High School Senior Photographer in Castle Rock, CO

Yesterday I met up with Charlotte to take her senior pictures. She chose Festival Park and downtown Castle Rock for a more urban look. While many of the trees have not yet bloomed, we did stumble upon a handful of cherry blossoms! Charlotte is a 2024 senior and graduates next month. She excited to move from host to server at one of our downtown restaurants over the summer and plans to attend cosmetology classes soon.  Congratulations, Charlotte!! Wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Tips for Maximizing your Senior Poses

One of the tricky things about a senior session can be all the outfits. Some girls will bring 5-6 outfits, which can leave you feeling like,  "How in the world am I going think of enough different poses or find enough different spots to take photos in six different outfits?"

Here's some tips that have helped me. 

#1 Find out how many outfits you are dealing with before the shoot starts. 

#2 Then take the number of images you want in your finished gallery and divide that by the number of outfits. Some of you are like wait, what are you taking about? When I started out in this industry I took hundreds of images at each session (and if you haven't nailed focus and exposure it's not a bad idea to continue doing that until your on-shoot skills have improved), but now I take only what I need to offer finished galleries of 40-45 images. 

For example: If I have a client that has 5 outfits, 40 divided by 5 is 8. That means I need to do 8 poses in each of the 5 outfits. 

Now here's what I actually take. For a 40 image finished gallery,  I want to take around 160 images.  Here's how I do the math: I take 1 smiling and 1 serious  look of each pose. That is a total of 80 images. 40 smiling 40 serious. But then I take 1 extra of each just to make sure the image is sharp and their eyes are open and their smile is perfect. That make 160 images total.  When I cull the images, I choose 20 of the best smiles and 20 of the best serious and wallah!

#3 Maximize your locations and your poses by making simple changes. 

- I maximized this spot/pose by simply having her change the position of her legs and move one arm forward. Switching from 85mm to 50mm gave the same location a completely different look. 

- In these two images I stuck with the 85mm and just changed my proximity to the client, while having her change her arm position. 

- Same thing here, I moved and asked her to slip her hand under her chin. 

- In these four images I used both the 50mm and 85mm, while simply directing him to move his golf club. 

- Again, one image was shot with an 85mm lens the other with a 50mm lens, while having the client shift from side facing to front facing. 

- I used the same lens for all 5 of these images, while having her make small changes in her orientation to the lens and well as the placement of her feet and hands. 

- Maximize locations by having the client sit, stand and kneel.

- Or just move closer or further away!

Happy Shooting!

www.3wishesphotography.com

Castle Rock, Colorado

Simple Prompts for Natural Photos

I have been doing professional photography for a long time. A really long time. 

I love authentic expressions and interactions between families. But I also understand that a nice posed photo is important to a lot of people, so I try to make my shoot a little bit of both. 

The easiest way to do this is to start with a posed photo and then give your clients a simple prompt.

"Look at your mom and say I love you!"  

You can get some really great expressions, especially from teenage boys! 

"Grab those kiddos and give them a hug!"

"Give each other an eskimo kiss!"

Or... just a regular old kiss!

Or just asking them to look at each other and laugh is enough!!

Walking pictures is another great way to get authentic interactions. 

Simply ask your client to make natural connections (hold hands where it makes sense), then ask them to talk to each other about where they would like to go when they are done with the shoot. I also encourage them to help their kids look up at them. Ask them if there is something on your nose, etc. 

Walk across the the lens. 

Dad leading with both mom and dad looking back at the kids. 

SO CUTE!

Linking arms at the waist and walking 

towards the camera and away never disappoints. 

And sometimes it pays to lag back a bit when walking back to the cars after your shoot. No prompts necessary! (I will often tell my client that I am going to grab a few shots of the sky, so I can fill in their backgrounds if needed and that I will meet them in the parking lot.)

Some more simple prompts that produce great photos!

Ring-around-the-Rosie

Twirls and Baby Presses!

Surprise Hug!

Tell the kids you are going to play a game, ask them to stand real still and no matter what happens keep looking at the camera. Then have dad sneak up behind them and give them a great big hug!

Chats and Baby Presses work too!

Have mom hold their child while spinning around in a circle and stopping short when parallel to the camera! KIDS LOVE THIS ONE!

Ask the kids to chase one another around mom and dad.

Whisper a secret! 

It's not just for kids!

Ask the kids to run and give their parents a hug!!

Alright now, get out there and give it a try!

To book your own shoot, visit my website at www.3wishesphotography.com or email me at cija@3wishesphotography.com. 

10 Tips: What to wear for your Maternity Photo Session

Learn from my example. I didn't think maternity photos were for me, but afterwards when it was too late I regretted that I didn't have some photos taken to remember the precious moments of carrying my children. 

But you are here! Seizing the moment! 

Now, what to wear? It can be a challenging question to answer. From a photographer's point of view somethings look better they others and somethings definitely stand the test of time better than others!

So let's talk about the best bits:

    Dresses

    Casual Looks

1. Okay, let's talk dresses. It is pretty trending right now to wear a maternity gown and while I think they can be very pretty, I am a bit concerned that they will not stand the test of time and could end up being the subject of "awkward maternity photos" someday. So, yes! Bring the gown but I suggest bringing a more classic option as well. 

2. Dresses with a defined line just below the bust line look amazing! But make sure you have a good supportive bra and one that fits properly as your cup size may have changed since becoming pregnant. 

3. Dresses that flow away from the body and hug the body are both good choices. 

4. A solid color is always a good choice and gives a sleek and classic finish to your images. 

5. If you decide to go with a print, consider the season in which you will be taking your photos. Florals are perfect for spring and summer with lush green backgrounds but can look odd during fall and winter. 

6. Consider you ankles! Not all pregnancies are alike, and some can take a real toll on the feet and ankles. A floor length dress is the perfect way to hide those puffy ankles. To be honest, I almost always prefer a longer dress than a shorter one. 

7. T-shirt dresses are another great option, add a jean jacket or a cozy cardigan to switch up the look during your shoot. 

8. Now, what about those more casual looks? Wear the jeans! Add a pop of color and some great accessories!  

9. A form fitting sweater can add visually pleasing texture to the image and it tends to crease left than other materials. Adding a scarf or fun hat can give your winter session a special touch. 

10. Shirts that have rushing (rooooshing) look very nice in photos. 

10. Soft draping fabrics are another great choice, they lay against the body and give an elegant feel to your images. 

As for dad, keep it simple. Coordinating colors, dark socks and a nice pair of shoes. (No sneakers!)

Okay! You are all set! If you live in the Castle Rock, CO area and haven't booked your session yet, what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking!! Check out my website at www.3wishesphotography.com or email me at cija@3wishesphotography.com to book your session.