New Milford HS Photography Meet Maddie

New Milford HS Photography

Meet Maddie

The Undiscovered Model Competition Finalist!

Maddie joined the Planet Photo Tribe this year and I have been thrilled to have her on the team. I loved the outfits she picked for her session, fall in New England is full of color and she carried that into her styling. We chose Litchfield for her shoot and dodged the rain drops to get some of my favorite fall portraits this year. Bohemian Pizza is a Litchfield County institution so we stopped there first. We were SO sad that we were too early for their crazy good pizza but we promised to come back soon!

We stood and activated our super powers and it must have worked! Maddie was chosen as one of the Undiscovered Model Competition finalists. So cross your fingers and activate all your good vibes and super powers so that she ends up on the winners list. It’s announced on November 16th at noon CST so follow along and join the excitement.

Maddie has been involved in cheer for as long as I remember. A recent injury has kept her from flying but she has been a demo for the New Milford Bulls Cheer team and an amazing role model for the young cheer leaders.

If you are class of 2020 or 2021 then you need to be part of Planet Photo’s model experience! Senior and Teen photography that shows just how unique you are. Drop me a line with “Future Planet Photo Model Tribe Member” in the subject line and I will make sure you are invited to the informational meetings in the spring.

Now booking Class of 2019 senior sessions!

 

CA Destination Shoot Senior Portraits

CA Destination Shoot

Senior Portraits Nora Finalist Shoot

Day 2: We woke up to another spectacular Palm Springs day at The Saguaro Hotel, we were so excited for our second day of shooting! e couldn’t resist checking out Salvation Mountain. Seriously, who could resist it after reading this description???

“Salvation Mountain is a literal man-made mountain 28 years in the making, covered in half a million gallons of latex paint. What started as a small monument made of dirt and painted cement became, over time, a sprawling adobe and hay-bale mountain complex, with peripheral structures made of telephone poles, tires, and car windows, as well as art cars and sculptures, all painted in a patchwork of stripes and color blocks of whatever paint was donated that week”.

— Aaron Huey, National Geographic

CA destination shoot

After leaving Salvation Mountain we saw the kind of abandoned building that I would TOTALLY avoid on my own, but we were an emboldened group of photographers, seniors and a couple of moms and it was the middle of the day, so we went for it. Come on, could you drive right by a graffiti covered abandoned building in the middle of the desert? Alright, most people would, but I think you will agree it was worth the detour!

All sessions are a combination of planned locations and spontaneous excitement when we drive past an amazing photo opportunity!

Limited number of destination, studio and CT location shoots available for 2018. Senior portraits should never be boring.

Janet x

Trumbull Animal Shelter cutest pet contest

Vote for the Cutest Pet!

The Planet Photo Tribe is raising awareness for Animal Shelter Pets this month. We visited Lynn at the Trumbull Animal Shelter and got to meet some of the current visitors. The cuteness factor was very high with a litter of puppies, 2 litters of kittens and a couple of the more mature dogs who had some serious personality.  The shelter is clean, very well run and the animals there are the lucky ones. They have been taken in by the group to get them healthy, to get them out of dangerous situations, and to find them kind and loving homes. Lynn explained that donations are always needed though and gratefully accepted. At the moment they need have the greatest need for:

Kitten or Puppy Chow, Kitty litter and canned cat or dog food.

So how can you vote for your cutest pet pick?

Write the letter of your pick in the comments below for one point, but we will also be counting votes by taking donations! You can donate directly to the Trumbull Animal Shelter at 300 Church Hill Road in Trumbull or you can drop off a donation at the Planet Photo Studio at 53 Bank Street on June 17th (or call/text if you want to come another time)

If you want to donate to your local shelter that is fine too. Take a photo of your donation and text (203 313-1303) with the letter of the pet you would like to vote for.

For example, if you want to vote for Payton’s adorable dog then write the letter A on the bag somewhere and drop off your donation – it’s as simple as that!

