Fall is a very romantic time of year. A chill in the air gives couples the perfect time to snuggle up close and get some intimate photos together that showcase their love! I had a wonderful time following Stephanie & David around the church camp that Stephanie has been a counselor to kids attending for many years. She loves this venue, but it wasn’t quite what she wanted for her weddings so rather than use it to host their wedding we utilized it for some amazing fall portraits! Enjoy!
Our annual Fall Mini Portrait Sessions will be taking place again this year with limited morning sessions on two days only! We are offering 20 minute sessions booked on the half hour on Saturday, September 16th and Saturday October 21st only. Sessions will begin at 7am with the last one starting at 11am. The session price is $175.00 and it includes 8 high resolution digital images from the photoshoot. Addtional digital images, prints and holiday cards will also be available to purchase in addition to the included digitals. You may also purchase all of the photos from the session after you view them for $250.00. This year both sessions will be taking place at Majestic View Nature Center – 7030 Garrison St, Arvada, CO 80004. We will be meeting in the parking lot right next to the center (not at the park entrance off 72nd Ave.) The center has restrooms available and some great photo opportunities near by! This is our one and only time a year that we offer short sessions at a discounted rate. The dates, timing and location are all set by our company for this special!
If you have never participated in a mini session before I want to share a little bit about the concept. Mini sessions were developed to give clients with stricter budgets a quick photo-shoot with their family in order to accommodate a large amount of groups in one day! This session is perfect for families with children with short attention spans looking to just capture the growth of their family for holiday cards and the like. These sessions are not intended for groups that may need a bit more time and care with their photos such as large extended family shoots, families with pets or families looking to pick and choose their location and willing to spend more time getting lots of different poses, looks and or clothing changes. A grandparent or two can also tag along with one immediate family, but grandparents with multiple children that have families of their own may need to look at purchasing at least two back to back session spots. We also will not allow pets to be included in these sessions because while we love pets, the sessions are just too short for us to have the time devoted to both getting the the attention of the animals and their family members. These sessions are also more suited for people that can be on time or early. We run a tight ship on mini session day and since sessions are booked back to back photos will start immediately at your contracted start time and end 20 minutes later. Late comers will only get the time-frame we have allowed for them, so once their time is up we’ll be done and moving on to the next group. All sessions are paid for in full to reserve your time-slot with no refunds unless we have a really bad weather day and have to reschedule. In cases like a bad weather day we will reach out to each family to see if there’s a day we can reschedule the session for and if there isn’t a mutually agreeable day within the next 2 months we will refund your money.
Check out some sample photos from last year’s session at Crown Hill Park –
Each session will include a couple different full family poses, separate groupings such as individual parents with children, children alone, parents alone and individual shots with a few different background options. Majestic View offers a lot of options in a close proximity while we won’t be moving around the entire park in a 20 minute session some walking will be needed. If anyone has any disabilities or needs special accommodations please let us know.
One thing we can not guarantee is how much the trees will have changed or the weather! I try to set these sessions around the peak of the fall foliage season with weekend dates that we still have open, but it always varies from year to year. This year we only have a couple Saturday mornings open because we are fully booked with event coverage on the weekends until November. I cross my fingers for a beautiful day with abundant color and leaves still on the trees! Be aware that nature is going to do what nature does and we’re just at it’s mercy! If the forecast calls for cloudy and overcast, but not torrential downpours we will still be doing photos! So please dress accordingly.
Our mini sessions can also be used for a special occasion, not just for a family portrait. We’ve had people utilize our mini sessions for quick engagement pics, maternity announcements, a 50th wedding anniversary, headshots and more! We’ve even accommodated a quick senior portrait session for a student that hated having his photo taken and was doing just the bare minimum photo in one outfit for a yearbook photo and some pictures for his parents. We will be happy to let you utilize your 20 minutes for any quick small portrait session you may need. If you are needing something other than traditional family photos please let us know when you reach out for booking so we can make sure to focus on what’s important in your photoshoot.
