How to Have Absolutely Stunning and Beautiful Denver Family Photography
The Ultimate Guide to Family Photography for Families in the Denver Metro Area
Do you want stunning and beautiful family photography in Denver? Not sure where to start?
Then you’re in the right place.
This is a guide for everything you’ll ever need to know about family photography in the Denver area. It’s an ultimate guide in fact.
So scroll down and I’ll help you learn exactly how to get the family photography of your family you can be proud of.
And don’t forget to get your freebie, before you go!
Get Your Freebie Guide!
How to Style the Perfect Family Portrait - The Ultimate Family Portrait Style Guide
Included:
Learn how to approach choosing a location for your session, plus three location recommendations!
Learn how to choose outfits for you and your family members and make sure they coordinate
Get a list of my favorite clothes retailers for family portraits
Plus Much More!
Hi and Welcome!
I’m Sara and a maternity, newborn, and family photographer in the Denver metro area. Mom of two (including my fur baby). And enjoyer of the outdoors, even if it’s just looking at it from my couch. You can learn more about me here.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to navigate the world of family photography here in Denver, so that you can be confident in your choices and be proud of your family photos. Interested in me as your photographer? You can see more about my family services here.
What You’ll Learn in This Ultimate Guide to Denver Family Photography
What is family photography anyway and when should we have it?
Why should we take photos of our family regularly?
Where do we find our dream family photographer?
How do we find the perfect place for our family photoshoot?
How do we find photoshoot outfits for all our family?
What do you bring to these kinds of things anyway?
The What and When of Family Photography
What is family photography anyway?
Family photography is a broad genre of photography and the exact definition of what is included and what isn’t depends on the photographer. Confusing right? So let’s start with the broad definition. It is a portrait style of photography that captures families and members of those families at important family milestones. So family photography can include:
your annual family portrait
maternity photography
newborn photography
first year baby milestones - 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 12 month/first birthday sessions
photography of children
photography of high school seniors
photography of preteens
graduation photos
couples photography
mommy and me photos
daddy and me photos
much more
Most family photographers will focus on just some of the above types of photography and typically doesn’t do them all. At least not in a highly specialized way. For example, a family photography will obviously take photos of children, but they may not specialize in that specific sub-genre and take fine art photos of children on their own without their family.
When should we have family photos taken?
Most families will do family photos annually and then special, more specific sessions, at the major milestones. So a family might take family photos every summer. And then they’ll also get maternity, newborn, and baby milestone photos done when a new addition has been added. And then when the kiddos get to be seniors, they’ll get senior photos done. They also may do special sessions for smaller milestones, like when your child hits 10 years old or becomes a preteen, so that you can capture that specific chapter of their childhood.
The Why of Family Photography
Why should we take photos of our family regularly?
There are many benefits to taking family photos regularly:
Memories will fade as time passes, but, fortunately, if properly maintained a photograph will not. And photographs will spark memories that may have been lost otherwise. They can bring back cherished memories and help us feel connected to our past.
Your family changes faster than you’ll realize seeing them every day and photos can show you just how quick those changes happen. I know. We don’t want to be reminded how fleeting our kid’s childhood is, right? But seeing how quickly they change and grow can help us to appreciate the time we do have with them. This just happened to me recently. I took a first day of school photo of my daughter on her first day of preschool and just a couple of weeks ago, I took a photo of her last day of her first year. And I was amazed how much she had changed. I would’ve never noticed without the photos, because I see her everyday. It both makes me sad, but also so glad and honored that I got to be here for her growth.
Capturing photos is an experience in itself. It brings a family together to spend quality time and create memories together.
Photographs connect future generations with present and past generations. By looking at photographs of you, your grandchildren will feel connected to you and their family’s past.
Our own identity is deeply rooted in where we come from. Gift your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren the security of knowing their family’s past and feeling a strong sense of self.
To make a long story short, family photographs preserve love, the love we have for ourselves and our families. They solidify our children’s identities and give them strong roots in order build solid foundations for their lives.
The How of Family Photography in Denver
Where do we find our dream family photographer?
So let me guess, it took you way too much time just to find this Denver family photographer’s website? I’m a mom too, so I know just how long these things take. Too long, if you ask me. You must be good at it though. You found yourself on a Denver family photographer’s website. To save you time in the future though, here’s the cliff’s notes version of how to find the right family photographer:
At the end of the day, old fashioned Google is the best place to start. Search terms like “family photographer,” “family photos,” or “Denver family photographer.” And start searching through the results.
Pinterest can be a great way to find a photographer through their style. You’re only going to click on photos you like, so it means that you’re only bothering to look at photographers’ websites worth your time. The problem with Pinterest for this kind of search though is that it isn’t going to assume that you want a photographer in your area. So try terms that will narrow it down, like “Denver family photographer,” “Boulder family photographer,” and because the vast majority of population is in the Denver area, “Colorado family photographer” will also help.
Friends
Get recommendations from your friends and family. Ask on mommy groups.
Get Your Freebie Guide!
