Family Portraits in Bellaire, Ohio
The family you are, right now
Your family will never be exactly as it is today again. This is artwork that holds it.
Designed for the room it will live in.
A family portrait is not decoration. It is the heirloom your children will one day want for their own walls.
Warm, connected, timeless
As an Ohio Valley family photographer, Donnie guides your family through a portrait experience designed around you. From the planning to the wardrobe to the finished wall art, every choice is made with the artwork in mind. The result is warm and classic, never trend driven, so it looks right in your home for decades.
See the ExperienceWho It Is For
Families across Bellaire, St. Clairsville, Wheeling, Belmont County, the Ohio Valley, Eastern Ohio, Northern West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania including the Pittsburgh area. Growing families, grown families, and every generation together.
The Session
Relaxed and fully guided in the studio or a setting that suits your story. Real connection over stiff posing, directed with ease.
The Result
Heirloom wall art, albums, and framed pieces designed for your home, made to be passed down.
Families of the Ohio Valley
Four steps, fully guided
Planning
A relaxed conversation about your family, your home, and the wall you want to fill. We choose the setting together, in the Bellaire studio or on location, and plan what everyone will wear.
The Session
Unhurried and fully directed. Your only job is to be present while Donnie guides everyone, from the youngest to the grandparents, with calm, confident direction.
Design & Reveal
You return to the studio to see your portraits at true scale and design your artwork together, choosing the pieces, sizes, and finishes that belong in your home.
Your Artwork
Archival materials, hand finished framing, and a Certificate of Authenticity. You collect your finished pieces in person at the studio, ready for your walls.
Family portrait investment
Your session is always free. A $299 retainer holds your date and is credited in full toward your artwork. Commissions begin at $950, and there are no set packages. You build the collection that fits your home.
As your collection grows, pieces are included: a Companion Set at $1,500, a Fine Art Album at $3,000, and your complete digital collection at $5,000.
Family portrait questions
In the Bellaire, Ohio studio or on location in a setting that suits your story, from the family farm to the Ohio Valley outdoors. We plan the setting together during your consultation.
We guide you through it. During planning we help you choose clothing that is timeless and cohesive, in soft neutrals and textures that keep the focus on your family. Our What to Wear guide is a good place to start.
Every season has its own light. Photographing in fall means your artwork is on the wall before the holidays, and our seasonal guide walks through each one.
From inquiry to finished artwork, most commissions span a few weeks. That includes your consultation, session, design and reveal appointment, and the time to craft your pieces to an heirloom standard.
Blackwater is a wall art studio first. Digital files accompany the finished artwork you commission rather than being sold on their own, and your complete digital collection is included once your collection reaches $5,000.
Hold this season on your walls
Tell us about your family and we will design a portrait experience made for you.