Photography CT Hamden Hall Skilyn

Photography Hamden Hall CT

Skylin – Class of 2019

The Undiscovered Model Competition Finalist!

The minute I met Sky I knew we were going to have an incredible shoot! She was the sweetest, outgoing girl you could possibly meet with a cute little sister and a really fun mom. When I asked her about her high school experience and interests I was excited to figure out how we could incorporate her love of dance. She wanted a mix of urban and natural beauty so we actually met in Derby, CT. Now Derby doesn’t necessarily spring to mind when you think of a backdrop for a photoshoot…. but it actually was perfect for what we were looking for! Grace and beauty in an urban setting.

All Planet Photo Feature Seniors are invited to submit to The Undiscovered Model Competition and we are thrilled that Sky has made it to the Finalist stage! We find out on Friday if she will be one of the few winners chosen to go to Austin Texas in January for the ultimate destination model experience. You can see all the finalists on The Undiscovered In Print so you can see she is in good company, you might even see another Planet Photo Model – Maddie! Of course I am so proud of them both. All good vibes and luck accepted for both of them!!!

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!

 

 

Teen Photography 2018 Sherman CT

Teen Photography 2018

Taylor

Litchfield County CT

I have been longing to do a Free People inspired shoot for a while and when I came across this Free People dress I knew the time was right! A huge thank you to Taylor for going along with the vision and modeling for Nathalie and I on a humid sticky night in Sherman CT. You see I wanted to put Nathalie on the other side of the camera for a few shots, so we came up with the idea of having Taylor come with us so that Nathalie could shoot a bit too. Confused? Don’t worry the images kind of speak for themselves….

We set out with an overly optimistic plan of driving to Danbury to shoot some downtown graffiti shots first but we very quickly realized we were not going to have time to get back up to Sherman for sunset meadow shots. A quick compromise found us trekking under the bridge at Lover’s Leap for some local graffiti. Nathalie took these amazing ones of Taylor and I got a few of Nathalie but you’ll have to wait for the next blog post to see those!
teen photography 2018
We used a beauty dish to create some drama and shadows. We knew we were going all soft and dreamy for our next stop so it was great to have a little contrast here! On to full-on Free People dreamy natural light. The sun was setting fast so conditions were different for almost every shot!
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Pool Party Photography 2K19 Tribe Friends

Pool Party Photography

2K19 Planet Photo Tribe

When Friends first hit the TV screen it was revolutionary. A show about a group of 20 something friends, hanging out, dating, working and living in a cool apartment in New York City. We all wondered how they could afford such an amazing apartment? Where did they buy their clothes? Should you get a Rachel or Monica haircut? Should Monica date Ross? Everyone kind of wanted to live the Friends lifestyle and be one of their friends.

Party PhotographyParty Photography

The 90’s TV line up soon filled up with similar shows; Melrose Place, Beverley Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek, Baywatch, Saved by the Bell. They all centered on the interaction of friends and they all featured a boat load of DRAMA! We used the 90’s TV show as a springboard for our latest Planet Photo Tribe shoot and planned a pool party (minus the DRAMA!)

Party PhotographyParty PhotographyParty PhotographyParty Photography
Special thanks to Maddy M, Madi L, Madi S, Zoe and Julia for hanging out at our Planet Photo Tribe Pool Party!Party PhotographyParty Photography

 

Photography CT Teen photo shoot Washington Depot

Photography CT Teen photo shoot

Maggie

Washington Depot

Maggie arrived at the studio with a backpack of clothes and a couple of things on hangers that she wasn’t sure she even wanted to wear. She had an idea of a couple of things I had in the studio closet to round out her outfits though so she was soon ready to rock her individual Teen Portrait session. She wanted a combination of natural locations so we headed out towards Washington Depot in Litchfield County. I had heard about a graffiti wall that I thought we might be able to use as a backdrop for some of our images. A little off camera flash, an outfit change and a dose of attitude and we got the images I was hoping for 🙂  I am always searching for fun and new locations to shoot, so if you can recommend a location then I want to hear from you!


Maggie was part of the 2K18 Planet Photo Tribe and it was fabulous working with her over the last year. She is going to be busy on the lacrosse field this year so I will still get to see her at games. Thanks for being part of the team Maggie!

