I get excited every year when the weather gets warm because while I can offer beautiful outdoor sessions all year for families and maternity, newborn sessions can only be done fully outdoors during the warmer months.
Every baby treats the cake smash differently, most take forever to even try the cake. Some babies get excited about the cake right away and then quickly lose interest, either way, I can get adorable portraits.
With fewer than usual shoots in 2020, I thought doing a favorite image of 2020 post would be easy. But, as I look back through the images taken this year I realize choosing favorites is like trying to choose a favorite child. But, I have already started this post and so I am committing. Here are some of my favorite images taken in 2020, separated by category.
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
All of my clients receive both printed portraits AND digital files. 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!
Evergreen is an amazing place for portraits, less than an hour from Denver with all the beautiful mountain views it is the perfect place to plan your next photo shoot! Alderfer/Three sisters park offers beautiful mountain views, shady forested areas with evergreen trees for all year color and a beautiful barn!
Updated August 2020 to include information on new sizes!
Do you remember those old photo albums with the sticky sheets inside that you just stuck your photos to? For anyone who has no idea what I am talking about you bought them at the store empty and each page was similar to a thick card stock covered in a stick material and then a clear sheet of plastic. You pulled back the plastic and stuck your photo to the sticky part and then stuck the plastic back over. They were great until your images started to fade from the acid in the paper and glue and then permanently stuck to the goo…
I recently heard my Storyboxes described as a modern-day album, it’s not a bad description. Like those sticky albums or the sleeve albums that were also popular you can easily switch out the images in the box however unlike those, the Story box protects your images instead of ruining them.
I love these because they are the perfect way to display your images without running out of wall space!
They are an 8x10 sized box with a beautiful oatmeal-colored cloth cover and the option to emboss the front with your family name, your child's name, and birth-date, special dates such as the date of a religious milestone, the date of the session or any other writing you would like. They have a black interior and they feature a black ribbon to help you easily remove images from the box.
These come in 3 sizes, 10 print with 10 matching digital images, 20 print with 20 matching digital images or 30 print with your full set of digitals. All printed images are matted 5x7 prints in 8x10 mats that you can display in the box full time or take out and frame!
Ready to get more information on a session with me, fill out the form below to get instant access to my session planning guide including pricing on this and other beautiful ways to display your photos.
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!
Davidson Mesa is a beautiful location with a mountain view in Louisville Colorado. It's a great spot of family, maternity and kids sessions.
While this location is great any time of year because of it's mountain views, I really love this location for winter shoots. The tall brown grass and snow-covered mountains make it a beautiful spot during the winter when everything else looks dull and dead.
I only shoot at this location at sunset because of the lack of shade and because it's beauty is the mountain view. Sessions earlier in the day would put the sun in your eyes resulting in squinty unevenly light portraits.
Parking at this location is very limited. The lot next to the park is often full however just on the other side of the road is a lake with additional parking and a path that goes under the road.
Ready to book your session at this location or just want to get more information about my sessions? Fill out the form below to get instant access to my session planning and pricing 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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
Flagstaff mountain is a beautiful location for portraits with its evergreen trees and mountain views. The mountain has a variety of small parks all along the road and some are better than others for shoots with smaller children so please make sure to let me know how old your children are when booking this location so I can recommend the best spot.
This location is beautiful all year-round and can be a great place if you are looking for some color for a winter session however if you choose this location for winter please make sure you have proper snow tires and are comfortable driving on snow-packed mountain roads if necessary.
This location can be a bit bright if you schedule for too early in the day so I always schedule here for the session to end around 10 minutes after sunset. those few minutes after the sun goes down are gorgeous here.
This location does require you to pay cash for parking so make sure to bring a $5 bill along to pay the parking fees. Lots also fill up quickly on warm weekend days so make sure to arrive early to get a spot.
This location does require me to purchase a permit for commercial photography. I have included these costs in my session fee so it is no additional cost to you however I do need a 1-week notice to purchase the permit before the session so please plan ahead.
Ready to book a session at this location or just get more information? Fill out the form below for instant access to my session guide and I will contact you to answer any questions you have or help you reserve your session time.
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!
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!
Planning outfits for family session can be one of the hardest parts of planning a family photo session, especially if you don’t know how to properly coordinate so everyone looks great together, while still having their own look and style. Outfits can make or break a photo session which is why I put so much emphasis on helping you choose your outfits and making sure to match the look of your session to your outfits.Here are some of my best tips to get your started.
