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renowned for his background projec- tion work; and Vancouver lawyer, Gordon Altman. Using their combined expertise, they :onceptualized and opened Portraits Jow, a prototype portrait studio in Ottawa in which they combined three consumer-oriented marketing con- cepts that no one else ever before thought to put together. 1. Prime location in a high-traffic major mall-Portraits Now is located in the busy St. Laurent shopping center. 2. Quick service-At Portraits Now, customers can come in with or without an appointment, get a quality sitting done by a trained professional photographer in 15 minutes, and come back one hour later to pick up their finished prints. 3. Contemporary photography- Dr. Oles' "Scene Machine" with 3M Special Effects Projection Screening allows photographers to vary, with ease, the special effects backgrounds. "We offered the consumer something brand new, something high tech," says Amlani who manages the organization. ,Dr. Oles' Scene Machine is an integral part of our new concept." With the Scene Machine, the photo- grapher can offer, in one sitting, both indoor and outdoor backgrounds, as well as traditional looks using a single projection screen. Portraits Now has a variety of background categories from which to choose-environmen- tal, computer graphics, abstract design, elegant interiors, colors, or the "old masters" canvas. Virtually anything that can be put on a 35mm slide can become a background. In seconds, the photographer can change from the lakefront scene to a fire-lit living room-something which is all but impossible to do with cum- bersome painted scenes or conven- tional backdrops. The special effects screen is what makes it all possible. Created by 3M, the retro-reflective material is nearly 1500 times more reflective than an ordinary white screen. 3M retro-reflective material has approximately 150,000 special spherical glass beads per square inch which reflect any beam of light striking them directly back at the source. Each bead is an individual micro-mirror. Therefore, the reflected light is incredibly bright. As a result, the projector can put out a very weak background image, an image so weak that it does not show up on the subject, but strong enough to show brilliantly on the screen. Incorporating this technology into the portrait studio, the Scene Machine with its special 3M screen, changes the accessibility and style of portrait photography. Portraits Now makes high quality, creative portraits avail- able to everyone. Says Dr. Oles, "We've made portraits more convenient. We're reaching people who never had a portrait done before and we provide them with both traditional and contemporary images ... thanks to the Scene Machine." As for customer satisfaction? "We're continually increasing our market share," reports Amlani. For the five founders of this first-of-its-kind portrait studio, the customers are telling them what they want to hear. Dr. Henry J. Oles Dn-location shooting is not required when a Special Effects Screen allows background changes in minutes.