CT High School Senior Photography – Mike

CT High School Senior Photography

New Milford High School Graduate Mike

When we were talking about locations for Mike’s senior session I asked the usual questions. What have been your biggest interests in high school? How have you spent most of your time? Which locations mean the most to you? What are your overriding memories of your high school career? We put all the answers together and it became quite apparent that we had to plan a trip to New York City.

You see Mike played baseball and golf and he also played and marched with the New Milford High School band. He was section leader for the low brass section, playing the sousaphone and the trombone, all great things to incorporate into his senior session, but what led us to New York city? Well every Sunday for his senior year Mike travelled into Lincoln Center and played jazz with a group there. Every Sunday in the Upper West Side in NYC? Well there we had it; we needed to go to Lincoln Center and we had to walk over into Central Park and capture that aspect of his senior year! An excuse to spend the day in the city? I love location shoots!

We met again a few weeks later because there were some New Milford hang outs that Mike wanted to include. I had a blast spending time with him and I can not wait to hear what the future brings for this bright, articulate and extremely talented young man.

Good luck at University of Hartford studying acoustical engineering and jazz!

Do not let the high school senior pictures represent your senior year! Each Planet Photo high school senior session is unique and designed to show your personality, your interests and your style.

Contact Janet to schedule your free consultation. It is not too late for 2017 high school graduates!

Connecticut Family Photographer Sisters

Connecticut Family Photographer – Sisters

These beautiful sisters contacting me about taking a portrait as a surprise for their mom’s birthday. They brought in a photograph taken about 10 years ago and while their mom and dad were away for the weekend we set about recreating the image with similar posing and then had a little fun with some updated portraits. They experienced the full Planet Photo portrait experience with make up and styling tips and we planned how and when we would surprise their mom. We agreed that they would come to the studio and I would print a selection of my favorites, she would walk into the studio and be surrounded by portraits of her three daughters. I have to say I was probably as nervous and excited as anyone, I could barely wait for her reaction!

It all came together beautifully and both mom and dad were thrilled and shocked that the girls had done all of this without them suspecting a thing! Their daughters, two in college and one in high school had given their mom the most incredible gift.

Family portraits should not be reserved for small children and babies. If you are interested in booking a family session then please fill out the contact form. We can arrange a studio or location family session.

Make Up Blush Couture

Family Photographer CT – Cake Smash Milestone

Cake Smash Milestone

Family Photographer Connecticut

Greta was scheduled for her first birthday cake smash with big sister Aine along to help out. Hands down one of the best aspects of my job is getting to know some incredible families. I feel honored to be the photographer that Ian and Kate have chosen to photograph their children’s first milestones. I love seeing how they grow and change and catching up on all the family adventures.

So, the family arrived with another fabulous Sweet Spot cake and we got down to business. A couple of cute outfits (Kate loves Hanna Andersson so I can usually look forward to something adorable!) Aine has been working on her British accent with some Peppa Pig so we got the music playing and let the girls dance a bit while we set up for the cake. I LOVE it when the birthday star gets stuck in to the cake! Greta was delicate at first but she ended up being covered in frosting. And sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles! Aine sat in to help with some frosting so we finally got them in the same frame 😉

Like most one year olds Greta doesn’t exactly sit still for long and this is when I love to bring out the tub. Bubbles and warm water and most babies stay still long enough for me to get some close up portraits and capture the fun of the bath tub. That’s when I get the giggle images too – can you see Greta’s tooth? How cute is that!!!!

If you are wondering when you should book a portrait session you can follow the milestone plan, schedule around a family event or reunion or just pick a time that works for your family. My summer shooting schedule is reduced to spend time with my family but contact me to schedule your family session. Believe me, time flies – I will have two in high school this year!!!

1st birthday birthday birthday celebration cake smash celebration children's portraits CT family CT Family Photographer CT photographer family photography first year Litchfield County milestone new milford ct studio

Sweet as Sugar – Teen Photography Concept Shoot

Sweet as Sugar!

