How to choose the right gown for your maternity session - Denver Maternity Photographer

One of the biggest challenges for preparing for your pregnancy portraits has always been finding the right clothing. I remember when I was pregnant with my 3rd, my now 10 year old daughter, I had a vision for my photo shoot. A beautiful long flowing gown and me standing in a river water flowing around me. I went to so many stores looking for the perfect full length dress for my session. I finally wound up at old navy where I with frustration bought a plain blue full length dress….that I hated.

If you are searching for that perfect flowy maternity gown, you aren’t going to find it at a local store, and while Amazon now carries many knock off gowns with designs copied from top maternity designers, you will likely wind up with a gown that doesn’t fit properly, or is cut in an unflattering manor. If you’ve looked at designer gowns on the top maternity websites they rival the price of most peoples wedding gowns. So how do you find that perfect look to make your baby belly look amazing to celebrate you new addition to your family?

I’ve made that easy for you, over the last 8 years I have collected designer maternity gowns for my clients to use in their session. Each gown in my collection is valued at anywhere between $200 and $800 and I allow my clients to select up to THREE for their maternity session!

I make selecting easy! First I talk to my clients about their vision for their session. What do they dream their finished images will look like? This can be colors or styles of the gown, the location or things like I want to stand in a river, or in a field of flowers or on a mountain with the sun setting behind me. Do you want lace? Sequins? A long flowing train that you can toss in the air? I have all of those!

From there I select a variety of gowns from my collection that match your style and vision, and I bring them to you for an in home fitting. During your in home fitting we can look at how your gown choices look with you partners favorite shirt or the dress you want your daughter to wear (need clothes for your kids? Ask if I have outfits in their size and I can during those to the fitting as well!!). Once we’ve selected clothing for you and anyone else participating in the session, let’s accessorize! I have everything from sparkly jewelry, pearls, warm shawls and scarves, flowers for your hair, or a beautiful tiara!!

My goal is to make finding the perfect look easy, and fun!

“I had a wonderful experience with Jennifer at Truth Photography! She came to my residence to help me pick out the right gowns that matched my skin tone and the style I wanted for my maternity photos. It was so fun trying on all the dresses and jewelry, and Jennifer did an amazing job making me feel beautiful that day and the day of the shoot! Highly recommend her services for maternity pictures and will be contacting her again for other photos in the future!”

— Katlin G

Ready to get started? Click below to contact me for all of the details!

Jennifer Tavera is a Luxury family, maternity photographer in Denver Colorado who specializes in creating an experience that will make mom feel comfortable, papered, and beautiful so she will be excited to turn her portraits into art for her home. Sessions are available outdoors all over the Denver and Boulder area and beautiful mountain locations. Ready to start planning your dream session? Click below to schedule a call.

The Gloria Gown | Newborn and Maternity photographer Denver

I am so excited to show off the exclusive Sew Trendy So You winter 2021 Subscription box! This is a limited edition Couture gown that is currently only offered to So You subscribers. Part of the fun of the box is you don’t know what it’s going to look like until your box arrives! Check out my gown unboxing in the video below!

The new Gloria gown is now available in my client closet! Mommy and me/family sessions using this gown will be happening Saturday February 26th and Sunday, April 10th space is VERY limited so contact me today for information and to reserve your spot!

It is an off-the-shoulder wrap-style gown that can adjust to fit women from approximately size 0-16. It features elegant bishop sleeves and the gown I received is a beautiful “Almond” gold color! This gown is perfect for family, mommy and me, maternity and newborn sessions.

Visit https://www.sewtrendyaccessories.com/collections/sew-trendy-so-you-subscription-box/products/sew-trendy-so-you-studio-subscription-box #Sewtrendyaccessories #Sewtrendysoyou

Ready to get started? Click below to schedule a call and get all of the information about your session!

