At Your Service: Picture Perfect

William Weathersby Jr.

01/01/2008

Several years ago, architectural photographer Elliott Kaufman was photographing a Park Avenue apartment for a busy client. Though usually hired by interior designers and architects to document their new designs for clients and magazine publication, this assignment was commissioned by a Manhattan gentleman charged with clearing out his mother-in-law’s elaborately appointed apartment before her pending move to Martha’s Vineyard. "He wanted to capture the apartment as his children remembered it, creating a keepsake photo collection for the whole family to enjoy," Kaufman explains.

The photographer’s "family album" was such a success, he soon launched a new subsidiary business, Legacy Editions, which produces leather-bound portfolios of color photographs printed on archival watercolor paper— capturing the unique charm of a client’s home.

"I photograph and preserve all that you cherish: your families, homes, gardens, pets or art collections," Kaufman says. "Through their designers, some homeowners might get the opportunity to see their residence featured in a design magazine, but this is a more refined way to create a limited-edition keepsake for generations."

The process typically requires a two-day photography shoot, yielding up to 15 final photos (which may include family portraits). Each book is stamped with the family name, then signed and dated by the artist. Clients may choose to add personal stories, which a professional writer can help polish through interviews. Depending upon travel and photo shoot logistics, the typical cost of a Legacy Edition hovers around $10,000. Clients receive one book, produced by hand, with copies available at an additional per-book charge.

Designer Laura Bohn and her husband, builder and developer Richard Fiore, recently asked Kaufman to capture the transformation of their 100-year-old brick house in Bucks County, Penn. "We gutted the place, moved every window and pushed back a lot of dirt," Bohn recalls. "Elliott has a great eye, and seeing our finished house in our own ‘edition’ made the renovation’s sense of accomplishment all the sweeter."

Legacy Editions, 212.496.0860, www.legacyeditionsltd.com