How to coordinate your family for spring portraits {Northglenn CO Family Photographer}
Planning outfits for family session can be one of the hardest parts of planning a family photo session, especially if you don’t know how to properly coordinate so everyone looks great together, while still having their own look and style. Outfits can make or break a photo session which is why I put so much emphasis on helping you choose your outfits and making sure to match the look of your session to your outfits.Here are some of my best tips to get your started.
Planning outfits for family session can be one of the hardest parts of planning a family photo session, especially if you don’t know how to properly coordinate so everyone looks great together, while still having their own look and style. Outfits can make or break a photo session which is why I put so much emphasis on helping you choose your outfits and making sure to match the look of your session to your outfits. You will often see me post advice on choosing clothing for your session on Facebook or blog posts like this one, however that doesn’t mean you’re alone from here, part of my session workflow is talking to you about outfits and helping you choose base on your family, style and home decor (they need to look great hanging in your home!).
Below I am giving not only my best advice for choosing the perfect outfits but also two samples of styles I love for spring!
Coordinate don’t match
Ok I know that I sound like a broken record here. If you have been following me any amount of time you have probably heard me say this, but it is so important! Go search family portraits on Pinterest or Google and note a few portraits you really love. Are they all dressed in matching blue shirts and jeans or khakis? I’m guessing your answer there was no. Most likely they are wearing 2-4 colors mixed between the group, which is what I always recommend to my clients. In the examples below I kept it easy by choosing 2 main colors that you could also pair with a neutral (I suggest white, cream or khaki/tan for spring sessions). You will typically want to mix the colors evenly throughout the family. I have more tips below on how to make that happen!
Dress mom first
When choosing clothing for family portraits its typically best to start with your clothing mom. I do this for one main reason, if you don’t love the way you look, you won’t love the portraits. Choose something that fits well, baggy clothing will make you look bigger than you are. Make sure to select a style that flatters your body type, and most importantly choose something that you LOVE the way you look in. I love of floral pattern on mom so that you can easily choose two colors from your outfit for the rest of the family, however this can also be done from your daughter’s dress or a patterned shirt or tie on your husband or son. Or if you choose a solid color and want to keep it simple you can use neutrals to mix it up.
Don’t be afraid of patterns
For the longest time I recommended solid colors for portraits, its what I was trained to say back in my studio days, but it made some some pretty boring portraits. Over time I realized that many of the family photos I was drawn to where those where the family was not afraid of a little pattern. I already talked about dressing mom in a floral or pattern above, but her pattern does not mean the rest of the family need so go for a solid color, a few ways to use patterns without making it overwhelming are to dress one of the boys in a plaid or striped shirt or a subtle pattern like small spots or shapes throughout the shirt.
Use your accessories for balance
This is one of the most overlooked tips when coordinating families. Lay out all of the outfits and see what colors you need more of. For example, if you chose yellow and blue and mom is in a blue dress but your little girl is in a yellow and blue dress and your huband’s tie has a bit of yellow you may want to add more yellow to the mix. Try adding a yellow necklace or sweater to your outfit. The best items for balancing the colors are jewelry, scarves, sweaters, floral crowns, other hair accessories, ties or bow ties, vests and suspenders. Use them wisely to add pops of color or balance out the colors as needed.
The mint and coral look
I found this mint and coral dress that I absolutely love for family portraits and used it for the base of this family look. For your convenience all of the clothing shown below is linked from Amazon so if you see something you love you can click straight over there to purchase (full disclosure, these are affiliate links) however you could easily take these ideas and find clothing from your own closet or local stores as well. The main idea is to show a variety of ideas that can be used for different families no matter the number or ages of the children.
The Dusty Rose and Blue set
I have to admit these colors were actually harder to coordinate and find however I wanted to show a look with matching mommy and me dresses since I love this idea for portraits and while they are great for mommy and me sessions they can be used for family sessions as well.
I hope these tips and ideas help when planning for your family.
Limited edition Spring Bloom session dates and time for families will be announced soon. Make sure to contact me if you would like to be notified when sessions open so I can add you to the wait list!
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My name is Jennifer Tavera, the photographer behind Truth Photography. I am a Northglenn Colorado family photographer and gallery designer seeking adventurous, free spirited families. I believe that your life is epic and deserves to be captured with photography!
I specializes in creating unique photo sessions that will be an adventure for your child or family and turning the finished portraits into beautiful wall art for your home. I can’t wait to photograph your next adventure!!
