Hi there. Photographer here.
You Found Me
Washington, D.C. Based Portrait Photography
Your Photographer
Anthony Lewis
Washington, D.C.-based studio portrait photographer. My work explores identity through carefully authored visual languages, editing, & creative direction.
What I've built is specifically for people who carry complexity; especially Black & Brown women who are still in search of the best photograph of themselves.
I'm not as interested in documenting what you do as I am in trying to remind you of who you are and who you could be.
Presence
Over Perfection:
Your duality, & your multiplicity.
Ethereal vibes with some whimsy.
Strength. AND softness.
Sensuality, & even silliness, on occasion.
If you're looking for low-key, subdued, & the reserved version of 'demure,' please know that you won't find it here.
If you're instead looking for a place where you never have to worry about shrinking yourself, then you're in the right place.
HOW IT WORKSο»Ώ
STEP 01
Consultation
Dialogue. And the more, the better. I want to understand your goals, concerns, inspirations, & tastes. If you're a phone call person, we'll talk. If you're a DM gremlin, we'll text or email.
STEP 02
Pre-Production
Wardrobe guidance/styling, location selection, art direction, itinerary building. Each project is different. Together, we'll plan for you, the way you need to be planned for.
STEP 03
The Session
I do not expect a performance from you, nor will I ever. But I will give you direction just as much as I will let you exude your natural energy. You might work up a sweat; you might not. You'll smile at least once.
STEP 04
Post Production
Curation, editing, retouching, & immortalization. I do not provide RAW files or proofs. I do, however, provide bonuses, bloopers, & an occasional GIF. My goal is preservation of character & identity: that means freckles, tattoos, scars, rolls, & folds, and especially stretch marks, are all generally kept.
You're Allowed To Enjoy This For Yourself
what you'll spend
The Value
YOUR INVESTMENT
Absolutely spoil yourself with a fully custom & signature experience for just $2150, or schedule a highly authored 1-on-1 session for only $800.
The Scene
YOUR LOCATION
This is a studio photography service, but the roots of what makes this work exactly what it is today: that's based in the outside world.
The Reminder
YOUR EXISTENCE
You are more than what you do, & you are more than who & what you are to others. This mindset is the starting point of our work together.
I look like an actual goddess, but more than that I feel like you perfectly captured so many versions of me
that I sometimes forget are there or try to snuff out for fear of not being fully accepted for who I am.
It's honestly the first time I've ever cried when getting my photos back.
I feel like you create a very specific dream for everyone you photograph.
And it makes me curious about what this future mystical world is.
Where did it come from and how do I live in it?
These pictures are EVERYTHING like, beyond what I imagined!
You captured me so beautifully, and the vibe of each edit is just chefβs kiss.
Certain features Iβm typically insecure or awkward about you highlighted through these photos
and I feel like I have a better more optimistic and positive outlook then Iβve had prior. It means so much to me!
REQUEST A SESSION HERE
Choose a service below to begin
SINGULARITY | $2150
No holds barred. The big show. Your own personal Met Gala event, if that's what you're aiming for. For voguing mothers. For 'me & all my girls.' For that big project you finally started. And, most importantly, for you, with no small detail spared.
π¦ 1 day session or multi-day series
π¦ Staffed sessions, tailored to your needs
π¦ Multiple photography genres
π¦ Custom visual languages
π¦ Well-curated image multi-gallery
π¦ Professional retouching
π¦ Signature edits, composites, & iterations
π¦ Hi-res segmented delivery
SIGNATURE | $1200
One morning, with room to wander. Or an afternoon, with room to serve many faces. Or one evening to highlight the different sides of you, because you shouldnβt have to limit yourself to one. For the reinventors. Letβs make the wheel from scratch together.
π¦ 4-hour guided studio session
π¦ 3 distinct genres
π¦ Multiple visual languages for each genre
π¦ Well-curated image multi-gallery
π¦ Professional retouching
π¦ Signature edits & composites
π¦ Hi-res segmented delivery (~1 month)
STUDIO PORTRAIT | $640
Priced normally at $800; limited time discount!
One vibe, done right. And maybe a little more, if you're ready for it. Your concentrated dose of this editorial magic. For the first-timers & the repeat rebels. For you, exactly as you are today.
π¦ 2-hour guided studio session
π¦ Minimum of 1 distinct genre
π¦ Multiple visual languages per session
π¦ Well-curated image gallery
π¦ Professional retouching
π¦ Hi-res delivery (~14 business days)
When Do I Do This?
Is There A Right Time?
Always now, or even yesterday.
Sure: birthdays make sense. Grad school, promotions, weight gain/loss - all of those are wonderful starting points for a portrait session.
But why wait for the achievement? There's plenty of celebration-worthy elements worth highlighting from your here & now, & to your in-between.
What Should I Bring?
Versions Of You Shearing Expectation
The simplest expression:
ο»Ώ
- A tube top or bandeau
- Soft knitwear or cotton blends
- Little makeup, no makeup, or just a cat eye
- The shiniest of glossy lip glosses
- Scrunchies & claw clips
Beautiful is something you already are, not something you become with make up, & not something you become before stepping in front of the camera.
What Should I Bring?
Versions of you brazenly refusing to be small
Ceremony, & audacity, hand in hand:
- The 1, 2, 3-piece suit you rarely wear
- That backless gown
- Too much jewelry, & then some more
- A deep-plunge top & some jewelry
- A skirt with 1 or 2 thigh-high slits
Glamour is in how you flex & flaunt. And despite what you choose to wear, it's not how you mask. Be just as timeless, rebellious, dramatic, restrained or undefined as you want.
What Should I Bring?
Versions of you adorned in release
Almost never the bedroom, almost always more than just lingerie:
- A well worn tee & boy shorts
- Leather. Latex or both.
- Corsets, bustiers, or cinchers
- A favorite sweater or oversized shirt
- The birthday suit, 1/2-piece suit or that gown again
Good Boudoir is less about what gets removed, & more about what permissions you grant yourself.
DISCLAIMER
Neat Shiny Owl is neither capable of nor liable to exactly reproduce any specific existing work of art. All styles (whether external or internal), and influences are only points of reference. In the pursuit of art and the improvement of representation of people of color, we must diligently work to build and reinforce a wider gamut of phenotypes, appearances and aesthetics documented, highlighted, or otherwise personified and depicted in any accessible art.
This means more dark skin, more olive and umber tones, more broad shoulders, more breast variety, more very thin bodies just as much as more thick bodies, more hair just as much as less hair, more wide noses, more thick lips, more short people, more "average" bodies, more differently abled bodies, and absolutely more collagen & cellulite.
While the references used, whether on this site or in style-guides utilized, may not explicitly represent who you are, Anthony Lewis and all parties working on his behalf will make it their exclusive priority to only take the best of these references and apply them to you exactly as you are, and in a way that makes you shine.
Please note that the aesthetic you discover or recognize from both the social media accounts and website of Neat Shiny Owl/I Bid You Shorn is the most accurate representation of the services you are investing in and agreeing to. The art and accompanying aesthetic is highly specific, and no effort will be spared in giving the very best of that highly specific service, art, and aesthetic, to you as the customer or client.
Neat Shiny Owl adopts a no-selects & no RAWS policy, regardless of the client, and regardless of the service offered. This means you will in no way be receiving any unedited images or RAW files of any kind. This also means you will not be subject to any period of time where you are required to make choices on your own images. This also means that, especially pending great mutual vibes, you are nearly guaranteed more images overall, per portrait session, or per larger-scale project.
We hope to make amazing things together , with all of this in mind.
Thank you for your consideration.