Bokeh Creatives Fine Art Portraiture — Local services in Roseville

Bokeh Creatives. It doesn't get any better than them! We were lucky enough to hook up with Tim and Cheryl for our wedding photos back in 2012. Since then there has been no one else for us. They were part of our first daughter's family photo shoot before Bokeh came about. When my second daughter was born, the family chaos of baby care, kid activities, working parents, and just the day-to-day of a family of four ensued. While our family grew I knew that Tim and Cheryl were just starting to grow Bokeh Creatives and I followed their work through social media. Earlier in 2017 one of their posts highlighted how they could help families reconnect and cherish the happiness experienced throughout life through their new photo shoot process. The idea intrigued me since we are a family that constantly goes goes goes and occasionally loses track of each other. We setup a few initial phone calls to iron out the details of what was truly important to us as a family and how Bokeh would try and capture those moments and feelings through photography and wall art. We then setup an afternoon photo shoot with Cheryl at a ranch close to our house. Upon completion of the shoot we went our separate ways for about an hour as Cheryl prepared the photos to present to us for possible wall art pieces. The whole process was great. Cheryl is very easy to work with as she photographs, and she's got such a creative eye when it comes to the environment she's shooting in, the kids, and the family as a whole. When she finally presented the photos in the presentation she put together (complete with music and transitions mind you) it had us to tears because it was so well put together, the photos were amazing, and it captured "all the feels" (as the kids say) we initially spoke about over the initial phone calls. The decision to narrow it down to a couple pieces was probably the hardest part of the process because the photos were all so good. When we finally decided on the pieces and wall art setup, and it would be about 6 weeks before we finally had the pieces delivered to our house. We opened up the boxes, hung them on the wall that we discussed using during the presentation (they can project the images on the wall during the presentation so you get an accurate representation of what it will look like in your house!), and stepped back to look at the amazing pieces that Cheryl put together. We were just ecstatic to finally have the great work Cheryl did for us. It LITERALLY made my wife and I shed a tear because of how beautiful the work was (obviously), but it really did capture the best moments of our lives. The silliness and joy of my oldest daughter, the curiosity and mischievousness of our little baby girl, and our genuine comfort and happiness we all feel when we're all together (because we're often apart due to... well... life), all captured on these great pieces of wall art. As bad or as long as my days can be I can easily walk into the room, take a look at the pieces on the wall, and forget anything wrong with my world thanks to Cheryl and Bokeh. Fast forward to 2018, and here we are again with a new set of wall art for two different walls in our house after our summer Lake Tahoe family photo shoot. I wasn't sure it was possible, but somehow Cheryl outdid herself by taking the most wonderful photos of our family circus in our most favorite place in the world. I can't say enough how awesome Cheryl (and Tim, and the whole Bokeh staff) is, but I can tell you that we now have an annual family tradition that will last as long as Cheryl and Tim are taking photos and inspiring families through...

From the beginning, I had doubts and thought it might be a scam due to the way the messaging was handled. It felt spammy, we received responses from different phone numbers, which didn’t feel trustworthy. There’s a $100 deposit required in case of cancellation, which is understandable since it can be credited toward your final purchase. However, I had asked in my initial message whether digital images would be included, and I never received a clear answer. When we arrived (we were late, and they still took us in, which we appreciated), everyone was friendly, professional, and welcoming. The photographer and front desk staff were great and made sure we had a positive experience. The photographer even used toys to get our dog’s attention, which was really thoughtful. No complaints there! After the shoot, I asked about pricing for digitals, but they told us to wait until the photo selection appointment to get any information. A few weeks later, we had a virtual appointment to view and select our photos. The woman helping us was kind and engaging, asking emotional questions about our dog and then showing us a slideshow of the pictures, which honestly made me cry because they turned out beautifully.

Given the initial advertisement said “complimentary photoshoot + one gifted portrait,” I assumed we’d be choosing one image as our free portrait. During the meeting, we were asked to choose a photo and specify sizing (metal, canvas, or box set), but when I asked about pricing, she said she’d go over that at the end, only after we shared what we wanted.

When I finally asked about the cost, she said it would be $2,000 for the metal portrait and $2,000 for just the digitals. That was way beyond what we expected. She then offered us a “discounted” option for $1,300, explaining that the pricing includes professional editing.

Still, this was too much for us, especially with an upcoming move, and I really wish they had been transparent about the pricing from the start. We ended up just taking the complimentary portrait and used the $100 deposit toward one digital version of the same image.

It’s frustrating that the rest of the photos will never be used, they could easily offer those digitals at a more reasonable price rather than letting them go to waste. $1,300+ for digital images alone feels ridiculous, but at least we’re taking one picture home.

Delivery of that one image is estimated to take up to 16 weeks, which is hard to understand — especially since no edits are included. I was told it’s because they want their “artwork” to be perfect, but still… that’s a long time for one image.

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Conclusion:

We drove over an hour to get there and another hour back. If I had known about the pricing strategy and sales tactics ahead of time, I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it.

But hey, if you’ve got $2,000–$5,000 to spend on “artwork,” then go for it.

I’m giving 2 stars because the service and people were genuinely nice, but using emotional tactics to upsell artwork at such high prices just doesn’t feel like the...

The entire experience at Bokeh Creatives was absolutely unbelievable.... On a whim I entered their giveaway for portrait session, the prize being a free 11×14 (I think) portrait in their classic finish, & to my shock I won. They contacted me the next day & we went from there. I was sent an email link to a video of Tim the owner explaining what I'd won. It also gave a little back story as to why he & his wife decided to open their studio & why they choose to give back the way that they do. It made me cry 🥺.

My only concern was that while the entire package was free (portrait session, the finished portrait, viewing session) they did ask for a 100% returnable $250 deposit to hold the date of the session. Of course I completely understand the need of a deposit, but I really didn't have the money at that point & I had to confirm whether I wanted the prize or they would move forward to the next person. So I almost just let it go. But Tim reached out to me, letting me know I could book a date at any time, he really made sure I knew I'd won & didn't want me missing out. So I was just honest w him, told him I didn't have the money for the deposit, & I wouldn't have it for another week at least. He told me not to worry & that I could book my appointment & they'd wait on the deposit until I had it. I couldn't believe it. The session took place almost a month later & I can not express how thankful I am to Bokeh for allowing not only me but my entire family to have a beautiful once in a lifetime experience. I don't think I'd ever be able to afford a portrait like the ones they do at their studio, but now I will have one forever. Everything about this place is just breathtaking. Even down to the staff. Each one made us all feel comfortable, & the photographer did such an amazing job keeping everyone focused while still making us all laugh & handled the shenanigans from my family w ease. 😊 Thank you to everyone at Bokeh Creatives Fine Art Portrait Studio for giving my family a once in a lifetime experience. I will...