~Jennifer Tavera Photographer and Gallery designer
Help me out by voting! {Denver Photographer}
Why have I decided to apply for a grant?
Some of you who have followed me for a long time may have heard my story. But for those who haven’t let me tell you about the history of my business.
I am excited to share with you all that I have applied for a small business grant through FedEx. Every year they give out grants to a small selection of businesses and for 3 years now I have missed the submission deadline, but luckily this year I was able to sign up!
The first step in the process is to get my business seen by getting votes! Votes will determine the finalists and then winners will be selected from those finalists.
Voting is simple all you need to do is click the link, Select “vote for this business” and then give a name and email address. Plus, they will allow you to vote more than once (once every 24 hours until April 1st!). Can you all go help me out today by voting for me?
Why have I decided to apply for a grant?
Some of you who have followed me for a long time may have heard my story. But for those who haven’t let me tell you about the history of my business.
I launched Truth Photography in 2010 after the national photography chain that i had been working for for almost 3 years closed with zero notice to it’s employees. My oldest son was 3 weeks old and my husband had found out the week before that his seasonal job would not be hiring him on full time. Less than a year into marriage with a brand new baby and a husband trying to complete a college degree I found myself with no income and to make matters worse, my health insurance which was through the company I had worked for refused to fulfill any claims since the company had been self insured. Basically what I found out that mean was there was nothing backing the insurance and since the company was bankrupt they would not be paying any of our bills including those for my sons birth.
So as I launched this business every penny of what I made went to my family and medical bills for years after I started. Fast forward a few years. Around 2014 I was finally able to pay off the remained of the medical debt, start rebuilding my personal credit and investing in my business a little more. My husband had graduated from college and was working but has not yet found his dream job. Since then I have been working to make this a business that I love, that gives back to the community and that does more than just pay the bills. I have slowly worked towards goals and dreams for my business but it has been slow going. Some of my business goals may still take years to raise the money for and achieve since my family is still depending on my income. If I were to receive one of these grants it would mean an end to struggling to reach these goals.
What a grant would mean for my business
FedEx is giving out 10 grants at 3 different levels from $50,000 to $15,000. Obviously with the bigger grant I could do things that would not be possible with a smaller grant however even a $15,000 grant would make a huge difference in my business. Here is what I would do if I receive any of the grants:
Upgrade my camera and lenses. While I truly believe a great photographer can create beautiful images with any equipment there are some things I simply can’t do with my current camera and lenses.
Upgrade my computer. Anyone who has done a selection appointment with me in the last year can see the need for a new one hahaha!
Purchase studio lighting. This would be great for my newborn sessions and winter kids sessions. Right now I book based on when the best natural light is however having lighting would allow me to open more session time options.
Purchase studio management software. This would make my job easier and replying to you when you email me faster. A win for everyone!
Expand my client wardrobe, starting with maternity gowns and newborn outfits!
Have updated head shots, marketing images and promotional videos done. Sometimes photographers need to hire a professional photographer as well.
Expand my marketing budget creating a steady stream of clients to allow me to continue making upgrades and expanding as needed.
Hire a part time assistant. I am going to need one with the extra business from those ads!
Donate more sessions to those in need. I am currently starting a program to donate sessions to families with a child with a life threatening or terminal illness. To nominate someone for these sessions you can email me at jennifer@truth-photography.com More information coming soon in a future blog post!
If I received a bigger grant I would love to open a studio space for newborn and children’s sessions and for meeting with clients. All of the things on the list above are goals of mine regardless of winning this grant or not however some of them will take time. I would love to speed up that timeline.
Thank you all for helping by voting for me as often as you can over the next 2 weeks! I love having so many loyal clients and friends!
My name is Jennifer Tavera, the photographer behind Truth Photography. I am a Northglenn Colorado family photographer and gallery designer seeking adventurous, free spirited families. I believe that your life is epic and deserves to be captured with photography!
I specializes in creating unique photo sessions that will be an adventure for your child or family and turning the finished portraits into beautiful wall art for your home. I can’t wait to photograph your next adventure!!
~Jennifer Tavera Photographer and Gallery designer
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Isaac's newborn session {Broomfield CO newborn photographer}
After 12 years of photographing newborns you learn all of the tricks to get a newborn to sleep soundly for their session and they all worked on baby Isaac!
After 12 years of photographing newborns you learn all of the tricks to get a newborn to sleep soundly for their session and they all worked on baby Isaac!