Jennifer Tavera is a Luxury family, maternity, and newborn photographer in Denver Colorado who specializes in creating an experience that will make mom feel comfortable, papered, and beautiful so she will be excited to turn her portraits into art for her home. Sessions are available outdoors all over the Denver and Boulder area and studio sessions in the studio space in Arvada. Ready to start planning your dream session? Click below to schedule a call.

Jennifer

What should I wear for my maternity session? | Denver Colorado maternity photography

If you are looking at having maternity photos done you have probably seen hundreds of shots where mom is wearing a gorgeous gown that makes her look like a goddess, or princess, or just amazing! You may be dreaming of the perfect gown, but in your mind wondering if it is worth spending the money for a dress you will wear once. Many of us photographers have been dreaming of taking your photos in that perfect gown and have, like me, started a collection, or client closet, for their clients to use. As I write this in August 2021 my gown collection consists of 23 gowns size small to XL and I’ll admit, I was looking at a new one today!

I have a range of gowns so I wanted to put together this blog with some tips on finding the right one for you!

Flowy of form-fitting?

Personally, I love both, and both can be beautiful for your session. Form-fitting gowns give me a little more freedom for posing your hands, they don’t have to be on your belly for every shot because that gown is going to show it off! Flowy gowns are popular however because many moms want to feel like a princess at their session and the flowy gowns definitely give that vibe! They are also more forgiving if you are not really sure what size you need, they typically fit a size larger or smaller than the size on their tag.

Do you want to toss?

You probably just thought huh? Unless you are as obsessed with designer maternity gowns as I am, then you may have known exactly what I meant. Many high-end maternity gowns are designed with what is called a tossing train. These trains can be a lot of fun at your session for all kinds of dramatic shots, just be warned I may put the baby’s dad to work tossing if for us!

Even if we choose not to toss the gown it can be perfect for dramatic images with the gown laid on the ground. I have added a variety of images below with my tossing train gowns so you can see both the toss and non-tossed train.

What Color should you wear?

Color can be used to tell a story, like the gender of your baby, or that this baby is your rainbow, the joy after a loss. But choosing color can also just be about choosing the best tones for your skin color.

Cool skin tones

Colors that will compliment your skin tone include; Green/Emerald, purples, light or bright blue, sage green, light pink, very pale yellows, reds, bright white, gray, or navy.

Warm skin tones

Colors that will compliment your skin tone include; Green, brown, mustard yellow, warmer reds, peach, coral, gold, olive or moss green, plum or magenta purple.

Not sure which you are? I found this quiz that helps you find out, don’t worry it doesn’t ask for any contact info! https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Warm-Cool-Undertones-Quiz-1843402

I am always expanding my collection so while some of these shades aren’t currently included I am hoping they will be very soon!

What do I do if you just can’t choose?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to choose just one! You can choose up to 3 different gowns to wear for your session! I will help you choose up to 3 unique looks for your session. I want this to be a session you will never forget!

What accessories should you wear?

I also provide accessories for your session! I hand make all of my floral crowns so that they match perfectly with my gowns. They are often made with a specific client in mind, for example, a mommy and me set made for a maternity shoot with a 3-year-old big sister participating. Or, the purple and red crown I made for the session where mom was wearing my plum colored gown and dad was wearing a red shirt. The crown tied the colors together perfectly! In addition to the florals, I offer glam accessories like gemstone sashes, jewelry, and crown. I will help you perfectly match your accessories not only to your gown but also to coordinate with anyone else participating in the session!

Throughout this post I have shown many of the gowns I offer currently however I am always adding new ones to my collection! Take a look at my collection here and contact me today to schedule a consultation to select your gown and accessories!

I'm Jennifer Tavera.

A family photographer and portrait gallery designer in the North Denver Colorado area.

I help moms capture the moments and milestones that matter and turn then into beautiful art to hang in their home.

Learn more about me and a session with Truth Photography below.

Outdoor newborn family session | Westminster Colorado

I get excited every year when the weather gets warm because while I can offer beautiful outdoor session all year for families and maternity, newborn sessions can only be done fully outdoors during the warmer months.

