Family Portrait
Not simply standing side by side, but what lies between a family.
About Family Portrait
The Family Portrait uses the three-hour Standard plan to capture a couple, parents and children, or three generations as they are today, told as a single story within the antique Manor. The fee is ¥56,800 (tax included), plus ¥5,800 per guest from the fifth, for up to six guests.
The Family Portrait is three hours for ¥56,800, for up to six guests
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 hours (including set-up and clearing away) |
| Base party size | 1 to 2 guests |
| From the third guest | ¥5,800 per guest |
| Maximum party size | 6 guests |
| Base fee | ¥56,800 (incl. tax) |
| Included | Every room of the Manor, lighting equipment, arrangement of chairs and props, one butler in attendance to assist with photography |
| Extension | ¥16,800 per hour (subject to availability) |
| Butler attire | ¥12,800 per person |
All fees include tax. For a quotation tailored to your plans, please use the enquiry form. Photographs are taken with your own camera or smartphone; the butler will take the group photograph for you.
Before everyone faces the same way, we capture the relationships as they always are.
A formal group photograph, everyone facing the camera, is a precious record of the passing years. The moments either side of it also convey the shape of a family: a parent and child looking back over photographs, a couple's hands as they receive their tea, three generations gathered around the fireplace.
The butler places chairs according to the number and heights of your party, then adjusts the direction of the light and where each person stands. So that no one need keep swapping in and out from behind the camera, the butler will take group photographs with your own camera or smartphone.
Please let us know the combinations you would like to capture as a short list when you book: everyone together, parents and children, the couple, each person alone. The butler will follow the order so that nothing is missed.
Everyone, three generations, parent and child, and walking together: four backdrops
Everyone, in the Dining Room
A 1980s English yew table 2,286 mm in length, beneath a nine-light chandelier.
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Three generations, in the Fireplace Room
The eldest is welcomed onto the wine-red sofa, with the family gathered around. Red roses and the glow of the fire lend a soft warmth to every complexion.
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Parent and child, in the Study
A letter spread on the leather-topped desk, a globe between you. Facing one another, or peering into the same book: a closeness that a mere arrangement of positions could never create.
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Walking in, at the double doors
The butler opens the French oak doors and the family steps forward together. A group photograph before the doors, paired with a view of your backs as you walk, preserves the very beginning of the day.
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Photography assistance means arranging people and furnishings so that the whole family can be in the picture
| Welcome | The butler greets the family at the door and shows you where to place coats, umbrellas, camera equipment and keepsakes. Where children or elderly guests are present, we first confirm where they can sit and an order that keeps movement to a minimum. |
|---|---|
| Arrangement | Chairs, flowers you have brought, candlesticks and the silver bell are arranged according to the number and heights of your party. So that up to six faces never overlap, positions are decided in order: those seated, those standing, then those surrounding the guest of honour. |
| Lighting | The chandelier, the fire, candlesticks and the Manor's lighting equipment are adjusted to suit the photographer's composition. Watching the colours of clothing and backdrop, and reflections in spectacles and silverware, we fine-tune the angle of chairs and people. |
| Photography assistance | The butler takes group photographs with your own equipment and confirms the combinations you must not miss: everyone, the couple, parents and children, the guest of honour alone. We ask how your device works, and after each shot you can check the result and that it has been saved. |
| Items you bring | We agree where flowers, photographs, letters and drinks are to be placed, and what the butler may handle. Fragile items are kept away from silver and porcelain, and once used are returned to their box or bag. |
| In attendance | Both male and female butlers serve here. Throughout your visit one butler remains in the room; the Manor is never let unattended and no keys are handed over. Assistance that stays out of the frame, or a composition with a white-gloved hand at its edge, can both be arranged. |
We have male butlers and female butlers alike.
The butler who welcomes your family is not necessarily a man. Female butlers also serve here, in the same attire, opening the door, drawing out chairs and arranging positions for each combination to be photographed.
The butler arranges chairs and light and takes commemorative photographs with your own camera or smartphone. Please tell us the combinations you would like.
Male and female butlers alike attend to everything from the welcome at the door to preparing each scene and seeing you off. If you have a preference, please let us know when you book.
From booking to photographs: how the family combinations are decided
Tell us your party
Please let us know how many will attend, how the family is related, and anything requiring particular care. The maximum is six guests.
