Reflections From A Denver Photographer

Reflections from a Denver Photographer: What do we all do at the end of the year? We spend time looking back and what we have accomplished for the year and for me, 2022 was a big success as I became an official Denver Commercial Photographer! From births and babies to seniors and branding, it was a year I won’t soon forget. Want to walk down memory lane and hear some of my reflections as a Denver photographer? This is long, but I hope you make it all the way to the end to see what is coming in 2023. I wish I could include one photo from every session, but that would be over 100+ images and that is just going a bit too far.

Woman standing in front of a yellow striped wall wearing a white shirt and jean jacket holds up a camera to her face and smiles at Denver commercial photographers.

My Last Wedding

I used to think that my destiny was in wedding photography. However, times have changed and God has changed my heart and moved my business in a different direction. I was able to take on one last wedding for a dear friend and it was a day full of love and joy. What an honor to be a part of their special day….and it reassured me that I have made a good decision and that weddings are not in my future!

Bride smiling while sitting on the lap of her groom as he has his arms wrapped around her as captured by a Denver Photographer.

Bride and groom running at a Denver Photographer while the wedding party smiles in the background.

Bellies, Births and Babies

COVID put a real wrench in the works and it is much more difficult to do birth photography and newborn photography came to a screeching halt as well. As the world is SLOWLY coming back to a new normal, I still love to snuggle babies but again, my heart slowly moved away from that as well. Thankfully, I still have a few babies and little ones that I captured this year (including watching another baby enter the world…that is my favorite). I have had so many LiLo babies in the last 12 years and I am SO grateful. Trust me, I will still be biggest baby hog in the room and will sniff baby heads whenever I get the chance, but I won’t be taking on any new newborn clients in 2023. So bittersweet but I know it is the right path for my business.

A closeup of a pregnant women with a green dress on with hands of the entire family touching her belly as captured by a Denver Photographer.

8 month old baby boy in jeans and an orange long sleeved henley shirt sitting in a vintage white pot with red handles looking at a Denver Photographer and grinning.

A dog sniffs the head of a newborn baby swaddled in neutral colors as captured by a Denver Photographer.

LiLo Families

Another big change for me this year was changing all my full family sessions to mini sessions. I was able to spend a lot more time with my family and grow other areas of my business instead of spending every weekend chained to my camera September through November. Again, this was bittersweet as I didn’t get to see all of my LiLo families. However, mini sessions aren’t going anywhere and I will be doing them again in 2023. I loved seeing so many of my faithful LiLo families and capturing a ton of great images in a short burst. If you want to know more about my mini sessions, you can sign up to be the first to know! P.S I already have a few dates on my calendar for the spring and fall….so sign up and get those dates before anyone else.

A family with two boys smile up at their baby siter who is smiling at a Denver Photographer.

A Denver Photographer takes a picture of two sisters with their heads together and their parents hands on their shoulders.

Little blonde girl in a flowered top lays on her tummy on an old quilt smiling at the camera.

A one year old boy in red converse, khaki shorts and a denim shirt holds hands with his mom and dad while smiling at a Denver Photographer.

LiLo Rep Team

The LiLo Senior Rep Team was again one of the highlights of the year. I had a little bit of a smaller team this year, which was nice because I could focus on these four amazing kids and really add some fun elements to the team without having huge numbers to worry about. We did three fun sessions including one at an old, turn of the century Denver school, one in the mountains and one styled shoot that had a garage theme. This team really bonded and went from strangers to friends and it was a joy to capture them this year.

A huge change I made this year was partnering with Giggleblossom boutique. They provided all of the clothes for our group sessions and the girls had so much fun going in and choosing clothes that matched the theme. Then they could purchase the clothes at a discount if they wanted to. I have some amazing things in store for my team next year and it is going to open up in January. So if you want more information or want to be first on the list, sign up to get emails about the program.

Four teenage seniors in black and red clothes sit and stand in front of an open auto body garage with serious looks on their faces while looking at a Denver Senior Photographer.

Senior Girl laying in a vintage red car with her back on the front seat holding the steering wheel and gazing at a Denver Senior Photographer.

A senior boy in a red and black bowling shirt sitting on a vintage car captured by a Denver Senior Photographer.

Denver Senior Photographer showing off her rep team of four high school seniors in an old abandoned school wearing neutral colors and leaning against each other.

Denver Senior Photos

Another highlight of 2022 was meeting tons of 2023 seniors from all around the Denver area. I captured over FORTY 2023 seniors this year. This is something I am so proud of and I amazed at how much my Denver senior photography business has grown. From Red Rocks in the pouring rain to finding a crashed airplane, it was a season to remember! I can’t wait for next summer when I get to meet the class of 2024! Just FYI, my pricing will be going up starting February 15th, so if you want to lock in the current pricing, click here.

