by Natascha | Oct 11, 2015 | Community Spotlight, Denver Headshots, Featured Post, Headshots, Modeling Porfolio, Photography, Portfolio, Portraits, Urban Portraits
As a photographer, I have the honor to create amazing images for my clients – families, models, executives, business owners, etc. And I love getting to know them. Recently I did one of my Headshots with Personality(sm) Sessions for a wonderful, kind woman, Juliana Vergaray. Here is a bit more about her, her business, and what it was like to have her session done by Natascha Lee Studios:
- Juliana, tell us about yourself and your business:
I have been practicing social work for 10 years with an emphasis on the children and teen population. My specialty is in trauma (an event that has impacted you on a level where you felt your life was threatened in any shape or form). I decided to focus on that because of the need: There are long waits at clinics and it’s important to provide treatment quickly after trauma. (The earlier you provide treatment, the more coping skills you can give them.) This can increase their resiliency.
- What do you love the most about your job?
I love being able to support people. To be a witness for them when they are at their lowest point in life, and then to work with them, seeing them when they are done with treatment and in a healthier place – This is all an honor for me.
- What made you decide to get professional photos done now? How will you use the photos?
I’ve reached a point in my career where I wanted photos that accurately represented me and what I offer. Since I am more advanced in my career, I needed professional photos taken by a talented photographer.
- What made you select Natascha Lee Studios for your photos?
I started on Google and looked at many different photographers’ websites. There was a realness to Natascha Lee Studio’s photos. I could tell that she brought out the uniqueness in each person, and captured their essence. They were not heavily photoshopped.
And while I wasn’t looking for kid portraits, her children’s photography is part of what convinced me – her photos of children capture their angelic essence. I thought, “Well, if she can do that with kids, I’m sure she can get authentic photos of me.”
As second aspect was her professionalism – from all the photographers who I contacted, she was one of only two who responded within 24 hours.
- Before the session, did you have any concerns?
Not many, but I was wondering what to wear. Natascha helped me with that via our phone conversations. It wasn’t time consuming to follow her lead and prep tips, but it sure was helpful. She gave me enough info that I felt confident coming in that morning.
She also helped me think through my vision. Initially I wanted to use some clients as models, and Natascha’s experience and advice helped me avoid certain legal and logistical issues. I was able to make a more informed decision how to use a model. (I ended up using a good friend as a model instead of an actual client.)
- During the session, what was your experience like? How did it compare to what you expected?
It was amazing. I just expected to get my photos taken but it was so much more than that. Natascha made me feel felt special and appreciated. In my line of business, I am always the support for others. But this shoot felt like a treat to myself, like I was the one being taken care of and supported. Natascha is full of positive energy, but still very professional in her approach. It was a self esteem boost in a healthy way.
I was surprised as how quick the session lasted (just one hour), but we got a lot done – lots of poses and locations and even three different outfits.
Natascha gave directions, but not in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. It felt like she was trying to get my most authentic reactions and smiles.
- What did you think when you saw the photos? If you have already used or shared the photos, what sort of feedback have you received?
I thought “Wow!” I love them, because they are exactly what I was looking for, something unique and very professional. They are warm and convey my brand well. I was thrilled; I still am.
- What advice would you give to someone else contemplating getting professional headshots done?
I would say look at different websites to find someone whose style matches yours, who has photos that somehow resonate with you. And don’t make your decisions based solely on what you see online. Talk to the photographer to make sure you would be comfortable working with them – look for a connection with them.
Juliana’s private practice, Help Hope and Healing / Ayuda Esperanza Curacion, LLC, is located in Capital Hill within a holistic healing center, she sees client’s as young as 3 to adulthood. You can connect with her via:
phone: 720-443-5701
Twitter: @jvergaraylcsw
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by Natascha | Oct 10, 2015 | Boulder Headshots, Corporate Portraits, Denver Headshots, Featured Post, Headshots, Modeling Porfolio, Photography, Portfolio, Portraits, Urban Portraits
family portraits, I specialize in creating headshots and marketing photos that convey your unique personality. That’s why I call them Headshots with Personality(SM). There are four types of headshot services that I offer:
1) Team Headshots where I come to your location, or you come to my studio and I photograph all members of your management or executive team individually and/or as a team. These are for 4 or more people, where you want the images to have a cohesive look to them.
2) Marketing Session for Small Business Owners where I do a variety of images of you in different poses, different expressions, different backgrounds. These are great because just one headshot is never quite enough; it will rarely meet all the needs you have as a business owner. Sometimes you are presenting at a serious conference and you want a conservative, semi-traditional image. Other times, you may be participating in a charity and want a more light-hearted fun headshot. Or you may be trying to reach a new customer group and you want an image that is more edgy and creative. The Headshot Marketing Session gives you several different images to meet these needs, and keep your website/social media/marketing materials fresh and interesting. The photos at the bottom of this post are from a Marketing Session.