If you are interested in booking a time for one of these sessions please email us – info@crystalinephoto.com
Please include your family’s name, contact numbers for any adult participating, names and ages of everyone and date and preferred time slot. Please include two times in case we book your first choice. All bookings are first come first serve are not guaranteed until a contract and full payment has been received. If you have a larger family and are not sure if you will need extra time or not please give us some details and we’ll let you know if we think you will need two time slots.
It’s time to start thinking ahead about getting your Class of 2024 High School Senior’s Portraits completed! By avoiding the Fall rush and getting your photos done over the summer you can take advantage of some of our add-on specials! Check them out ! The biggest one is if you get your photos completed June through July you will receive a free cap and gown / family session next Spring! Why use your phone to take graduation photos when you can have a professional do it! Book and complete your session this Summer and we’ll throw in this session with all of the photos taken from it for FREE!
CALLING ALL SENIORS FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 –
Any student who books a June or July senior session will also receive a FREE cap n gown/family photo-shoot next spring! (This session must be used during the months of April & May 2024 and can not be substituted for a different photo session or time-frame.)
-Do your 2024 grad’s session in June and Receive
50 FREE – Photo Announcements for Graduation
-Do your session in July and Receive 32 – Additional Wallets to any Package!
-Do your session in August and Receive 16 – Additional Wallets to any Package!
**REFER A FRIEND BONUS** – Refer a friend that also does a high school senior session with us and also get $50 of Free Print Credit!
Senior Portrait Collections –
$550.00
120 Minute Session – Unlimited Outfits – Approx. 300 Images (Multiple locations within a 60 mile radius of Arvada)
50 Retouched High Resolution Images
with a Copyright Release
1 – Yearbook Submission (retouched)
1 – 11×14, 4 – 8x10s, 4 – 5x7s & 48 Wallets (all finished prints retouched)
$350.00
90 Minute Session – 4 Outfits – Approx. 200 Images (Location within 30 Miles of Arvada)
Online Proofing
with a Copyright Release
1 – Yearbook Submission (retouched)
3 – 8x10s, 4 – 5x7s, & 32 Wallets (all finished prints retouched)
BASIC PHOTO SESSION –
$200.00
45 Minute Session – 2 Outfits / 1 Quick Top Shirt Change Only – Approx. 50 Images (Location within 10 Miles of Arvada this is areas like Wheat Ridge, Westminster, Thornton, etc.)
Online Proofing
1 – Yearbook Submission (retouched)
1 – 8×10, 2 – 5x7s & 16 Wallets (all finished prints retouched)
Tasha and Liz’s fun blended family engagement session was featured on LGBTQ.com and so I wanted to just share it with everyone else! We’re so excited to not only photograph their amazing family, but to also be photographing their wedding in June! Here’s the link to the article on that site – https://lgbtqido.com/engagement-at-red-rocks-liz-and-tasha/
This time last year I was tromping around in the snow taking engagement photos of Alison and Alex in anticipation for their wedding that is to take place next week! Wow! Where did a year go? On this Valentine’s Day I was thinking about them and all the other couples that might be getting engaged today! This is the next biggest holiday for engagements after Christmas! I’m so excited to finally share these awesome photos with you on a day that celebrates love! I can’t wait to cover their wedding next weekend! Enjoy!
