Isabella's quinceañera portraits | Denver family photographer

For those not familiar with a quinceañera it is the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. In many Latin cultures, this is considered her coming of age and is typically celebrated with a huge party and can rival some weddings.

Isabella turned 15 back in November and I was so honored to help her celebrate, not with a party (they are planning to throw her one later this year) but with portraits.

I met up with Isabella and her family on an unusually warm day in late November. Looking at these portraits I cannot believe they were taken the weekend before Thanksgiving. I cannot remember a time that there were ever leaves on the trees this late into the year, certainly never in the 12 years I have owned my photography business, but I was so happy for the warm day and green grass and trees.

Even though they were not planning a party right away, Isabella’s family went all out on the dress jewelry and hair, and makeup for her session! I brought my crown to complete her look and it matched perfectly with the jewelry they has selected. She looked just like a princess!

As much as I love the beautiful mountain locations that I use for most of my sessions, Cheesman park in Denver was the perfect fit for this session and it was fun to shoot at a location that I hadn’t been to in a few years. We started at the pavilion which as always was crowded but we managed to find some spots where there weren’t a ton of people so that I could edit out those that did wind up in the images. After spending some time at the pavilion we took some other images around the park and then headed out into the neighborhood to take some at this beautiful gate that I remembered from a senior session that I shot in the park years ago. I was glad I remembered after all of this time where it was because it was PERFECT for this session.

We finished the session as the sun started to dip lower in the sky shortly before sunset. I found this perfect spot on a bench where the light was filtering through the trees behind her. This very last image wound up being one of my favorites from the entire photo shoot!

If your daughters quinceañera or sweet 16 is coming up I would love to help you celebrate with a photo shoot that makes her feel like a princess! My sessions include hair and makeup and I have crowns and jewelry that she can borrow for the session if desired. I even have gowns if she doesn’t already have a special one for her celebration like Isabella did. I would love to give you more details, click the button below and fill out my contact form to start the process.

Jennifer Tavera is a Luxury family, maternity and newborn photographer in Denver Colorado who specializes in creating an experience that will make mom feel confortable, 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

Why professional photo printing is important {Denver Photographer}

All of my clients receive both printed portraits AND digital files. I often get asked why I don’t just give my clients the digital files and let them print them. There are several reasons why I chose to give a printed product, if you haven’t read my blog post “how one family changed the way I do business” then go read that for one of the biggest reasons, another huge reason is quality. If you had your images printed at a store that also sold food and cosmetics, you did not get a professional quality print. The same applies if you printed at a discount online printer. These printers are only a small step up from printing on your home printer.

So what is the difference between a professional quality print and those done by these discount printers?

1. Color

Professional photographers work on color calibrated computers. If you have never calibrated your personal computer and are unfamiliar with what that means it basically means that we have set our computers to make sure it isn’t too light, dark, green red, warm (yellow), or cool (blue). Then as a professional, I hand edit each photo to make sure that the color balance of that image is perfect. I want to create a work of art, not just another photo. After all that work the last thing I want is for you to get get a cheap print that makes your skin look too grey, green, yellow or blue. Unfortunately, these cheaper printing labs can be hit and miss with color and often are not true in color to the original edit. The person printing your images is often not a professional photographer or printer and does not have a trained eye. They also typically have little control over the machine they are printing from beyond loading it with new paper when it runs out.

Professional photo lab employees are trained to color correct images that do not match the edited image that they receive. And when you order through me you have an extra line of defense from discolored images since I check each image before delivering it to my clients.

2. Images that last

These consumer labs are also not focused on images that last a long time. They print the snapshots from your phone and your 10-year-olds camera and their focus is to do this for you at the lowest cost possible NOT on printing photos that you can hand down for generations. Their images often fade or become discolored after a few short years.

Professional quality print labs such as the ones that I order through for my clients are focused on a product that is high quality and lasts. From matted prints to canvas wraps to wood prints all of the products I offer come from a professional heirloom/museum quality lab that uses only the best products such as professional-grade paper, ink, and printers to create your finished images.