This family not only chose me to do one of my favorite types of sessions for them but also allowed me to style them with items from my collection. Initially we were going to have dad in a light blue shirt but he really wanted to wear the maroon shirt. I was glad I had the perfect maroon wrap for baby to tie the look together. Moms gown, jewelry, the girls dresses and the floral crowns/headbands were all from my collection as well. In the end I was glad he decided to wear his maroon shirt as these colors looked beautiful together.

I would love to photograph your family! My sessions include hair and makeup for mom, use of my gowns and kids clothes and help styling your session. Contact me today for a free consultation.

I'm Jennifer Tavera.

A family photographer and portrait gallery designer in the North Denver Colorado area.

I help moms capture the moments and milestones that matter and turn then into beautiful art to hang in their home.

Learn more about me and a session with Truth Photography below.

3 reasons professional photoshoot makeup is essential {Denver photographer}

All of my photoshoots include hair and makeup if mom is going to be part of the shoot and there is a good reason for this. When planning a photoshoot as a busy mom the last thing on your mind is likely your hair and makeup for the day. As a professional photographer for 13 years, I found that often this was something my clients rushed to do at the last second the day of the shoot, often resulting in them not loving the way they looked in their family photos. Professional photography is an investment of both your time and money and when you look at the end result you should LOVE it! As I considered how I can best serve my clients and deliver a product that they will love, adding hair and makeup to my packages was a no-brainer. Here are my top 3 reasons why I believe that professional hair and makeup are a must for your photoshoot.

Hair and makeup by Mully Beauty

Hair and makeup by Sabrina Deemer Makeup

1. Having your hair and makeup professionally done will help you look and feel your best!

One of the biggest differences I have seen with my clients since I added professional hair and makeup was how relaxed they are when they arrive for their session. I always schedule your artist to arrive with more than enough time to complete your hair and makeup and leave plenty of time for you and your family to get dressed and travel to the session which means instead of moms rushing at the last minute to get themselves ready or worse doing their makeup in the car on the way (I saw this more times than I can count), they are ready with plenty of time to help the rest of the family get dressed, and arrive on time relaxed and looking amazing. Not only are my clients feeling more confident knowing that their hair and makeup look amazing but they are also more relaxed after getting to sit and be pampered before their shoot.

Makeup by Sabrina Deemer makeup

2. Makeup appears different in person than it does on camera

The makeup artists that I work with do makeup specifically for photography on a regular basis. They know the best products to use and how to apply them in a way that will show up best on camera, not look shinny when my flash hits them and flatter your specific coloring. They know what products to use to prep your face for oily or dry skin to reduce shine or flaking and they use high-quality products and know how much to apply to look best on camera.

Hair and Makeup by Mully Beauty

3. Professional hair and makeup last longer

I have shot photo sessions with everything from snow falling around us to 90+ degrees even at 7:30 in the evening, and often when mom did her own makeup it quickly starts to look shiny or dull even without these extreme conditions. In addition, hair gets frizzy quickly at both extremes. Professional makeup is designed to last longer and reduce shine. Professional hair products reduce frizz and help keep your hair in place without making it stiff. Providing my clients with professional hair and makeup has cut down my editing time since I no longer have to edit shinny faces and flyaway hairs. This has allowed me to reduce the time it takes between your shoot date and your selection appointment and in the end, gets you your printed portraits up to 2 weeks quicker than when I had to spend my time hand-editing hair and makeup.

A few tips

• Know what you want. Do you want a more natural look? Do you want something bold? Have an idea of the overall style before your artist arrives to make sure you will love the end look.

• Communicate with your artist. Tell them they look you are going for and any preferences you have for colors. If possible show them what you will be wearing (if you are borrowing gowns from me I will send them pictures prior to the shoot). These ladies are amazing at taking your ideas and making you look amazing!

• If there is anything you don’t love speak up. I have never had a mom not love her makeup but if there is something you do not love please tell your artist. They want you to love the end look as much as I do!

