Whether working out of our spacious, well-equipped and conveniently-located studio in Troy NY, or on location, Upstate Photographers is your full-service commercial photography studio with years of experience in fashion, event, food, product, catalog, architectural, music, editorial and advertising photography.
If you have an upcoming project that requires photography, contact us now to find out how easy it is to work with us! You can reach Paul at 518-526-9969, or Brenda at 518-526-9970.
Paul Grupp and Brenda Rose specialize in professional headshot work
for business, corporate, professionals, academicians, musicians,
actors, models and political figures. We work out of our beautiful
studio in downtown Troy, or we can travel to your office or location.
Want to know more? Click here to check out our website dedicated to headshots!
Our motto is: Manhattan-quality headshots, without the Manhattan prices!
All photos Copyright © Paul Grupp. All rights reserved.
“We don’t do that here”
As happens a few times every week, the other day someone came into our studio and asked if we do passport photos. As we have for the last several years, we explained that we don’t do them primarily because places like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and even the drivers license bureau do them much cheaper than we could — most of those places will give you two photos for under $10 — a price our professional studio simply can’t compete with.
But this time, our client shook his head. “You don’t understand — all those places do pictures that meet the US Passport specifications, but many other countries have different requirements, and won’t accept US-spec photos for their passports or visas.”
“Ah” we said. “We completely understand. You should go to Stuyvesant Photo — it’s only about 20 minutes from here, and they do a great job making passport photos for any country’s requirements.”
“That won’t work either” he said. “First of all, they’re no longer in business — they closed in May 2010. Second of all, I’m a graduate student here at RPI without a car, so I really need to get these done here in Troy.”
Many other countries don’t accept US-spec Passport photos
Wow — we never thought of that. If the passport photos won’t work for your country’s requirements, it doesn’t matter how cheap they are — because they won’t be accepted.
Our RPI student really was in a jam — he needed the photos right away, and there was nowhere we could send him that wouldn’t cost him a fortune in cab fare and time. So you guessed it, we took his pictures and made sure they met the needs of the Australian passport office, and even printed out the specifications from the Australian consulate and gave them to him, so he could see for himself that we had done exactly what they require.
Come to Upstate Photographers for all your Passport and Visa Photo needs!
And so we decided at that moment that as a service to all the international travelers who live, work, or study in Troy and the Capital Region, we would shoot and make their passport photos, carefully meeting the specific standards of their country, on a same day basis in our studio at 353 Broadway in downtown Troy.
We offer six pictures, professionally lit and processed, guaranteed to meet the requirements of any country you specify from Albania to Zanzibar, for $25 + NYS tax. If you are looking for US Passport photos, we can do them too as a convenience for you, but we remind you that there are many cheaper options for US Passport photos, like the CVS Pharmacy just across the street from us. We have to charge more than they do because a full-time professional photographer will photograph you in an actual photo studio with professional background, lighting, and camera, and the photos are edited by a professional graphics artist and printed by hand. In short, we are a boutique passport photo provider, able to meet the most demanding and esoteric requirements!
So if you need a specialty Passport or Visa photo — we are the place in the Capital Region to come to. We check the country’s consulate web site and make sure your photos exactly meet their current official requirements, including the new biometric specifications demanded by an increasing number of countries.
Typically, passport photos are available on a walk-in basis from 9:30am to 5:00pm on weekdays, with pickup of the finished photos available within an hour. As always though, we recommend that you call ahead to make sure we are available.
1/17/12
Wedding Pre-Booking Meeting
Sara B. says: As soon as we met Brenda and Paul they were warm and inviting. They welcomed us into their studio as if they were welcoming us into their home. They were interested in hearing our thoughts about what we wanted in terms of photography services and brought a professional and experienced point of view to the table. It is obvious that they love what they do and treat each event with care and respect. I can not wait to work with them!!
1/9/12
For the third year in a row, Paul and Brenda of Upstate Photographers have won the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards! The Bride’s Choice 2012 award means we are in the top 5% of Wedding Pros nationwide! The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined solely by the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds.