Girl Power Tribe Group Shoot New Milford CT

Ocean’s 8 inspired Girl Power

Tribe Group Shoot

New Milford CT

The latest Ocean’s 8 movie builds on the premise that girls can do it themselves. The film follows a group of women, led by Debbie Ocean, the sister of Danny Ocean, who plan a highly sophisticated heist of the annual Met Gala in New York City. Each character brings their individual sense of style, talents and skills needed to pull off the heist. Powerful women who can conquer the world? Now that’s a theme worth exploring!

This was the first group shoot for the 2k19 Planet Photo Tribe. A huge shout out goes to Rebecca Christine’s Consignment Boutique in Marbledale, CT for help with styling our shoot. They have an amazing selection of new and gently worn clothes for exceptional prices and they were so fun to work with!

 


The bank vault at 19Main provided a unique backdrop for our jewelry stealing crew.

Best of British A Royal Concept Shoot

Best of British

Royal Concept Shoot

Did you get Best of British royal wedding fever when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle? I grew up in England and I loved how some people turn into all out, top to toe, 100% committed royal watchers. They camp for days before the event for the chance to see the royal family or hand them some flowers. I know it sounds CRAZY but I still remember the Queen coming to my home town when I was a kid, she was there to open a garden for the blind. It was during her Silver Jubilee year, so 1977 I think, and we lined the streets and waved our union jacks with the best of them! There were street parties and union jack bunting everywhere you looked.

We got the chance to shoot with an iconic classic British sports car. An Aston Martin – think James Bond. Katelyn and Olivia turned into royal groupies for the afternoon. Nothing wrong with that 😉

If you are wondering where the union jack leggings came from…..Amazon came to the rescue with those. And yes, they are now in the Planet Photo closet and available to borrow for your own portrait session!

Best of British

Best of BritishBest of BritishBest of BritishBest of British

 

Faces of Female Entrepreneurs Exhibition

Faces of Female Entrepreneurs

Portrait Exhibition

The idea for the Faces of Female Entrepreneurs project came from a portrait conference in California last year. The leader of the Portrait Masters conference, Sue Bryce, made the first presentation of the day and introduced her team by inviting them to come up on stage. They were each carrying a 5 foot tall black and white image of themselves. The crowd went crazy and those enormous powerful prints stood in the hallway and mesmerized the conference attendees for the next two days. You looked at those printed portraits and you could feel their power and sense the personality of the subjects.

I decided I wanted to do that too! The problem was I didn’t have a team. Like so many small business owners I wear many hats, so short of photographing myself immersed in a variety of tasks, my series of portraits stopped at one. I realized that my position was similar to many of my neighbors downtown and the idea of focusing on my fellow female entrepreneurs was born.

So I did what everyone does these days, and I created a Facebook event. For good measure I even printed posters, and I invited women who had started a business in New Milford to contact me so that I could create their portrait.

I set my initial goal at 20 portraits. That came and went pretty quickly and I ended with 35 plus one of me! Of course there are many more talented business owners in New Milford but time and resources meant that I had to stop. Some of the last portraits were of Rita and Anne. Two local ladies who started Literacy Volunteers on the Green from a park bench on New Milford green. Their group of mainly female volunteers have been teaching literacy skills to local residents since 2005. Some of them have even gone on to start their own business.

I wanted to show these beautiful strong women the look of strength, power and determination in their eyes. I am proud to be part of this network of women. The portraits were shown at the opening night at 19Main and the exhibition will be on display during April at Makery Coworking on Bank Street, New Milford.

Meet New Milford’s Faces of Female Entrepreneurs…..

Maureen Kenny: Nutmeg Olive Oil. Lyn Van Buskirk: Swank on Bank

Female Entrepreneurs

Luisa Amaral: Ruth Chase Flowers. Lupo Passero: Twin Star Apothecary

Karen Ross and Pamela Picheco: Joe’s Salon and Spa
Female Entrepreneurs

Sandra Stetson: Green Granary. Jessica Reis: Reis Learning Center

Rebecca Doring: Massage Therapy. Jessica Bitner: Lasting Impressions Jewelry
Female Entrepreneurs

Lisa Berte: LAB Media Designs. Allison Eng: Ruby Bridal Boutique

Denise Trach: Creating Cadence. Sarah Lopes: The Safari Collection
Female Entrepreneurs

Shannon Powell: A Muddy Paw. Janie Larson: Study Works

Anne Hungerford: AH Yoga. Lisa Lent: Intuitive Movement
Female Entrepreneurs

Monica Harcken: Monica’s Corner. Julie Czerenda: Art Experience

Ashley Ayers: Salon27. Gail Henderson: Functional Rehab
Female Entrepreneurs

Manuela Durre Young: Alpenhaus Restaurant. Kathy Henkel: Kathy Henkel Fitness

Janet Taub: Planet Photo. Marion Cooper Farrell: Mind Body Connection
Female Entrepreneurs

