Santa pictures and Christmas portrait photography
The Christmas portrait industry certainly has changed.
Santa photos, or "Santa Pics" as they have been called for decades, have been undergoing a vast renaissance transformation since Masterpiece Artworks' style of Magical Santa Photography took the Christmas photography and art world by storm.
Today, folks bring their children from across America to have Masterpiece Christmas create iconic Santa Claus portraits featuring Santa and their children or grandchildren.
What is a Fine Art Santa Photography Commission?
Masterpiece Christmas does not do Santa pics or mini sessions. We are not Santa's treehouse or play area. We are not a mall Santa experience. We only do very few commissions that are bespoke to each family. We are serious artists and each session takes up to an hour and a half where details take center stage.
Before each session, we walk our team through a short rehearsal to ensure we are capturing exactly what we need to capture and that your family will have the time of their life.
We always say, "We do not offer our Fine Art Santa photos just during the holidays and December. We are more about creating nostalgic heirloom art that will be part of a family's Christmas for generations to come. Kids do not care when they see Santa.
Done with purpose and meaning
For Masterpiece, Christmas size and age in the artwork is far more important. That is what the artists of Masterpiece Christmas do; they take care of the details and make art with purpose and meaning.
We do not actually pose during the visits with St Nick. We set up an extraordinary set, with a world-class professional Santa then build an interactive play around it.
Special Package from the North Pole
We start by sending your precious ones something extraordinary in the mail. Each child will receive their special package from Santa...and so the experience begins.
Although your children will have the time of their life and much fun, the primary purpose of the entire performance is to capture that wonder-of-a-child expression in a sequence of iconic Santa moments.
Smile vs. Expressions
Yes, we photograph many smiles, but our goal is to capture many expressions. The expression may be surprised as opposed to a smile. The expression must match the iconic Santa moment.
The pose will happen independently due to the composition being pre staged. Your children's interaction with Santa, directed by Little Larry (master photographer and director), will care for the rest.
When this is done correctly, not only can we create breathtaking prints, canvases, metals, giclée's, and paintings, but we can also create a stunning Children's storybook set to poetry.
Archival heirlooms
And every piece of art and/or storybook is archival and meant to be handed down from generation to generation. We do not create throw-away products.
Custom Commission
Keep in mind that this is a custom commission. We do not offer a package of products as each of our client's needs varies widely. We guide our clients through their purchases in advance of the session so we know exactly what to create. Packages have never worked for our clients as storybooks vary in size and wall art has a wide range of sizes and styles.
After the session is over, each client books a purchase-order session where the finished artwork will be viewed. At this time our clients purchase the painting, books, and gifts for their family and friends.
After the final purchase is in place, the writing for the Storybooks and or Holiday Cards begins. Once the final proofs are approved, all art-related products are ordered and sent directly to our clients. There is always a very happy Mrs. Smith at the end of each order when the photo art package arrives at their door.
Learn at our beautiful online site
You can learn more at this link to our website masterpeicechristmas.com
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Limited Dates and Times
Each Masterpiece Christmas has very limited dates and times. It is always recommended that you do not wait till you are putting up your Christmas tree to book your appointment with the iconic man in the big red suit.. This is the creation of the artwork, and it takes time to create from start to finish.
It is suggested that you call as early as May to get your Fine Art Santa appointment booked. Correct, I said May! The Santa Sessions book that quickly. You will want to get in early and well before the Holiday season.
Christmas in July is the start of the Masterpiece Santa season. Call us and learn the magic of our performance and the detail that is created in our Fine Art.
Check your calendar and get your appointments booked today. Note...you do not want to get on Santa's naughty list...do you?
We generally have limited times and dates. We book Friday, Saturday and Sunday however, the hours are few as we only take five appointments per day. That may seem like a light day, but each visit can take up to an hour and a half with the amount of detail involved.
Your Wish List
Once you see the artwork from these magical photography sessions, you will put your appointment for your little ones on your wish list.
Families book our sessions before their kids get too old as they want to be sure to catch the imagination years if possible. But remember, there is fun to be had for all ages, and there is not a child, young or old, male or female, who we cannot create with when creating this magical art.