• Moms with little ones, arrange for someone to watch your kids while you have your hair and makeup done.

• Relax and enjoy. This is your time to be pampered!

Book a free no-obligation consultation now to discuss your shoot! I’ll answer all of your questions about a shoot with me and help you plan portraits that you will LOVE!

I'm Jennifer Tavera.

A family photographer and portrait gallery designer in the North Denver Colorado area.

I help moms capture the moments and milestones that matter and turn then into beautiful art to hang in their home.

Learn more about me and my photography style:

Five tips for an amazing maternity session {Northglenn Maternity Photographer}

Congratulations on your pregnancy! If you are considering having maternity portraits taken you may be feeling overwhelmed by the thought of planning a shoot. Here are my top 5 tips for planning an amazing maternity shoot.

1. Choosing your photographer

Quality

When choosing your photographer you will want to take a look at their work as a whole. Check out the images on their website and social media to get a more complete look at their work. Watch for focus issues, look at posing and the overall quality of the images you are seeing. Also look at how long the photographer has been in business, while this isn't always an indication of quality an experienced photographer is more likely to deliver quality images than someone who just started. 

Style

After quality, the most important part of choosing your photographer is their style. This is true with any type of session you are trying to book but here are a few things to consider when looking for a maternity photographer. First, the type of photos they take, do they specialize in maternity photography? If you are including your husband and other children in the shoot you will want someone that also specializes in family portraits as well. Next what type of maternity photography do they shoot. If you have your heart set on maternity portraits in a mountain setting, or standing in a stream you are not going to want to hire a photographer that specializes in studio maternity or boudoir style maternity and Visa-Versa. Make sure that they offer or better yet specialize in the type of photos you would like taken. Last look at their editing style, do they edit true to color? Light and bright? Dark and moody? If you don't love the edits you will want to find someone who’s editing style you do love. 

Service

Different photographers offer different levels of service. Chances are if you are looking at a photographer in the lower price range (anything below $300 typically) their service is just going to include the basics. In some cases, for maternity sessions, basic packages may be mom only so if you want to include other family members make sure to check with your photographer on who is included in the sessions. They will probably help you find a location, although not always, and they should include some basic editing but not many bells and whistles.

High end and full-service photographers often include services like gowns and accessories to borrow for your shoot, help coordinating clothing for other family members, more extensive knowledge of session locations, hair and makeup artists included or as an add-on, gallery design and printing, delivery of your products after the shoot and in some cases even services to install your portraits for you so you don’t have to hang them yourself. Think about the level of service you are hoping for from your photographer and check with them to see what services they offer.

One more thing to look at when it comes to service is the type of sessions your photographer offers. While its great to choose someone who specializes (and in my opinion you should) you may want to continue to use the same photographer through your babies first year or even as your family continues to grow. Some photographer’s specialties may be so narrow that they only offer Maternity/Newborn, so check to see if they offer first year packages or photography beyond those first few weeks.

Products

Print: The last thing that you want to look at is what your photographer offers. If you don’t want to have to figure out photo labs printing and sizing on your own or you want higher quality products than you can purchase at your local or online consumer lab (most professional quality labs offer their products to professional photographers only) you will want to look for a photographer that offers those services. Take a careful look at the types of products that they offer. A good photographer should offer a variety of high-quality products, in-person guidance when ordering so you know exactly what you are ordering, and a full price list BEFORE your session so there are no surprises on cost when you sit down with them to place your order.

Digital: If you are hoping for digital files as well a few questions you may want to ask your photographer is if they offer them, are they included in their print collections or only sold separately, do they offer them free or discounted with large print purchases, and do you get all of the edited digitals or only those that you purchased prints for. Most photographers will not offer every photo taken for the simple reason that no one wants to pay someone for the photos that someone blinked, were out of focus, bad lighting or just otherwise unusable and no matter how experienced your photographer is there are always a few of these in the bunch. A true professional will only deliver quality images to their clients.

