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Denver Senior Pictures – Sports

When you’re looking for unique Denver Senior Pictures, you want something more than just downtown in the background. Shooting downtown is an artform. It has a rhythm, personality and vibe that makes it more than just a bunch of buildings downtown behind you in the picture. There is life, moods, shadows, alleys, doorways, all of which provide a small story glimpse into what downtown Denver is like.

We were shooting some downtown sports image. We chose a graffiti alley to show off the grunge and grit associated with street ball. There is a story to be told in each sports photo. We could have settle with each player holding a ball against a wall and do what every other senior photography studio in Denver does. But, we wanted to tell a story, create a mood of late night pickup ball, sweating, waiting your turn on the court when the current game finishes. It’s no rules (or just a few) and it’s for the pure love of the game! Showing athleticism in Denver Senior Pictures is only part of the story, showing the emotion, hard work and play that comprised your rise to the top of your high school sport. Valor Christian has one of the top teams this year in Colorado and these are two of their top players. Watch out for Kayle and Jalen over the next few months of 2017. It should be an amazing year.

Follow all the teams this year for basketball at http://chsaanow.com/sports/boys-basketball/. We follow most of our athletes throughout the year and into college. We’ve had the privilege of shooting some of the greatest athletes in Colorado and the world. We love it all, from peewee league up to the professional and olympic ranks.

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Senior Pictures to Model Portfolio

Comp cards for high school seniors
Modeling Comp Card

Every season, there are lots of amazing seniors looking to break into modeling from their Senior Pictures. It’s a tough business to make it big, but there are lots of little modeling jobs here in Denver from Catalogue to Promotion modeling, etc. There are three major modeling agencies here in the Front Range

  • Maximum Talent
  • Nxt Model
  • Donna Baldwin

The agencies usually hold open castings once a week or once a month.  And, they can represent you locally or across the US.  There’s too much information to cover in a single post, but we provide this site to all of our model candidates.

If you’re serious about being a model, you need to read this site, all the way through. I will help you immensely and short cut your learning curve by months to years. Click here to go to Joe’s Edelman’s modeling site!

 

This is a list of modeling agencies here in Colorado. Skip the agencies that are trying to sell you modeling classes, paid photoshoots, websites, listings, etc.  A true agent gets paid when you get paid.  Period.  The rest are SCAMS.

We shoot probably 10-20 seniors per year who want to become models and use their senior pictures.  Don’t worry, we can do both in a single photo session.  Realistically, you can go into an open casting with nothing.  I would recommend the model tips and advice pages before you go in.  However, if you go in, and you’re signed, you’ll need a headshot and comp cards.  Portfolio shots are great too, but not required.  Most agencies will be more impressed with tear sheets (from an actual commercial shoot) for you portfolio. We can provide all three of those if you want, however to look professional and ready to go, headshots and comp cards are the real necessities. The others can be added later. Here’s a few samples of the front/back of comp cards. The back, although blurred out, contains size, weight, height, measurements, etc and the front a headshot and your name.

And finally, you’ll need a larger 8×10 headshot. The comp cards are 5.5×8.5 inches. Here’s a sample head shot.

Headshots and comp cards and normally not photoshopped much aside from basic hair flyaways, acne, etc. They want them as close to what you are in real life. They can tell what you’ll look like with full makeup and photoshop, but the hiring agents need to know what the raw material is. It’s one of the big mistakes made by new models, submitting heavily photoshopped images.

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Denver Senior Pictures

We had a great year in 2013, we had a chance to work with Elizabeth Holmes to provide her our photos and materials for her feature segment. We were actually called by ABC’s morning show to follow us the day after the article on the main WSJ went live. But, we were going to Disney World with our daughter. You gotta have priorities. Anyway, if you follow the link below, you can see quite a few of our seniors featured on the video. It was fantastic. Josh, one of the seniors featured actually got the WSJ to send him the press plate to frame. Very cool! So check it out…

http://www.wsj.com/video/in-the-age-of-instagram-senior-portraits-go-upscale/6447FFE5-6AD1-4BF7-BC37-C84EB87D095B.html

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Senior Photo Shoot

BFF Senior Pictures – Your Posse’ (Monarch High School)

Hit 70 in Denver, wanted to go out and experiment with some ideas for our model shoots. Not quite there, but had a blast w/ Louisa and friends, 3 outfit changes in one hour! Fast and furious but fun…thanks to the crew for being good sports.  Louisa was one of our first models when we started shooting Seniors.  These can be a lot of fun, from simply bringing a friend to your shoot to mix in a few shots, or even family relatives. Don’t get us wrong, the focus of the shoot needs to be on the senior…but a few well timed/placed shots with people that are important to you makes for even more lasting memories. Senior Pictures are a once in a lifetime event.

