Why choose an outdoor newborn session {Denver Outdoor newborn Photographer}

Outdoor newborn sessions are by far my favorite sessions for newborns. There is something about having a sweet new life surrounded by the beauty and majesty of nature that really inspires me. It is almost like taking a newborn on their first little adventure, here are a few reasons you may want to choose them for your summer baby:

Raise a nature lover

If you are like me and love nature and the outdoors, an indoor session may just not fit your style. Chances are too that your baby will love the outdoors as much as you do so this is a great way to introduce that love of nature to them, after all, they will be looking at these portraits for the rest of their lives.

To match your nature-inspired nursery

If your nursery is somehow nature-inspired, decorated with animals, butterfly’s or bugs, trees or anything else nature inspired what better way to finish the look than by hanging a beautiful canvas of your baby in nature in the room (and maybe even one of you pregnant with them!). I love to tie the nursery colors and themes into my newborn portraits so make sure to tell me if you have a nursery theme when you book.

You want something unique

Although outdoor newborn sessions have gained popularity in recent years the majority of parents still choose to do studio or in-home newborn sessions and only a few photographers in the area even offer the option of an outdoor session. If you love having something unique and want portraits that will be different from the newborn portraits your friends and family took with their baby these might be perfect for you!

A little more about outdoor newborn portraits: I can schedule outdoor sessions for newborns from May to September however I always have a backup plan to move the session to an indoor location if needed due to weather or the health of the baby or in most cases can offer a weather reschedule if you have your heart set on outdoor but the weather does not cooperate. Because of the time these sessions take (typically 2 hours) they are always scheduled for two hours before sunset and I cannot schedule them for locations without shade. I do not like to have the babies in the sun that long and the lighting can be too harsh at the beginning of the session for great portraits so shade is a must. If you want to learn more about these sessions and reserve your spot for this summer please visit www.truth-photography.com/contactme

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

Model Squad Highlight baby Ellie {Northglenn CO Children's photographer}

As a family and children’s photographer in the Denver and Boulder metro area for the last 10 year (12 if you count my time in a children’s portraits studio) I have found one of my very favorite types of sessions are themed children’s sessions. I love creating new sets, planning clothing and props, and bringing a vision to life. It was with that in mind that I created my model squad program, a small group of children ages newborn to 13 years old, who participate in monthly themed shoots for my portfolio and website. My little models help me test out new locations props and outfits and help me have new photos to show on social media on a regular basis. In return they receive a monthly session and print at a huge discount! Little Ellie ha been part of my model squad now since last fall and since she knows me and is comfortable with my now she never fails to bring her best smiles to the session! Her session in May was just so ADORABLE I have to show it off today!!!!

Wondering what the model squad is all about, here is a bit of a preview of what to expect. Some of my favorite images from Ellie’s previous shoots.

Want to get more information in enrolling your child in the program? I have a limited number of spots and once they are filled I will close enrollment. You can read more and sign up while spots are available here:

Interested in information about family, maternity, newborn sessions including indoor and outdoor newborn session options, cake smash sessions or custom designed shoot for your child? Contact me here:

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

4 tips for photo shoots with your toddler {Northglenn Colorado photographer}

Your baby is now walking, toddling around getting into everything and destroying your home. If they weren’t SO ADORABLE even when making a huge mess they may not survive their toddler years.

In all seriousness though it’s how quickly they are changing and how adorable they are that makes us want beautiful professional photos of them at this age, and it’s their rambunctious spirit and tendency to do the opposite of what we asked or hoped they would do that makes the idea stressful for most parents of toddlers. So for all of you mama’s who are longing for beautiful portraits of your toddler or family together to hang proudly on your wall like all of the other moms, this post is for you!

