Cassandra - Denver High School Senior Portraits

Spring in Denver is very unpredictable.  One day it might be 70 and sunny, while the next day might be 30 with 2 feet of snow.  Setting up outdoor photo shoots is tough because of this.  You have to be prepared for anything, even rescheduling.  On the morning of Cassandra's senior photo shoot, the ground had a fresh coating of snow and the sky was covered with clouds.  Fortunately, the saying "If you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait a few minutes" held true and by the afternoon the sun came out and it warmed up outside.

Of course, this didn't mean it was really warm outside.  We met in Cherry Creek to wander the streets and alleys, looking for interesting textures, colors and shops.  We were able to find a few places that were tucked out of the wind, but most of our shoot was not that warm.  Fortunately, Cassandra had a great attitude throughout her portrait session.  Her great smile never wavered, even when she was in a cute little dress and the wind was blowing her hair all over the place.  To be honest, I knew that since I was getting cold that she had to be cold, but she toughed it out and we were able to get some great photos.

Of course, no photo shoot is complete without random people asking to be in the photos (which happened while we were shooting).  The only difference with doing a photo shoot in Cherry Creek versus in LoDo is the people who want to be in the photos are much less creepy and much better dressed!

Cassandra wants to go into beauty school after she finishes high school.  Judging by her style and her personality, I think she'll be great at it!  So, I'll stop talking and give you what you've been waiting for... the photos!  Meet Cassandra.

 

Vicentia - Aurora Central HS Senior

There are times when you know everything is going to work out. Maybe you didn't get to do things like you'd normally like to, but you still have a feeling that there's nothing to fear, that things will be fine. I typically like to meet with any high school seniors that I'm going to photograph ahead of the photo shoot. This gives us a chance to get to know each other and also work out the details of our shoot. So what happens when this isn't possible?

In Vicentia's case, you don't worry. Vicentia contacted me by phone and immediately struck me as a very courteous and friendly person. She wanted to set up a photo shoot, but I was leaving town within the week. We decided it would be best to discuss everything over the phone and just meet the day of the shoot. A few things I learned about Vicentia are that she spends most of her time in Choir and she's also a member of a leadership club that mentors freshman.

The morning of our shoot at Cherry Creek State Park started out nice and cool but quickly got hot. We tried to stay out of direct sunlight and in the shade, which worked most of the time. Unfortunately, we ventured into a beautiful wooded area that was home to swarms of mosquitoes! We got a few quick photos, including the one at the top of this post, before making a quick getaway. We each got a few bites but nothing too serious.

As we made our way around to the different parts of the park, we constantly chatted. I was very surprised at how easy Vicentia carried on a conversation. She is very easy to talk to. Near the end of the shoot we were joined by her mother. Once I started talking to her, I realized why Vicentia is so easy to talk to: she learned her conversation skills from her mother, who is also easy to talk to!

For her final outfit, Vicentia wanted to wear a traditional Ghanaian head wrap. One of her friends taught her how to wrap it and, to my surprise, she was able to do it with the reflection in a car window! Who needs mirrors? It's so nice to be able to showcase a heritage and tradition that you're proud of, especially in your senior photos, so I'm glad that Vicentia was able to incorporate the head wrap into her session.

As the day warmed up we continued to shoot well past the 2-hour mark. When I asked Vicentia if she was getting tired yet, she said that she was having so much fun she wanted to keep shooting all day! We didn't shoot all day, but we'll get to shoot again soon in the studio. Now that we've met and have one shoot down, the next one should be amazing!

The Importance Of Asking Permission

When I was lining up the photo shoot with Pet (see previous post), there were a few places in Cherry Creek she wanted to shoot. The biggest part of the shoot was supposed to take place inside of Cherry Creek Mall. Another part she wanted to include was some shots at a restaurant.

While it can be easier to play dumb and beg forgiveness rather than ask permission, it's usually a good idea to ask permission first. These days photographers are under more scrutiny than ever, so I would much rather play it safe and not get interrupted in the middle of a photo shoot by security or the police.

First, I paid a visit to the management at Cherry Creek Mall. They were very friendly and open to photographers in the mall, but they explained that there were contracts to sign and a legal department to deal with. They said the process would take at least two weeks and probably more if there were any changes to the contract. I had less than a week, so the mall was out. The woman I spoke to did say that she was glad that I asked, as they treat photographers as trespassers and will usually call the police if they catch anyone taking photos without permission!

The second location I visited was North, an Italian restaurant in the middle of Cherry Creek. The woman I spoke to there gave me a business card, wrote down a name and email address and told me to contact this person in their corporate offices. She said that it shouldn't be a problem to get permission to shoot, but we still had to go through corporate.

I contacted the woman, Debbie Porter, and almost immediately received a response saying that it would be fine to shoot at the restaurant. Not only that, but she asked how many people would be in the crew and what we needed from them! She even recommended we use the restaurant before it opened to make it easier for us (and probably for them as well). When we arrived at the restaurant, they were expecting us (yay for good communication!). Everyone was very nice and helpful and offered to get us anything we needed. Once we were set up, they left us alone until we were done. They prepared a great salad for us and set the table, even though they weren't even going to use the table that day.

It only took about 5 minutes total on my part, but the payoff for asking permission was huge! Did it seem like a little extra trouble at the time? Sure it did. But, when I think about how easy it made everything when it came time to shoot, I'll be asking permission every time from now on.

Thank you to North - Modern Italian Cuisine in Cherry Creek.

Photo Shoot - Pet Sasso

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to work with a model out of Minneapolis. Her name is Pet Sasso. She contacted me a little over a week ago because she liked my work. Luckily, we were able to set something up in the short time she was out here.

We decided to shoot in Cherry Creek, as she wanted to add some shopping photos to her portfolio. I thought it would be best if we headed down there early before the shops opened and there were a bunch of people around, so we decided to meet at 9am. All that was left to do was wait for the day to arrive.

When the day arrived, it was cool and overcast. Contrary to what you'd think, an overcast day is actually perfect for taking photos. It gets rid of harsh shadows and gives a nice, soft light on everything. The sun finally decided to make an appearance around noon, but we were able to find some shady spots to take photos for the next few hours.

The shoot went great. We hit at least 10 different locations in three different outfits and we got some great images out of all of them. The highlight of the day came when we came across a fountain and Pet decided she wanted to get in. There were a bunch of construction workers around who were just watching and cracking jokes about getting in with her. Of course, when she got out, it was time for an outfit change!

At the end of the day, it occurred to me how amazing it is for two people to come together from across the country, meet each other in the morning and have some wonderful photos and memories by the afternoon. Thank you Pet!

You can see more photos here.