Portraits worth celebrating
Now booking
Modesto, California
Portraits by Cristian is a studio practice for portraits and birthday sessions. Honest color, unhurried direction, themed sets when the occasion calls for confetti — and prints made to outlast the party.
Coached the whole way
Nobody is left to work out their own hands. Every frame is directed — where to look, where the light is, when to breathe — so even the shy ones come out looking like themselves.
Made to be kept
Proofs land in a private gallery within ten days. Every finished frame is edited and retouched by hand, ready to print at any size you like.
Every set, built for the occasion
Balloons Included, Always
From the studio
Recently Hung
Three ways to sit
Choose Your Light
Glam Photoshoot
Styled looks, light shaped for your skin, posing coached throughout. One look included; up to three.
From $20060 min 02Birthday Session
Quinceañeras, first birthdays, sweet sixteens, golden years — a themed set built for the occasion, balloons included.
From $25060 min 03Headshot
A clean, current portrait for work — thirty minutes, three finished frames.
$15030 minHave a date in mind?
Book a Sitting
Tell me the occasion and roughly when — a 50% deposit reserves the date.
Selected work & client galleries
The Gallery
The wall below is a rotating selection from recent sittings, and every print is available as a gallery edition. Had a session with us? Find your private gallery with the name from your delivery message.
Want a wall of your own?
Book a SittingAbout
The eye behind
the lens
"The party ends. The portrait doesn't."
Every milestone deserves better than a phone photo.
I started Portraits by Cristian because the moments people most want to remember — a thirtieth birthday, a sweet sixteen, a first cake smash — usually end up as a blurry frame from someone's pocket. In the studio, the weather always cooperates and nobody blinks.
Every session is shot, edited, and delivered by me personally. You'll never be handed off to a second shooter or a stranger's editing queue.
Most sittings happen right here in Modesto, but the studio welcomes families from across the Central Valley — Turlock, Ceres, Riverbank, Ripon, Manteca, and Salida are all a short drive in. If you're nearby and thinking about a session, let's talk.
Principles
How we work
Unhurried
Sittings are booked with air around them. No one is watching the clock, least of all you.
True to color
Calibrated capture and printing. Skin looks like skin, linen like linen, ten years from now.
Made to hang
Every finished frame is edited and retouched by hand, and yours to print at any size.
From recent sittings
Questions
Before you book
What's included with a studio portrait session?
Every studio sitting is shot, edited, and delivered by Cristian personally — no handoffs to a second shooter or an outside editor. You'll get direction that feels like conversation, a private online gallery of your finished portraits, and same-week previews.
What happens at a cake smash or birthday session?
Birthday sessions cover milestone birthdays, sweet sixteens, and first-birthday cake smashes — themed sets with confetti included. It's an unhurried sitting with air around it, so no one is watching the clock, least of all your little one.
How far in advance should I book a birthday or cake smash session?
Two to three weeks is usually enough, though first birthdays and popular weekend dates fill faster. If you have a specific date in mind, especially around a first-birthday party, reach out as early as you can.
Do you photograph clients outside Modesto?
Yes — most sittings happen at the Modesto studio, but families come in from across the Central Valley. Turlock, Ceres, Riverbank, Ripon, Manteca, and Salida are all a short drive in. If you're further out, send a message and we'll figure out logistics together.
How soon will I see my photos?
Same-week previews are standard, with your full gallery delivered within ten days. Every finished frame is edited and retouched by hand, ready to print at any size you like.
Have a date in mind?
Book a SittingSessions & Booking
Reserve your sitting
Choose a sitting, pick a morning or afternoon, and tell us who's coming. We confirm personally within a business day.
- i. Session
- ii. Date & time
- iii. Details
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Before you book
- Sittings
- Glam from $200 — one look, five edited photos, sixty minutes. Birthday from $250 — six edited photos, balloons included, sixty minutes. Headshot $150 — three photos, thirty minutes.
- Session length
- One outfit runs 60 minutes, two 90, three 120 — free. Longer than that is $50 an hour.
- Outfit changes
- Each change is $50, up to three looks. More than one outfit requires the eight-photo session.
- Extras
- Projector shot +$50. Additional edited & retouched images $45 each.
- Deposit
- A non-refundable 50% deposit reserves your date — the balance is due at the session.
Every sitting includes a pre-session call to plan your looks.
Choose your date
Open hours
Pick a date to see open studio hours — open every day, by appointment.
Tell me who's coming
See you at the studio.
Cristian replies personally within one business day with confirmation and a short questionnaire.
A non-refundable 50% deposit reserves the date; the balance is due at the session.
Contact
Say hello
Send a note about your sitting — we reply within one business day.
Private studio — Modesto, California
Exact address shared with your booking
Ready to pick a date?
Book a SittingCurator's entrance
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