Louisa, who set this up, is now an amazing fashion blogger now, check her out at http://www.lepennyjar.com.

So give us a call, we can mix in friends, pets, family members, team mates, we do it all the time. We don’t typically mix in family shoots as those are more complicated and can consume a vast majority of the senior session. Like we said above, the focus needs to be on you, the senior! But having people, pets and items that are important to you in your pictures is key to remembering this important time in your life!

 

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Senior Pictures Denver

From time to time, we like to feature recent clients on our blog. We had the great pleasure of helping Caitlyn prepare her portfolio and comp card for an upcoming Model Expo. She was one of only a few people in Colorado selected. With classic looks and a beautiful profile, we think she’ll do great. We’re wishing her the best. We’ve had success getting some of the other models we’ve shot signed at this very same expo in previous years. I have no doubt Caitlyn is on her way. We provided a series of studio and outdoor shots as part of the process. She wanted a mix of lifestyle, editorial and fashion mixed in. Anyway, we’re pulling for you Caitlyn, knock em dead at the expo! Here’s a few ample images from one of her two shoots.

 

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Senior Track Pictures (Erie High School)

We had a chance to work with Justin Vang from Erie for his senior pictures and model session. Justin is a Pole Vaulter for the Erie track team. We caught up with him at one of the local track camps early in the morning and had a blast trying to catch some unique and compelling images. The B&W track pictures are fast becoming a favorite of mine and sports portraits for seniors is also fast becoming our specialty. Schedule your Senior Picture today!  We’ve shot most of the top athletes in every event and each event presents a unique challenge to understand how to portray the image in a single frame of the camera.  We know all the events and how to show case your pure athleticism and technique.

 

 

 

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The way Senior Sports Portraits were meant to be!

Sports and Fashion are the two primary reasons I’m a photography today. As a high school senior we go through a right of passage to college, the military, sports or work the 18th year of our lives. We reach a key milestone and our live forever changes. Choices open up and paths present themselves as we begin to figure out what we will do, be, etc. We shoot a ton of sports portraits, and when we started, most of what we saw resembled this…

Don’t get me wrong, the letterman jacket is a great thing. But, it does not show off you, your life, your hardwork. It doesn’t tell a story or recreate big plays of your life. The old senior picture of the letterman jacket merely shows what you’ve “earned” as a result of 1000’s of hours of training, practice and playing. And as a senior photo, it’s a bit of a let down. We felt your senior pictures should be about you, not some factory where 1000’s of seniors have posed before you. And if you play sports, they should capture your athleticism, power, skill, tenacity and love for the sport. When you look back 5,10,20 years which image is going to remind you, your children, your parents of who you were as an athlete.

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Session Tips

Eye Makeup

Stay with us, we’re just beginning to update this section. We’re going to provide new makeup tips and internet resources for amazing looks and styles. We’re starting with the eyes and we’ll cover everything from toes to hair. The first tip post is around eyes and eye makeup. Although we can provide an makeup artist with our session, often times, simple changes to your makeup. We’ll be updating eye color as we go along and provide some great makeup tip links for different looks you might want for your shoot.

Try out a few of these looks and styles and see what you like before your photoshoot. Since our sessions typically have several sets/outfits, you want to start with less dramatic first. Make sure your wardrobe has several outfits that match the look. Also, get some decent sleep prior to your shoot. Red, tired eyes can ruin even the best makeup.

Keep in mind, we work with some of the best makeup artists in the front range. If you want your makeup professionally done, we can help you with that also.

Green Eyes

Hover over the card to see great tips for green eyes.

What's best for Green Eyes

Warm colors such as deep purples, plums, lilacs, golds, bronze, deep green, mauves, copper, brown, medium pinks, apricots and peaches work well for green eyes. Avoid the cooler colors such as blues, silvers, whites and pastels. These will tend to make you look washed out. Use brown instead of black eyeliners, or perhaps bronze or gold. Your lips and blushes should be similar colors. You can also match with a burgundy color for lipstick.

BLUE EYES

Hover over the card to see great tips for blue eyes.