4 Tips for photo shoots with your toddler

Tip #1: Have realistic expectations

This one is always the hardest so I am starting with it first. The most important thing you can do to prepare for your shoot with your toddler is to have realistic expectations. Your toddler is very unlikely to cooperate right off the bat. They may be shy and take a few minutes to warm up the photographer and just want to hide behind you, they may be wild and just want to run around at the park or explore or play with the grass, but if you are expecting AMAZING smiling at the camera portraits in the first 5 minutes you are going to wind up frustrated and feeling defeated very quickly. When I photograph a toddler, the first few minutes for me are about capturing them as they are. .It’s not about the “perfect smiling portrait at this point. I will sit, talk to them see what they do, see how they react to different games, let them do their own thing as a snap a few photos and then see if I can get them to look at me.

I don’t like to push too hard at the very beginning and overwhelm them and sometimes I can see parents start to panic within even a few minutes or feel like they need to step in and try to get a smile. The problem is that then the child is interacting with and LOOKING at you, not the camera. There are times that I ask parents to get a babies attention or make them smile but if your baby is relaxed and just doing their own thing hold off on this for just a moment. Let me capture some moments of them just being them, learning, exploring a new place, being a toddler. Sometimes these wind up being the favorite photos from the session.

Tip #2: Make sure to hire a professional who is experienced with toddlers

Honestly could just say here make sure to hire me, I have 12 years experience as a professional photographer and specialize in children’s and family portraiture, but in case you stumbled across this blog and are not in the Denver or Boulder Colorado areas here is what you should look for when hiring a photographer.

When it comes to photographing a wiggly toddler you are going to want someone who has worked with toddlers long enough to know how to capture great portraits of them whether they sit perfectly and smile or run around and don’t stay still for more than two seconds. Ask your photographer how long they have been in business AND what types of photography they specialize in to make sure you are getting someone who really knows what they are doing.

Tip #3: Bribes are great but…

Trying to bride a toddler to cooperate is a double-edged sword. While it can produce the results you want just as often I see it go horribly wrong, so here are a few things to consider when deciding if you want to try to bride or reward your toddler for cooperating.

First, toddlers have short attention spans and once a treat is mentioned you have a very short time to produce the promised reward before most toddlers will go from cooperation to meltdown. For this reason, I recommend NOT promising a toddler any sort of reward before the session or in the first few minutes of the session. Bribes and rewards should be saved as last resorts. Instead, tell them how fun the session will be and that they are going to go play games and have fun. This rule applies to preschoolers as well although the meltdowns at that age over not getting their reward right away don’t come quite as quickly.

Never show the child the reward unless you are prepared to give it to them, and have it in any photos from that point on. Again seeing the reward and not immediately receiving it normally just results in tears. If you want to get clever with it was can plan the reward into the session. I once had a family bring those giant multi-colored spiral lollipops as a reward for the session and we ended the session with a fun, casual family photo of all of them eating the lollipops. It was a great way to reward the kids and grab some fun unique photos at the session and if you let me know about the plan in advance I can even prepare a few props to go with the theme.

Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to bring a favorite toy

Yes a photo shoot with me is about capturing the perfect photo but its also about capturing the memories and moments you want to remember! Pick something you WANT to have in the photos. The same rule applies to toy as it does to bribes, don’t let your child know you have t until you are ready to have it in the rest of the photos for the shoot, but it can be perfect for the end of the session when your child is getting bored with being there to pull it out and capture a few more shots of your little one planing and just doing what they do.

Although this may not be what most photographers would consider a "perfect shot" as a mom to me it's perfect. I know years from now it will remind me of how much my son LOVED firetrucks at this age.

Want to have me photograph your toddler? My Monday milestones are perfect short sessions for capturing your child alone at this age. You can find more information 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

Want to stay up to date on the latest news, events and session openings AND receive tips on fun activities in the area in your inbox? Join my insider's club to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Denver Area Parks with Splash Pads {Denver Family Photographer}

It’s Summer! Well…sort of anyway. My kids are officially on Summer break and even though the weather hasn’t quite caught up to this fact yet soon our lives will be warm sunny days, and bored kids.

This is an updated list of all of the splash pads I could find in the area. We personally check out about half of these last year and so I have added some notes on a few of them and will continue to update this post as we check out new ones I would love to hear in the comments which ones you have visited and which are your favorites!  Also did I miss any? Add them to the list by putting them in the comments! Enjoy!