Before we move on….

I am sure you are wondering what of these styles, services, and products I offer. Here is a quick rundown for you.

I have been a professional photographer since 2007 and in business for myself since 2010 and have photographer maternity, newborns and families my entire career. My maternity style is outdoor in beautiful natural settings and I love bright, colorful and mostly true to natural color edits, although I tone down my greens slightly in editing. My sessions can include the whole family or just mom depending on your preference. I offer both individual maternity and newborn sessions or premium memberships that will give you discounted sessions every 3 months for your baby’s first year and beyond. I am full service so I include gowns from my collection as well as matching floral crowns and some jewelry for your session, I offer children’s clothing as well so I may have coordinating options in your child’s size. I will help you find the right clothing for dad as well if he is participating in the session. I have tons of favorite locations I can recommend and I am always scouting out new spots to use to give you the best options. I shoot all of the Denver and Boulder metro areas so I can offer a great variety of looks for sessions. I also offer hair and make-up as an add on to your session and I will arrange for your hair and makeup artist to come to you. I offer both high-quality wall art prints and digitals, my collections include both and I also give free digital if you hit a certain print order. You always get all edited files with my digital collections. You can download my full pricing list by filling out the form at the bottom of this blog post, the list also includes more information on my sessions and the products that I offer! You can see samples of my work both here on my webpage or by visiting www.facebook.com/truthphotographyllc or www.instagram.com/truthphotollc

2. Know when to book

For single babies

In most cases, you will want to shoot your maternity session between 30-36 weeks. This is early enough in the pregnancy that you will not feel huge and uncomfortable and also will not be at high risk for going into labor during your session, but late enough you should have a beautiful baby bump by this point. Since photographers can often book several months in advance, especially during the busy season, I recommend booking early to be sure to get a spot. I take maternity booking starting around 20 weeks.

For twins or multiples

If you are pregnant with multiples make sure to let your photographer know and plan the session a little earlier. With multiples, you are more likely to have your babies before your due date and you will also get to that uncomfortable stage of pregnancy a lot sooner so I would aim for between 26-30 weeks for your session.

High Risk

If you are at risk for premature labor this is another reason to book early to make sure you are able to get your portraits before the baby arrives. I can shoot a maternity shoot anytime after you are clearly showing if you are worried about waiting too long.

Make sure to talk to your doctor, while I believe you should get maternity portraits done if possible, it is not worth risking your baby’s life or health if you have been placed on bed rest. As long as your doctor clears it we can plan a session with minimal walking for you.

3. Style Your Session

For mom

How you look for the session is one of the most important aspects. I love doing sessions with gowns because they make mama look and feel amazing. I offer a variety of gowns to use for your session, you can choose one, or more than one if you would like multiple looks. You may also do some in one of my gowns and then some in more casual clothing. If you don’t see a gown you love in my collection make sure to ask about my option to order one for you. In many cases, I am able to order a custom gown in your size in time for your session.

Coordinating the family

For any session, I always recommend coordinating the family’s clothing colors NOT matching it. This is even more important for a maternity session since you want your baby bump to stick out, not blend in. What I recommend is choosing at least two colors and having everyone where a mixture of the two. more about this in the section below about accessories.

Accessories

Don’t forget accessories when styling your session, the perfect accessories will complete the look of your session and, for family maternity shoots, help coordinate the look of the family unit.

One of the things I offer for my clients is custom made floral crowns. I have a variety pre-made for your session but I can also make custom creations that tie in the colors that your family is wearing like I did for this couples session last year. She chose this gorgeous purple gown from my collection and we decided we wanted a bold color on him as well so we chose this red and I made the red and purple crown she is wearing specifically to match both of their clothing.

You can also use items like jewelry, nail polish, sweaters, belts, ties, and bowties to help coordinate colors and complete the look.