12/05/11
Engagement Session
Lindsay M says: My Fiance and I had the pleasure of working with Paul and Brenda for our engagement photos! They had such great ideas and made us feel completely comfortable in front of the camera. It was great to have a test run with the engagement session prior to the wedding…and now we can’t wait to have them shoot for our wedding in 2012!
11/03/11
Wedding, 9/9/2011
Brenda and Paul were fantastic photographers at our big day. Brenda stayed with the gals and Paul with the guys for pre photos. After the ceremony, they got through our family photos really quickly and we were able to go and join our reception way sooner than I thought we would! They even went down to a separate photo location with us to do some photos by the lake where we wanted to get some pics taken. They were completely flexible with our requests, and they were able to creatively come up with some great shots in the new locations we requested.
The quality of the pictures were amazing, and they were great about getting us our photo book out. I would 100% recommend these photographers to any other bride and groom! They were recommended to us by our cousin, who also had them at his wedding, and we are so glad we took them up on their suggestion!
10/15/2011
Wedding, 8/27/2011
My husband and I started planning our wedding in August of 2010. When we set out on our search for the perfect photographer for our wedding, we had some ideas on the style of photos we liked, but had no clue about any of the other details.
Paul and Brenda are extremely professional and so fun to work with. Their personalities are wonderful. Their portfolio is diverse with much to admire and consider. They are artistic, amazing with lighting, and know how to get the most beautiful shots. They were great about laying out all options and listening to our suggestions and requests. Both were very responsive to emails and was very good at following up to make sure nothing fell through the cracks. This was especially important leading up to the wedding when I was going crazy trying to finalize all of the details!
Although working with Upstate Photographers during the preparation stage was great, it was the wedding day when their professionalism and skill really shined. They were prompt, they blended in with the background and were almost invisible, yet did not miss a thing. They were calm, composed, and most importantly, the photographs were beautiful!
After the wedding, the photos were ready in a very timely manner. We were absolutely thrilled with the results, and have received many compliments on how beautiful the photos are. We absolutely recommend using Paul and Brenda at Upstate Photographers! You will not be disappointed!! We can’t wait to use them again!
10/13/2011
Studio bpix session, October 12, 2011
JM A. says: I had a fantastic time doing B-PIX! Being a bit shy and conservative (and not a model) Brenda and Paul really helped me make the right faces and do the right poses! We all had a wonderful time and I am so excited to see the finished product! Definitely would recommend to anyone!!!
10/9/2011
Wedding September 3, 2011
Lisa says: Paul and Brenda were both wonderful to work with! From the moment we met with them, they made everything very easy for my husband and me. Not only did they show us beautiful pictures, they were also extremely easy to get along with. We were a part of five weddings this summer and for some of them, pictures seemed to take so long we felt like we missed a lot of the wedding. This did not happen with Paul and Brenda! Because they know their stuff and are so great, they knew exactly what shots to take and where so we ended up with amazing pictures and still were able to enjoy the night! We could not be happier with our pictures and have received many compliments from friends and family. They are also very reasonably priced for what you get! I would recommend them to everyone!
9/12/2011
Actor’s headshot session session, September 7, 2011
Anna S. says: I just recently had an appointment with Upstate Photographers to get new headshots taken and I was delighted with how it went. Everyone was extremely friendly and make the atmosphere genuinely comfortable. It was a great experience, and my makeup and hair looked fabulous after working with Amy Elizabeth. It was a great experience and I’m sure the headshots will look amazing!
8/16/2011
Wedding July 30, 2011
Jenn says: I can’t say enough about Paul and Brenda. Our wedding day was wonderful and we were able to enjoy ourselves because of the thorough planning of our photographers. Paul and Brenda are extremely professional and do whatever is needed to get the right shot. Kevin and I were thoroughly impressed as to how they each had a different approach to photography but that through their different approaches, they create a relaxed environment for all involved. Within a very short time, 2 weeks!, we had a number of our pictures available for a sneak-peek and WOW. The quality is amazing. The pictures are beautiful. I would highly recommend Upstate Photographers.
8/14/2011
Wedding July 1, 2011
Jessica says: Paul and Brenda are fantastic! They are really fun to work with and made us feel very comfortable. Both Brenda and Paul always got back to us right away after we e-mailed or called them. They took beautiful shots and we are extremely happy with all of our pictures!