3) Model Portfolio Sessions for child, teen and adult models, actors, dancers and performers. These are held @ my Studio and include three outfits, a headshot, 3/4 length and full body in each outfit, and printable files that you can give your agency.
4) Marketing Session + Product/Service Images, which are ideal for small business owners delivering a service in person (like financial service or therapy) or who deliver something tangible (like jewelry, cookies or food.) These include the marketing session (#2 above) as well as photos of you delivering your service or photos of your actual product. The Marketing + Product/Service Session creates a full suite of images for you to use for all your marketing needs.
I recently did a Marketing Session (type #2 above) for a local small business owner, Juliana Vergaray. Juliana is a therapist specializing in helping children with trauma. She wanted some photos that reflected her yoga/breathing/meditation part of her practice, and some that reflected the “meeting with you in my office” part, and also some edgy, outdoor images for when she is working with teens (we shot those on the rooftop of my studio.) She wanted her images to have a variety of feelings (quite, meditative, inquisitive, fun, happy, etc.) – but always warm and caring.
I am in LOVE with how her images turned out (and so is she!) Check out her amazing images below, and then read her interview tomorrow.
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by Natascha | Oct 4, 2015 | Clothing, Colorado Family Photography, Colorado Family Portraits, Daddy, Denver Colorado Family Portraits, Denver Model Photographer, Denver Photographer, Downtown Denver, Fathers, Featured Post, Great Nature Locations, Outdoors, Portraits, Style
family portrait during sunrise @ Washington Park and the sprinklers turned on just as we showed up at our 2nd shoot location by the lawn bowling area. The 1st location was by the boathouse, and the second would be at the other end of the park near the lake, lawnbowling and small playground. As we drove up, I saw that the sprinklers were on, and my assistant and I quickly started to strategize how we could shoot without my clients (or my photography gear) getting wet – it was not going to be easy. The worst is when you carefully select an area away from the sprinklers, get everyone set up, and then the sprinklers turn off in the other area, and suddenly turn on in the area where you are standing. And these clients had AMAZING beautiful dark hair (well, the mother and daughters did. ;-), and they def would not want water getting on their perfectly blown out locks.
All this is going through my head as I get out of the car, and I notice Dad was on the phone as he got out of his car. And this is what I hear, “Hey! It’s me. The sprinklers by the Lawn Bowling area? We are trying to get portraits done here. Can you turn them off for 15 minutes?” I was both floored and amused, and I had to quickly snap an iphone shot of him. (See the sprinklers going in the background?)
It all worked out; With one phone call he had the sprinklers turned off for 20 minutes so we could finish our portraits without getting wet. That’s being connected in all the right ways! I kept joking with him during our shoot, “You know, I don’t like how loud that plane is overhead, can you pls make a call and have it re-routed?” 😉
Denver Urban Family Portraits
To see more images from this shoot, click here and here.
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by Natascha | Oct 1, 2015 | Boulder Family Portraits, Boulder Mountain, Broomfield Family Photography, Broomfield Senior Portraits, Colorado Family Photography, Colorado Family Portraits, Denver Colorado Family Portraits, Featured Post, Great Nature Locations, Outdoors, Style
A super fun client (with the most photogenic family!) came by to pick up his order. We had already done their viewing session, and he and his family saw their amazing family portraits on my big screen TV….but he hadn’t seen them printed yet. In addition to large canvas prints for their home, they also ordered the full digital package which comes with reference prints for each image. Here he laid them all out on my coffeetable to see them at once. There is nothing like seeing your images in print! BTW, he said the cutest thing when he showed up to pick up his order “I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.” I LOVE that I get to create something for people that makes them feel that way…..
Boulder – Mountain Family Portraits
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by Natascha | Sep 28, 2015 | Broomfield Colorado Family Photography, Broomfield Community Spotlight, Community Spotlight, Dancers Dreamers & Make Believers, Featured Post, Philanthrophy, Photography
Community Series where we focused on locally-owned small businesses. I’m thrilled to expand that to include organizations that exist to better the lives of those around us. Now, that technically applies to all businesses – we are all trying to provide a service or product of value to improve the lives of others. But charitable and philanthropic organizations have that service-to-others as their main raison e’tre. Today I’m interviewing Desiree Jewell, a fabulous local Broomfield woman involved in a great local charity. And, she happens to have one of the cutest little redhead girls. Check it out:
I know, right? So very very cute! She was one of my models for a Little Ballerina photo shoot I did a while back. You can never have too too much tutu and tulle! Or glitter and sequins!
Desiree volunteers with a wonderful organization called , Denver Urban Scholars (DUS).
DUS provides a life of opportunity for high risk students in the Denver area. Their mission places tremendous value on fostering positive social and academic settings, increasing graduation rates, and ultimately creating individual pathways to college and career success. The long and short of it, they give local students the tools, time and attention they need to succeed in life.
Read on to learn more about Desiree, what she would do on a day off in Boulder and Lousiville (yes, it involves hiking, a small deli called Salvaggios, and ice cream!), more about how you can help DUS and most importantly, what superhero power she would pick. (BTW, the superhero power she picked is one that no one has ever selected before – and I’ve been asking the “What would be your superhero power” question for YEARS!)
