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We are a California based cutting-edge photography & design studio, specializing in commercial photography of Products, Food, Architectural / Real Estate, and Fashion.

We also specialize in Photo Restoration and Retouching.
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2. Who is Michael Montgomery and what is his background?

Michael is a top-notch professional photographer and owner of Positive Image LLC photographic studio in Palmdale, CA. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Michael opened Positive Image LLC to fulfill his passion for photography and has been doing commercial and fashion photography ever since. He has photographed various subjects from famous sports figures, movie celebrities, singers and rappers, to automobiles, motorcycles, food and jewelry. He is also an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in the use of Adobe Photoshop™.
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3. What makes Positive Image LLC better than any other photographic company?

Our dedication to the client and speed of delivery – Our clients receive photos in days, not weeks. You can’t find that kind of promptness anywhere else.

Quality of work – We give individual attention to each photograph; no assembly-line photography here!

Passion for technically-challenging projects – We thrive on photographic challenges. Extremely large or small objects, food, drinks, something unique, – you name it, we’re doing it. You won’t find a more experienced team than ours. Enough said.

Competitive pricing – We are the best at producing exceptional photography, while using high quality (yet sophisticated) gear and simple setup. Michael's photography knowledge, in-depth understanding of lighting techniques, and pursuit of perfection, help him and his team find the simplest and most efficient solution for any problem we may encounter during the photo session. All these factors allow us to keep our pricing very competitive.
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4. Do you shoot on-location?

Our team travels to locations throughout Southern California with full studio lighting and backgrounds to shoot professional photography in offices, machine shops, warehouses, stores and anywhere our clients need us. However, we prefer to work in our studio, where it is easier to keep lighting under full control.
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5. How much does your photography cost?

As always in professional photography, usage rights have the most influence on the cost of a project. That means a one-hour photo session may cost up to 5 times more if the resulting photos will be used for advertising, as opposed to being used for a book (editorial). So to give a customer an estimate for a project, we'll at least need to know the following:

What is the image being used for?

How many images do you need?

Will all the images be used for the same purpose?

For how long will they be used?

Where will the images appear?

How large will the images appear?

Keep in mind that we are quite flexible, always trying to fit the client's budget, if possible. We strive to be as efficient as we can, never wasting your time or money. (See above on why we are the best!)
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6. What format will the photos be in?

Usually we provide hi-resolution uncompressed TIFF files for commercial printing or JPEGs for photo reproduction. Conversion to JPEG is available for free per customer’s request. Also, if you need smaller size photos for the web, we'll be glad to decrease the size for you (free of charge), as we know how to do it without losing quality.
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7. Can I receive a CD or DVD with my photos?

Yes, we can send a free CD or DVD with selected photos on your request. We’ll ship it on the same day that your photos are ready.
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8. What if I only need one photo for an ad?

That’s not a problem at all, you can have just one photo. However, in order to create a single perfect photo, we will need to spend one or more hours shooting, depending on the complexity of the project, shooting conditions and many other factors. As a result you will have from 10 to 100 photos to select your "perfect one" from. Only this way we can guarantee out customers will be satisfied.
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9. Do you provide Raw files?

Usually we do not provide a camera "Raw" to a customer. However, "Raw" files are available upon request. Because post-processing is a major development step for modern digital photography, we want to provide you with the final, clean, possibly retouched images.
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10. Is there an agency or volume discount on services?

Yes, we do have a flexible discount options for our customers.
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11. When is payment due?

Payment on most commercial projects is due 30 days after the photo session, per our agreement. We can always adjust the agreement, allowing the customer to pay according to their company's internal schedule.
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12. Can you mention some of the companies you have completed assignments for?

Yes, there is a list on the "Client List" link to the left of this page.
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13. We need some photo work, but we are not in the Palmdale area. Can you still help us?

Absolutely. You can simply upload the scanned files for restoration or retouching (see the link "upload files/photos" at left) or ship the items you want photographed to us, and we’ll take care of the rest.
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14. What is your photography style?

We’re known for clean, crisp and razor-sharp photography. Bright colors and a fresh look are our trademark.
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15. Do you shoot people, events or weddings?

Usually we shoot people as a part of a product assignment. We shoot people in the studio and on-location for business portraits and fashion layouts. We do not photograph wedding events. Michael doesn’t feel that weddings are his passion, and in photography, as in any art form, passion is key.
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16. Explaining Rights and "Terms of Use"

Here are the most common licenses our customers buy:

One Time Rights:
One time use means that the entity buying the license can use your image "one time," for one specified project. This right is commonly licensed to magazines, newspapers, and similar periodicals.

Editorial/Serial Rights:
Images may be used in a single article/publication in a single periodical/magazine.

Limited Rights:
Reproduction and use of images is limited by time, territory or specific campaign/client. Applicable limits are clearly stated on the invoice and/or in the accompanying paperwork.

Unlimited Rights:
Reproduction and use of images is not limited by time, territory or client/campaign. Original imagery is permanently released to the client.

First Rights (Non-exclusive):
Client has the first rights to use the images in any way. Following a certain time period (typically one year), rights to images may be given to other clients. Non-exclusive rights mean that the licenser has a specific set of rights at the same time someone else has them as well.

Unlimited Exclusive Rights:
Unlimited exclusive rights allow broad utilization of images across all media types and parameters.

Buy Out:
Buy out means that buyers have rights for exclusive use in addition to unrestricted use.
Buy Out is a slang term, often misinterpreted as a transfer of copyright ownership of a work from the copyright holder to the client. In the absence of a specific copyright transfer agreement executed by the copyright holder, there is no copyright transfer.

For more information please read www.asmp.org/tutorials/terms-you-need-know

NOTE: If you have any questions about the legal issues surrounding our photographic project for you, please ask us when booking your session.
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17. Satisfaction guaranteed:
Positive Image LLC offers a satisfaction guaranteed policy, ensuring that your images will be of the correct exposure, resolution, focus and subject matter required for your business. If these criteria are not met, we’ll re-shoot for free.
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