When you invest in images through me I can ensure that you receive a product that will last longer and look better hanging in your home. You will still receive the digital files for sharing online, creating fun photo gifts or cards, and even making additional prints to send out to your family, but, you will also have high-quality images that I know you will love!

If you have more questions about a session with me I would love to chat! Contact me or set up a time to chat about your session.

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.

The best cakes in town, Cherry on Top Bakery Inc. {Thornton Cake Smash Photographer}

These cakes are fantastic! Seriously, I don’t work with or highlight other businesses very often because I feel like anyone I recommend to you needs to be someone I have worked with at least a few different times and that I know offers an exceptional product or service. The last time I recommended a business to you all was over a year ago when I wrote a blog post about Music With Mar but, I have been working with an amazing local baker to offer cakes for my cake smash sessions and she is so great I have to tell you all about her in case you need goodies for other special occasions!

Cherry on Top Bakery

Tarra, the owner of Cherry on Top Bakery off of Hwy 7 and I-25 in Thornton has been so amazing to work with! I first met her around 2 years ago when I had the pleasure of photographing her son at my baby flower field sessions. Last year I reached out to her to see if she would be interested in providing some treats and coupons for goodie bags for an event I was doing and when she dropped them off at my home she was sweet enough to include a box of cookies for my family!

This spring I needed something special for my husband’s birthday during the lockdown and noticed some Groot (From Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy) cookies that she had made for one of her customers. My husband LOVES Groot and I know I had to order him some. They were so perfect and delicious I was hooked!

When Tarra announced that she was opening a bakery location in Thornton and had some room to hang images for local artists on her walls I knew I wanted to partner with her and luckily she was excited about the idea too!

I was so excited to hang one of my cake smash images, featuring one of the beautiful cakes she made me, in her bakery last month! Make sure to drop by and check it out and pick up a ready-made treat (or breakfast on the weekends) while you are there!

Cherry on Top bakery

16607 Washington Street
Thornton, 80023, US

She also has a Halloween event coming up as well as Halloween cookie kits that you can pick up and make at home! Find out more on her website! https://www.cherryontopbakeryco.com/

Check out these images from my son’s cake smash session! she made that duck from fondant for his ducky themed cake!

I am now offering a free 6-inch smash cake for your cake smash session custom designed for you by Tarra to match your theme!

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My name is Jennifer Tavera, I am one of North Denver's premier high end photographers. In 2020 I celebrated 13 years as a professional portrait photographer. I got my start back in 2007 working at a children's portrait studio, that, combine with 10 years experience raising my own 5 children means I am ready for just about anything when photographing your kids and I know how to make even the most stubborn kids laugh. I am often told by my clients that I am the only one who has ever taken a photo of them that they love. I attribute this to my superpower of knowing how to get you to relax in front of the camera.

I am passionate about capturing motherhood in all of it's stages and helping you celebrate your life through ready to hang heirloom portraits wall art. I want to take your favorite family photo. Contact me to book a free no-obligation consultation to plan your perfect portrait session.

A peek into your selection appointment {Colorado Mountain Family Photographer}

I started to write this blog post almost a month ago now. I had it “fully finished” and just needed to add images and schedule it to publish. Then as if she knew I needed to know what clients were thinking when going into their selection appointment, I had a client ask if the selection appointment was required. I explained yes I require them since it is too difficult to put your order together via emails back and forth and doing the selection appointment is actually less work for me. Then she explained why she was concerned about meeting for her image selection.

The last session they had had with a photographer had gone great, but the appointment with him after did not go so well. After discussing it with her for a while I realized what had really gone so wrong is they had gone into with no idea what to expect. Their photographer hadn’t really given them any information on what would happen at the meeting or what prices for their products looked like. In addition, their photographer had used a common “this is the only time you can buy these” tactic that is honestly meant to scare clients into buying more so they don’t “lose the images”.

I take a totally different approach to my appointments. My job at the selection appointment isn’t to scare you into buying your images now. I actually want to go into this meeting having already discussed with you what you are hoping to purchase from the session based on your needs and budget. My job at these meetings is to simply help you choose the best images for the products you have selected and make sure you LOVE the finished art! So that said let’s take a look at the process from start to finish so you know exactly what to expect from your appointment.

