Modeling Headshots for Teen Models – Interview with Boulder High school Girl Sophia

Sophia----Model-Headshot-Blog-Collage- Modeling Portfolio Headshots Boulder - Natascha Lee StudiosBoulder Model Portfolio & Headshots

Q: Tell us about yourself and your family. My name is Sophia, I am 14 years old, and I like volleyball, French, and my amazing friends. My mother Jennifer is from San Francisco, she loves to paint, and our family likes to travel and spend time together. Q: What do you dream of doing? I have never been to New York or LA,  but I would like to travel the world one day. Q: What surprises people to learn about your mother? It surprises people when they find out that my mom sings in a band and has a mobile spray tanning business. Q: What made you interested in modeling? I always try new things and thought this could be something new that I love doing. Q. Why did you pick Natascha Lee Studios for your modeling headshots? She was recommended by our agency, and the photos we saw on her website were amazing. Q. Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Not really; I was very confident about the session even though I had never done it before. Q.  How did the actual photo session go? I was happy when I got there that Natascha was so friendly yet very professional. Q. Any advice to others before their modeling or headshot photo sessions? If I did the photo session over again I would have changed two little things: 1) brought a powder base to cover any oily skin and 2) brought lots of layers or accessories to add variety to the photos (jacket, scarf, hat, etc.) Q. How did you feel/what did you think when saw your final images?  I loved them – They were beautiful and natural. Natascha did an excellent job. Q.  Now our favorite question of all: If you could have any superpower, which one would it be and why? If I could have any super power it would be to freeze time so that I can spend more time doing things I love doing and less on work.   Boulder HIghschool Senior Portraits - Natascha Lee Studios - Modeling Porfolio and Headshots]]>

Urban Denver Studio Tour – Natascha Lee Studios – Denver Baby, Kids, Family and Headshots Photography

outdoor family and kid portrait sessions, and the indoor/urban look of my newborn, modeling portfolio and Headshots with Personality(sm). As a bit of background, I shoot family and kid portraits mostly in Broomfield/Westminster, although I also shoot in Boulder, Red  Rocks, Washington Park, etc. – anyplace that is meaningful to my clients.  The latter I shoot mostly at my N. Denver Studio – you can click here to get a full tour of my studio. I love this space! But today I’m talking about a new option my clients have – it’s this beautiful indoor/outdoor space with a crazy array of different shooting options and spaces, all just a mile from my studio. This place has it all. We get to close the gates, so the entire space is ours – no worrying about other people getting in the photos. It has amazing light all day. There is a heated barn with beautiful brick walls and lots of natural light. A lovey ivy-covered wall (well, except in winter ;-). Trees, a vine-covered pergola, benches, cool glass barn doors.

  All images ©2015 Natascha Lee Studios

Denver Model Portfolio Photographer Natascha Lee Studios - IMG_0339-(2)-eal-sfw

Denver Urban Portraits by Natascha Lee Studios - IMG_5865-eal-sfw

Natascha Lee Studios - Urban Outdoor Private Shooting Space - Denver Family Photographer Denver Headshots - Urban Shooting Space - Natascha Lee Studios - IMG_5867-eal-sfw Broomfield Kid and Family Portraits - Urban Shooting Space - Natascha Lee Studios - IMG_5869-eal-sfw

Wouldn’t this be a great place for a Modeling Portfolio? Or for family portraits for an urban feel?  Let’s do it – Contact me today!

  All images ©2015 Natascha Lee Studios.

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Modeling Headshots for Teen Girl Models – Interview with Lila and Anna Scott of Cherry Creek, Denver