A teen photography concept shoot

The Planet Photo Tribe have been looking forward to the sweet as sugar concept shoot for a while. We were invited to shoot at Tasty Waves on Main Street in New Milford so lots of candy AND frozen yoghurt. Tasty Waves has become a New Milford staple so the tribe was happy to shoot there. Thanks to Abbi for helping the rest of the Tribe with some sweet make-up!

Sweet as sugar Cold as ice. Hurt me once, I’ll Break you twice

I looked into the expression Sweet as Sugar and found a song by an Australian song writer called Lenka. You really can be everything! And work on your simile skills at the same time!

As sly as a fox, as strong as an ox
As fast as a hare, as brave as a bear
As free as a bird, as neat as a word
As quiet as a mouse, as big as a house

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything

As mean as a wolf, as sharp as a tooth
As deep as a bite, as dark as the night
As sweet as a song, as right as a wrong
As long as a road, as ugly as a toad

As pretty as a picture hanging from a fixture
Strong like a family, strong as I wanna be
Bright as day, as light as play
As hard as nails, as grand as a whale

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything

As warm as the, the sun, as silly as fun
As cool as a tree, as scary as the sea
As hot as fire, cold as ice
Sweet as sugar and everything nice

As old as time, as straight as a line
As royal as a queen, as buzzed as a bee
Stealth as a tiger, smooth as a glider
Pure as a melody, pure as I wanna be

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything at once

Thanks to Abbi, Katelyn, Madie, Audrey and Sam for wearing lots of candy for our shoot. Have a sweet summer everyone!
Janet

A Connecticut Senior Concept Shoot at Five Guys

Connecticut Senior Concept Shoot

You know when an idea starts to form in your mind and you get completely carried away and excited with all the amazing possibilities? That’s what happened with this concept shoot… it started with the color RED. Then the brainstorming began and it turned into a game of work association…. red, Five Guys, retro, roller skates, graphic t’s, athletic shorts, high tube socks, RED! the car wash in New Milford, retro again, laundromat, 70’s, converse, Baywatch, RED!

A call went out to the Planet Photo Tribe for a last minute concept shoot and we were off and running. I tried to get the roller skates, they actually became a bit of an obsession I will readily admit, but it was just not meant to be 🙁

I think we managed to pull it off though – what do you think?

UPDATED! Seniors Ignite thought we pulled it off – we were featured on the Seniors Ignite website!

Five Guys was opening a new store in New Milford so we arranged to meet for lunch there and then the heavens opened for one of the many crazy heavy rainstorms we have been having of late in Connecticut – what is going on with the weather? It feels like we are living in a rainforest!! We moved indoors to the new (and much nicer than any laundromat I ever used) Stay Fresh Laundromat down the road to finish up our retro, red, 70’s vibe shoot.

Thank you to Abbi, Nora and Haegan who were amazing with their styling and their willingness to jump into my crazy concept.

If you are a Connecticut senior and want to schedule a session before you go off to college then I would love to hear from you!

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.

New Fairfield High School Prom Prep – Lyndall

Lyndall chose to get ready for the New Fairfield High School Prom at the Planet Photo Studio so that her family could have some traditional portraits of her in her prom dress. I am so glad they did! Lyndall was anxious for the pampering to begin and with the help of her inspiration photos saved on her phone, Meagan and Stacey set to work on her prom hair and make up.

Her dress was absolutely stunning and she glowed with excitement when the transformation was complete. Lyndall has her heart set on a career in education and I can imagine that she will make an incredible teacher. She is outgoing, confident and has a unique sense of style, she was also part of the New Fairfield High School Marching band this year so we probably saw her at band competitions in during the marching season!

Lyndall had a fabulous time at her senior prom and her family have portraits to remember her day. It was a pleasure meeting you Lyndall, good luck studying education at Western Connecticut State University in the fall!

Janet xo

Make Up Blush Couture

Hair Hair by Meagan Jones

If you would like to have portraits in your prom dress it is not too late! Contact me to set up a free consultation, we can incorporate your prom dress into your personalized senior session.