First, you may be asking, “what is a selection appointment?” The selection appointment happens around two weeks after your session once I have edited all the best images from your session. I will come to your home and help you “select” the images you want to hang in your home and then the products you want to use to display them. Today I want to go through what the selection appointment looks like so you know what to expect when I arrive for yours!

Viewing the images

The first thing that I will do for your selection appointment is to show you all of the edited images as a slide show. Because I use an online program to show your images, I will first need to log into your wifi so make sure to have your login information handy.

After I am logged in I will show you all of the images in a slideshow format. Just sit back, enjoy the show and maybe make a mental note of any favorites.

Narrowing down the images

Next, I’ll help you narrow down the images for your wall art. We will go through the images one by one and I’ll have you tell me if it’s a favorite or not. If you are thinking “but I love them all” no problem, if you are purchasing a wall art set or Storybox valued at $1,000 or more you will receive all the images shown as digital files. If you choose to just get a few images you will receive matching digital files for all images selected.

Creating your wall art

By this point, you should have had several opportunities to view my session planning guide that shows all of my products and the pricing. Hopefully, you have a good idea of what wall art you are interested in before we meet so we can focus on putting your favorite images on those products. I will take this time to show you what the images would look like on those products on the wall. We can play with different images and layouts in the designer until we find the perfect wall art to fit your home.

Ordering your products

After we have wall art selected and any additional gift items you need I will submit your order for you. The payment for all collections or a la carte items is due at your selection meeting. After your products are ordered your digital files will be delivered via an online gallery within one week and you can download them from there, your printed products normally take around 2 weeks but can take up to 4 weeks to arrive and I will personally deliver them to your home when they arrive.

Watch me create a gallery on IGTV https://www.instagram.com/tv/By3uiowFfl1/

If you are interested in learning more I would love to set up a consultation with you via video chat. We will discuss all of the details of your session, the selection appointment, pricing and more so you are comfortable with the whole process before you book. Fill out the form below to set up a consultation!

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 13 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!

Clear Creek History Park, Golden CO {Denver Photoshoot Locations}

Part of the planning process for your photo session is of course picking the perfect location. There are so many amazing locations in the Denver and Boulder areas that it can be hard to choose which is best and I find myself often emailing or texting images back and forth to clients. So in an effort to make my job and your choice easier I am starting a series of blogs featuring all of my favorite locations with a variety of images and details on each location. I hope this will give you as my clients a better look at what a session at each of these locations looks like and help you choose the one that is right for your session! So here is the first of many locations I love for sessions!

I chose this location as my first to feature because it has so many different looks within a short walk from each other. Believe it or not all of the spots shown below are within a 5-minute walk from one another.

Best time of year for this location:

Year-round, with the great old buildings and beautiful spots along the river this location has some great spot even in the winter when the trees are dead.

Best time of day for this location:

Honestly, the answer to this for almost all of my locations is sunset, if you would like the mountains behind you or the shot with the white schoolhouse you are going to want a sunset session however this location does have some spots where shade can be found for morning sessions.

Parking:

This location free parking for the park and additional parking on the river side at the library. When we plan your session I will tell you which side to meet me on based on where I plan to start your session.

Other info for this location:

The biggest conflict for this location is local festivals. Make sure to check Golden’s festival schedule to see if anything is scheduled near the park. I do not book this location during the weekend of Buffalo Bill Days or other large festivals in the area. Check the festival schedule here: https://www.visitgolden.com/events/festivals-of-golden/

Get more information on a session at this location:

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!

Skylynn's Clear Creek Newborn Session {Denver Outdoor Newborn Photographer}

The thing I have found about outdoor newborn photography since I started offering it is that people either love it or hate it. I get it, it is not for everyone. Some people just like to keep their baby home for awhile and for some people they just feel indoor sessions are more natural for this age group.