How to Style the Perfect Family Portrait - The Ultimate Family Portrait Style Guide
Included:
Learn how to approach choosing a location for your session, plus three location recommendations!
Learn how to choose outfits for you and your family members and make sure they coordinate
Get a list of my favorite clothes retailers for family portraits
Plus Much More!
Preparing for Your Family Photo Session
How do we find the perfect place for our family photoshoot?
Your go-to resource should be your photographer. Photographers will know what locations produce the best images for their style. They will know what logistically will work in regards to lighting, posing, and session flow.
If you already have a location in mind, make sure to clear it with your photographer before you get attached. Being beautiful and breathtaking is really just the first criteria for a location. There are a lot of other factors that have to be considered when choosing a location for a family photoshoot. The lighting needs to be right at the right time of day. There has to be backdrops that work with your photographer’s style. Those locations need to work with the type of equipment your photographer has and needs to work with the lighting. So don’t get attached to a location until you have discussed with it with your photographer. I’m sure it’s beautiful, but, if it doesn’t produce the images you what out of your session, it probably isn’t the best fit.
To get the brainstorming juices flowing, I have included links to all of my location overview blog posts below. These are locations I have personally photographed at and find to be exceptional.
Location Ideas for your Family Photoshoot
How do we find photoshoot outfits for our family?
It might seem like such a little thing, but outfits can make or break a family photoshoot. You can get good photos with okay outfits, but you can only get great photos with great outfits. So it really does matter what everyone wears. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Just make sure you start planning in advance, so that you have time to get new items if need be. And make sure that you’re working with your photographer. They’ll know well what will go with their photography style and with the location you’ve chosen. They may even have a styling service. I personally utilize Style and Select for my clients. And your photographer may have a client closet. I personally offer options for moms and daughters, with the client closet growing every day.
For some great advice on how to style your family for your family photoshoot, make sure to check out my blog post that dives just into that - 5 Steps - What to Wear for Family Pictures
During Your Photoshoot
Here is your must bring list for your maternity photoshoot:
Water
Mosquito Repellent, if it’s that season
Layers, if it’s the other season
Comfortable shoes to change into when not taking photos
Back up outfits for any children under 5. Why? You know why. =)
Snacks. When sessions are late in the day, sugar solves all late bedtime issues.
And just relax. The photographer will know what to do.
What do you bring to these kinds of things anyway?
After Your Family Photo Session
We’re looking at the beautiful images, what do we do now?
Yay! You’re finished with your family session and now you get to see beautiful images from it. You could be viewing them on an online gallery or during an in-person sales appointment. Every photographer’s process is different.
Before you order though, think about your goals with these photos. How will you be passing these down to future generations? Will they be wall art? Will they be turned into an album?
Printing is one of the two ways needed in order to preserve your images for future generations. Computers and hard drives crash. Image files corrupt. You’ll want to make sure that you print your favorite photos, so that you aren’t a victim of failed technology.
But how you print those images also matters. Consumer level labs rarely have high archival quality. They’ll work for 10-20 years, but the paper quality and ink will fail. Paper is actually a photograph’s worst enemy. The very paper itself will cause it to degrade. That is if it isn’t archival quality. So when you’re wanting to print things for future generations, make sure you’re doing so with professional labs. Their products will last generations. Professional labs only work with professional photographers though, so make sure that you’re working with a professional photographer to get prints done that you’d like to pass down.
The other way you should be storing your photos is digitally. Houses burn down and flood. Natural disasters can mean an end to anything printed. So back those image files up. And do so in no less than three locations. I personally do two physical hard drives and the cloud. The cloud is pivotal, because no natural disaster can take down the cloud.
Lastly, make sure you’re sharing those images as far and as wide as you can. Sharing your excitement and love through images is the best way to celebrate it. But don’t forget the photographer while you’re doing that. We all run small businesses that work almost exclusively on referrals. So make sure to tag us and spread the word, so we can stay in business.
Before You go - Get Your Freebie Guide!
How to Style the Perfect Family Portrait - The Ultimate Family Portrait Style Guide
Included:
Learn how to approach choosing a location for your session, plus three location recommendations!
Learn how to choose outfits for you and your family members and make sure they coordinate
Get a list of my favorite clothes retailers for family portraits
Plus Much More!
When Should Our Next Session Be?
Our photos are done for the year. Now what do we do?
Families will often do two things to make sure that they capture their family’s history fully.
The first thing they’ll do is annual family photos. This allows you to document how your family changes through time. How your kids have grown. How your family has grown. How your kids and family have changed. It’s only through regular photos can you truly show this.
The other thing families will do is special photoshoots for special milestones and occasions. Here are some special milestones and occasions often captured by families:
Maternity and Newborn photography for a new baby
First birthday
A personality or special session for a kiddo turning 10 or becoming a preteen
Seniors photos for the high school senior
Graduation photos for high school and college graduation
A photoshoot for just the parents on big wedding anniversaries
Family vacations
The great thing about family photography is that there are so many options out there that you can capture your family in whatever manner you wish to. You are the author of your family’s story.