Denver Senior Photographer captures a senior girl in a navy sleeveless dress in front of a gray double prop airplane while giving a serious face to a Denver Senior Photographer.

Senior girl sits backwards in a red chair and leans her head and arms on the back of the chair and smiles at a Denver Senior Photographer.

Senior boy sits with a serious face toward a Denver Photographer in a blue t-shirt in front of a red door.

Denver Senior Photographer takes a picture of a senior girl in a green t-shirt and white pants sitting on the ground in front of a metal industrial wall in Downtown Denver.

Senior girl laying in a field of pink flowers smiling at a Denver Senior Photographer with her hand over her head.

Cap and Gown Mini Sessions

This was my third year of doing cap and gown mini sessions and once again they are some of my favorite mini sessions. This year I found myself a little choked up as I did them because my son was in the class of 2022. Seeing his friends, cousins and classmates graduate was something I will never forget. The photos below made more than one mom tear up. If you are a part of the class of 2023, I am going to be doing these again on May 13th. Mark your calendars and shoot me an email if you want to know when the signup goes live!

A girl in a blue graduation cap with her hand on her chin smiling at a Denver Senior Photographer.

Girl giving peace signs in a blue graduation cap and gown smiling at a Denver Senior Photographer.

Magazine Features

One of the biggest honors, as a photographer, is seeing your work recognized and I was fortunate to be featured on other Instagram accounts and even published in three magazines! The images below were published by Senior Luxe Magazine and Senior Szn Magazine. There is nothing like being able to see, touch and smell (yes I love to smell magazines and paper…I am weird like that) your work. It was humbling and also made me so proud of what I have accomplished the last few years.

Denver Senior Photographer takes a closeup picture of a senior girl in a black shirt with her piercing blue eyes looking upside down at the camera.

A senior boy in a blue suit looks back over his shoulder with his suit jacket flung over his shoulder grinning at a Denver Senior Photographer.

Three senior girls stand in a mountain meadow with flower crowns on and flannel shirts leaning on each other and smiling at a Denver Senior Photographer.

Branding and Commercial Photography

The biggest (and my favorite) shift this year was moving into Denver Commercial Photography (also known as branding photography). It is a dream I have had for a few years but I was scared of making the pivot and unsure how to make it happen. This year I really invested a lot of time and money into learning this side of my business, making a new plan, figuring out the logistics and revamping every step of my photography process.

I have already had a few amazing branding and commercial photography clients and have more booked for 2023. I can’t wait to continue to work with small businesses to grow and reach their ideal clients through creative and vibrant branding photos. It is a game changer for businesses and business owners to have dynamic photos that they can use on their website and social media. Thinking you might need a branding shoot? Check this out!

Denver Commercial Photographers capture a latina woman in an orange dress throwing brightly colored confetti dots in the air and smiling.

Latina woman smiling away from Denver Commercial Photographers as she is holding open a leather jacket with a t-shirt underneath that says "of all shades".

A long line of women on a beach in bright clothing with their arms raised in celebration for Denver Commercial Photographers.

Austin Workshop

2022 took me to Austin, Texas to do a branding workshop with a few fellow photographers and it was mind blowing. It really helped me to figure out how to making my branding and commercial photography dynamic, how to change my marketing and create a luxury experience for my new niche of clients. I made some new friends and deepened relationships with others and I am so grateful for the time to grow and develop my business. Plus I got to take some amazing pictures of some powerhouse boss babes. If there is any advice I can give to a business owner it is…invest in education, your business, yourself and business relationships. It will make all the difference in the world and it takes money to make money!

A blonde woman in a green sleeveless dress holds her phone to hear ear and smiles into the distance taken by Denver commercial photographers.

Denver Commercial photographers captures a candid moment of a woman in a brightly colored short romper jumping up and down in a white hallway.

Level Up With LiLo

Another big change for me this year, was starting a photography business coaching program. I had a few local photographers join me for a 6 week course to level up their business. It was a great challenge for me and brought me back to my roots as a teacher (did you know I taught Middle School back in the day??). From selling online to managing new technology and marketing, it taught me so much. I can’t wait to do it again in 2023.

A woman in a brown leather jacket is holding a nikon DSLR camera and smiling at Denver Commercial Photographers.

New Podcast Coming

Because I have nothing else going on right now….I thought it would be fun to start a whole new business. Yikes! But God brought a new/old friend into my life and we have spent the better part of 2022 helping each other in our businesses and creating a supportive business friendship that has been invaluable. We want to take that help, support and friendship to a new level so we have started a business podcast for 2023 called The Christian Business Breakdown. We already have 52 episodes planned and we can wait to show up every Monday with helpful, practical business strategies for faith-led women. We would love to have you listen!