One can of food = 5 points

One bag of puppy or kitten chow = 10 points

One container of kitty litter = 10 points

An ENORMOUS thank you to Lynn Dellabianca at the Trumbull Shelter for showing us around and coming into work on her day off to help us out. Now please help the Planet Photo Tribe to get some donations for all our local animal shelters.

A. Payton
B. Sydney
C. Taylor
D. Nora
E. Avery
G. Caty
F. Sam
H. Audrey
I. Madie
J. Katelyn
K. Abbi
L. Olivia
M. Maggie
N. Sammie
O. Molly

New Milford CT – Mother’s Day Family Shoot!

New Milford CT – Our Mother’s Day Family Shoot Contest Winner

Jessica was the winner of our Mother’s Day Contest. A free family session with styling by Swank on Bank of New Milford, CT and Make Up by Candee Caldwell. We had fun hanging out last week and capturing some images of her beautiful family! Her husband Joe arrived during make up so we headed over to the green to capture some images of Daddy with his twin girls while we waited for Candee to work her magic. Jessica wanted a more dramatic smokey eye so that’s what she got!!!

New Milford PhotographerNew Milford Photographer

Children this age do NOT sit still for long and generally they don’t want to pose for the camera, so we had a lot of fun playing games and hanging out – I love these relaxed images. The personality of the twins really shines through and you can see just how close they are. How lucky they are to have their best friend beside them through life.

New Milford PhotographerNew Milford Photographer

They were so excited to see Mommy coming! And told her how beautiful she looked – there were hugs and kisses galore!

New Milford PhotographerNew Milford PhotographerNew Milford Photographer

I love how relaxed Jessica starts to look in these next few. The girls were happy and we took the opportunity to get a couple of photos of her on her own.

Her wardrobe was quite simple but the jewelry makes a statement and completes her look.

New Milford PhotographerNew Milford Photographer

 Jessica looked stunning so of course we had to take the opportunity to get some images of her and Joe together……

When was the last time you took photos with your partner?? See how important it is?!

New Milford CT PhotographerNew Milford CT Photographer

New Milford CT Photographer

I hope you had fun Jessica on your special day!

It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and your family!

New Milford Photographer – Town Green Family

New Milford Photographer – Downtown with an amazing local family

We have known this wonderful family for a few years now. Tiffany babysat for us and we have followed her career all the way to Radio City Music Hall where we saw her perform with the Rockettes last year. If truth be told, we actually spent most of our time trying to pick her out in the line up, so we were a little distracted…….But it was AMAZING. It was my first time and I can understand why people add a trip to the Christmas Spectacular to their list of “must do’s” during the holiday season. Tiffany isn’t the only family member with talent though; I have a feeling we are going to be hearing a lot about Ashley and Julia in the years to come as well!

So we started out a Swank on Bank where Lyn helped the ladies pick out outfits and accessories for their session. Candee Caldwell was on hand to do make up and styling and we had a blast hanging out at the store! We fit in a couple of individual shots while waiting for everyone to be ready and we took off for New Milford town green to get everyone together. It was getting close to sun down so we had to include a couple of dramatic sky images! If you know New Milford then I am sure you will recognize some of our stops – let me know if you need help with any of them!

I hope you love the images as much as I do….

Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell,

Don’t you love this dress??? Ashley went right to it and although it didn’t work for our group shot it was perfect for some individuals in the alley way!!!

Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell,

Julia wore her own jeans and boots but we found this great top and of course she loved the hat. Let’s be honest….. we all loved the hat!

Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell,

Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell,

Tiffany looked incredible in this top – it was so unexpected but it worked so well for her!

Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell,

Candee had so much fun with everyone!

Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell, Swank on Bank, Candee Caldwell,

Family Photo Contest – In honor of Mother’s Day

Introducing the coolest Family Photo Contest in New Milford, Connecticut!

I was talking to a friend of a friend recently and she made the comment that she didn’t have any family pictures.  Of course, I suggested we do some. Her response surprised me, she said, “Oh, but I would never know what to wear!”