For my clients who hire me for outdoor newborn sessions however it’s the most natural thing in the world. Why is that? Because they love the outdoors, that’s where their family spends their free time exploring all of the beautiful places in Colorado, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine!

I have no doubt that for Skylynn this outdoor newborn session will be just the start of her time out in nature, making this session the perfect fit for her! Plus they are going to look adorable in her forest themed room that mom let me peek at during their selection appointment. Her daddy is hand painting her walls with trees and woodland creatures!

I love getting to know the families I photograph and seeing families grow! In addition to loving this shoot because outdoor newborn is one of my favorite types of sessions, it was even more special because it is not the first time that I have done an outdoor newborn session for this family! This is a side by side from Skylynn’s session and their older daughters session two years ago! Their parents brought this beautiful handmade cradle to both sessions for their daughters to be photographed in and I wrapped them in colors to match each of their rooms for these images. I love being able to see them side by side now!

I can’t wait to see the final portraits when they arrive. Mom ordered a set of my heritage wood prints and I have been checking my email excessively for shipping confirmation for them, I think I may be almost as excited as she is to see them in print! The galleries below are just mock ups I created for her for her selection appointment but she did choose 2 of the images in the gallery below for her set!

I would love to create a beautiful wall art set like this for your newborn! If you are a nature lover like this family, and due with your baby between May and September an outdoor newborn session may be a great option for you too! Or if you are due during winter months or more of a homebody, I offer in home sessions or sessions at my home in Northglenn CO. Let’s chat and we can customize the perfect session for you!

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

North Denver activities, Music with Mar {Denver Brand Photographer}

Last month I had the pleasure of attending a Music with Mar class with Ms. Annmarie with my two and six-year-olds. The class is geared for give years old and under so my six year old was mostly along for the ride however she seemed to enjoy herself anyway.

My two year old definitely loved everything about the class!

Music with Mar is not quite what you would expect from the typical music class. First its a drop in class which means you don't have to sign up to be there at the same time every week for 6 or 8 weeks, you can drop in on any class Annmarie offers and either pay $12 for the whole family for the single class, or $50 for any 5 classes you want to attend.

The second way it is different is it's not about teaching an instrument or just about the songs, the class involved bubbles, scarves, reading books, puppets and more! The kids were allowed to play with each item as she brought it out, and return it when it was time for the next, or if they chose continue playing with it until the end of the class. We watched the kids play and learn with her through songs and fun and all the kids were having a great time. After all the fun the class ended with cuddle time with the parent or caregiver who brought them to the class!

I loved how unique and laid back the class was, perfect for this easily distracted age group but fun and interactive enough to hold their attention. If you visit the Music with Mar website it talks a lot about how the program is brain research based music and learning designed to help kids brains develop at this early age. This makes it a great fit for parents looking for something both fun and educational for this age group.

Music with Mar with Ms. Annmarie currently meets twice a week

Tuesday: 10:30 am

Friday: 10:30 am

Both classes are at the Switchboard Networking Boutique, 1975 W. 120th Ave. Westminster

Annmarie also let me know that she has more classes opening at a brand new location in the fall in addition to the two days a week at Switchboard so make sure to watch her Facebook page for more details on those classes!

Don’t miss a thing: Receive twice a month emails from me with exclusive monthly product specials available only to my insiders, previews of upcoming session deals, fun local events or ideas for kids activities and more as part of my insider’s club. Sign up below.

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

Things to do in Denver with your kids | Museums {Denver Family Photographer}

Going to museums and other educational locations has always been one of my favorite things to do. My mother, who is a teacher, would bring us to places like this all the time as a child and now I still love going with my children. There are many more museums in the Denver metro area than even I realized, however, a few years ago put together this list of every one that I could find and now I would like to share it with all of you. I hope it helps you and your family find some fun educational opportunities this summer!

Disclaimer: I have not personally visited every museum on the list so I included information on the ones we visit regularly or that I remember well enough to give feedback on. Not all of them are small child-friendly and many of the ones I have not visited are because I suspect they may not be kids friendly. I wanted to make this as complete of a list as possible however since there are so many hidden gems even I did not know about. On that note, if you find one I missed make sure to let me know so can add it.

