Every guest, directed
Individuals, couples, families and friends each get their own sitting, guided until they love what they see.
Guest portraits at cocktail hour · Printed on site · Not a photo booth
Give them a portrait worth keeping.
A photographer, studio lighting and a backdrop, set up at your celebration. Every guest is directed, photographed, retouched on the spot and handed a 5x7 print with your names and date on it.
Based in Southington, Connecticut · New England and wherever you're celebrating
Photograph by Shukhrat KamalovWeddingsGalasCorporate eventsMilestone celebrations
Guest portraits, not a photo booth
A portrait studio, for one evening.
No props, no timer, no strip of four. Your guests step onto a lit set, and a photographer who shoots weddings for a living gives them the direction that makes people look like themselves on a good day.
While you're enjoying cocktail hour, everyone who came to celebrate with you is being photographed properly. For many of them, it's the first real portrait in years.
Printed before they leave
Each portrait is retouched on site and printed as a 5x7 with your names and date, a favour your guests will actually frame.
Every portrait, yours
You receive the full collection, every guest and every sitting, retouched in an online gallery within 72 hours.
Wedding guest portrait gallery
Two looks. Everyone who came.
Everyone dresses up for a wedding, then spends half the night asking a friend to take a phone photo of the outfit. So we photograph every guest head to toe: the dress, the suit, the shoes, all of it in the frame.
The Studio
Seamless white backdrop and studio light. Clean, editorial, head to toe. Made for black tie, galas and corporate evenings.
The Lounge
A backdrop and sofa set right in the room, so families and friend groups can sit together. Warm, relaxed, and every print finished with your names and date.
Choose one look, or we'll design a set around your palette: backdrop, drapery, florals and seating.
A third look
Natural light, if you’d rather.
Some couples want their guests photographed the way the day actually looks. Where the venue has a big window, a covered porch or open shade, we can set the lounge up in daylight instead of the studio.
The same direction for every guest, the same full-length framing and the same prints on site. Mention it when you check your date and we’ll look at the space together.
Natural-light portraits by Shukhrat, from an editorial at Glen Manor House.
Portraits printed on site
Your names on every one.
Every print is finished with your names and your date, so it goes home as a keepsake of your day, not just a photo of a night out.
The set travels with us: backdrop, studio lighting, seating when you want it. Here it is at Chanthra and Phi's wedding.
How the Portrait Lounge works
Easy for you. Easier for your planner.
The lounge fits into a corner of your venue and into your timeline without moving anything else.
We plan the set
Backdrop, placement and timing, matched to your venue and your palette, agreed with your planner in advance.
Ready before your guests are
We arrive 90 minutes before start: an hour to build the set, then time to test the lights and the printer. Ideally we have a space about 15 by 20 feet and one standard outlet.
15 to 20 sittings an hour
Unhurried, so every guest gets real direction. A photographer at the camera, a retoucher at the printer. Cocktail hour is ideal, or we open once the last toast is done.
Prints tonight, gallery in 72 hours
Guests leave with their print. You receive every retouched portrait from the night in an online gallery.
Portrait Lounge pricing
Shaped around your guest list.
Every collection includes a photographer, an on-site retoucher, studio lighting and backdrop, printed 5x7s for your guests and the full retouched gallery for you. Collections are built around your guest count and hours, so we start with a short conversation about your event and send a quote tailored to it.
Collections begin at $1,750.
Add-on: guestbook
The heirloom guestbook
Every portrait from the night, each beside a note written by that guest, bound in a 10x10 book. Your guests take home their print. You keep all of them, and everything they wrote to you.
Your photographer
Already booked yours? Perfect.
The lounge runs on its own and never competes with your wedding photographer.
They stay with you, your family and your wedding party through cocktail hour while we look after your guests. We'll coordinate with them and your planner ahead of the day so the lounge sits where it helps and never where it's in the way.
“There was a line for photos the entire time. They were a huge hit!”
“We hired Shukhrat Kamalov Photography for the portrait lounge at our wedding, and it was one of the most unique and fun additions to our day! Guests loved having something different to do throughout the night, and they were able to take home printed photos as keepsakes. Shukhrat posed everyone so well, and there was a line for photos the entire time. They were a huge hit! He was super friendly, professional, and incredibly easy to work with. We would highly recommend adding this to your wedding if you want something special that guests will talk about long after the night is over!”
Andrea, Portrait Lounge client“Our guests felt like absolute celebs. He took his time with each guest’s photo session, directing them and taking multiple shots until they loved what he captured. All of our guests told us that these photos would be framed in their home.”
Phi, Portrait Lounge clientPortrait Lounge FAQ
A few common questions.
How is this different from a photo booth?
A booth is a camera on a timer. The Portrait Lounge is a professional photographer with studio lighting, personal direction and on-site retouching. The portraits look like they were made in a studio, because in every way that matters, they were.
Do guests get a print?
Yes. Every sitting is retouched and printed on site as a 5x7 with your names and your date, so guests leave with it in hand.
Do we get the photos too?
Yes. Every retouched portrait from the night is delivered to you in an online gallery within 72 hours.
When should it run?
Cocktail hour is the favourite, when guests are dressed, fresh and waiting on dinner. It also works beautifully once the last toast is done and the dance floor opens.
How much space and power do you need?
For the best experience, a space about 15 by 20 feet and one standard outlet. We arrive 90 minutes before start, build the set in the first hour and use the rest to test the lights and printer.
How many guests can you photograph?
About 15 to 20 sittings an hour. We keep the pace unhurried so no one feels rushed and every guest gets real direction. A sitting can be one guest or a whole table of friends.
We already have a wedding photographer. Is that a problem?
Not at all. The lounge runs independently, so your photographer can stay with you throughout the day.
What does it cost?
Collections begin at $1,750, depending on your guest count and hours. The heirloom guestbook can be added to any collection.
What kinds of events is it for?
Weddings, galas, corporate events and milestone celebrations. Tell us about your occasion and we'll suggest the right setup.
Where do you travel?
We're based in Southington, Connecticut, and travel throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, and beyond. Tell us where you're celebrating.
Portrait Lounge by Shukhrat Kamalov
Make space for a moment they'll remember.
Tell us your date, venue and guest count, and we'll reply within 24 hours with availability.
Prefer to talk? Call 860.357.7225 or email shukhrat@kamalovphoto.com