Denver Kid's Photography – Which is better for you: Indoor Studio Portrait Sessions vs Outdoor Portrait Sessions

Denver Kid's Photography - Indoor Studio Portrait Sessions vs Outdoor Portrait Sessions Studio Image and Portrait on the Left, Outdoor Image and Portrait on the Right[/caption]

Denver Children’s Portraits: Indoor Studio vs Outdoors

It’s beautiful Fall in Denver! Clients often ask me where we should take their family photos:  Indoors @ my Studio, or outdoors? (Click here for a tour of my amazing studio.) To help you out, here is a side-by-side comparison for studio vs outdoor photography for *family* photos for the top 6 Factors to consider: (BTW, for business headshots, I almost always recommend indoor, either @ my Studio or @ your place of business if the lighting there is great). Factor #1: Weather Indoor, of course, is stable and predictable. And if you are doing newborn infant portraits, it’s about the only way to  go (unless it’s super warm outside). You can wear whatever you want, since you don’t have to consider the temperatures. And you probably won’t have to reschedule due to weather (snow storms excepted, of course.) Outdoors, you may have to reschedule if it’s really cold. But I have done portraits in the rain, in the snow, etc. It can add some great variety to your family portraits to have snow softly falling. The wind can make your hair look great – like a fashion model with your hair blowing around you! Winner: Tie, since indoor is weather-neutral, but outdoor can offer great variety and even some hair-flattering wind! (Yes, I am a predominantly outdoor portrait photographer – that’s why I love the variety) Factor #2: Light Indoors is a bit more stable, but if it ‘s cloudy, then outside get the win. It’s lovely to photograph in cloudy weather; we call it God’s Softbox. If your kids have blue eyes, they will be more sensitive to the sun, and indoors will be easier on their eyes – so we have less squinting. Winner: Since I am mostly a natural light photographer, and I have an amazing studio with  great light, the win for this goes to indoors. Factor #3: Backgrounds

My studio has tons of different backgrounds inside and out (just check out this recent small business owner headshot session for an example of that), but there is nothing as beautiful as Colorado nature backgrounds. Or your own home, for that matter -whatever space is special to you and your family! I have photographed at Wash Park for a stylish urban family, in the Boulder Mountains for an outdoorsy, community-leaders family, at Red Rocks for a family that LOVES Red Rocks, at a private barn for a close-knit family and at a beautiful local pond space for a sweet active family that wanted to include their crazy dog! If a space is special to you, then we can craft your family portraits there.

Winner: Outdoors. Factor #4: Young Kid-Friendly Kids love being able to move, and run around.  If you have just one kid, Studio Sessions can work well, especially if you like the Urban feel. (I even do photos on the roof @ my studio – very hip and Downtown-Denver Urban vibe.) But, if you have more than one child or a very rambunctious one, and def. if you plan to include the family dog, then outdoors is the way to go so they have plenty of space to run and move. Winner: Outdoors Factor #5: Teenager-Friendly If you have a teen, you already know the answer; teenagers prefer my Studio – the huge loft-like feel, the urban outdoor spaces, etc. But since *Mom* (or Dad) is organizing and paying for the portraits, please go with what YOU want to put on your living room wall. The kiddos will be gone to college in a few years (which, BTW, is a great reason to schedule family portraits NOW), and you will be the one who gets to look at that portrait for years to come. Winner: Indoors/Studio Factor #6: Number of people If you are doing more than three people, I recommend outdoors. The vast space will accommodate more people and move configurations of you and your family members. Winner: Outdoor There you have it, 6 key factors to consider if you aren’t sure whether to go with indoor or outdoor photos. And since “outdoors” won slightly over “indoors”, be sure to also check out this post on the best outdoor locations for family photography,]]>

Colorado Parent Magazine – Top Tips for Unique First Day Back To School Photos of your Children

Colorado Parent Magazine asked me to write an article for local Colorado parents on “Tops Tips for Unique First-Day Back to School Photos of your Kids” You can see that article and my photos in their Aug issue that came out like 5 minutes ago. 😉  (That’s the magazine world – they seem to publish about week before the actual month. I think that’s to give the postal service time to distribute the publication.) Click here, and check out page 11 to read: “8 Pro Tips for Unique First Day Back to School Photos”. One of the tips I recommend everyone check out is #6 – “Have your child hold a prized possession.”  Something that is meaningful to them at this current age and stage.  I know from the children’s portraits I create, that children love to customize a photo with their own personality and possessions. For a parent, there is nothing more unique than our child themselves so we often don’t think of including a piece of sports equipment, a stuffed animal, or a special book. But kids love to include their cherished object(s) in their photos. I take photos both with and without that object, so that you have some variety. Oh, and even if the object is so worn that it looks like the Velveteen Rabbit, be sure to include it in a few images. True story – I just did family portraits this weekend where the 2 year’s old’s favorite thing was a baby doll that had initially been the dog’s chew toy! Sure, it looked worn, but we were going to include it in a few photos anyway….until he changed his mind and wanted the bright yellow truck instead! 😉 So, even if the special object isn’t quite photogenic, it is still a good idea to include it (in at least a few photos.) Colorado Parent Magazine Tops Tips for Unique Back to School Photos of your Kids

Colorado Parent Magazine: Top Tips for Unique Back-To-School Photos of your Kids

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Behind the Scenes at a Denver Photoshoot for Child Models

Behind the Scenes at a Denver Photoshoot for Child Models

Happy Tuesday! I had an exciting weekend with several photo shoots – corporate headshots for a local Cherry Creek Bank, a slew of models, and a family session – 15 people in all! While I don’t have images (sneek peaks) ready for those yet, I do want to share  another  behind the scenes (“bts”) image from a recent Denver Photoshoot for Child Models  (click here to see my last “bts” image, of a sweet little baby out in a nature setting).