4. Choose a location

Look at maternity photos you love

The easiest way to choose an amazing location is to take a look at other portraits and note locations that you love. What features do these locations have in common? Are they all in the mountains? By water? In tall grass? While searching google or Pinterest to see what stands out is helpful it’s even better to check out your photographer’s website, Facebook or blog, then when you find a location you love you can simply ask them where it was. If you don’t see exactly what you are hoping for trying telling them what type of location you have your heart set on and asking for recommendations.

5. Pamper yourself

Rest

Make sure to get plenty of rest during the days before your session, the last thing you want is to look tired and worn in your portraits. Pregnancy can be exhausting so go to bed a little early the night before and allow yourself a little more rest.

Hair and Makeup

As mentioned above I offer the option to add a hair and makeup artist onto your session fee. I highly recommend having a professional do your hair and makeup, after all, you are paying for professional-quality portraits and products so why wouldn’t you make sure to look your very best. If you book them through me I will schedule them to come to your home around an hour before you need to leave for the session. If you have a regular stylist you use just make sure to contact them as soon as you book your session to make sure they are available that day.

Nails

Having your nails done is often overlooked but it’s so important especially for maternity sessions. Your hands are going to be on your belly where the focus of a maternity portrait is and you want to make sure they look great. Make sure to have dad and anyone else in the session clean and trim their nails before the session as well.

I hope this helps with planning your maternity shoot. If you would like to set up a session, or just want more information please fill out the form below to download my session planning guide with more information on my sessions, ordering your printed images, gifts, and digital files and a full pricing list

My name is Jennifer Tavera, owner, photographer and gallery designer for Truth Photography LLC. I have created beautiful custom portraiture for my clients here in the Denver and Boulder Colorado areas for the past 12 years! I specialize in growing families including children, maternity, and newborn. I love what I do and I cannot wait to share my passion with all of you.

As a busy mom myself, I understand that you need a photographer who will go the extra mile to help you with every aspect of creating cherished imagery of your family.

I would love to become YOUR family photographer and can't wait for us to get to know each other better!

How to prepare for a family photo session {Northglenn Colorado Photographer}

Last weekend my family had our family photos taken, let me tell you photos with a family of 5 kids and a husband who doesn’t really love picture day can be a huge headache but we made it through and with my own session fresh in my mind I have decided I need to create a checklist for all of you to help make your session run more smoothly. Here are the steps you need to take to make sure your family photo session will go off without a hitch

Setting up your session:

• Choose a photographer. Make sure you love their style of images including types of photos you see in their portfolio, editing style and the products they offer (canvases or other wall art products). Hopefully, your photographer is me and you already have that part covered!

• Set up a date, time and location. make sure to think about where you are going to hang the images when you choose the location. For me I really wanted them hanging in my dining room and was picturing a mountain backdrop. When you book with me, I will send you location suggestions based on your vision so tell me a little bit about what you have in mind. You can also check out my favorite locations on my locations Pinterest board.

Planning your wardrobe

I’ve done several blog posts just on this subject so if you want more details than I give here, check out this recent blog post just on choosing clothing for families.

• Choose colors for your family photos. You will want to choose at least two colors to mix and match throughout the group, even if one of them is a neutral. I knew I wanted royal blue to match the walls in my dining room so I started with blue and white. Later I added khaki pants on all of the boys so it was 3 colors total.

• Add accessories. When planning our session I chose a blue and white checkered shirt for my middle son but I know he couldn’t be the only one with white in his outfit so I added a white sweater on my oldest daughter and a blue sweater with white “fur” on my younger daughter, then I found a white shawl

for me and added pearl necklaces on all 3 girls. Next, I wanted to make sure that my husband’s shirt that was a slightly lighter blue didn’t look out of place so I added flower crowns for my girls in the same color blue. The accessories really tied together all of the outfits so no one person stood out in the group.