Fall is by far the busiest time of year for both wedding coverage and family portrait sessions in Colorado and its easy to see why. Beautiful fall foliage colors last for just a brief moment and people love capturing the season in their memories. Because of this we’ve been offering quick mini sessions for one day only in the Fall so that we can accommodate a bunch of families looking to get a quick updated family photo for their holiday cards at a reduced price. If we are able to host a mini session day then we wait until September to see what dates are still open on our calendar after all the weddings and other events have been scheduled and pick a day as close to the peak of the Fall foliage colors as possible to schedule these special sessions. Mini sessions are for immediate family only and last 20 minutes. Due to the short period of time given for these sessions we are also not allowing pets for them. I love taking photos with your family pet, but they need more time to be worked with than the short time-frame we have for the mini sessions. If you are interested in booking a session with your pet please reach out to us directly to check availability for a full one hour session. For our mini sessions, families are encouraged to arrive a few minutes before their session start time to ensure an on-time arrival so we can get started right away. This way we can spend the entire twenty minutes allotted taking multiple poses of your family. We book sessions back to back to accommodate as many families as possible on this date. Late arrivals will get shortened sessions if we have time to still photograph them. Check out some photos from our 2021 Fall Session below. If you have a highly organized family that is punctual and would like to get on our monthly newsletter email so you can be informed when we are running these specials sign up on our newsletter form here – http://eepurl.com/cuTnlH
A year ago Becka and Bryce booked us to cover their wedding that will already be next weekend and then we photographed their fall engagement portraits to memorialize the special occasion! How quickly a year flies by! It hardly seems like a year has passed, but the fact that I’m just now getting to blog about it shows you how busy we’ve been! With the leaves just beginning to turn here in Denver I was thinking about all of the fall weddings and portrait sessions coming up for us in the next couple of weeks. Fall is a magical time of year and just so happens to be the busiest season for photographers everywhere. Families are wanting to document their family for holiday cards, couples are wanting those beautiful colors in their save-the-date cards and who doesn’t like wearing boots and chunky sweaters.
I just wanted to share some of my favorite photos from this session with their puppy in anticipation for their wedding next week. It will be great to see them again! Enjoy these fun festive fall photos!
The summer going into fall is the perfect time to schedule a high school senior portrait session. Most Colorado high schools require the yearbook photo submission by the end of September or first part of October. By scheduling your session early you ensure that you can find a great photographer available to meet your needs. Since Colorado is also a beautiful state with lots of outdoor background opportunities many students want to have their photos taken outside. We offer both an outdoor or an indoor session depending on the desire of the client. Whether you are doing an indoor studio or outdoor session you’ll want your outfits to coordinate with the backdrops. It’s a good idea to discuss the types of looks you are wanting with your photographer so if you’re doing an outdoor session they can suggest locations that will work with your wardrobe or they can pick out some studio backdrops that compliment your chosen outfits.
Here is some suggestions on how to style your wardrobe for your portrait session:
1.) Choose Solid colors over patterns and prints! If you do choose an outfit with a print it’s a good idea to break up some of that print with some solid color items like a belt, scarf, jacket etc. A pattern with a larger scale print is going to look better than a smaller pattern that can be distracting to the camera. I also find that some patterns can really “date” a photo. Choosing a solid color outfit is going to give your portraits a more classic look that will look good hanging on the parents’ wall for years. If you have chosen a session with multiple outfit changes then incorporating one or two outfits with a little bit of pattern isn’t bad.
2.) Consider a casual and a more dressy option. A casual option would be jeans and a couple different shirts. A more formal option is a dress, skirt or cocktail dress (this can even be your Prom dress or other dress from a formal dance). For men a dress shirt, jacket and even a tie if they so choose. It’s just nice to have options! One of your more formal photos might even be great addition to a job resume in the future!
3.) Make sure your outfits fit well! I find that clothes that are baggy or oversized are not very complimentary on almost all body types and will make you appear larger than you actually are. If your outfit is supposed to fit-to-size, make sure it actually does that and doesn’t fit too tightly or loosely, especially when it comes to your straps, bust area, mid-section area, and hemlines.
On that note, wear something you feel comfortable sitting, standing, and kneeling down in as we will also be incorporating those types of poses. Don’t forget to iron your clothes! If you show up to your session with wrinkly clothing covered in cat hair it’s going to show in all of the photos. Extra retouch costs will be assessed if wrinkles and hair need to be removed in the photos.