This little man joined our world on December 27th and came in to see me mid-January. After a full belly of food and a nice warm swaddle he slept like a dream for most of his session. The space heater and mama’s heartbeat sounds I had going nearby probably helped with that as well!
I am so in love with the images from his session that it was hard to decide which to share here! Even his two year old sister cooperated for some images with her brother!
When the session was edited and ready for the family to view I met up with them in their home in Broomfield to show them not only the finished images, but some ideas for displaying them in their home. After each session I create a few gallery mock ups to show, and then together with the family we can choose a favorite or create a custom look and play with different ways their favorite images until we find one that they love!
To be honest my very favorite part of this session was delivering printed art to the family. When I arrived mom answered the door with her daughter right behind. As soon as she saw the image of her and her brother together that they had printed she gasped, grabbed it from mom and hugged it! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen!
I would love to capture this memorable time in the life of your family for you. Visit my newborn session page for more information on planning your session.
Choosing a location for your Colorado winter photo shoot {Boulder Family Photographer}
Choosing a great location for your shoot get just a little more challenging as the leaves begin to fall. What was green or gold and beautiful during the summer and fall suddenly becomes brown and lifeless. But no one wants the background of their photos to just be brown and boring! So here are my best tips for choosing a location with color and beautify even during the winter months.
As a Denver area photographer for GROWING families a lot of my sessions this time of year are indoor sessions for newborns or children’s sessions in my own home. However not every session this time of year is indoor since I continue to shoot family and maternity sessions outdoors this time of year as well as the occasional children’s session.
Choosing a great location for your shoot get just a little more challenging as the leaves begin to fall. What was green or gold and beautiful during the summer and fall suddenly becomes brown and lifeless. But no one wants the background of their photos to just be brown and boring! So here are my best tips for choosing a location with color and beautify even during the winter months.
Choosing mountain location
My first tip is to choose a location in the mountains. Most of our best mountain locations have beautiful evergreen trees that will add color and life to your photos. Selecting a location in the mountains during winter does have it’s challenges including making sure that the roads are clear and ice free and that your car can make it there. Your best bet for this is to keep the location closer to home with a location like Lookout Mountain in Golden or Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder rather than venturing too far into the mountains this time of year however if you are more confident on mountain road in the winter there are also some amazing locations further into the mountains as well.
Choosing a location with a mountain view
Having a view of the mountains can also give some color and beauty to your fall portraits! While choosing a spot with a mountain view may seem simple in the Denver area where most locations have some mountain views here are a few things to think about when picking your spot.
Time of day: To produce the beautiful golden light that you see in many of my photos I shoot almost exclusively in the hour before sunset. However golden light is not the only reason for this choice. Because I shoot with the sun behind my subjects my shoots need to be this time of day as the sun is setting behind the mountains if you also want a mountain view.
Distance from the mountains: This is a big one I find that people don’t think about when choosing their location. Often I have people choose locations that are in the Westminster or Arvada areas with a mountain view however it is not uncommon on more hazy days for the mountains to be barely visible in their photos at this distance. The closer we are to the mountain the more likely we are to have a clear view of them so I highly recommend locations in Boulder, Golden or other foothill spots. A few of my favorite locations for this are Clear Creek History Park, The Barn along Boulder Creek or Flatirons Vista.
A location with water
Another way to add a color other than brown to your winter photos is the take them near a body of water. Having a lake or river adds some beauty during this dull time of year. A few of my favorite spots for this are Standley Lake, Clear Creek, and Eastlake Shores Park.
Choosing a location with buildings or structures
Another way to make sure your winter portraits have some beauty and interest is to choose a location with building or other architectural elements. While most people think a location in the city when they think of this there are actually many other options such as Cheesman park (yes technically in the city but more of a park structure.) with its beautiful stone pavilion, Highlands Ranch Mansion, or even Lakewood History Center.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas for your winter photo shoot. I am now booking Maternity and family sessions for December-March so contact me today to get more information on my sessions and pricing at jennifer@truth-photography.com
My name is Jennifer Tavera, the photographer behind Truth Photography. I am a Northglenn Colorado family photographer and gallery designer seeking adventurous, free spirited families. I believe that your life is epic and deserves to be captured with photography! I specializes in creating unique photo sessions that will be an adventure for your child or family and turning the finished portraits into beautiful wall art for your home. I can’t wait to photograph your next adventure!!
~Jennifer Tavera Photographer and Gallery designer
303-902-1092