Reputation Themed Shoot Seniors Ignite April

Reputation Themed Shoot

Featured on Seniors Ignite 2018

themed shoot

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years then you are probably aware of Taylor Swift. So when the theme of the last monthly shoot was announced as “Reputation” then the girls in the Planet Photo Tribe didn’t miss a beat to suggest we do a Taylor Swift inspired Reputation shoot. For those of you just finishing up pushing that rock off your head… Reputation is the name of Taylor’s sixth studio album and it was released in November 2017.

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I have to admit Taylor Swift is pretty stunning. Leggy, thin, blond, perky and with beautiful skin…. I also have to admit her music is not my favorite but I sure do admire her business sense, her support of her fans, and for generally just keeping it clean. Abbi and Avery were my Taylor Swift look-a-likes for the shoot and we had so much fun recreating some of her looks.

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What do you think?

Head over to the Senior’s Ignite website because Avery has been featured!

This is probably my last Planet Photo Tribe shoot with Abbi. She is graduating any day now and heading of to study at Western Connecticut State University, you might even see her on the women’s basketball team. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and working with her throughout the last year. Good Luck in all that you do Abbi!

 

 

 

Destination Senior Session Palm Springs, CA

Destination Senior Session

Palm Springs, CA

Day 3 of Nora’s destination session was warm and sunny and just what we needed! When you live on the east coast you kind of expect California to be hot all year round so the wind and cold of Joshua Tree was not really what we were expecting. The California desert doesn’t exactly have the dramatic season changes that we are used to in New England, but they believed they were in the middle of winter! When the flowers are blooming and cacti are all around it is really hard to equate that with winter but it is all relative I guess.

Day 3 was a mix of “drive around and jump out the car when saw a great location” and also a relaxation day. We wanted to see a bit more of the town, stop for lunch and prepare ourselves for the grand finale….. the windmills at sunset!
That pink door was on the list of the most “instagramable” locations in Palm Springs….


It was Nora and Becky’s first time seeing the windmills and they really are AMAZING! What a way to end their time in Palm Springs. The sight of Nora in the parachute dress surrounded my mountains, windmills and the desert is not one I will forget any time soon! Thanks to Becky and Jan Vokal for your excellent parachute tossing technique 😉

Make up: Nancy Z Beauty

Stay tuned for all the details on what will be offered for next years model team destination senior session. If you want to be part of Connecticut’s premiere senior photography experience then head over to the questionnaire and I will keep you posted.

Janet x

 

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

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

CT HS Senior Photography – New Milford High School Abbi

CT HS Senior Photography

Meet Abbi!

Planning a senior photo shoot around the crazy schedule of marching band, varsity volleyball, college visits and college applications is not easy. But we did it!

I always try to plan locations and styling around each individual client.  I knew back in the summer that Abbi wanted to shoot in the classic New England fall colors, so our date was on the calendar way before senior year started to get super busy. We chose Steep Rock Preserve in Washington Depot as our start point but we were on the lookout for road side locations. CT109 didn’t disappoint and we were climbing into the weeds before you know it!

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Steep Rock has been a favorite destination for my family for many years and I felt just a tad guilty for not having our dog with us. But what an amazing warm fall day…. we couldn’t have wished for better light.

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Abbi is long and lean (hence the varsity volleyball and basketball….) and she has the most amazing strawberry blond curly hair so I love to pose and photograph her. Her mom had a huge selection of outfits in the back of her car so that we could mix it up and match outfits to the different locations as we went. She didn’t wear it all, but we gave it a good college try!
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I absolutely LOVED the purple with the colors in the meadow, we didn’t even really notice the purple undertones at the time, but as soon as I opened the files in photoshop I knew I had found the winning shots of the shoot. Did I tell you recently how much I love what I do?
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A quick stop at a deserted barn on the way home and our shoot was done. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for beautiful Abbi but I know her family will treasure these portraits of her taken during that crazy senior year.

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Do you wish that you had portraits of your High School Senior or college freshman? Let me know and I can design the most amazing portrait experience for you!

Janet xo

 

Model Photo Shoot Camping Webb Mountain Monroe CT

Model Photo Shoot

Camping in CT

You are either an outdoors person or not. It was a damp Connecticut fall day but Avery, Olivia, Maggie, Sam and Payton did not hesitate to hang out in the woods for the latest Planet Photo Tribe Group Shoot.

I LOVE the outdoors, love hiking, picnics, hot cocoa in the fresh air and s’mores but I have to admit for me this was the best kind of camping…… NO TENT! We didn’t stay overnight but we had an absolute blast hanging out around the camp fire at Webb Mountain Park. Mobile phones stayed in the car so that meant we had fun with a rock, paper scissors tournament, a game of telephone and races down the trail. We even had an apple cider donut challenge!