I love love love the people I get to meet as a professional photographer. I think it’s fascinating to learn people’s story, little snippets that tell you more about them. For example, I have done modeling headshots and portfolios for over 100 child and teen models this year. Crazy, right? And each one of those 100+ families has their own interesting story. Starting today,  I’m so excited to feature a few of my favorite models – not only because they are so photogenic, but because they are such wonderful interesting people. Take this family here;  How many 11 years old dream of riding an elephant, taking a hot air balloon ride, and also dancing in NYC? How many 15 year olds read almost an entire NON-Fiction novel a day? Wow! I barely read a non-fiction novel a year! These girls, Anna Scott and Lila are so interesting. And so is their mother, Liz…..I wish I had a photograph of Liz, the beautiful yogini; when you meet her, she looks like the quintessential yogini – natural, beautiful, strong, graceful, peaceful and happy. See the end for a special illustration I had done of her, as her superhero of choice. Read on to learn more about these lovely ladies: Q: Tell us about Lila: Lila is 15 and loves the arts including playing piano, the guitar, and acting.  Musicals are her favorite, both participating and attending!  She is on the school’s A-team for Mock Trail and is quite good at debate.  Lila also enjoys sports including Field Hockey, skiing, trail running, and tennis.  She is an avid reader, downing almost a novel a day – usually non-fiction! Lila gladly welcomes adventure and likes to see the world.  She is a Harry Potter fan and movie addict. She studies Spanish and would like her next trip to be to Cuba. But her big dream would take her even further; After seeing The Martian, she wants to go to space! Cherry Creek Denver Highschool Teen Girl Model Portfolio Headshots by Natascha Lee Studios Q: Tell us about Anna Scott: Anna Scott is 11.  She loves ballet and the highlight of the season is dancing in the Nutcracker at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.  She is also an avid sports-girl with a passion for Field Hockey, Lacrosse, tennis, and downhill skiing.  She likes to go fast!  She is quite artistic and loves to decorate her room, draw, and create fashions.  Anna Scott has a big sense of adventure and likes to travel, rock climb, and do ropes courses.  She takes French and would like to spend a summer in the country to learn more about the culture.  She wants to ride an elephant, take a ride in a hot air balloon, and dance in NYC. Denver Dancer Tween Teen Girl Model Portfolio and Headshot Images by Natascha Lee Studios Q: What things do you all do together? Guy, my husband, is such a hands-on father and really enjoys his time with the girls. We hike together, including tackling a few 14ers…Anna Scott’s first climb, Mt. Bierstadt, was at the age of 6. We love to ski together and travel and play tennis. We tend to be pretty active and love to explore. With the girls’ interest in acting, we frequently hit the theater for both movies and plays. The Kings speech, Unbroken and the Martian would be our top three picks. Guy is the exclusive parent who plays golf and lacrosse with the girls. He is a patient and responsive coach. Q: Tell us about your yoga practice: My foundational practice is hot-yoga, which is a routine set of 26 postures and allows for a meditative focus during my time on the mat.  I have also been inspired by Para Yoga, Vinyasana, and Ashtanga.  I believe variation in everything is important for overall mental and physical strength. Q: What else do you like to do? I am quite active in volunteer roles in the community and in particular at the girls’s schools.  During my not-so-frequent down time, I enjoy reading, gardening, and doing puzzles like 5 star Suduko, 1000 piece traditional puzzles, etc.  I enjoy giving my brain a workout, which is how I discovered yoga.  I like to get outside my comfort zone each year and learn something new. Going from the business world of consulting to motherhood and yoga was a huge stretch for me.  Now that I am in these roles, I would not change a thing. Q: What are people surprised to learn about you? My friends often tell me they are surprised at my sense of humor, quest for fun, and love of a good prank.  I can come across as efficient, focused, and driven, so when people get to know the mischievous/playfulness side to me, they are taken off guard.  People are also often surprised at the “risks” I take with my girls.  Of course, I never would lead them to activities or places that are unsafe, but I do believe exposure to cultures and communities that are different than their own, pushing them outside their perceived physical barriers, and guiding them to experience levels of sacrifice creates an internal strength, empathy, understanding and compassion. Q: Your children’s interest in modeling has been entirely self-driven. How did it start?  The girls’ interest in modeling was really driven by Lila’s interest in acting.  Lila was at a sleep away summer camp in third grade and landed a lead role in The Music Man.  From there, she started self-advocating and self-enrolling in various children’s theater programs in Denver.  Anna Scott was encouraged to tag along as the little sister, and now has her own self-motivated interest.  Starting with America’s Most Wanted, the girls have thoroughly loved every filming experience despite hours in the cold, hours of retakes, and hours waiting for their 1 minute of screen time.  The auditioning and filming experiences have truly taught my girls the lessons of hard work, how to deal with disappointment, and how to lean on tenacity and perseverance.  They fully appreciate how passion coupled with dedication can lead to open doors. Q. Why did you pick Natascha Lee Studios for your modeling headshots? Natascha’s portfolio reflects an ease with the time behind the camera and captures the understated beauty of her subjects.  Her sets are minimalistic, modern and edgy.  From the onset. Ms. Lee was incredibly accommodating to our girls’s busy sports schedules and exuded a calm in her working style.  Ms. Lee was responsive and personal, making our decision for a photographer quit simple. Q.Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Natascha provided a thorough list of clothing items, accessories, and props to support many different looks, and let us know she would have an assistant on hand to help with styling, so we were quite confident in her capability to produce the types of photographs that the entertainment industry expects. Q. How did the actual photo session go? What was your favorite part of your session?  Natascha made the girls feel very welcome, special, and understood the minute we showed up.  She has an artistic eye that brought out the true individual beauty of my girls, nothing was fabricated or false.  Natasha let my girls be themselves.  She let them have input on their looks based on their interests and personality.  Natascha also let me, as a parent, have a say in a picture.  She clearly wants to please her clients while capturing the best of her subjects.  Our favorite part of the session was when she took my daughter up to the roof top of her building for an urban/warehouse shoot.  The colors were amazing and the natural winds and sun enhanced a very unique photo.  My daughter’s expression in that photo matched the cool excitement of the setting. Q.Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? I absolutely recommend following the guidelines and suggestions Ms. Lee provides.  There is no need for extreme make-up hair, etc.  Ms. Lee’s professional camera work and use of setting and light best accents the subject. Also, plan to be a bit early so your child is not nervous or scattered.  Take time to plan out the looks you bring and make sure the looks are those that make your child feel comfortable.  I could see in my daughter’s eyes when I was forcing a dress on her she did not like or that did not fit.  My daughter brought her point shoes that were one size too small, so check the sizes of everything you bring. Beyond that, just have fun. I felt Natascha is a photographer I could trust to really capture my girls’ personalities. Q.How did you feel/what did you think when saw your final images?  We were so pleased with the final pictures and edits, and so were my girls, including my teenager!  The girls posted their pictures to Instagram, printed them out for grandparents, and I am using them for my holiday cards.  Natascha was wonderful about passing on digital files for our personal use and the quality of the digital files is superior. Q. If you could have any superpower, which one would it be and why? I would want to be EarthWoman, with the ability to harness clouds to bring water for children who are thirsty and to their crops that need rain.  As EarthWoman, I would manipulate all of Earth’s resources to take care of all children’s basic needs for shelter, food, water, and safety, carving homes out of mountains for shelter or using lightning-struck trees in the forest to turn in to safe homes.  I would then call in sister superpower EducationGirl to begin that process. Wow. [caption id="attachment_5669" align="aligncenter" width="966"]Superhero Mother Earth from Natascha Lee Studios by Italian Artist Electra I commissioned my favorite Italian Illustrator Electra to draw “EarthWoman” for Liz. Here she is![/caption]]]>