And, don’t miss the YouTube video she mentions at the end of her interview – you could get to be a human foosball table. How cool is that!????
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Desiree, tell us about yourself and your family:
My name is Desiree Jewell and I live in Broomfield, Colorado with my wonderful husband, Todd, and our eight year old daughter, Eden. I am the Director of Marketing for Online & Blended Learning with Pearson North America. Each day I am able to combine my love for teaching/learning with my passion for marketing – there is never a dull moment and I know I am positively impacting the learning experience for someone each and every day!
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If you had a day off work and a $250 budget to spend in your town, what would you do and where would you go?
Wow! This is a tough one. Given the seasons are changing, I would head into Boulder and walk around Pearl Street, while taking in the gorgeous views throughout the area. I absolutely love the CU campus this time of year and it requires zero dollars, so money well spent! There are so many fantastic restaurants in Boulder, but our “go to” is a small deli named Salvaggios. They have the most amazing rolls and you can get the best prime rib sandwich for under $7. I might grab my kiddo on the way home and have a nice “girls day” getting our nails done somewhere around town. A pretty simple day honestly! I would definitely have to cap the day with some delicious ice cream from our favorite shop in Louisville, Sweet Cow. Any remaining funds would go to charity!
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How do you know Natascha Lee Studios?
We have known Natascha for years and have always loved her work! We had the pleasure of working with Natascha Lee Studios for a super fun dance model shoot and the pictures came out amazing. She and her team did a wonderful job of making the day extra fun for the girls, while still ensuring the work was professional and in line with their overall vision. Some of my favorite shots were totally candid and really captured the personalities of all of the girls – it takes a special gift to draw out the true spirit of your clients and Natascha nails it!
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Tell us about the charity you are involved in – what do they do, what makes them special.
For the last twenty years, Denver Urban Scholars (DUS) has been dedicated to providing a life of opportunity for high risk students in the Denver area. Their mission places tremendous value on fostering positive social and academic settings, increasing graduation rates, and ultimately creating individual pathways to college and career success. The long and short of it, they give local students the tools, time and attention they need to succeed in life.
DUS is incredibly special because the organization follows students from middle school into early college/career and empowers them via mentoring, case management and academic support. I have never seen an organization arm their students with so many resources, across so many areas of their life, for so many years. They truly provide the long-term stability these students need and are honestly some of the most generous, passionate, inspiring people I have ever met!
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How did you get involved with this charity? What do you do with them now?
I was introduced to the organization via a friend and the fit was instant. I have been working closely with DUS for the last year and currently serve on their Board of Directors, as well as Chair their Marketing Committee. It has been such a pleasure to get to know all of their amazing staff and volunteers.
One of my biggest goals this year is to build awareness around the great work happening within this organization, so I am very appreciative of this opportunity to share a bit about DUS with the Natascha Lee Studios audience!
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Where can someone go to learn more?
www.denverurbanscholars.org has a wealth of information about the organization! You can also follow the team @DenverScho via twitter or Denver Urban Scholars on Facebook.
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You have a special event coming up….
Yes, we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary this year and have a fantastic fundraising gala, The Class Act Dinner, planned Saturday, November 7 at the Seawell Ballroom within the Denver Performing Arts Center. Tickets and full tables are available for purchase and everyone is invited to attend! If you are unable to make the event, but would like to give in another way, we are actively seeking silent auction donation items, as well as volunteers to help with the evening events. The theme is “Hollywood Glam”, so I assure you it will be a night full of fun – you can learn more here.
You can also give to Denver Urban Scholars at any time via their website, or during Colorado Gives Day this December 8.
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If we can’t make the event, how else can people contribute and/or help out?
Financial assistance is always appreciated; however, we are also actively looking for new mentors to pair with our growing student list! If you or someone you may know is interested in learning more about our mentor opportunities, click here.
You can also plan ahead for our “Summer Games” in June 2016 (date TBD) which is the most incredibly fun, “adult” field day you will find in the Denver area! If you like videos, this YouTube video will give you a great overview of the event.
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And the most important question of all – if you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The power to heal!
Thanks Desiree – it was great to learn more about you and about Denver Urban Scholars!
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by Natascha | Sep 24, 2015 | Denver Colorado Family Portraits, Denver Photographer, Featured Post, Great Nature Locations, Outdoors, Portraits, Summer, Where I Shoot
kid photography in there, too.
Speaking of light, I love how the sunshine creates a halo of light around her hair and how you can see the sun reflecting off the leaves behind her, too. This was a spur-of-the-moment image. We were laughing at how we can’t get the kids to come out of the grain silo, and I suddenly said, “Stop! Don’t move! That light on you is amazing.” Well, this was my third time doing portraits of her son so she knew what to expect…plus she is a bit of a photographer herself. Every time I photograph her son, I also photograph her! (So she knew to wear something cute!)
Denver Mom Portraits
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