Local Museums

Denver Museum of Nature and Science -Denver

For those of you who have lived in the area your whole life, you are probably familiar with this museum. More and more those I see new moms moving here asking if this is a great place for their kids ages xx old to go play. So for those of you who have never been there let me say yes it’s a great place for all ages. My babies always loved looking at the dinosaurs and animals, and there is a children’s room with activities for all ages including a little area for kids under 1 year. Older kids might enjoy the science lab in expedition health for a more hands-on experience as well as some of the more interactive exhibits in the outer space area, and I love to go check out the visiting exhibits that are changed out a few times a year.

Denver Children’s Museum -Denver

The children’s museum in Denver has grown and expanded so much in the past few years if it has been a while it's worth going back for another look. My favorite part is the teaching kitchen, but if you want to experience it arrive early and head upstairs right away to sign up, spaces fill up really fast and normally several hours in advance. My kids' favorites are the art studio, the ball room and the water area outside in Joy park.

Wow Children’s Museum -Lafayette

My kids love this museum, they call it the “pirate ship museum”. It doesn’t look like much from outside but there are a ton of activities packed in, as well as some rotating exhibits so there is always something new when we go. I personally do love the Denver children’s museum however WOW has a much more relaxed environment and usually entertains my kids for just as long as the larger Denver children’s museum.

Firefighters Museum -Denver

Colorado History Museum -Denver

My kids love the first floor exhibits here where you can collect eggs and sell them at the grocery store, “ride” in an old car, slide down the barn slide and more. The last few times we were here we didn’t make it to the upper floors besides a temporary exhibit on the second floor so I honestly couldn’t tell you what it up there (it is on my list to go check out this summer) but I can tell you that there is plenty here to entertain kids for a few hours.

Denver Art Museum  _Denver

While an art museum may not sound very kids friendly we always find plenty for the kids here. From crafts and activities scattered throughout the museum to scavenger hunt sheets in most of the exhibits, my kids love to explore this museum.

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver -Denver

American Museum of Western Art -Denver

Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys -Denver

Molly Brown House -Denver

I put this and some of the other on the list because I wanted to try to make this a complete list of museums, however, I don’t recommend this one for young children. It is basically a house full of things they cannot touch. I enjoyed the tour myself, however, and the history of this Colorado legend.

Byer’s Evans House -Denver

Fort Vasquez -Platville

We went to check this out last year and I would call it a great place to stop if you are in the area. There really isn’t a ton to see besides what is left of the fort and a small one-room exhibit inside. My kids did enjoy it as a pit stop in our day of activities. We spend about 30 minutes there including browsing the gift shop.

Fortney Museum of Transportation -Denver

The Forney Museum is a great place for anyone who loves cars, trains and unique one of a kind vehicles. I personally love wandering around this museum and checking out the cars, plane, trains, and bikes I will say the excitement for my kids is typically short-lived. I do still recommend checking out this museum if you have never been but most kids will probably not be entertained there for more than about an hour unless of course cars are their thing and then they will love to check out the endless rows of them!

Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum -Aurora

Colorado Railroad Museum -Golden

This is a great place for the train lover with tons of trains outside, many of the cars you can climb on and go check out. For an additional cost, you can ride the working train around the property which is always a hit with the kids. There is also a room of activities and a model train in the basement of the building that my kids loved.

Tiny Town -Morrison

Aurora History Museum -Aurora

Adams County Historical Society and Museum -Brighton

Lakewood Heritage Center-Lakewood

Another favorite spot of mine for sessions especially themed sessions, this little museum connects with Belmar park. Like clear creek history park, this is mostly a collection of old buildings, my favorite of which in the old Cafe This one also has an indoor section which I have to admit I have never into.

Black American West Museum and Heritage Center -Denver

We checked this out as a school assignment when my husband was in college. It’s inside a small old house downtown and I was skeptical based on the location but I loved this little museum. It is a great place to bring older kids if you want them to learn our states history and an appreciation for diversity. There is not much here for little ones..

