Visual Legacy Artist

The Art of Legacy

Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.

A curated selection of moments that transcend time.
Each portrait is an heirloom — a testament to connection, love, and life’s most meaningful bonds.

Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Explore our gallery of bespoke lifestyle portraits, capturing the timeless connections among discerning families worldwide. Each photo tells a unique story, styled to celebrate cherished moments and personal heritage.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.
Bespoke lifestyle portrait of a family enjoying a peaceful moment together, styled in a unique way to capture their special connection.

2026 Founder’s Residency

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In an era where family life is documented in fragments—fleeting digital files, trending filters, and ephemeral snapshots—the true essence of a lineage is often lost to the noise. Most modern photography is a reflection of current trends rather than a pursuit of permanence. It prioritizes the immediate over the eternal.

Discerning families understand that this is not a new concept, but a timeless necessity. There is a profound risk in allowing your family’s visual soul to be reduced to a collection of pixels that will eventually vanish. What really matters in life is the ability to look back at a curated, physical record that speaks to who you were, how you lived, and the weight of the legacy you leave behind.

This is not photography for the moment; it is the deliberate construction of a family’s visual archive.

The Investment: To ensure transparency for our applicants, please note our commission structure:

  • Creative Commission Fee: From $5,000 USD (This fee honors the artist’s presence, intentional pre-production, and the exclusive Residency session. It is the investment in the ‘Soul-Work’ itself.)

  • Bespoke Artwork Collections: Range from $5,000 – $20,000+ USD (Post-session, clients curate their physical archive, from the Editorial Box to the Legacy Trunk.)

To Secure Your Date: A total initial payment of $7,000 USD is required to confirm your date on the 2026 calendar.

  • $5,000 covers the Creative Commission Fee. / $2,000 serves as a non-refundable Art Retainer, which is credited toward your final Artwork Collection.

Enquiries: Due to the limited nature of the Residency schedule (12 commissions per annum), applications are reviewed weekly. Please complete the form below to request a private consultation.

A Passion for Legacy
A portrait of Arnold Szmerling International Photographer taken at Chadstone Fashion Hotel, Melbourne, Australia

My work exists to reverse the digital erosion. For over 30 years, I have partnered with discerning families globally to translate their private connections into a permanent visual archive. This is a deliberate, unhurried process designed for those who understand that a family’s visual soul is their most significant inheritance.

Bringing three decades of international editorial and private commission experience, my role is to anticipate the subtle, fleeting gestures that define your family’s story. Operating on a strict International Residency Model between the Mediterranean and Australia, I offer an exclusive level of focus to a limited number of commissions each year.

The result is a transformation of time into art. By documenting your life in the environments that matter most, we create museum-grade physical heirlooms—tangible records that ensure your legacy remains present and powerful for generations to come.

Arnold Szmerling is an award-winning Australian Visual Legacy Artist based in Israel, serving a global clientele.

This is not just a business. It is a calling.

At the heart of Lifestyle Legacy Portraiture is a simple belief: The most powerful gift we can give is presence not only through the camera, but through real connection, deep listening, and genuine respect for the person in front of the lens. These portraits are never forced. They are gently revealed.

Philosophy & Purpose: Every session is an intentional pause in a busy life. A moment that will matter long after we are gone. I create these portraits for people who want to preserve something deeper than a smile: the essence of who they are, the stories they carry, the love that holds a family together. These images become the quiet heirlooms future generations will reach for—reminders of where they come from and what truly matters. In a world that moves too fast, we are quietly rewriting what “valuable” really means.

Emotional Intelligence & The Art of Presence: I arrive at every session calm, curious, and fully present. People often begin to share their real stories within minutes—not because I ask, but because they feel safe and truly seen. This is not therapy, yet it is transformational. My role is to hold the space so you can simply be yourself. Whether we are in the noise of a city street or the stillness of a home, we create a gentle bubble where time slows down, and real connection happens.

Signature Aesthetic & Enduring Style: These are not trend-driven fashion portraits. They are timeless, soulful images that will still feel powerful in twenty or fifty years. Using natural light, cinematic composition, and a quiet, emotional approach, I create photographs that feel like art and memory at once. Inspired by masters such as Robert Doisneau and Jeanloup Sieff, I photograph presence, relationships, and significance more than I photograph faces.

Client Relationships: Legacy in Motion I remember your names, your stories, and the details that matter to you. Whether I am working with a family or an individual at a turning point in life, every person is treated with the same care and reverence. Clients often tell me they remember the experience as much as the photographs. That feeling of being deeply cared for is what turns a single session into a relationship that can last for decades.

As the Banquet Manageress of the iconic King David Hotel in Jerusalem once said: “Arnold fits our clients like a glove to a hand.

Conscious Creation & The Deeper Thread: There is often something larger at work in these sessions—something that feels aligned, almost magical. I give thanks after everyone. I work with intention, energy, and presence, drawing quiet inspiration from the idea that what we create together can be more than art. It can be a reflection of what matters most, a gentle record of a life well lived. This approach resonates with anyone who believes in the power of conscious living and meaningful connection.

Destination Portraits: Presence, Anywhere: The soul does not care about borders. I work regularly with legacy-minded families and individuals based in Australia, Dubai, Israel, and beyond. My Destination Portrait sessions bring the same depth and care to the places that matter most to you—your home, your city, a meaningful location—wherever that may be. These are once-in-a-lifetime moments: story, place, and presence coming together in a single, beautiful day.

This is not mass production. This is rare, real, and deeply personal.

This is how legacy is preserved. This is Lifestyle Legacy Portraiture. This is Destination Soul Work. This is the work I was born to do.

Arnold is an Australian Photographer with 30 years of professional experience. He is an Australian celebrated and awarded Photographer based in Israel.