8/02/2011
Wedding July 10, 2011
Megan says:
Paul and Brenda were wonderful to work with right from the beginning. They did a wonderful job capturing our day, and making everything feel comfortable. We are so pleased with the photos! Their prices are very competitive, and their work is high-quality and creative. And our guests loved the photo station…definitely worth it!
8/02/2011
Amazing Experience!!
Susan K says:
Brenda and Paul were amazing to work with!! My 5 year old son is incredibly interested in a career in modeling. They each offered some great advice in pursuing my son’s potential career. They also offered tremendous words of encouragement for my son. The whole experience was fantastic, and I/we would highly recommend them to everyone!
7/12/2011
Wedding Photography
Megan G says: Paul and Brenda were fantastic! They are professional, creative, and made us feel relaxed. We had so much fun during our engagement session and were completely comfortable with them on our wedding day. The photo station was a great addition to our reception and our guests had a blast. Can’t wait to see how the photos come out. Thank you for helping make our wedding day so wonderful!
5/14/2011
Wedding Photography
Leah says: Paul and Brenda are great! They really helped us out because we were affected by WeddingCombo going out of business and we needed to find a photographer somewhat last-minute. It was a stressful time, but our experience with Upstate Photographers definitely made up for it!
First of all, I feel that we were so lucky to have two photographers. Now I can’t imagine weddings where people just have one. It was great having the different perspectives of everything.
Second, our pictures are fantastic and everyone keeps saying how great they are! We wanted photographers who give a little direction but mainly remain unnoticed, capturing events as they happen. And that is exactly what we got! Our guests were also impressed by the ability to download the high-res photos right from their website.
Both photographers were friendly and professional to work with, and I would definitely recommend their services!
5/12/2011
B-Pix
Alyson D says: Brenda and Paul are wonderful photographers, aside from being great people! I was very nervous about doing this pictures for my fiance and they both made me feel extremely comfortable. I can’t wait to see the pictures. They were very detailed on making sure that the lighting was correct for each shot and very creative in their ideas. I cannot wait for my wedding because I know the pictures are going to be fabulous!
2/17/2011
Professional photoshoot for entertainment business
James H says: I hired Paul and Brenda for a photo shoot that would include professional head shots and images that I could use in my business literature and correspondence. Paul and Brenda took extra time to ensure that the lighting, poses, and even my slight makeup touches were perfect. They were absolutely fantastic to work with, very personable and took the time to find out the “look” that I was going for. As a professional entertainer of almost 25 years, I have worked with hundreds of photographers. Paul and Brenda of Upstate Photographers rank at the top my list of best photographers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. James Hall, James Hall Events. www.jameshallevents.com
9/25/2010
Wedding Photography
Jismi says: I would hire Paul and Brenda again in a heartbeat for my wedding. I used them for our engagement shoot and wedding photography. The pictures speak for themselves. Everyone who sees the pics also say how beautiful the pics came out and how lucky I am to have wonderful wedding pics!
Paul and Brenda are very down to earth, easy to work with, and responsive to our needs. They work really well together and worked well with my day-of coordinator. They are also very flexible when it comes to packages and pricing.
They also give guidance for taking pics, such as where and how ppl should line up for portraits, and had creative ideas for our photo shoot in between the ceremony and reception. Their photography style is candid in addition to formal portraits. We just loved how our pics came out and I can’t stop looking at them!
8/14/2010
Boudoir Photography
Rebecca says:
Wonderful to work with. I shot my boudoir album with them as a wedding gift for my husband. They were so professional that I really felt comfortable!
One of the things that makes us happiest as photographers is when our clients feature our photos on their websites and in their posters and promotional materials. Here are some recent posters and web pages we’ve come across, featuring Upstate Photographers’ images!
Powerful, Mr. Cheeks, Chaz Money, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
King Dreams, Mirk, Mr. Cheeks, Chaz Money, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
Mirk, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
Chaz Money, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
Brendan Martin, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
Brendan Martin, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
Brendan Martin, photographed at Upstate Photographers Studio, Troy NY.
Want to see more of our editorial and promo photography of artists and musicians? Click here!
Click here to see extensive galleries of our music photography.