Splash pads

Ralston Central park and Splash Pad -Arvada

My kids love this one because it is large, has lots of fun features and is near a great playground for when they are tired of getting wet. The downside is there are never enough seats of shade at this park and it is always crowded so come early or bring your own seats and shade!

Carpenter Park – Thornton *scroll down for photos taken at this location!

The splash pad here is a more basic one with the exception of the lights which make it a cool spot on a very warm day at Sunset. f you are just looking for fountains that go up this is a great spot, onus however is that there is a great playground, carousel an other fun activities at this park.

E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park (Webster Lake) – Northglenn

This one is not very big and just simple fountains and you need to keep pushing the button to keep it on but my kids love this park anyway. There is nice shade, plenty of seating a a nice playground.

Westminster Center Park (Peter Pan Park) – Westminster

I would call this more of a Splash River than a Splash pad but if your kids would rather dip their feet in and splash in puddles than run through fountains this is a great option for them.

Irving Street Park – Westminster

This is really just a simple fountain in front of the library but the kids still love to run through it!

Orchard Mall -Westminster

Discovery Park -Wheat Ridge

Ray Ross Park -Lakewood

Surfside Spray Park (Admission fee $1 per person) -Lakewood

Wynkoop Plaza (Union Station) -Denver

This one is also just simple fountains but it is bigger than most. It is also fun that its downtown, the only downside is parking.

H2Odessy Fountain City Park -Denver

The fountain here seems to be very hit and miss if it is even on and is just a simple one but my kids love to go after a day at the museum.

Aurora Central Park -Aurora

Great Plains Park -Aurora

Southlands Mall -Aurora

Centennial Center Park -Centennial

Clement Park – Centennial

Civic Green Park – Highlands Ranch

Westlands Park – Greenwood Village

Benedict Park -Brighton

Clem Dufour Park – Dacono

This is a great one if you like lots of different features like a giant bucket that dumps water surrounded by lots of other smaller arch fountains and other fun features. This was a favorite for my kids last year.

Lehigh Park– Erie

Festival Plaza -Lafayette

Louisville Community Park – Louisville

We loved Louisville park but were not impressed with the splash pad. You have to turn it on manually which is a great water saver but it was really hard to turn on. There is a button on the ground that you hop on and even I had trouble getting it to start. My small kids where not heavy enough to start it.

Pearl Street Fountains -Boulder

This one is again just a simple flat pad fountain but its a great place to stop when enjoying a day on the mall.

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 AND receive tips on fun activities in the area in your inbox? Join my insider's club to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

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!

How one family changed the way I do business {Boulder Family Photographer}

A little over two years ago I had the great pleasure of meeting a family that has become one of my very favorite families. Mom is such a sweet outgoing person and one of the strongest people I have met and I have to admit that I loved them even more when her and her son Charlie told me earlier this year that one of their favorite TV shows is Supergirl! (For those of you who don’t know I’m a huge superhero fan!!!) But this post is not really about that family or how much I love them, even though I do, it’s about how they changed the way I look at customer service.

For years I didn’t offer photo prints, I didn’t want to bother with it and I was convinced that no one really wanted or needed that service. What I found is as moms it’s something that we don’t even know that we need, but we do! I really discovered how much I was failing my client and not really serving them about a couple of month after this families first session with me.

A little back story, the reason they decided to hire a photographer for family portraits was not a happy one. This family with two beautiful sons was about to loose one of their boys to a brain tumor. Knowing they didn’t have much time left they wanted to get professional family portraits of all of them together.

We had a beautiful family session with their family of four and grandma out in Boulder. A few months after the session I heard from mom, she even though she had received digital files of her portraits a few weeks after the session she had not printed any of them yet. Her son has since passed and she was preparing for the funeral including trying to print an image of him to display at the funeral. That hit me hard, this grieving mom was rushing around trying to get her pictures printed, instead of spending time with her family at this hard time. Not only was she spending her time doing this but she ordered the images online, accidentally drove to the wrong store and then when she finally got to the right store she realized that she forgot to bring the print release and the lab would not release the photo to her.