You’ll see from the “bts” image above that we are actually in an urban setting, but using the foliage and a DOF (depth of field) setting that blurs the background, we put all the focus on her lovely face.

This gal is a local Denver child model, and this was her first photo shoot (as a model). She was such a natural! And her mom was super nice, too.

Check out that headband! Looks like something you can find on etsy.com, doesn’t it?

Denver Headshots for Child Models

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Denver Baby Plan for Baby Shower Gift for Moms-to-Be : Portraits To Capture Your Baby's Precious First Year of Life

Do you have a friend who is expecting? The baby plan is a perfect baby shower gift for the moms-to-be in your life. And it makes a great Baby Shower Gift that several people can go in on.

A Baby Plan lets you capture all the wonderful changes in your baby’s first year, with a custom portrait session at each milestone:

baby-plan- broomfield colorado natascha lee studios

Maternity (Joy & Anticipation)

The start of your baby’s journey! We suggest maternity sessions take place around 28-35 weeks and are usually held outdoors. Maternity sessions capture and convey the joy and excitement you and your partner have for your baby.

Newborn (Sleepy Sweet Goodness)

Newborn sessions take place between 2 – 10 days old, so that we can capture their sweet sleepy newborn goodness. These are held indoors, usually at our studio.

3 Months (Tummy Time)

Your baby has become so alert, pushing up on his or her tummy and giving social smiles and even laughs! And those sweet little rolls on their legs! These sessions can be held outdoors if the weather is nice, or at our studio, or even sometimes at our client’s home.

6 months (Sitting Up)

Your baby can now sit up on his or her own and turns to follow you where ever you are. And you know the special noises that elicit great belly laughs. We’ll capture their personality, be it outgoing and vivacious or sweet, shy and reserved.

9 months (Crawling)

Your baby can now crawl, and maybe even stand up with assistance. S/he may even be cruising by holding onto something. We’ll capture your child’s curiosity, smiles and mobility.

1 year (Almost a Toddler!)

Wow! Your baby is about to leave babyland for toddlerhood. We’ll celebrate their 1st birthday, include some of their favorite toys, have you read their favorite book to them. We can even do a cake smash session where you bring a small cake and we let your baby get MESSY!

At the end, you have lovely custom portraits to celebrate and document their first year of life, and to preserve (and display) those memories forever!

If you (or a friend) are interested in a baby plan /  baby shower gift to capture all the sweet milestones of  baby’s first year of life through custom portraits, please contact me.

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Denver Baby Photography – Outdoor Newborn Infant Portraits, Nature Setting

Highland Denver Newborn Baby Potography - Nature Settings, Behind the Scenes

What a lovely image of this precious newborn baby (who is already so much bigger than when this photo was taken!)

Denver Baby Portrait Photography

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Best Locations for Outdoor Family Portraits (in and around Westminster)

Westminster. All that green, the natural winding walking path, overhead trees with shade; this is sheer beauty.  The way the trees wrap around means that I can shoot from just about any angle, and we have a lovely background. This is especially important when doing children’s photography, as they want to run everywhere! Better to move yourself and your camera, than to ask them to stay still. This Westminster spot also has lots of cool things for kiddos to explore…even a fallen tree across the water! (I’ll post a portrait taken there in a future blog posting.) Locations like this make me think: “Perfect – just add family.”  Like the family below: Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Baby Boy. Oh this little boy is so very loved! And so lucky to have  such kind, fun Mamma and Grandparents. (I’m sure they believe they are the lucky ones, because this is one super sweet little kiddo!) My clients know that beautiful family portraits (ones that capture their family’s true spirit)  are priceless. And the results? They become family heirlooms. And when doing 3-generation portraits, ones that have Grandma and/or Grandpa in them, those will be cherished for three generations at least.  Yours (the parent), your parents (the grandparents), and your children. And, chances are, also your children’s children – your grandchildren. How cool would it be if you had a photo that included your parents, your grandparents, and your  great grandparents? Esp if it captured them just being themselves? For one of my favorite Grandpa portraits ever,  click here. The image is from this very session, of Grandma and Grandson with their matching walks. Almost made me think of Monty Python’s Minestry of Silly Walks.

Outdoor Family Portraiture in Westminster, Colorado - Lush Green Nature Park Locations3 generation (Grandma, Grandmpa, Mom, Baby Boy) Portrait in Westminster Colorado Great Nature Location Outdoors

Westminster Family Portraits – Multi Generational with Grandparents – Outside Nature Locations

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