10 Questions with Ana, Stylish Urban Family Portraits – Washington Park in Denver

Denver Family Portraits - Stylish Urban Photos at Washington Park - Client Interview

  1. Ana, tell us a little bit about your family…
We are a mixed bunch! Two teenage daughters, my little baseball player son and hard working husband. We try and make our family time the most important time.
  1. What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session?
We felt this is a perfect time in everyone’s life to celebrate with a family photo shoot, and look back at this time with appreciation via the portraits.
  1. Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
It’s always nerve wrecking to be in front of a camera. In the end we found that just being ‘us’ gave the best photographed memories.
  1. How did the actual  photo session go?
It went great. It was a bit of a struggle getting the entire family up at 4:00 am and ready for a golden hour (sunrise) shoot but we made it. Wash Park was a perfect choice, weather couldn’t have better and we had a bit of help in the gardens!
  1. What did you think or feel when you saw your final photos at the viewing session? 
The presentation was amazing and it was so much fun! One of our family members wasn’t able to make it and she missed out on a very special experience.
  1. What made you choose Natascha Lee Studios?
My daughter Lucia was referred by her modeling agency for model portfolio headshots and I loved how Natascha had such lively and patient interactions with her during the first shoot. I was immediately inspired to have her photograph the entire family!
  1. What do you hope your children will say/feel/think years down the road when looking at these images?
How much fun it was, how those years shaped all of our lives.. That they remember the special dynamic of our family and see the love we all have for one another.
  1. Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
During the initial viewing and picking of the photos it helps to view them as large as possible to identify any issues you want to have edited/Photoshoped before the image is printed. I didn’t realize how just the tiniest things jump out at you and is distracting from such a beautiful photo.
  1. How did you feel/what did you think when received your order/had your products delivered?
I was amazed!!! Shocked and so impressed by the professional presentation, quality of work and care that Natascha goes through to see a smile on everyone’s face. Bravo Natascha! We will definitely be back!

Thanks Ana! I has so much fun getting to know you and your family – I know we are already talking about Spring portraits and I can’t wait! Those kiddos change so quickly! You are wise to capture them regularly!

Wash Park Family Portraits in the Gardens by Natascha Lee Studios

Denver Photographer for Stylish Urban Families

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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,]]>

Denver Millennium Bridge Portraits – Urban and Stylish Portraits: Bride, Seniors and Maternity

Denver Urban Portraits - Millennium Bridge - Bridal, Senior and Bride Photography

Denver Urban Stylish Portraits – Millennium Bridge – Bridal, Senior and Maternity Photography

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