What's Best for Blue Eyes

Generally, blue eyes work best with gray, violet, taupe, purple and deep blues. Using dark shades of blue bring out more natural blue tones in your eyes. If you mix black liner with bright blue, it gives you more of the popular smoky effect.

For a more fun/funky look, mix silver, fuschia or turquoise in. Blond hair, fair skin can also mix in violet, lavenders and pink where as red hair might work better with shades of brown…your hair and skin tone really call for a more natural looking eye shadow. Add a gold shimmer to the brown tones to add a distinct finished look. Blue eyes have different shades and intensity, so experiment a little to find the color combinations and shades that work for your particular shade of blue. Warm browns, taupes and soft peach colors work well also.

Brown Eyes

Hover over the card to see great tips for brown eyes.

What's good for Brown Eyes

Okay, here’s the easy part. Brown eyes work with almost everything stated above. Darker skins should stay away from white or light colors and look for eye shadows with deep, rich colors. Fair skin tones should stay away from the darker colors and migrate toward lighter shades.

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Session Tips

Skin Care Tips

Perfect skin helps the photographer, but it’s not necessary for your photoshoot. We photoshop all the photos free of skin blemishes, discolorations, etc. But if you want the confidence that goes with great skin on a daily basis, here are some tips.

Your getting ready for your photo shoot. You want to make sure everything is perfect. Skin can be covered up with makeup and with Photoshop made to look just about any way you want. But, for great looking skin no matter where or what you’re doing, there are a few basic steps. Good skin provides several benefits to your shoot and gives you a certain glow that can’t be done with just makeup or Photoshop. We shoot with a lot of models and have worked with Skin care professionals to understand just what it takes to create flawless model skin. Diet and genetics plays a big role, but four basic steps used consistently can create dramatic changes in anyone’s skin. Start now, the longer you adhere to these simple steps prior to your shoot, the better the results. Your skin type, oily, normal, combination, dry, sensitive or sun-damaged can change how you care for your skin. Above all, especially in Colorado, stay hydrated, drink lots of water, keeping your body hydrated is the key to great, elastic, young-looking skin.

1. Cleansing
Keep it simple. You don’t have to go for the fancy cleaners, just a good basic cleaner works great. Don’t use a bar soap, they tend to dry out your skin on your face. Check out The best cleansers for your skin type. You’ll want to take off your makeup with a proper makeup remover first. If you do this at night, in the morning, you cna get away with just some lukewarm water in the morning for removing excess oil. Always use warm water, not hot or cold water.

2. Exfoliate
This should be part of your weekly routine and can make a huge difference in your skin. There are three primary ways to exfoliate skin: Chemical peels, retinoids and Microdermabrasion. Scrubs simply remove the top layer of dead skin cells that tend to dull your complexion. Use a tiny grain, gentle scrub. Cheaper scrubs can damage the skin. Check out Lancome’s Resurface-C. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but the next best thing to a professional monthly peel. Retinoid such as Retin-A work by removing the dead skin and help generate collagen in the skin. Most skin care experts consider Retinoids a skin saver.

3. Moisturize
Don’t moisturize if you have acne. Moisturizers help with tight/dry skin. Be careful not to over moisturize as it may clog pores. Your skin will tell you if you need moisturizer. You can also use moisturizer instead of eye creams.

4. Sunscreen
The single most important step to save your skin, not only for today, but for years to come. If you moisturize, use a non-SPF at night and use a SPF one in the morning before you go out. Mexoryl-based is the best in our experience and can be found in the Neutrogena product lines among others.

Web resources
Nothing replaces talking to a skin care professional or a dermatologist for problem skin. Everyone’s skin is different and sometimes minor modifications to your routine will make work far better for your particular skin type. We’ll post a set of links to web resources for additional skin care information.

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Comp Cards for Senior Models

When our seniors sign up for the Super Model shoot, we can provide a custom modeling comp card. These industry standard cards are 8.5 x 5.5 inches, printed front and back. The front provides a head shot and the model’s name.

The back of the card contains other pictures showing the models other looks and key statistics such as height, size, etc. to leave behind at auditions and interviews. If you book a Super Model shoot, we offer the card creation at $100. We’ll also create an 8×10 head shot along with the comp card in electronic, full resolution format. The great thing about these cards is they are royalty free. You can print as many as you’d like without paying a per print charge. We can help you source print vendors if you need. You are certainly welcome to order through us at our print lab prices.

Let us help kick start your modeling career today!