HOME - Gregory Knott Photography

Since 1997, Gregory Knott has produced his classic portraits from a small craftsman bungalow in the Eastern Wake County town of Wendell NC, just 15 minutes outside the city of Raleigh. His portraits hang in the homes of civic & cultural leaders, business executives, sports legends, clergy, and small-town families alike. For over two decades, Gregory has steadily built a rock-solid reputation for excellent quality, and he remains one of a very few photographers that still do their own printwork. He is gifted at engaging children, families, and putting nervous brides at-ease, and the results are reflected in the images he captures. His style ranges from relaxed to refined, and is adapted to meet the varying needs of each customer.

We invite you to have a look around this site, and to reach out to our studio directly if we can help you in any way. We love to hear our clients ideas, and often discover new products and portrait styles through our clients' requests! Thank you for visiting and we look forward to working with you very soon!

CLASSIC COMPOSITES

For many years, Gregory's studio has been known for classic B&W composites of children. These have been popular since the 1930's and some of our young clients are now the 4th and 5th generations to have these done! They are produced using both traditional and modern methods. Many are surprised to learn there is very little photoshop used at all when producing these. A good composite is created through the use of precise camerawork and lighting. When comparing, you will often notice other studios whose composites look "cut and pasted" and many show a smoky, tunnel-like shadow around each head. When done correctly, each head should "float" in white, and there should be little-to-no transition between the background and the paper on which it is printed. Lastly, Gregory uses a traditional toned, fibre-base paper which will very closely match the composites of past generations. Upon request, we are happy to adjust our photographic style and printing to match your needs if you are continuing a multi-generation collection.

COMPOSITES

CHILDREN

Many of our new clients discover our studio after seeing one of Gregory's wall portraits hanging in the home of a friend. A child's portrait is something that is guaranteed to gain value, as a growing child is ever-changing. Gregory works to develop a rapport with each child, in order to produce portraits that reflect natural, 'real' expressions. Gregory often says that his success with children is due to the fact that he is "more stubburn and persistent than any child.. they all seem to crack before I do". Gregory will adjust clothing, hair (and even garden shrubbery!) until success is achieved. We hope you will find this comes through in the samples shown here. We would be honored to create a portrait for your child, whether at our private studio and garden, or an off-site location that is special to you!

CHILDREN

SEASONAL

While we are not a "mini-session" studio, we keep some type of themed session running at all times of the year. Gregory's "Private Santa" sessions have grown to more than 300 sessions per year, and this has introduced many new families to our studio. Other theme sessions include "Spring Garden" "Live Bunnies", "Strawberry Patch", "Watermelon Truck", "Lakeside Forest", "Fall Leaves" and also non-Santa Christmas sessions. These sessions are very affordably priced (most are between $45 and $75 and include a free 8x10 of your favorite image!), offering a great value and a less-rushed experience than you may find elsewhere. A themed session is a great way to give our studio a try!

SEASONAL

BRIDAL

Gregory has had the honor and pleasure of photographing some of North Carolina's most beautiful brides. Between the years 1997 and 2020, he personally photographed more than 700 weddings, and most of those entailed a bridal portrait sitting. While he no longer does wedding-day photography, Gregory still does bridal portraits regularly at his studio and garden. His classic, refined portrait style is the perfect balance if your wedding-day photographer is more candid and journalistic in style.

BRIDAL

PAINTED PORTRAITS

In addition to his photography, Gregory does a very limited number of painted portraits each year. The process usually takes around 3 months to complete, and while most photography studios rely on hired artists to complete their painted portraits, Gregory does the entire process in-house. We start with a portrait session very much like a photography-based portrait... however once a pose is selected and enhancements are done (often combining elements from multiple images!) a work-print is made on canvas. This canvas is mounted to a piece of hardboard for stability, and it is then primed so that it can accept paint on the surface, and the underlying photograph image becomes a guide for the hand-painting process. When complete, the entire portrait is painted, yet it retains a likeness of the person that is often lost in free-hand painted portraits. These portraits start in price from $2,250 (for an individual, 20x24 size) and advance with size and number of individuals to be painted. ***If you are interested in a painted portrait, we recommend contacting the studio well ahead of any urgent need, and to check on our current back-log*** In some cases we will go ahead and photograph the growing child, which captures those images at a given age for a future painting.

PAINTED PORTRAITS

HS SENIORS

Gregory's HS senior sessions are extended sessions which usually take around 2 hours. We usually start in the studio, then move outdoors to various locations (downtown streets & storefronts, old brick buildings, loading docks, open fields, sports locations etc. Many of Gregory's seniors like to finish up at Gregory's Lake cabin (just 10 minutes from the studio) where there are beautiful sunsets. Our senior sessions are $125 and include a free, touched-up 8x10 of your favorite image! Add-ons (print groupings, albums, frames, digitals) are done once you see your proofs and know what you like!

HS SENIORS