Breaking News: And the winner of the free photo shoot is...

WE DID IT!!! Picture Your World Photography now has more than 400 Facebook Fans! I want to thank all those who have supported my creative journey from the onset and continue to do so today. In honor of this achievement, I promised that one fan would be awarded a free photo session with yours truly.

Using a Random Number Generator Service, would Fan No. 225 please stand up....

DONNA HARMON...come on down...you have won the drawing for a free hour long photo session! Congratulations Donna!

Get the Job Done: Part one of Senior Rep's Shoot Done

This morning before dawn, I finished editing images from the first portion of Tierra's senior portrait shoot! Tierra, a Montbello High student, became the studio's first senior representative this year. Her first session included using her school's grounds as a backdrop.









Then we moved to another nearby location where with a lovely lake.









Our next session will be held in the streets of downtown Denver where Tierra will be rocking a formal gown in an urban setting. That shoot should be lots of fun and I can't wait.

I want to thank Tierra's mom for allowing her daughter to be a studio senior rep! Tierra has been extremely beneficial passing the word about my photography services. Numerous of her friends have become Facebook fans and I've secured two additional senior representatives for East and Manual highs thanks to Tierra. Keep up the good work, girl!



It's not too late to become a senior rep for Picture Your World Photography! Senior reps get a free photo session, a free yearbook picture and free prints in exchange for telling all their friends and all their friends' friends about me! Call now at 303-548-6112. I only offer senior rep positions to the first senior from each area school to contact me!

Breaking News: Close to 400 Facebook Fans!!!

The studio is just 9 people away from 400 FACEBOOK FANS! Once I reach 400, I will do another drawing for a free photo session! Become a fan today to be eligible for the drawing!

An Aside: If at first you don't succeed...New watermark design Take 2!

I've been experimenting with more potential watermark samples, and I would like your opinion once again on which one you think works best. I plan to use these only when I upload images to the web. The key here is to keep the photo size small enough that it can be viewed but not high enough in resolution that it can be copied and stolen. I'd like to thank the gals from Coffee Shop Free Stuff for the templates and watermark actions that have inspired me to create these new designs.

Here is sample one:


Here is sample two:


Here is sample three:


and here's sample four:



Tell me whatcha think!

This Weekend: Editing, a senior portrait session and a wedding oh my!

Thank goodness this is a four day weekend for me, because after I finish doing all of my photography assignments ahead of me I will DEFINITELY need some rest!

I'm going to be editing like a mad woman, trying to get the shots done from Tierra's senior portrait session and Monique and Jessica's boudoir session:

Tierra's Senior Session:


TrueVirgos Boudoir Session:


Then tonight I will shoot a senior portrait session with Kawanna, my first student from East High! Kawanna was referred to me from Andrea, a security guard who works in the Denver Post building. Kawanna is Andrea's neice, and her booking has given Andrea $25 off her next photo session. Thanks Andrea! I can't wait to photograph you and your family when everyone is in town at the same time. Kawanna said she wanted both greenery and water as a backdrop for her portrait session. So this evening I'm taking her to one of my favorite locations, "a secret garden" nestled in the DU campus. I'm hoping to get a great sunset photo for Kawanna!

Tomorrow I will be serving as a second shooter for Krista and Scott's wedding! My friend and colleague Sean Donnelly has helped me countless times as a second shooter when I had wedding assignments. Now is my chance to help him out by serving as his second shooter during his friend Krista's wedding. I'm very excited about this because it will be my first time having exclusive coverage time with the groom and his party. As a lead wedding photographer, I usually end up shooting the bride and her party while they get ready for the ceremony. I haven't had the chance yet to shoot the groom, until tomorrow! Krista tells me Scott and his friends are very cool and look forward to "partying" with me before the ceremony, so I hope to get some fun casual and traditional shots.

You may remember that Krista and Scott were one of the couples that participated in an engagement workshop I set up for Mile High Photographers last year. Here are some of my favorite shots I took of the couple. This location is the same place where I'm going to be shooting Kawanna's senior portraits tonight!

Krista and Scott






Whew, I'm tired just thinking about all that! I need some strong chai. NOW!!!! Wish me luck!

Get the Goods: Two new must attend classes!

I'm psyched about some new classes being offered this month through Illuminate Photography Workshops.

Camera RAW: The Basics (followed by Camera RAW 2) taught by Master Retoucher, Photoshop Guru and Adobe Certified Expert, Armando Martinez is first on the list. Running Sept. 13, the three hour workshop will help me learn some tips to quickly process RAW files using Adobe Photoshop. I gave up a long time ago on including Lightroom in my post-production workflow. I work exclusively in Photoshop now and end up spending most of my time in Camera RAW -- only opening up Photoshop proper for some specific edits. I KNOW Mando will hook me up with some new tricks that will help speed up my editing even more.

Meanwhile, Event Photography, on Sept. 21 and 29, taught by Illuminate director Efrain Cruz and Photographer Jim Turley, will build on my own growing foundation on event coverage experience. Denver's central location and amazing outdoor activities continues to draw events ranging from concerts to conferences. My event photography coverage has grown so much this year alone that I even thought about specializing in it over portraiture. I have been the official photographer for the National Brotherhood of Skiers summits held in Colorado for the last three years. And this year, I was the official photographer for the Council on Foundation's Annual Conference held in Denver featuring numerous keynote speakers including Former Vice Pres. Al Gore. Check out my COF photos featured on this wrap-up page.



White House adviser Valerie Jarrett talks to philanthropists in Denver.

I went from shooting during mid-day on a snow-capped mountain to deep inside a dark and cavernous dance hall during this year's NBS coverage in Winter Park. Dealing with security, quick uploads and an insane pace during the COF conference left me exhausted for days afterwards. Instructors will give students techniques for overcoming challenges such as shooting in low light, scouting difficult venues, and satisfying organizations. Plus, we will get some hands-on training when we are invited to shoot alongside our instructors at a real event for a local non-profit!

Class sizes are kept small, so sign up today here! Would love to meet some of you.