4.) Keep the location, weather and season in mind. A summer dress in the middle of winter might not only look out of place, but will keep you shivering during the photoshoot. Chunky sweaters and layered looks are always great for Fall and Winter sessions. Spring and Summer is the perfect time to wear a cute skirt, tank tops and shorts!
5.) Don’t forget the accessories! Jewelry, scarves, shoes and more can only improve a photo! This is also a time to show off your school spirit by bringing your letterman jacket, musical instruments that you play, items that go with the sports you do such as a basketball, football, tennis racket, etc. And if you are into something else like collecting stuff, art, etc. you are always welcome to bring some of those items to commemorate your love for whatever you’re into. Years from now it will be fun to look back at the hobbies you enjoyed as a teenager saved in your senior photos!
6.) Stick to your known style. While it may be fun to get experimental with your clothes for creative photo-shoots, I don’t really recommend it for senior sessions. This goes for hairstyles and make-up as well. My biggest regret from my own senior session years ago was cutting off my signature long hair to above my shoulders a week before I did my senior photos. While it was a fun change, it’s not how I usually looked and I hated my senior photos. It’s best to capture you the way most people know you before you go wild with a new look!
7.) Think about reflections. We use additional lighting in almost all of our portrait sessions so wearing glitter make-up, highly reflective glasses or anything else that can reflect light is not a great idea. If people are used to seeing you wear glasses on a regular basis and you want to wear them in your photos look at removing the lenses for just the photo-shoot or borrowing a set of frames from your optometrist. We can also incorporate poses that minimize reflections in glasses, but that can also limit the types of poses we can do with you during your session so if you can help us out by removing the lenses it makes the session run smoother. Some reflections can be removed in retouch later, but again that’s an additional charge for the work involved.
I also recommend bringing a translucent make-up powder that can be used to cut down the shine on faces. If men are not into using powder, then I suggest at least bringing some blotting sheets to use when you are a bit too shiny. Make-up should look natural and not too heavy. If you don’t wear a lot of make-up or any then at least bring some chapstick for dry lips.
8.) Lastly, have fun with it! It’s great to pick up a few new items before the shoot, but don’t discount some of your old, but favorite outfits! Your senior session should ultimately represent “YOU” and be a fun way to remember your last year of high school!
The year has just flown by once again. I’m finishing up on the last of my December events and realized it’s been a while again since I’ve done a blog post and decided to share this fun family session that I photographed at Brookside Gardens in Berthoud, Colorado. I met this family while I was photographing a wedding last year as the mother was the sister of the bride. We started planning her family photos shortly after that wedding and since they were located in Greeley and I was located in Arvada I wanted to find a location in between us that worked. And not just any location would do… Reyna had some specific requests. She wanted a waterfall and flowers and then I said I knew the perfect spot! Brookside Gardens is a wedding and event facility so we had to work around their busy event calendar, but it was all worth it in the end. I had a great time photographing this family and they now have some amazing images capturing this time-frame in their young children’s lives. Check out some of our favorite images below.
What’s your senior style? Is it laid back and outdoorsy or is it hip and urban? Perhaps you want to showcase one of the many activities you do or even your beloved and cherished pet. However you’d like to remember your senior year we are here to accommodate! We offer packages from a simple shoot for the student who just wants a great yearbook photo and a couple prints for mom and dad to elaborate two hour sessions with multiple locations all designed around your style! Because we are already quite booked up in the Fall with events this year we are encouraging the Class of 2022 to book and schedule their session in the Summer where not only do we have more availability, but also more options due to the amazing sunny weather. Check out the Summer booking specials below!
Summer 2021 Senior Photo Specials
Any student who books a summertime photo session (June-August) will also receive a FREE cap n gown photo-shoot next spring or whenever you’d like to do it!
-Do your session in June and Receive 50 FREE – Photo Announcements for Graduation
-Do your session in July and Receive 32 – Additional Wallets to any Package!
-Do your session in August and Receive 16 – Additional Wallets to any Package!
Call us today to get on our calendar and discuss options! 303.432.2954