Call or text 203 313-1303.

New Milford High School Senior Prom 2017

Tony, Will and Evan stopped by the Planet Photo studio on their way to the New Milford High School Senior Prom at the Amber Room. I have known them since 1st grade of Hill and Plain School and photographed them many times through the years, but especially over the last year as some of the first members of the 2K17 tribe. They all looked so handsome and happy to be prom bound and probably even happier to be in the final few weeks of high school! Tony has been accepted into the Musical Theater program at Western Connecticut State University, Will is on his way to study business at University of Connecticut and Evan will be playing lacrosse and studying at Lebanon Valley in Pennsylvania.

Will and Stephanie went on to be crowned the Prom King and Queen and it sounds like everyone had a fabulous time. Both Angela and Stephanie work at the Bank Street Movie Theater so we had to get a couple of shots with some movie theater co-workers, they turned out to be some of my favorites from the day.

Good luck guys. I am so excited to hear what the future brings!

Janet xo

Teen Portraits CT Studio and Location Fashion shoot

Teen Portraits CT – Taylor

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a fashion model for the day?

Taylor is part of the Planet Photo Tribe so she has taken part in a few photo shoots over the last year but this one was different. We planned and styled this individual shoot around her and she chose a combination of studio fashion shots and locations around the town that she has grown up in, so we kept our fingers crossed for the weather to cooperate so that we could be outside!

The day of the shoot arrived and first stop is professional camera ready make up at the studio. Taylor probably has twice as much make up and is at least four times as much talent as I do, but she was still overflowing with excitement to have the full make over experience with Stacey from Blush Couture. She had inspiration photos on her phone (always helpful!) and of course she looked stunning in all her outfits. Most importantly, she was relaxed and confident in front of the camera.

I think it was Coco Chanel who said, “Confidence is the best outfit, rock it and own it”

We braved the wind and chilly day to get some shots outside and the “wind machine” effect actually worked to our benefit LOL! I shared some of my favorite nooks around downtown New Milford and literally stopped traffic and drew a crowd for a couple of the 19 Main shots! Location is everything, but it doesn’t have to be a beautiful field of flowers or an elegant formal building, we found beauty in the most unexpected places.

Taylor is going to be back for the 2K18 Planet Photo Tribe so you will be seeing more of this beautiful young lady. I am so excited to get started on the group and concept shoots that are planned for this year so keep checking back or subscribe to get the blog updates. Taylor is developing an interest in being behind the camera too, so hopefully she will be sharing some of her images soon.

Whether celebrating a milestone birthday, a change of schools or just because they are changing EVERY DAY, remember that teens deserve portraits too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Janet

Hair by my Bank Street neighbors: Joes Salon and Spa

Concept Photo Shoot with Gels New Milford CT Photographer

Tribe Concept Photo Shoot

One of the benefits of being part of the Planet Photo Tribe is that I invite them to be part of concept shoots, it might be a technical aspect of photography or just something cool that I want to experiment with. This shoot was a shooting challenge from Seniors Ignite, to use gels creatively in a photo shoot. I enlisted Olivia and Avery to help me out and we ventured out of the studio into the alleyways of New Milford 🙂

You are probably asking yourself, What is a gel?

“A color gel or color filter , also known as lighting gel or simply gel, is a transparent colored material that is used in theater, event production, photography, videography and cinematography to color light and for color correction.”

That might be the actual definition but what it really translates to is another AMAZING photography trick to make portraits different and to convey a mood in an unconventional way. I love warm tones but I have to say I actually prefer the look of the cooler blue gel.

I guess I should also mention that Avery and Olivia were featured on the Seniors Ignite Master Series Welcome to the Best of the Best! Avery was a master of the hair flip which is not as easy as it looks. I am so proud of the whole 2K17 Tribe, they have been a great group to work and collaborate with. If you are still thinking about joining the 2K18 Planet Photo Tribe time is running out and enrollment is closing SOON!

planet

photo