made to be gifted to loved ones—parents, grandparents, or others who want a beautiful keepsake from your session. They maintain the same level of quality, just in a more compact, giftable format.

We often refer to the main album as your “core deliverable”—it’s the piece that defines the story. Parent albums extend that legacy outward, allowing others to hold and revisit the same memories, beautifully reimagined just for them.

The main album is your full, handcrafted heirloom piece—the centerpiece of your session. Parent albums are smaller duplicates or simplified versions designed for gifting. They feature the same quality and storytelling, just in a more compact format perfect for family.

A limited-use license allows you to share and enjoy your images, while still respecting our creative rights. Full ownership transfers all usage and reproduction rights to you—but requires a separate agreement and includes a perpetual royalty-free license back to us so we can continue using the work in our p

If your needs go beyond personal use—such as commercial, advertising, or publication use—we’re happy to quote full ownership licensing on a case-by-case basis. This is rare, and usually applies only to headshots, branding sessions, or commissioned commercial work.

Thanks to our partnership with a world-class professional lab—renowned for quality, speed, and consistency—production times are surprisingly fast. Many pieces arrive well ahead of typical industry timelines. We don’t believe in padding delivery windows just to make things feel more 'serious.' We trust the best, and they deliver. Being located in the Midwest also helps ensure your artwork gets to you quickly and safely. We’ll keep you informed every step of the way, and your heirloom pieces will arrive beautifully packaged and ready to display or gift.
YOUR STORY. YOUR RIGHTS. OUR STANDARDS.

Artwork Delivery & Installation FAQ

Once your heirloom artwork is complete, we’ll work with you to arrange the best method for delivery. Clients local to our Burlington, WI studio can choose in-person pickup or home delivery. For those farther away, we offer secure, insured drop-shipping directly to your doorstep. Every delivery is packaged with care and clarity—no surprises, no guesswork.

Yes—professional installation is included with all framed wall art purchases. We’ve partnered with a highly skilled art installer to make sure your pieces are placed exactly as intended, safely and beautifully. Prefer to DIY? That’s totally fine too. We’ll send along expert tips and hanging instructions to guide you.

Not a problem. We regularly work with clients across the country and beyond. Your artwork can be drop-shipped directly to your home, securely packaged and ready to install. If you’d like help sourcing a local installer in your area, we’re happy to assist with that as well.

We use only archival-quality papers, inks, and framing materials—built to last for generations. These are museum-grade pieces designed to preserve your story, not fade with time. With proper care and placement, your artwork can become a lasting legacy passed down for years to come.

Absolutely. From your very first consultation, we’ll talk about the spaces you’d like to fill and the style you love. That information shapes everything—from sizing and layout to frame finish and final placement. You don’t have to figure it out alone—we’ll help you visualize, mock up, and refine your artwork display so it feels like it truly belongs.
FROM WALL TO WONDERFUL