Note: In all cases, poster artwork and website designs shown above are the artistic creation and property of the publication, band, artist, their management, or promoter — Paul Grupp and Brenda Rose of Upstate Photographers created the original artist photos used in the posters and on the websites.
Basic Promo Pix Photo Session Need 8×10 glossies for agents, venues, press? Some new imagery for your website and Facebook Page? On a tight budget? This is the package for you. Includes up to two looks in our studio, with all the best images posted at high resolution on our gallery for your downloading pleasure (No charge for downloading). $149 covers shooting and gallery posting at hi res for convenient downloading and easy access. Want images delivered a DVD/CD? Add it on for $25. See retouching and print prices below.
Musician’s Photography Package This is a more extensive version of our basic package — more looks in the studio, and more time on location with more elaborate lighting and styling. $199 covers shooting and delivery via our high-res online gallery; downloading is free! Want a CD or DVD of your images? Add it on for $25. See retouching and print prices below.
Live Music Coverage With our years of experience shooting every genre of music from folk and Americana to hardcore metal, to pop and hip-hop, classical, jazz and opera, we bring an expertise and style to live music photography that is simply unmatched by the competition. Couple that with our use of state-of-the-art full-frame cameras and high-speed lenses, and we consistently create images that are light-years beyond the typical girlfriend-with-camera shots that so many bands and artists use. $99 to clients who have already booked one of our other photo packages! $149 for everyone else. Includes photography at any Capital Region music venue, and delivery via our high-res online gallery — downloading of your images is always free to you and your fans! Performing outside the Capital Region? Ask us anyway — we routinely travel to shoot concerts – NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, etc.
Retouching Want to take your images to the next level? Apply our expert retouching to your photos. Only $19/photo, with delivery via our high-res online gallery.
Print Prices Looking for prints to decorate your studio, or pass out to friends? Order directly from our website to ensure perfect quality and guaranteed satisfaction at extremely reasonable prices.
Available in glossy, metallic, or lustre finish
4×6 print. $1.99
5×7 print. $2.99
8×10 print. $4.99
9×12 print. $8.99
11×14 print. $15.99
16×20 print. $34.95
20×30 print flush mounted on 1.5” foamcore board – $138.50.
Want something that doesn’t quite fit into any of the packages above? Flexibility is our middle name. Just call 518-526-9970 and we will put together exactly what you need, at ridiculously affordable prices!
Stefani and Scott’s engagement session on the Empire Plaza in the middle of November was a chancy thing — we knew the weather could go either way. Fortunately we had gorgeous weather, and had a great time with them. Can’t wait for their wedding next year!
Want to see more of Stefani and Scott’s engagement session? Click here!
Sneak Peek! Photos of Mirk, performing at their release party for the album, “Grind” at the Washington Ave Armory in Albany, NY on December 2nd, 2011. Want to see more? Click here!
Sneak Peek. Coming all the way from western Australia, Brad and István had no idea how lucky they were to have such a warm and sunny wedding day at the end of November in New York City! Their carefully planned day started with them first in line at the NY City Marriage Bureau at 8AM on a Monday morning, and it only got better from there. Join us in wishing Brad and István much happiness!
On one of the last days of Autumn, Tiffany and Adam had a romantic engagement session with us in the beautiful Stockade District of Schenectady.
As we start our preparations for this thanksgiving, taking a little time off, looking forward to seeing family members back home from school, shopping for the big Turkey bash and all the rest, it occurs to me that one of the things I am most thankful for this year is the creative and artistic community here in the Capital Region. In terms of improving our quality of life, there are few things more impactful than the contributions our resident artists and musicians make.
So this Thanksgiving, we encourage you to share the joy by financially supporting at least one artist, musician, or band who has made you smile, think twice, or dance like nobody was watching! This year, Brenda and I have chosen to support Erin Harkes in her quest to release a new album. We have a feeling it’s going to be something really special, and so in addition to contributing ourselves, we’re asking all our friends to take a moment to follow the link, and contribute whatever you can to help her take this next step. We know it will mean a lot to her, and we’re betting it might mean a lot to you too!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Paul and Brenda
Upstate Photographers
November 22, 2011
Troy Record Headlines
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