The Atelier of K. Andrzej accepts private large-format portrait commissions for families who believe their history deserves the same care traditionally given to portraits of presidents, artists, and other notable figures. Each commission begins with a single sheet of film and ends with a Master Negative entrusted to the family's archive.
Why I Do This Work
Every family leaves something behind.
Sometimes it's a home. Sometimes it's artwork, jewelry, or family heirlooms. Far fewer leave behind a portrait that becomes part of everyday family life—something children grow up with, something that lives in their home, and a lasting connection to the people and stories that came before them.
For more than forty years I worked as a photojournalist, photographing presidents, musicians, artists, and ordinary people whose lives happened to intersect with history. What I learned was not simply the technical craft of photography. It was how to build trust, draw out character, and recognize the moment when someone reveals something genuine in front of the lens.
A portrait is never made by the camera alone. It comes from the relationship between photographer and subject—the ability to guide someone, put them at ease, and create the space for an honest expression to emerge.
The large-format camera is part of that experience. Its size and deliberate pace change the way people approach the portrait. They understand they are not simply having a picture taken—they are creating something meant to last. That sense of importance can be seen in the final photograph.
Today I accept only a small number of portrait commissions each year. Each is made slowly, on large-format film, printed by hand in my darkroom, and created to become part of your family's archive.
A Note on Client Privacy & the Archives
Most of the families I photograph will never appear on this website. Every private commission is covered by a Non-Disclosure Agreement unless the family chooses otherwise. The photographs shown here are from my independent body of work and reflect the same approach, craftsmanship, and attention brought to private commissions.
Large-format portrait study created on black-and-white film and hand-printed by K. Andrzej in the darkroom.
The Master Negative of a large-format portrait, preserved as the original photographic record within a family archive.
The Master Negative
Everything begins with a single sheet of film.
The negative chosen for your portrait becomes the Master Negative.
Unlike most portrait commissions, where the original negative remains with the photographer, I entrust the Master Negative to your family's archive.
It is the original record of the portrait—the sheet of film exposed at the moment your family was photographed. Together with the finished exhibition print, it preserves both the original exposure and the finished portrait.
More Than a Century of Photographic Heritage
Andrzei Wajda — Poland
My great-grandfather, Andrzei Wajda, began making photographs in Poland around the turn of the twentieth century. His fascination with photography began a tradition that has continued through four generations.
Antoni Wajda — Coming to America
In 1927, my grandfather Antoni sailed from Liverpool to New York and settled in Philadelphia.
He brought the family's photographic tradition with him.
As cameras evolved from wooden view cameras to the Speed Graphic, he documented neighborhoods, industry, and family life throughout Philadelphia.
Henry Wajda — Philadelphia
My father, Henry Wajda, continued the tradition.
His Kodak Retina IIIc traveled with him during Army service before becoming the camera that recorded our family's everyday life—Port Richmond, the Italian Market, birthdays, weekends, and his family.
Eventually that camera became mine. It was through that camera that I first learned photography.
Cinematic Echoes
Our family has long told the story of an encounter between my great-grandfather and a young art student in postwar Kraków—Andrzej Wajda, who would later become one of Poland's greatest film directors.
Photography and cinema have always shared the same language: light, shadow, and film.
Many of today's finest filmmakers still choose film for their most important work—from award-winning cinema to acclaimed television productions.
I believe family portraits deserve the same care.
The Origin of the Name
Kandrzej combines my first initial with the Polish form of my middle name.
Archiva reflects my belief that photographs should become part of a family's archive.
Fotografia honors the Polish roots of my family and the tradition that brought me here.
Today I work from the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, while accepting portrait commissions throughout the world.
Seneca View Camera circa 1906 in use at a portrait commission by K. Andrzej.
The Artist Manifesto
Goerz Apochromat Artar 12” F/9 portrait lens with No. 3 Acme Synchro Shutter. Acquired from the Tony Venti estate and accompanied by estate provenance attributing this lens to portrait work involving a young Marlon Brando.
The Artist Manifesto
I make portraits slowly.
Every commission sitting begins with a single sheet of large-format film.
Together we choose the portrait that best reflects the person in front of the camera.
Every exhibition print is made under my direction.
The Master Negative becomes part of your family's archive.
Families preserve what they build. I believe portraits deserve the same permanence.
— K. Andrzej
A Lens With a History
Among the lenses I use is a Goerz Apochromat Artar 12-inch portrait lens acquired from the estate of New York celebrity photographer Tony Venti, whose career included photographing many of Hollywood's best-known actors and entertainers.
Estate provenance connects this lens to portrait work involving a young Marlon Brando.
Photography is never just about the camera or the lens, but it's hard not to appreciate holding a piece of photographic history in your hands. I enjoy knowing that the glass that once photographed Hollywood now photographs families whose stories are just beginning.
Private Commission Availability
I photograph only a limited number of families each year.
That allows me to give every commission the time it deserves—from the sitting to the darkroom, from framing to installation.
From our first conversation to the final installation, each commission unfolds over roughly eighty to one hundred hours of work.
Private commissions begin at $17,500.
The Commission
Every commission is built around one finished portrait, created for the place where it will live—a family home, estate, library, or private collection.
The sitting usually produces eight to ten individual negatives. Each one is different. Sometimes the smallest change in expression changes everything.
The photograph you finally choose isn't chosen in the moment. It’s chosen later, after the negatives have been developed and we can look at them together.
That final choice becomes the Master Negative.
From the Master Negative, I create the exhibition portrait by hand in my darkroom. When a larger presentation is desired, additional editions are produced using archival methods that preserve the character and detail of the original photograph.
Before the Master Negative is transferred into your family archive, additional prints may be made for children, other residences, or future generations.
Large-format portrait study made on black-and-white gelatin silver film and hand-printed in the darkroom by K. Andrzej.
The Fine Art Portrait Commission Process
I — Consultation
We begin with a conversation.
I want to learn about your family, your home, and the portrait you hope to create.
II — Design
Every portrait is designed for the room where it will live.
We consider architecture, light, wardrobe, scale, and placement before the camera is ever unpacked.
III — The Sitting
I photograph in homes, estates, and selected locations throughout the world.
Large-format photography has its own rhythm.
Each exposure requires preparation. Nothing is rushed.
A typical sitting produces ten to fifteen individual portrait studies, each made on its own sheet of film.
IV — The Darkroom
After the negatives are developed, we review them together.
Families often notice one thing.
I notice another.
The final portrait is chosen through that conversation, balancing emotional connection with composition, expression, and the qualities that make a photograph endure.
The exhibition print is then hand-printed in silver gelatin in my darkroom.
V — Installation
The finished portrait is mounted using museum archival methods and presented in a custom frame.
Whenever possible, I personally deliver and install the finished work.
A large-format studio setup and a portrait commission custom-framed and displayed in a client’s home.
The Atelier Registry
Large-format film Master Negative entrusted to your family archive.
Each commission receives the time it deserves—from the sitting to the darkroom, from framing to installation.
Availability is discussed privately.
Protocol of Discretion
Privacy and discretion are fundamental to the studio practice. The families I photograph trust me with something deeply personal.
Names, homes, family histories, and finished portraits remain confidential unless permission is given to share them.
Large-format portrait made on black and white gelatin silver film and hand-printed in a darkroom by K. Andrzej.
Private Commission Inquiry
If you're considering a portrait commission for your family, I'd be happy to begin with a conversation.