“Welcome to our fire pit. The s’more the merrier.”

What happens around the campfire stays around the campfire! Except when we plan a group photo shoot camping theme….. Just kidding girls. Your secrets are safe with me!


Does your family love the outdoors? Would a camping themed family photo shoot be a perfect fit to show the fun you have when you spend time together? Let’s start planning. I’ll bring the s’mores!

Vintage Truck Group Photo Shoot New Milford

Vintage Ford Truck

Group Photo Shoot New Milford Connecticut

Take a blue/green vintage truck and five girls from the Planet Photo Model Tribe and drive out to a scenic road in the Northville section of New Milford. What do you get? A totally AMAZING group shoot with Nora, Katelyn, Maggie, Sydney and Taylor.

Country Roads. Take me home. To a place I belong.

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OK, I know New Milford Connecticut is not really the typical setting of a good old country song but you get the idea…. there is nothing like a truck on a warm late summers day on a beautiful country road. The girls in the Tribe totally rocked the styling for the shoot and we were all so envious of the vintage Ford truck.

photo shoot new milford

Styling a family or senior session is a great way to coordinate what everyone should wear and help to “tell a story”. Does your family love camping? Sailing? The beach? We can design your shoot around a theme and I can help you to style it.

Woodbridge CT Senior Portraits – Tory

Woodbridge CT Senior Portraits

Meet Tory!

I loved Tory’s senior session. No, seriously, I LOVED Tory’s senior portrait session. It was so FUN getting to know her and, of yeah, she was a dream to photograph.

Tory and her mom came to visit the studio and we talked about her interests; who she was, what made her unique, what will trigger memories of the high school years and we came up with a plan. Now, the planning stage is one of my favorite parts. It’s not just about what to wear and where to go, it is all about who you are. What makes you YOU? And how can I capture that in a few hours in a portrait session?

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Tory has a danced so we had to incorporate that, I thought the hip hop might be better outside so we picked the outfit and I started to pick the locations. Ballet was in the studio, can you believe Tory’s mom saved her first pair of ballet slippers?

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She used to ride all the time so we wanted to incorporate that somehow and she LOVES fashion so that crept in throughout the shoot. She was a model for the day and boy, did she bring IT! Thanks to Candlelight Farms for letting us shoot at the horse barn, it was a beautiful evening and the horses were very welcoming.

Tory had loads of great clothes, and I don’t really believe in going out and buying an entire new wardrobe for your shoot, but what girl can resist a little shopping before a portrait session? She found this perfect dress and I am so glad she did!

Tory, I am excited to see what the future holds for you. Good luck in your senior year!

Janet xo

How do you want to be photographed? I would love to help you plan your unique portrait experience. Contact Planet Photo to set up a free consultation!

 

CT High School Photography – Katelyn Class of 2018

CT High School Photography

Katelyn Class of 2018

Can I just start out by saying, I love photographing Katelyn.

CT High School Photography

She has a classically beautiful face with creamy skin and expressive eyes, so the camera absolutely loves her! I have been obsessing about photoshoots in sunflowers for a couple of weeks (I know, I am weird, I get an idea in my head and I just can’t let it go…..) so I got a bee in my bonnet about finding a sunflower field and shooting there. Luckily Katelyn and her mom loved the idea. Buttonwood Farm was a bit of a drive and I have to admit, the closer we got the more nervous I was to see that it was worth it. Thankfully as soon as we turned the corner and saw the rolling fields of sunflowers I relaxed – it was TOTALLY worth the drive!

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Buttonwood Farm is family owned since 1975, and they’re famous for farm fresh ice cream and growing sunflowers for a good cause. Every year they raise funds for the CT chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation selling bunches of sunflowers and inviting the public to experience the sunflower fields over a two week period. I think the amount raised in 2017 is close to $130,000 so not too shabby. The fact that they had about 50 flavors of delicious homemade ice cream just made the experience even sweeter. (In case you were wondering I got coconut and coffee but the sundaes looked out of this world…. Katelyn picked peanut butter flavored ice cream which would literally be my 49th choice out of the 50 but it was her sundae and she liked it. If you are curious, then bubblegum would be my absolute last resort, I could only eat it if I absolutely had to, flavor choice)CT High School PhotographyCT High School Photography

CT High School PhotographyWhat will you pick for the back drop for your next portrait session? Would you choose a natural location or would you prefer an urban environment? I help each and every client to style their own unique shoot.

Amazing Make Up: Blush Couture 

Planet Photo for the ultimate CT High School Photography experience