Clyfford Still Museum -Denver

Morrison Natural History Museum -Morrison

We had the opportunity to visit this museum for the first time last summer and loved it! It is a very small museum but it has a lot packed in there. To really get your money’s worth, make sure you take a tour, this is included in the price of admission and I learned a ton from our very young but very knowledgeable tour guide. I do recommend this for older children, not little ones with a short attention span. While my 3-year-old LOVES dinosaurs it was a little hard to keep her entertained during the tour. I just found out that they have also teamed up with dinosaur ridge to offer a one time pass that gives your tours at both locations!!

Museo de las Americas -Denver

CU South Denver Museum (Wildlife Experience) -Parker

Dinosaur ridge -Morrison

I was surprised to find last time we visited dinosaur ridge that you can no longer just drive along the mountain to see the tracks. Your choices are now walking up the mountain or taking the tour bus. We took the bus. My kids loved the museum exhibit and enjoyed the bus tour although it was a little hard to keep the little ones attention during it. Overall though it was fun and the whole family enjoyed it.

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum -Golden

Golden History Center -Golden

Clear Creek History Park -Golden

A great little all outdoor park, mostly old buildings you can check out but they also have a chick coup on site that kids love. Walk around the grounds and then wander down to the creek. This is also one of my favorite spots for photo sessions!

Foothills Art Museum -Golden

Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum -Golden

The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave– Golden

NCAR Visitor Center – Boulder

Littleton history museum -Littleton

This is one of my favorite little museums/farms! If you have never been it is definitely worth checking out. The first perk is it is free. While this museum does have a few indoor galleries the real attraction is the farm animals and old buildings outdoors. We love to wander around, enjoy the outdoors, and check out the animals. The last time we were there however it started to rain and we headed back inside and found the indoor kids play area (its kind of hidden at the back of one of the museum galleries) It has books, a play kitchen and wagon they can climb on and it kept my kids entertained for close to an hour.

Four Mile Historic Park -Denver

Four Mile historic park is very similar to the Littleton history museum in a ton of ways, but there is an admission charge here. A few things that might make it worth the money, my kids' favorite activity here is panning for gold, be prepared with extra clothes, they will get wet and messy! They also offer carriage rides for an extra charge. In addition, the park boasts Denver’s oldest house and offers tours of the house. I did not find the tour to be kids friendly however and only made it through a small portion of it before I had to leave due to my 3 year old trying to touch EVERYTHING (they did not like that!) So if you have little’s who like to touch and climb, save yourself the stress and skip the tour.

I hope this helps you find some fun and adventure this summer with your family. I am working on several more lists of kids locations like this one that I will share throughout the year so keep watching my blog or better yet join my insider's club to be sent information about fun activities in your email!

While you are waiting for more fun in your email from me make sure to check out this previous post with local splash pads you can check out this summer!

Interested in a photo sessions for your family? Learn about my session experience here:

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

The meeting that indirectly helped launch my business {Northglenn CO Children's Photographer}

I first met Chelsey over 10 years ago when I was still a studio photographer. For those of you who don’t know I worked in a national children’s portrait studio for 2.5 years before they closed all of their studios without notice when my oldest son was 3 weeks old, but that’s a story for another time. Back to this story, she came into the studio with her daughter, who was only a few months old at the time, for a milestone photo shoot. I was not her photographer that day, in fact, I don’t even remember for sure if I helped her, I may have sold her her prints, but I sold prints to thousands of customers at my time there. What I do remember was about a week later my coworker Kayla wanted to meet with me to show me the new business opportunity she was starting and when I arrived she was there with Chelsey.

Chelsey was, and still is, a business owner with Arbonne international, an awesome company that sells skin care, make up, health/weight loss and more that is all about being Pure, Safe, and Beneficial for your body. This meeting helped change a lot of things in my life. After this meeting I starting looking at lot more at the safety of the products I am putting in and on my body, I started a new friendship and became closer to another friend and most importantly I started my first business which gave me many of the foundations for my business today. I was with Arbonne for about 2 years and while it didn’t wind up being the right business for me (I still love the product and believe in the business though), I have remained friends with Chelsey and watched her grow an amazing and successful business with the company.