Thank God not every mom has to go through this situation. But that doesn’t mean that we have time in our busy lives to go get our images printed, framed and hung. I can’t tell you how many times clients told me more than a year after their session that they still haven’t printed their images, I can’t tell you how many times I photographed my own kids and got too busy to print and hang the portraits.

I don’t want my clients to waste their money on images they are not enjoying in their home. I don’t want anyone to have to search through a dropbox, computer or stack of old CD’s to get images printed if a family member passes away. My clients enjoy their images on their walls each and every day, and I never want to give another client less service than that!

Click the button below for more information on my heirloom quality wall art and gifts. My goal is to provide you with printed imagery that will last to hand down to future generations.

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!

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

How to coordinate your family for spring portraits {Northglenn CO Family Photographer}

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. You will often see me post advice on choosing clothing for your session on Facebook or blog posts like this one, however that doesn’t mean you’re alone from here, part of my session workflow is talking to you about outfits and helping you choose base on your family, style and home decor (they need to look great hanging in your home!).

Below I am giving not only my best advice for choosing the perfect outfits but also two samples of styles I love for spring!

Coordinate don’t match

Ok I know that I sound like a broken record here. If you have been following me any amount of time you have probably heard me say this, but it is so important! Go search family portraits on Pinterest or Google and note a few portraits you really love. Are they all dressed in matching blue shirts and jeans or khakis? I’m guessing your answer there was no. Most likely they are wearing 2-4 colors mixed between the group, which is what I always recommend to my clients. In the examples below I kept it easy by choosing 2 main colors that you could also pair with a neutral (I suggest white, cream or khaki/tan for spring sessions). You will typically want to mix the colors evenly throughout the family. I have more tips below on how to make that happen!

Dress mom first

When choosing clothing for family portraits its typically best to start with your clothing mom. I do this for one main reason, if you don’t love the way you look, you won’t love the portraits. Choose something that fits well, baggy clothing will make you look bigger than you are. Make sure to select a style that flatters your body type, and most importantly choose something that you LOVE the way you look in. I love of floral pattern on mom so that you can easily choose two colors from your outfit for the rest of the family, however this can also be done from your daughter’s dress or a patterned shirt or tie on your husband or son. Or if you choose a solid color and want to keep it simple you can use neutrals to mix it up.

Don’t be afraid of patterns

For the longest time I recommended solid colors for portraits, its what I was trained to say back in my studio days, but it made some some pretty boring portraits. Over time I realized that many of the family photos I was drawn to where those where the family was not afraid of a little pattern. I already talked about dressing mom in a floral or pattern above, but her pattern does not mean the rest of the family need so go for a solid color, a few ways to use patterns without making it overwhelming are to dress one of the boys in a plaid or striped shirt or a subtle pattern like small spots or shapes throughout the shirt.

Use your accessories for balance

This is one of the most overlooked tips when coordinating families. Lay out all of the outfits and see what colors you need more of. For example, if you chose yellow and blue and mom is in a blue dress but your little girl is in a yellow and blue dress and your huband’s tie has a bit of yellow you may want to add more yellow to the mix. Try adding a yellow necklace or sweater to your outfit. The best items for balancing the colors are jewelry, scarves, sweaters, floral crowns, other hair accessories, ties or bow ties, vests and suspenders. Use them wisely to add pops of color or balance out the colors as needed.

The mint and coral look

I found this mint and coral dress that I absolutely love for family portraits and used it for the base of this family look. For your convenience all of the clothing shown below is linked from Amazon so if you see something you love you can click straight over there to purchase (full disclosure, these are affiliate links) however you could easily take these ideas and find clothing from your own closet or local stores as well. The main idea is to show a variety of ideas that can be used for different families no matter the number or ages of the children.

The Dusty Rose and Blue set

I have to admit these colors were actually harder to coordinate and find however I wanted to show a look with matching mommy and me dresses since I love this idea for portraits and while they are great for mommy and me sessions they can be used for family sessions as well.

I hope these tips and ideas help when planning for your family.

Limited edition Spring Bloom session dates and time for families will be announced soon. Make sure to contact me if you would like to be notified when sessions open so I can add you to the wait list!