• Check their shoes!!! The easiest thing to forget when planning a session is to make sure everyone has shoes that are going to look good in the photos (no cartoon characters or bright colors that will draw your eye to the shoes instead f your faces) and make sure they fit! Don’t wait until the day before or day of the session to do this. If your child hasn’t worn their dress shoes in months and you plan to have them wear them for the session have them try them on to make sure they still fit and look great.

• Make sure you will be warm enough. As I write this it is fall and the weather is quickly getting colder. In a few weeks it will be November and warm clothing options for your session will be a MUST. For our session I planned sweaters for my girls, long sleeve shirts WITH UNDERSHIRTS for my boys, a shawl for myself since my dress was off the shoulder and I even brought a white blanket for the baby so that I could wrap him in it when it got chilly and still have it match our clothing colors. You will want something your small kids can wear in the session to keep them warm in case it’s a cold day. Look for cute sweaters, jackets, layered clothing or even cute matching winter hats!

Pack a bag before the session day with things you might need

My bag might look a little different than yours based on the age of your kids but this was what went in my photo session bag.

• Extra diapers, underwear and pants (that would still match our colors) for my 2 year and 2 month old.

• A toy that I didn’t mind being in the photo. Make a favorite stuffed animal, a favorite book you could read your little one, a vintage-looking toy (I love toy airplanes, rag dolls etc).

• Safety pins, bobby pins, hair clips. Just in case.

• A quilt and a blanket that matched our session colors. I will typically bring a quilt and some stools to most of my family sessions and try to match them to your clothing however it is also a great idea to bring your own, especially if it has any sentimental value, for fun shots of the family hanging out on the quilt or wrapping themselves in it.

• A brush and a lint roller.

• Baby wipes and/or a wet rag.

• A spray bottle with water or detangler.

• Clean snacks (I avoid bringing these out of the car during the session, often once kids see them they just want more and more and then they have food in their mouth in all of the images, however it is great to have them on hand just in case.

Arrive early to the session.

Now that you have everything you need for the session itself plan to arrive early, especially if you have little ones. We planned to be there 45 minutes early so that we could dress my 5-year-old, 2-year-old and 2-month-old there as well as feed the baby a bit before we started. Even when we were running a little late this still got us there in time for a quick feeding and to be ALMOST ready by the time our photographer arrived. Let’s face it as moms it’s sometimes hard to get anywhere on time with the whole family so do yourself a favor and plan to be early.

A few things you shouldn’t do to prep for your session

• Don’t practice smiling with your kids. You will make your kids overthink their smile and they will be less likely to e natural and relaxed for the session.

• Don’t Bring messy snacks to give them before or during the session. This seems like a no brainer but it happens all the time so it is worth saying.

• Don’t Bribe your children Ok sometimes a bribe might be necessary, but it also tells the kids that this may not be fun, why else would mom and dad need to bribe us? My goal is to just make the session as fun as possible and use the brides as a last resort. Also, keep in mind that small children will not wait a long time for a bribe. If they are promised something after the session they typically start to get frustrated that they have not received the bride within the first 15 minutes of the session. After that, it can be hard to get them to cooperate because often they start to believe that the promised bribe is not really coming. So save the brides for getting those last few poses after your kids have started to tire of the session. Instead tell them “we are going to go to the part and a photographer is going to take pictures of us while we play together”.

My Family

Photo by: Reflection Photography, edited by me :)

I hope this helps make planning your session easier for your next family photos! If you would like more advice on preparing and information about the session process and pricing please download my session guide below!

My name is Jennifer Tavera, owner, photographer and gallery designer for Truth Photography LLC. I have created beautiful custom portraiture for my clients here in the Denver and Boulder Colorado areas for the past 12 years! I specialize in growing families including children, maternity, and newborn. I love what I do and I cannot wait to share my passion with all of you.

As a busy mom myself, I understand that you need a photographer who will go the extra mile to help you with every aspect of creating cherished imagery of your family.

I would love to become YOUR family photographer and can't wait for us to get to know each other better!