Over the years I have been honored to be able to photograph her children on a few different occasions and they never disappoint as being the perfect models! My session with them last month is no exception. They have grown into such beautiful young people and despite the load of raising two kids and running a successful business Chelsey has not changed a bit over that time, she is still as beautiful, energetic and fun as she was 10+ years ago. I guess she can probably thank her awesome products for the energy and eternal youth ;)

I am excited to share a few of the images from her kids session with you all today. Seriously aren’t they just the perfect models? The images down at the bottom where they are standing I let them pose themselves!

If you are interested in learning more about Chelsey’s business or her products you can visit her Facebook page or Website below:

www.chelseycrittendon.arbonne.com
https://www.facebook.com/ChelseysArbonnePage/

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

Want to stay up to date on the latest news, events and session openings? Join my insider's club to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Want to stay up to date on the latest news, events and session openings? Join my insider's club to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

5 mother's day gifts mom won't want to return {Northglenn CO family photographer}

I’ll admit, gifting is hard. Unless gift-giving is your love language you probably, like me, struggle with it. How do you choose that perfect gift? Mom does not need another nick-knack sitting around the house. As much as my mom loves birds after the 30th ceramic bird statue, birdhouse or other bird decoration we bought her as a gift she was starting to look like a crazy hoarder! None of us blamed her when she decided to clean and de-clutter and most of those decorations went away. But the one things she always hangs and keeps up are portraits of her grandkids!

So here are 5 ways to gift portraits this year. These are perfect whether you are a mom yourself looking for a gift for your mom and mother in law or you are a husband looking for a gift for the mother of your children!

#1 Canvas Prints

I love a canvas print for mom for those images that she will want to hang forever. Newborn portraits or that family image that came out so perfectly are the types of images I recommend for this. These are images that you aren’t going to want to replace. Canvas is also perfect because she won’t have to go find a frame to hang it. NEVER give mom a gift that will require more work!

#2 Heritage wood prints

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you have probably figured out that the heritage wood prints are my FAVORITE product! Choose a wood print for the same reasons you would choose a canvas, images you are going to love forever, and a ready to hang print. I personally love the timeless look of the sanded wood edge and the beautiful linen finish print which is why I chose these for my son's newborn portraits.

#3 Legacy photo locket - On Sale in April 2019!!!

I love the Legacy photo lockets and this month they are my product special for my insider's club members. Want to get yours on sale? If you are not a member you just need to join at bit.ly/TruthPhotoInsiders

Why do I love these so much? I love that they are a classic photo locket with a twist. They include one permanent photo on the front and two that can be changed on the inside. I love the photo on the front because unlike a traditional locket you don’t have to open the locket to enjoy a beautiful photo! These are perfect for the mom who is running out of wall space or who you want a more unique gift for!

#4 Wood Keepsake box

The wood keepsake box is another great option for the mom who is running out of wall space. The keepsake box comes with 30 images however it can hold up to 350 loose 4x6 prints so she can add her own favorites or order a set from future photo shoots!

#5 The photo shoot is the gift!

I know what some of you are thinking. These all seem like great gifts but what if we don’t have amazing photos to use to create these gifts. No problem! Give the photo shoot as the gift! If you are in the Denver Colorado area I would love to be your photographer for a special mothers day shoot! There are several ways to do this. You can book a Limited Edition Bloom session for April for either the whole family or just the kids if you want to have the images back in time to give to her for mothers day OR you can pre-book a session for after monther’s day (choose a date for her or just prepay and let her choose from my available May, June and July dates) and I will send you a certificate to give her on Mother’s day to let her know you’ve reserved a session for her!

I can guarantee that family portraits are a gift that your mom, or wife, will not forget and will cherish for a long time! would love to help you out with your mother’s day gifts no matter what option you choose! To contact me for details and to book please use the contact button below!

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}

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

Want to stay up to date on the latest news, events and session openings? Join my insider's club to make sure you don’t miss a thing!