High School Senior Photographer in Castle Rock, CO

I am excited to be delivering Ashlyn's senior collection today! This shoot was so much fun. An accident had sent her and her mom on a detour that caused them to be late for their shoot. But I was immediately struck by Ashlyn's spunky personality! I knew instantly that her shoot was going to be fun. The month of August is perfect for this spot, the sun hits that butte and reflects off this dirt road in a way that makes my heart happy.  Plus the meadow of wild flowers and grasses is the perfect backdrop to show case such a beautiful young lady. A big thank you to Ashlyn and her mom Kerrie for choosing me and trusting me with such a special photoshoot. 

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Castle Rock Senior Photographer

 This lovely lady is Kylie. She will be graduating from high school in May of 2025. Her plan is to attend college and study kinesiology. She plans to be a pediatric physical therapist. This shoot was a bit sentimental for me. Kylie was one of my very first "official" clients when I first opened my business and now she is all grown up and heading off to college. 

I have taken her family's picture every year for 16 years! 

I feel blessed for sure! Wishing you the best senior year ever, Kylie!!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S INFORMATION AND TIPS

These pictures were taking at Denver Botanical Gardens. There is a one week permitting process (however, Kylie's permit was approved in 2 days, so it's worth a try even if you are inside of a week). The permit is $100 and the shoot must be completed during their regular hours. There were two event going on that limited where were could go and there were quite a few people walking around but not terrible. Parking, however, is a bear! So give yourself plenty of time. 

Session was late August with a start time of 6:00PM, with full sun for most of the shoot.

I found the south end of the park to have the most flowers, to enter the park, go around the large hedge to the right and then take a left and walk through the two tall hedges (seen below). Then make a left and meander west. I chose to circle back the same way for front lit options as the sun set. 

HOW I SHOT IT

I loved this area but the lighting was challenging. The sun was at 10 o'clock, having Kylie face me would have made the light on the side of her face to harsh, so I chose to position Kylie with her right shoulder pointed at the sun. Then I exposed for her right shoulder and rim lit hair, making sure to fill the frame with the concrete structure, so there wouldn't be an over abundance of white sky.

This area was quite dark. Even with manual white balance I struggled to get natural skin tones, but I loved the image, so black and white was the perfect option for this image. 

In this image, Kylie's upper body had direct light, while her lower body was shaded. I used a vignette on the image to draw the focal point and all the light just around her head and shoulders.  

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Castle Rock Children's Photographer

 This is Savannah! She just turned ONE! Here mom booked a newborn shoot with a baby milestone package, so not only did Savannah get newborn picture but pictures at three, six, nine and twelve months old. Yes... I added a collage for you to see how much she changed in that first month! Sadly, her mom told me this is their last baby... I have enjoy 20 milestones session with this family, 20!!

The above photo is my personal favorite from this session. 

HOW I SHOT IT

It was a little after 9:00AM with clear skies, and the sun was starting to get high in the sky. So I placed Savannah on this park bench with the sun at 2 o'clock  her, this gave her a nice rim light with just a touch of highlight on the left side of her face. Then took the shot with my lens pointed at 11 o'clock to limit the amount of sun coming into the lens and to fill some of the background and limit the amount that is blown out.

PHOTOGRAPHER'S TIPS

Savannah was most interested in walking and standing, so I used a variety of benches and large rocks to slow her down but still keep her happy. The one year old session can be challenging if they are walking, so choose a location that will help you slow them down an contain them a bit, or plan to bring a chair or something similar to help. (Girls are more likely to be walking at their 12 month shoot than boys, but it is always a good idea to check with mom before you settle on a location)

A stuffed animal can help to distract babies from wanting to climb or scoot down allowing you to get some really great photos. Plus photos like this will become a treasure when the child is grown and the stuffed animal is worn with years of love. So, suggest that mom bring a favorite stuffed animal.

Switch your focus mode to continuous to keep your focus sharp when taking walking photos. If you are using back button focus, just hold the button down continuously while shooting verse letting go between each shot. 

The above photo was taken in filtered light, you can see some of the highlights on the bench. When shooting in filtered light be sure to place your client in an area of solid light or shadow, so you have nice even lighting across your whole client. 

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com

Castle Rock Senior Photographer

There is nothing crazier than Colorado weather, it was pouring with thick dark clouds on the way to this shoot, but 5 minutes after pulling in the parking lot the sun came out and we had the most beautiful sun soaked background for Sienna's senior photos.  The first time I took Sienna's pictures was in 2015 (I added a similar shoot from that session down below)!! 

Sienna is a 2025 Senior at Valor Christian High School and while she is not sure what the future holds she is looking for to the college experience. Wishing you the best senior year!! 

www.3wishesphotography.com

cija@3wishesphotography.com