So it got me thinking back to my experience shooting families recently, and I realized that more often than not, one of the first questions I get (after the logistical booking questions of course) is  “What should we wear?”

If you know your way around my website then you know that I have a few tips and tricks that I like to recommend. First and foremost is my ‘coordinating but not matching” rule. White shirts and khaki pants for everyone “matches”. A color palette of 3 or 4 colors in a general theme “coordinate”. Get it? Look like you belong together by picking a color palette and building from key pieces, it might be a scarf, a flowered dress or a favorite leather jacket. But pull out colors for the stripe of shirt or the color of a sweater and you are on the right track. This family knocked it out of the park. The flowered dress came first and the rest fell into place.

Planet-photo_contest_styling_family_New Milford CT__0005

I also recommend you start with the most difficult person. If it’s a maternity shoot then I am sorry, the pregnant Mom-to-be gets to pick first in my book! Chances are her options are somewhat limited, and trust me, no one wants to go out and buy endless supplies of maternity clothes. If you have a picky dresser (and you’ll know exactly what I mean if you have one at home) then it might be a good idea to start with them. If they are picky then make them happy – photos should be fun not torture. I don’t care if you saw the cutest pinterest picture of  kids in bow ties, crying kids in bow ties are not cute. Ever.

I love accessories.  Adding a jeans jacket changes the look completely, jewelry, hats  and scarves are fab for switching it up and have the added bonus of keeping you warm when the spring is as cold as this one!!!

Planet-photo_contest_styling_family_New Milford CT__0002

If you know you want a giant canvas of your family together in your living room then please don’t have your kids wear neon yellow – it’s not gonna look great in your living room…… well, in fairness I maybe haven’t seen your living room and if neon actually would look great then I stand corrected. But you get the idea. Check out the rest of my tips and tricks here.

OK – so there’s the background to how this started, now I know you want to hear more about the contest…….

Mother’s Day is coming up and I always like to honor and celebrate the moms among us, so I am collaborating with some wonderful local business women to put together a special treat for all you moms out there. (And just so you know, my own Mom passed away a few years ago now, so if you have a MIL or honorary mother you want to include then I am not going to be checking birth certificates.)

So who wants to win a beautifully styled family shoot in New Milford Connecticut?

Lynn over at Swank on Bank (a truly awesome local ladies clothes store on Bank Street) has offered to style you (and your female family members) for the shoot – she’s going to let you try on and help coordinate your families outfits and you get to borrow the clothes and accessories for the shoot!

Oh and did I mention that Candee Caldwell (a local Professional make up artist with 20 year experience) will be there to do your make up and hair!

When you and your daughters or mother or sister are feeling beautiful and ready we will head out to shoot around New Milford. Of course the men are invited too – we can’t dress them, but we can advise you on what they should be wearing.

As a memory of this wonderful experience I will put together a photo album for you with all the good stuff in there.

Planet-photo_contest_styling_family_New Milford CT__0003

A couple little details…..

If you are the lucky family and we make you look like a coordinated, best version of yourself, then we are going to want to see you on the blog in all your finery, so I hope you are O.K with that.

There is no obligation to buy anything!!!!  You will be winning a wonderful experience, a make-over of sorts, and some amazing photos of you and yours in a book to share with your family and friends. Unfortunately we can’t let you keep a new wardrobe for your whole family, but Lynn will take care of you if there is something that you can’t part with, she has a special 20% discount ready for you.

Planet-photo_contest_styling_family_New Milford CT__0004

I was kind of thinking immediate family. It’s going to be hard to include Great Aunt Nellie and the seventeen cousins, hopefully you understand.

If you have really little ones then they might be better showing up with Dad after the make up is done. They are going to get bored and you need to relax and have fun.

You have a couple of steps to enter but only a few days…..

(the contest closes on May 11th – Mother’s Day!)

The shoot will take place on Monday May 19th – from around 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. so check to make sure you are not expected elsewhere that day.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Planet-photo_contest_styling_family_New Milford CT__0006