F.A.Q.s
Who is Andrea?
Moments by Andrea is owned and operated by Andrea Topalian in Wilton, CT. Andrea has been practicing photography since 1986, is a mother of three little ones, a former public school teacher and event manager. She combines these experiences with her exceptional eye for composition and her relaxed approach to photography to create beautiful images. Her desire to please her clients, and create images that they will treasure for a lifetime, shows in her attention to detail and outstanding customer service.
Andrea invests heavily in her cameras, lenses, studio equipment, computer technology, software and education so that she can provide the highest quality of work to her clients. She is constantly learning and growing as an artist and business owner, searching the internet and industry publications for the latest and greatest in photography. Her objective is to create images for every client that they will treasure for a lifetime and pass on for generations! Portrait photography is her passion and you will know that when you meet her.
Andrea guarantees her work 100% so you can hire her with confidence knowing that YOU WILL be happy with the images that she creates for you! You will also be happy with her customer service as it is extremely important to her that ALL her clients are happy! Andrea doesn't get a lot of complaints but when she does it is usually that there are too many good images to choose from! Not a bad complaint to get!
Want to know about Andrea as a person? Skip to the bottom of the page...
What types of photography does she do?
Andrea's style is well represented in the name of the business, MOMENTS! She is looking to capture those special moments that are so brief only a camera can freeze them in time! She loves to get artistic images where the clients are interacting with each other. She also LOVES EYES! It is her goal to capture images with eyes so sharp and expressive that they captivate the viewer.
Who/what does she photograph?
Maternity, newborns, babies, toddlers, children, siblings, families, high school seniors, pets, extended families, small events and even model and corporate head shots. Sorry, she does not "do weddings" and only occasionally photographs events.
Where does she photograph her clients?
Most of Andrea's clients are in Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY. Many like to come to her studio in Wilton but she also travels to them to photograph in their homes and at their favorite outdoor locations.
How much can I expect to pay?
Sessions and prints are competitively priced for professional photographers the area. Andrea likes to provide VALUE for her clients! She offers what she would want if she were hiring a portrait photographer for her own family. The session fees start $150. Prints start at $60 for a desk portrait. You can expect to pay anywhere between $300 and $1000 on your print order but you will get a lot!
Sessions:
See the Sessions link at the top of the blog for the different options!
Products:
Andrea offers all sizes of prints, canvases and photo books. A la carte orders are accepted but packages are highly recommended for their value! She also provides custom cards for birth announcements, thank you cards, invitations and of course holiday cards! Andrea would be happy to discuss prices with you on the phone if you are interested in a session.
Digital Images:
Many clients inquire about owning full size digital images. At the moment, Andrea allows clients to purchase these images as part of all of her collections (packages). This may change in the near future.
Need to know more?
Andrea is always on email! Really, it is a little obsessive but a good way for you to reach her! andrea@momentsbyandrea.com
Who is Andrea as a person?
OK, I guess I should step out of the third person for a second here... Since I photograph families and really feel a connection to to so many of them I like to share a little about myself! I am outgoing, friendly, sensitive, hard working to a fault, hard on myself, a little insecure (but who isn't) and I would be athletic if I had the time but I am too obsessed with my business to spend my time exercising!I love babies, kids and animals. I try to be funny but it doesn't always work. I am a people pleaser which is kind of good for you because I want ALL my clients to be happy! Oh, and I DEFINITELY do NOT get enough SLEEP!
I grew up in CT and VT. I am a bit obsessed with photography and have been since I can remember my first Holly Hobby Camera!!! I pretty much only like images with people in them! I studied abroad in Spain and Costa Rica and yes, I speak Spanish! Actually, I was a Spanish teacher in my last life! I have taken numerous photography classes over the years and worked in a photo lab in college but am mostly self tought. You can not imagine the number of images I have taken! I love to eat and don't have the time to work out anymore so let's just say I'm not as thin as I would like to be but who is!!! Even my skinny friends think they are fat! What's that about?
I have one sweet sister that lives in Florida. My mother lives with us due to some short term memory problems. She is a great lady, the kids love having her around and she is very helpful but well, she's my mom and she lives with us! Need I say more? I am married to an amazing man named Greg who supported my decision to have his mother-in-law live with us! That shows you how great he is! He is an incredible husband, wonderful father and a successful business man, plus he's cute! I am very proud of him and so incredibly happy that he chose me to spend the rest of his life with! He is very supportive of me! Lucky again!
Back in 2005 I told him I wanted to buy a professional digital camera (in addition to my 35mm film cameras) so that I could become a family photographer. He figured I would photograph a few families a year and possibly make enough money to pay for my equiptment!! Within the first year of starting this business I photographed about 200 clients and it quickly became a profitable full time business! Don't ask me how but it is true! Jokes on him! We just recently remodeled the home to include a 220 sq foot studio right off the front entrance of our home. I love it, although I am already growing out of it!
My kids are so cute (if I say so myself). Olivia (June/03) looks like her daddy and is so sweet and shy (not something she got from mommy), Kylie (Feb/ 05)is so loving and funny but also a little crazy! She is a mix of the two of us but a little more like me in so many ways! I don't understand how it is possible but they are completely different! The girls love each other but fight a lot too! Kylie drives Olivia crazy! And then there is "baby Derek" or "D-Dog" (Dec/ 07). He is our baby boy but growing so quickly. He is a cuddler and still spends a lot of time in our bed. His favorite thing to do is stand by a stream and throw pebbles in the water! Who doesn't love that!
I love having children but I am so obsessed with photography and my business I have a hard time balancing my work and family life! My business is growing like crazy and there just isn't enough time in the day so we got an au pair to help with the children!! Yes, that is FOUR adults, THREE children and a photography studio under one roof! Don't worry, the studio is right off the front entrance!
OK, enough about me! Thank you for reading this!!!
Here is a corny self portrait of me in the studio!
My loves...
Yep, we have our hands full! Gotta love it!
Add a Comment