About the Photographer

     My ultimate goal is to thrill the client, because a thrilled client becomes the inspirational fuel that drives my creative passion and my desire to continually improve myself, my services, and my products.  I feel with good communication, a comfortable and fun photo session, a beautiful variety of final images to choose from, excellent customer service and an incredibly gorgeous finished product, I am able to repeatedly deliver amazing portraits to very happy clients.  And I truly believe because of all of these reasons in addition to fair pricing, almost every client has returned within a couple months to a year to eagerly enjoy a repeat experience and another round of gorgeous images to choose their new artwork from.  It is a wonderfully flattering and humbling feeling to know that my clients love and enjoy what I deliver to them and that is one of the largest reasons that I love my job so much.  I think my clients can tell that I do.

     When I started my business I wanted to be able to offer unique, beautiful and artistic portrait photography services and products at prices that were reasonable and accessible to anyone who could appreciate photography, especially portrait photography.  I have had the pleasure of hiring the services of a very high-end portrait studio where the imagery was amazing, the studio was gorgeous and the prices were sky high.  I have also had the displeasure of being a customer at a mall studio where the prices were extremely low but so were the quality of the pictures as well as the entire experience.  The goal for my studio is to offer the exceptional quality of a high-end studio but at an investment that is accessible to those who are yearning for something significantly better in quality that what the mall studios can offer.  We can break you out of the cycle of mediocrity with fair prices, an unexpectedly comfortable and pleasant portrait session, portraits that will have you repeatedly exclaiming "WOW!" and the type of customer service you wish you could experience everyday, everywhere you go.  Although our prices are higher than what mall studios advertise, they are still sensible, and the value is profoundly better.  Once you complete your first session with us, you'll be hooked and won't ever look back.

      I would describe my photographic style as modern & artistic portraiture.  The "modern" portion describes several elements I regularly use in my imagery.  This includes the casual style of photojournalistic shooting where I will often capture, candid and unplanned moments that pop up and are just as priceless as the images that are posed in flattering and beautifully natural styles.  The modern also describes a level of pureness, clarity, boldness, curiosity or edginess that I will use and enhance when appropriate or when I want to add an interesting element.  This might be accomplished with the lighting, props, composition, focus, pose and/or expression.  The "artistic" component includes much of the creative process after the session is completed.  This includes all of the professional retouching work from creating gorgeous skin and eyes, to transforming portraits into paintings, custom made art work, collages and artistic photo manipulations.  And even if the "artistic" part is not within of the budget, every image receives a certain level of retouching that I refer to as my "Signature Touch" so at the very least, all clients can get a small taste.  The end products used to display all portraits are archival in quality and widely used by professionals photographers and artists worldwide.  These include prints which are not just paper sprayed with ink (which typically fades within a year) but professionally developed photographic prints which are developed by LIGHT (yes they still do that!).  The "portraiture" element refers to the high and professional regard I have for capturing the very best of every single client.  The formality of the word is also an indication that I consider my work more than just taking pictures, but as a specialized art form where I create priceless treasures for my clients to preserve and cherish for generations to come.  But don't misunderstand, your sessions and final portraits are anything but stuffy feeling.

     I would never have been able to pursue this dream without some very important people in my life.  One is my incredibly wonderful and supportive husband.  He is the one who planted the seed that has grown into this business and amazing journey.  He insisted that I had a gift and potential before I could ever even fathom it myself.  Also my adorably sweet daughter, who has been a huge motivating factor in everything I do.  She is unsurprisingly one of my most photographed models and is a huge source of inspiration for my work.  And I must  also thank my Mom.  From her I learned, you can do anything you want to do if you set your mind to it and believe in yourself.  And I have...

~Sincerely Grace Lightner

About The Studio

     Our studio is located in Duncannon which is located only 20 minutes from Harrisburg and 25 minutes from the Camp Hill/Mechanicsburg area.  We are located in the midst of beautiful wooded surroundings and rolling country fields with old railroad beds and one lane stone bridges less than a mile from our studio, these nearby setting can be used for your portraits at no additional cost.  Our studio is in a large separate area within our home and with the option of choosing a perfectly lit studio setting or any one of several gorgeous naturally lit outdoor settings nearby, we likely have just what you are looking for.  There is a reason why most of our clients will travel at least 20 minutes to be photographed by us over and over again. 

     We shoot entirely in digital and use state of the art photographic and studio equipment and the latest in professional software.  We mean business, and so when it comes to giving you the best, we don't mess around.

     We have a large and spacious studio with a clean and private dressing room for our clients to change in.  With a new motorized background system, clients can choose multiple backgrounds within a studio session with little waste of time.  We also have a nice selection of seating options and props clients may use for their portraits if they wish.  Let us know what mood you are looking for within your photographs and we can personalize the lighting and setup to fit the style you are looking for.

     A couple of disclaimers to note.  Our indoor studio is not currently handicap accessible, don't let this deter you as we can always bring our talents and equipment to you.  And for those who have allergies to animals, there are 2 dogs and a cat that reside in the home but, try as they may, are not allowed in the studio.