Choosing clothing for family photos {Denver Family Photographer}

As of last weekend, my busy fall season is in fall swing! The one question I get the most in this season of family portraits is what should we wear? Here are some tips for choosing the perfect outfits for the whole family!

Dress Mom First

There is a 99% chance that if you are reading this you are a mom. Normally mom is the one planning family photos and picking clothing for everyone. So, mom lets start in your closet. One of the most important things for a family photo session is that you are comfortable and love the way you look. Let's face it, ladies if we hate our outfit or the way we look we will not love the portraits and will never hang it on our wall. So what do you have in your closet that makes you LOVE the way you look? Or better yet, let’s go shopping! Right now I don’t want you to worry about colors or patterns, no matter what you choose I can help you match it to the rest of your family for outfits that coordinate perfectly. The most important thing to think about is your body shape and what will flatter your body and make you look and feel amazing in your portraits. Check out this video I created about dressing for your body shape a few years ago for tips on how to dress for you!

Still feeling lost? 

You may also want to consider borrowing a gown from my client closet for a more formal look All of my gowns come from a company that creates them to look amazing on all women so even though you will see them used mostly for maternity sessions on my website, they also look amazing on mama’s that aren’t expecting. I plan to wear one of them for my next family session!

Make sure you can sit

You will be sitting on the ground in a variety of positions for many of the poses. Avoid short skirts (especially on little girls) and white pants, really anything you won’t be comfortable sitting on the grass in or that you can’t sit in a variety of poses in modestly.

Coordinate DON’T match! 

Now that you have your clothing chosen let's look at the rest of the family. If you have chosen something with a pattern that has several colors we can use the colors from your clothing to choose colors for everyone else. If you chose a solid color then I normally recommend looking to see if someone else in the family has a patterned outfit with that color in it. For example a floral dress for your daughter or plaid or another patterned shirt on your husband or son. This photo is a great example because of that plaid shirt on her son. It’s also a great example of my next point using layers.

Before I get to that I wanted to show you this sample however from a recent maternity shoot. This is one example of choosing coordinated colors without using a pattern which can also work great if you choose colors that just look amazing together! 

Layers look best

Don’t be afraid to layer your clothing, especially now that the weather will be getting a little cooler. Some ways to add layers can include sweaters, scarves, jewelry, jackets, floral crowns, bow ties, sports coats, etc. Layers not only add some visual interest but they can also be a great way to pull the group together into a cohesive look. Using a necklace, scarf, sweater or tie to pull in one of the colors another family member is wearing helps with coordinating the group as a whole. This is a great example of this, mom wore this scarf to pull in the yellow from her daughters dress.

Shoes matter

Yes, your shoes will show and no I cannot hide them in every portrait, so please don’t forget about them. I don’t know about you but all of my kid's shoes are brightly colored and have characters. So if you need to go buy them some dress shoes or plain colored shoes don’t leave it until the last minute. Nothing worse than spending hours to put together outfits only to have Spiderman or Hello Kitty shoes on your kids' feet

Need a little help? 

I hope all of these tips have helped you out figuring out what to wear from your session. If you are still in need of some help, send me a picture. Just something simple lay it all out on your bed and take a snapshot. Don’t forget to include shoes, jewelry, etc in the picture. I would love to take a look to see if I have any suggestions or tell you what colors I would use to tie the look together. Plus seeing your clothing colors and styles helps me plan the look of the session before we get started so I can get the best images for you from your session! 

 Interested in more information about a session with me? Fill out the form below and I’ll email you my session guide!

My name is Jennifer Tavera, owner, photographer and gallery designer for Truth Photography LLC. I have created beautiful custom portraiture for my clients here in the Denver and Boulder Colorado areas for the past 12 years! I specialize in growing families including children, maternity, and newborn. I love what I do and I cannot wait to share my passion with all of you.

As a busy mom myself, I understand that you need a photographer who will go the extra mile to help you with every aspect of creating cherished imagery of your family.

I would love to become YOUR family photographer and can't wait for us to get to know each other better!