Want to receive more tips like these? Make sure to join my insider’s club for tips, deals and info on local events!

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!

Isaac's newborn session {Broomfield CO newborn photographer}

After 12 years of photographing newborns you learn all of the tricks to get a newborn to sleep soundly for their session and they all worked on baby Isaac!

This little man joined our world on December 27th and came in to see me mid-January. After a full belly of food and a nice warm swaddle he slept like a dream for most of his session. The space heater and mama’s heartbeat sounds I had going nearby probably helped with that as well!

I am so in love with the images from his session that it was hard to decide which to share here! Even his two year old sister cooperated for some images with her brother!

When the session was edited and ready for the family to view I met up with them in their home in Broomfield to show them not only the finished images, but some ideas for displaying them in their home. After each session I create a few gallery mock ups to show, and then together with the family we can choose a favorite or create a custom look and play with different ways their favorite images until we find one that they love!

To be honest my very favorite part of this session was delivering printed art to the family. When I arrived mom answered the door with her daughter right behind. As soon as she saw the image of her and her brother together that they had printed she gasped, grabbed it from mom and hugged it! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen!

I would love to capture this memorable time in the life of your family for you. Visit my newborn session page for more information on planning your session.

Choosing a location for your Colorado winter photo shoot {Boulder Family Photographer}

As a Denver area photographer for GROWING families a lot of my sessions this time of year are indoor sessions for newborns or children’s sessions in my own home. However not every session this time of year is indoor since I continue to shoot family and maternity sessions outdoors this time of year as well as the occasional children’s session.

Choosing a great location for your shoot get just a little more challenging as the leaves begin to fall. What was green or gold and beautiful during the summer and fall suddenly becomes brown and lifeless. But no one wants the background of their photos to just be brown and boring! So here are my best tips for choosing a location with color and beautify even during the winter months.

Choosing mountain location

My first tip is to choose a location in the mountains. Most of our best mountain locations have beautiful evergreen trees that will add color and life to your photos. Selecting a location in the mountains during winter does have it’s challenges including making sure that the roads are clear and ice free and that your car can make it there. Your best bet for this is to keep the location closer to home with a location like Lookout Mountain in Golden or Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder rather than venturing too far into the mountains this time of year however if you are more confident on mountain road in the winter there are also some amazing locations further into the mountains as well.

Choosing a location with a mountain view

Having a view of the mountains can also give some color and beauty to your fall portraits! While choosing a spot with a mountain view may seem simple in the Denver area where most locations have some mountain views here are a few things to think about when picking your spot.

Time of day: To produce the beautiful golden light that you see in many of my photos I shoot almost exclusively in the hour before sunset. However golden light is not the only reason for this choice. Because I shoot with the sun behind my subjects my shoots need to be this time of day as the sun is setting behind the mountains if you also want a mountain view.

Distance from the mountains: This is a big one I find that people don’t think about when choosing their location. Often I have people choose locations that are in the Westminster or Arvada areas with a mountain view however it is not uncommon on more hazy days for the mountains to be barely visible in their photos at this distance. The closer we are to the mountain the more likely we are to have a clear view of them so I highly recommend locations in Boulder, Golden or other foothill spots. A few of my favorite locations for this are Clear Creek History Park, The Barn along Boulder Creek or Flatirons Vista.

A location with water

Another way to add a color other than brown to your winter photos is the take them near a body of water. Having a lake or river adds some beauty during this dull time of year. A few of my favorite spots for this are Standley Lake, Clear Creek, and Eastlake Shores Park.

Choosing a location with buildings or structures

Another way to make sure your winter portraits have some beauty and interest is to choose a location with building or other architectural elements. While most people think a location in the city when they think of this there are actually many other options such as Cheesman park (yes technically in the city but more of a park structure.) with its beautiful stone pavilion, Highlands Ranch Mansion, or even Lakewood History Center.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas for your winter photo shoot. I am now booking Maternity and family sessions for December-March so contact me today to get more information on my sessions and pricing at jennifer@truth-photography.com

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

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