Decide the combinations
The butler confirms the combinations you wish to keep: everyone together, the couple, parents and children, three generations, each person alone.
Arrival and guidance
The butler welcomes you at 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, and shows you the rooms of the Manor and the order of the day.
Wait for the children's expressions
Where small children are present, we do not begin photographing the moment you enter; there is time first to gaze at the doors, the globe and whatever else catches their eye.
Seated scenes first
If your party includes elderly guests or anyone who finds standing for long difficult, we begin with the sofa in the Fireplace Room or the chairs in the Dining Room.
Included in the three hours of the Family Portrait
- Three hours of photography, with every room of the Manor
- Lighting equipment and the Manor's chairs, furnishings and props
- One butler in attendance: reception, arrangement, assistance with group photographs
- Chauffeured pick-up (return journeys to five locations; part of the plan; availability confirmed at booking)
- Guidance for up to six guests
To be provided by you
- Cameras, smartphones, tripods and other photographic equipment
- Editing or retouching of image files
- Costumes, hair and make-up
- Food and drink (you are welcome to bring your own)
Clothing and belongings are chosen to convey a family's time together.
Dressing for a family portrait does not mean everyone in the same colour; it means choosing so that each person's outfit sits gently with the others in a single frame. Formal wear, clothes you have long treasured, or the attire of a milestone occasion: all are welcome. If in doubt, please send us a photograph beforehand showing the room you would like and the colours of your clothes.
A child's favourite thing, an heirloom passed down through the family, a treasured letter: all may be brought along. Placing a letter on the desk in the Study, gathering around a keepsake in the Dining Room, opening a single book in the Fireplace Room: rather than simply holding the item up, setting it within the family's natural gestures makes for a truer photograph.
Please bring your photographic equipment, charged batteries or spare memory cards, and a change of clothes if needed. If you change outfits, dressing and grooming are included in the three hours. The butler will, for instance, capture the full group photograph first before moving on to smaller combinations, so that the effort is not unevenly borne by anyone in the family.
The Manor is presented differently for each season and milestone.
A day of new beginnings
Starting school, graduation, coming of age: new attire captured in the Dining Room and at the double doors. The butler first composes a poised full-length portrait, then moves on to scenes with the family gathered around.
Read moreA day when the generations gather
When three generations come together, we begin in the Fireplace Room, where the eldest can sit at ease. Everyone, each generation, then the couple in turn: the same day's relationships kept in several frames.
Read more
A day to keep an ordinary now
Even without a special occasion, heights and expressions keep changing. Bring everyday clothes and a treasured small thing, and keep the sight of a book opened in the Study or a walk through the doors.
Read moreQDoes the fee change with the number of guests?
Using the three-hour Standard plan for a family portrait costs ¥56,800 (tax included). From the fifth guest, ¥5,800 (tax included) is added per person, and we welcome up to six guests including the photographer and companions.
QCan we have a photograph with the whole family in it?
Yes. The butler takes your camera or smartphone and takes the group photograph for you. We confirm the composition you would like and how your device works before shooting.
QWhat kind of camera is used?
Photographs are taken with your own camera or smartphone. As the butler takes the group photographs, please show us how your device works beforehand.
QAre there female butlers?
Yes, we have both male and female butlers. If you have a preference, please let us know when you book.
QMay we bring food and drink?
You are welcome to bring food and drink. The Manor does not prepare meals. Where silver or porcelain is used in photographs, the butler handles it.
QCan we come with small children?
Yes, within the maximum of six guests. Please let us know beforehand their ages, any wishes for breaks, and furnishings you would prefer they not touch. The butler will arrange the order of shots and the placement of chairs accordingly.
About using The Studio
- The manor is never let unattended. A butler is present for every booking, and keys are not handed over
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. We do not provide meals
- Please use the antique furnishings under the butler's guidance. The armour, hall clock, porcelain and silver are handled by the butler
- Please consult us in advance about loud sound or the use of naked flames
- Prices shown include tax
You may also wish to read
Your family, as you are today, in a single frame at the Manor.
Please tell us in the form how many will attend, how the family is related, the combinations you would like, and your preferred dates. The butler will arrange the chairs and the order of scenes.