Positive Vista Photography & Art, Santa Cruz

Professional photographer Portia Shao's artistic intuition imbues everything she captures on film, from her evocative portraiture to her impressionistic Polaroid SX-70 snap shots. Dividing her time between watercolor painting and photography, Portia seamlessly melds the two disciplines and exercises her skills across a wide range of subjects. Her landscapes portray the vastness of natural sites around the world, stitching multiple photos together to create panoramic scenes of the Himalayas at sunrise, and her portraiture draws out the essence of each subject she shoots, which makes for pictures more personal than a monogrammed set of headgear.

Beyond her own artistic vision, Portia strives to craft images that please her clients. Before each shoot, she leads visitors around her studio, leafing through samples, discussing clothing ideas, and devising lighting schemes. After each pop of the flash bulb, images show up directly on a high-definition TV, allowing for instantaneous feedback. Even with these fail-safe client-satisfaction measures in place, Portia stands by her work with a Be Thrilled or Bust guarantee, which promises a complimentary re-shoot or reprint if clients are unsatisfied with their shots.