Make Memories that Last a Lifetime and more.
We love to run into clients a decade later who still love their framed artwork and magical storybooks. Imagine these art pieces in 50 or 100 years...precious and priceless. Make a difference and choose to invest in the greatest gift of all...the memories of your little ones, grandparents, and family.
Pre Consultation for custom creation.
Remember, this is a custom commission. We do not offer packages. We consult our clients regarding their a la carte order in advance. It is always important to know what we are creating in advance, as it affects how we conduct the play/performance on the day of your appointment.
Details matter to us a great deal. We want to understand each photo we are capturing in advance. Yes, there will be unplanned photos, but having a clear vision helps us ensure each client gets the art they are commissioning us to create.
Kids of All Ages
Many families want that photo of their child with Santa during their magical years. We love that as well. However, there is an inner child in all of us waiting to come out and play.
We have created magical photography sessions with ages starting at newborn and going all the way to 90 years old. There is no age limit when it comes to the magic of Santa. All you have to do is believe.
We create magical portrait photographic art with teens and adults and find them as heartfelt and beautiful as creating with kids. Some of our most excellent photo art pieces are with adults and or grandparents.
GRANDMOTHERS, GRANDFATHERS, Legacy Photo Art, and Storybooks.
There is nothing quite as special as creating a portrait of a grandmother or grandfather or both in a nostalgic storybook setting. Imagine a grandparent accessing their inner child for a full Fine Art magical portrait. Now imagine the artwork created from each digital image being put in a sequence and set to poetry.
The storybooks created from these Legacy portrait sessions become heirlooms for the immediate family and the whole family to enjoy for generations.
To hear what grandparents say about their experience with St Nick and the Storybooks and art created is what we live for at Masterpiece Christmas.
This is more than a visit with Jolly ole St Nick; it is a visit with their past and a profound story about their life and family. The light that shines in a grandparent's eyes during their visit to St Nick is hard to put into words. Their inner child comes alive again. It is so beautiful and such a walk down memory lane.
MOM and DAD
We invariably get calls about our magical Fine Art Santa work from mothers. They get it. And we know Dad does too. Think back to when you were five years old. Did little girls love St. Nick more than little boys...I think not.
We want every Dad to remember this and free their inner child. Let him come out to play. This experience and preserving it in art and writing will be with your family for generations. Feel free to watch the video created just for Dads that is at masterpiecechristmas.com
This age only once and cannot purchase in a store
Your child will be this age only once, and this December, when you are shopping, you will not be able to find the genuine products we create in any store. This December, you will have beautiful Santa Claus fine art for your walls and your Dreaming of Santa storybook to read to your kids or grandkids. Now that is special.
The gift that keeps giving
Once you have this artwork on your wall, you can enjoy it for decades to come. Your storybook will be read to family members for generations to come each and every December.
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Christmas in July is the best time of year to have your little ones come in to visit the big guy himself. Kids do not care and love the surprise visit with Santa.
Your Fine Art Santa portrait appointment is more about the age and size of your child, so visiting St. Nick for the purpose of creating art is quite different than a Santa experience at the mall. No long lines here as it is time to focus on the creation of nostalgic Christmas portrait photography and art.
Santa photos elevated to a new level...your own night before Christmas Storybook.
Masterpiece Christmas then takes Santa photography to numerous levels never seen in the photography industry. Imagine your very own custom "Night Before Christmas" children's storybook set to beautiful poetry.
After the artwork is completed using each digital image from this magical photo appointment, your very own Christmas story is written and set to magical poetry. The storybooks are archival in quality and simply stunning.
This is the creation of a family heirloom. Family is very important to us, and we have no intention of creating throw-away products or fake-looking pose-like photos. What we create is done to last the test of time.
The pictures in the book, once the art process is complete, are exquisite. The photo is captured in a sequence that tells the story of your child's dream on the night before Christmas when he/she or they go to Santa's workshop from 5 till midnight.