Elizabeth Parkinson: Fineline Theater Arts. Amanda Placeres: Placeres Naturopathic and Acupuncture

Crystal Girgenti: G-Force Coaching. Debbie Bauman: Barkery Bootique.
Female Entrepreneurs

Vanessa Gronbach: Gronbach Law. Kris Stewart: Kris Stewart Photography

Anne Maitland and Rita Guariglia: Literacy Volunteers on the Green
Female Entrepreneurs

Stacey Palancia: Blush Couture. Lacee Yurtoglu: Artist

Thank you to all the ladies who trusted me to take and choose their portrait for the exhibition!

19Main and Makery Coworking for showing the portraits

Crystal Girgenti for believing in and sponsoring the project and delivering a keynote speech

Joe’s Salon for donating refreshments

Ruth Chase Flowers for donating flowers for the opening night

Mitch and Mike from Charisma for music

Bank Street Investments for support and sponsorship

 

 

Photography Exhibition Female Entrepreneurs

Faces of Female Entrepreneurs

photography exhibition

A black and white portrait photography exhibition

March 29th | 7-9pm

19Main, New Milford, CT

Dessert and refreshments will be served

When I opened the Planet Photo studio on Bank Street at the end of 2016 I realized that so many of the neighboring businesses had been established by women. Starting your own business is not for everyone. It takes strength, determination, and of course, a lot of hard work.

I chose to celebrate these powerful women with a portrait project. I wanted to capture their strength, but also their feminine side. So the Faces of Female Entrepreneurs project began. Over the course of a few months I met with quite a few of New Milford’s women who had started their own business. I am so happy to share these portraits with our community. Meet them and other local entrepreneurs at 19Main on March 29th. All are welcome to attend!

Sign up to receive updates and information about the exhibition here

Destination Shoot CA Senior Portraits

Destination Shoot Ca

Senior Portraits Nora Finalist Shoot

When I entered Nora and Ryan into the Seniors Ignite Model Competition at the end of 2017 I had no idea that they would both be selected as finalists! I was so proud of both of them, and at that point I knew that I was inviting them to come, competition winners or not. Ryan’s play schedule meant that he couldn’t go, but Nora and her mom Becky were up for a trip to California. So the plans started to take shape.

Day 1 of the destination shoot was Joshua Tree National Park Model competition winner Timber and two other senior photographers joined us for part of the day. Palm Springs is known for its mid-century architecture, mild winter climate, and its stunning natural landscape so we had to make time to shoot around the town as well. 

Destination Shoot
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Timber it was an absolute pleasure to meet you! Thank you for braving the cold at Joshua Tree – none of us expected that when we planned our weekend in Cali! If you have never seen Joshua Tree it is totally worth a trip. The rocks look like giant pebbles dropped in piles from the sky and the joshua trees themselves look like they come from another planet. I can’t even tell you how excited we were to see tumble weeds…. I know, kind of silly, but seriously they exist outside of cartoons and old western movies

destination shoot
Check back for Day 2 of our destination shoot in Palm Springs!

MUA: Nancy Z Beauty (thanks for the location tips too!)

Nora’s outfits: Guess Jeans, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, American Eagle

 

Connecticut Senior Photography – New Milford Senior Julia

Connecticut Senior Photography

New Milford CT Senior – Julia

Now that my kids are in high school I am starting to photograph more and more high school seniors that I first met in the pre-school library program or the school playground! How can it be that these little people that I first watched learning to ride a bike are preparing to go to college?

I recommend professional make up for all my seniors. Julia arrived at the studio for styling with her mom and a bag full of clothes. She doesn’t normally wear a lot of makeup so we kept it simple, enhancing her naturally pretty features without overpowering them.  She was hoping for snow for her session and the snow gods obliged with a light dusting the day before.

I can not always guarantee the Connecticut weather 😉 but I can do my best to create and style the look you imagine none the less. Your Connecticut senior photography session starts with a consultation; styling, location, goal for the images are all discussed and we hatch a plan. I do a little location scouting  so that on the day of the shoot we can hit the ground running and let the fun begin!

I had a blast hanging out with Julia and her family and I am excited for the next phase for all these kids.

Make up – Blush Couture