Each magical photo is created with purpose and meaning as it must flow from page to page within the storybook. This takes extreme knowledge and focuses on the part of the photographer. This cannot be your run-of-the-mill Santa photo, and expect the creation of this type of finished art product.
The North Pole Set
This is more than a Christmas Tree or Santa's Treehouse look. It is more than a big Santa's chair or Christmas tree farm stand with a red truck. With over 30 years of professional studio set design experience, it is safe to say that few have more experience.
Each family expects extraordinary when they commission us, and we provide each family with the wow factor. Kids are blown away as they go through the Santa experience. They have no idea that photos are even being taken.
The set, Santa, and the overall direction and storytelling during the performance (The kids will never know they are in a pre-choreographed play, but they will be!).
Seating on Set
We always have room for family members to watch the performance as it will bring such joy to everyone watching. There are no photos or videos allowed during the performance, however, families can take pictures and videos prior to the appointment when Little Larry tells his magical stories to the kids. Just no photos or videos during your actual Santa appointment.
Respect our artwork and copyright
We ask that family members respect that this is how we make our living and that all aspects of the commission, including performance, photos, and artwork, are copyrighted from Masterpiece Artwork.
Santa Photos become Fine Art
Both Larry and Ela Hersberger are artists. Their skills range from portrait oil painting, master photography, lighting, master set design, acting, writing, and digital art skills that are world-class.
All of their skills combine to create art and products unlike anything ever seen in the photographic or art industry.
This blend of talents from traditional art fundamentals and new-age technology and creativity turns heads once the final art is created.
We DO NOT do Santa Pics or Santa Mini Portrait Sessions.
We keep it majestic, artistic, and magical. We do not think that Santa Claus is silly, goofy, cutesy, or just a holiday season character. Although we are very aware that kids can have a great deal of fun with Santa, he is much more than that to us.
Each family that commissions us soon understands there is much more to the art and experience than a quick pose with Santa photos. Once I have a conversation with each mom, they fully get it. It is about giving, faith, family, and the magic of children. It is about love, legacy, and creating much more than a photo or packages of pictures.
Much, much much more
Families are always sincerely surprised when they learn that our photo setting is part of a play or performance designed to preserve perfect and very specific expressions in iconic Santa moments.
We give ample time to each family when they come to visit Santa. To create this kind of artwork, the photographer must capture not only the moments but also be the director of the performance. He or she must watch that each and every detail is in place and communicate with the child to ensure the perfect and appropriate expression is being created and captured.
Wow, that was a mouthful. But that is the reality of what goes into creating artwork that has purpose and meaning. With that said, each appointment can take up to one and a half hours. Fine Art is not created from rushed photos.
Photos to Fine Art
Each of the photos captured during the Fine Art Santa experience undergoes a serious transformation "after" your appointment is complete. We turn each piece into a stunning piece of artwork once back at the studio.
As a Master Photographer and storyteller, Larry knows what to set up for in advance and what to look for during the play/experience itself. Ela and Larry work as a team. With Ela also being a world-class professional photographer, nothing is missing in each and every session.
Two Talented Artists
Both Ela and Larry are artists with deep knowledge in creating oil paintings and digital art. This joint knowledge allows them to see the creation of the image and art well before it actually happens. Nothing is left to chance. Every detail is taken care of, and families who commission Masterpiece Christmas comment on the level of art and professionalism often.
The Magic of Little Minds in Iconic Santa Moments.
There are many images created by Larry, Ela, and their team from each Santa appointment. Part of their skill set is the method they have invented to capture the "wonder-of-a-child" expressions in iconic Santa Claus North Pole moments. This is c
Even Santa's elves enter the play when they call from the North Pole.
December is too late for art delivery by the 25th.
Go for a beautiful walk in the snow in December and enjoy the magic in the air, but do not book your Masterpiece Christmas session and expect to get your custom storybook by December 25th.
You want to enjoy your walk knowing that you booked earlier in the year and that your magical artwork is being enjoyed in your home throughout the holiday season. This is a sign of good planning. You can find our site at masterpiecechristmas.com.