Cottonwood Creek is a great location for morning sessions! Let me just say, I absolutely love this location! It's magical, it's easy to access and there's not a lot of hiking. It's pretty perfect for morning sessions with small children! And, did I mentioned that there is a HUGE and AWESOME playground right around the corner from where we shoot? #parentingwin.

In addition to waxing poetical about the location, I am also in love with this family who came down from Denver VERY early on a summer Saturday to shoot with me in Colorado Springs, even though I know they could have found 1001 photographers in Denver. I am always honored when people choose me as their photographer, go to great lengths to get to me and I am able to create images and a full experience that they love!

Without further ado, let me walk you thru the session! (Like me, amy (mom) really like black and white images...so that's over half the gallery!)

We started out right by the road in the super little spot I found near the back of the park. The light streams thru the trees and creates a magical kind of back lit situation. The kids were still warming up to me at this point, but we got some adorable smiles out of all of them!

After we shot near the road for a bit, we walked about 100 feet down to a cool bridge, wooded area. I find that changing locations slightly with small children serves one main purpose with lots of extra benefits: everyone likes variety in their portraits! Extra benefits include the fact that a change of scenery is good for everyone and (mostly) it takes the pressure off the kids and lets them run around, find some sticks, hold my hand and chat with me as we walk.  After we walked down, Swift (the son) needed some Mommy loving and wasn't having my standing poses. We quickly adjusted, let Mom hold him and got this gem below!

One of the things I love about what I do is the need to quickly improvise and change. While I always have a shot plan in my mind for before a family portrait session, things don't always go as planned. Luckily for my clients (and you...if you want to become one), I have been doing this so long that I have no less than 75 poses swimming around in my head at any time and tweaking poses to perfection in about 10 seconds is what I do!

As a professional photographer here in Colorado Springs, I always deliver the absolute best in artwork and imagery to my clients.  After we have captured the perfect family portrait shots, we move into Mom and Dad groupings with the kids. Sometimes we do it individually and sometimes we do the kids all together, but these images are important - especially for Moms who are usually behind the (cell phone) camera. As a Mom myself, I truly treasure the images I have with my kids, as they are a bit less plentiful than those my hubby has. And, God forbid something ever happened to me, (or just as they get older) I honestly believe that my children would/will treasure those images as well.

And finally we made it over to the fun bridge - lots of bikers passed by as we were shooting, ooooohhhhing and ahhhhhhing at this adorable family! After we got a few more kid smiles, courtesy of some gummy bears I found in my camera bag, I put everyone on the bridge, got them posed and then told them to tickle their kids! Mom and Dad love this image because it summarizes their family relationship. They are an absolute blast and then all love to laugh together. The bottom image is the kind of interactive shot that I love delivering to my clients!

I hope you enjoyed checking out this session of the Carrington family portraits, on location at Cottonwood Creek park. If you are looking for the best family photographer in Colorado Springs, I hope that you'll reach out and schedule your pre-session consultation! I typically book 1-2 months in advance, just for planning sake :)
- Lindsey 

I've been holding out on you guys...not because I want to, but simply because there are only so many hours in each day. But, I'm here to deliver today. I'm so excited to share these images of the Zynda family at Garden of the Gods from back in July!  Because their daughter is a bit older, a sunset session was a feasible option, even in the middle of the summer! We met outside of the Garden of the Gods park about 20 minutes before the sun set and I hopped in the back of their car - parking is a premium at Garden of the Gods...all the time!

We headed into the park, passing the main parking and navigating back to the Siamese Twins hike, which I had scouted previously, as being one of the best shots to shoot the rock formations PLUS Pikes Peak in the background. There was one parking spot, just waiting on us at the bottom. We started our hike (less than a mile, roundtrip) and stopped for images along the way.

The Zyndas were repeat clients of mine from Kansas, and I had missed their hilarious banter and sense of humor for the last 2 years since they moved. Getting to reconnect was a blast!  We hiked a bit then stopped as I saw visions of perfect family photos in my head (this is a common problem...I'm always envisioning how things will look thru my viewfinder!) They were happy to oblige.

Every family that I shoot comes with it's own quirks, fun ideas and dynamic. One of my favorite parts of shooting the Zynda family is the relationship that their daughter has with Dad. Every year they take a "mean mug" photo...we did it in Kansas and now I'm happy to say that we have done it in Colorado.  We also captured a bonus "thinker" image, overlooking Pikes Peak at sunset...and I just love how these images are fun and gorgeous and just really capture them!

I thoroughly enjoyed this family session with the Zyndas! I am proud of the fact that they love me enough to let me be their Colorado Springs family photographer.  I love that we can shoot at Garden of the Gods without posing in front of hundreds of people and that these sites are open and available for Colorado Springs family photos. I love being a family photographer here in Colorado Springs and I'm so grateful to the Zynda's and all of my clients for being amazing and helping me become one of the best family photographers in Colorado Springs.

If you are looking for unique family portraits in Colorado Springs, please get in touch with me so that we can schedule a complimentary consultation. I would love to create amazing artwork for your memory boxes and your empty home walls! :)
​-Lindsey

Last week, I had the distinct privilege of being brought on by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation to take new head shot photos of transitioning service members during their 2 day "Hiring our Heroes" summit at Fort Carson. Many of the participants are transitioning service members who are leaving the Army and looking for employment to match the many skills that they have honed during their time in service.  

While many of these job seekers are well-qualified, most are completely new to the civilian work force and just beginning to understand the role that social media (and their personal brand) will play in their job hunt! I was thrilled to be able to provide this service and these complimentary images to so many of these men and women who have served for 20+ years.  I wish them all the best as they start their next chapters in the civilian world!

Why is this important? Who cares if my LinkedIn profile picture is just a cropped in selfie?  Well, as professionals who are looking for professional employment, your social media site(s) are your first impression! Would you ever walk up to a future employer with a beer in your hand and your best buddy next to you, laughing loudly? I hope not! That is the equivalent of having an unprofessional social media profile image...

Here are some quick facts that I was able to share with many of these job seekers about social media and your job hunt (and why you need a professional head shot!):

• 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to check candidates. (Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016)
• Jobs requiring social skills have grown 83%.  (The State of the American Job Report Pew Research October 2016)
• On average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, 4 to 6 will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job. A solid online profile helps you stand out.  (Glassdoor)
• Which source is used most for job searching and recruiting? Here are the top five sources:  

    Career Sites - 27.35%    Job Boards - 18.76%
    Referrals - 15.83%         Internal Hire - 15.25%
    Agency - 4.52%
    (Jobvite 2017 Recruiting Funnel Benchmark Report)

• 41% of employers say that they might not interview a candidate if they can’t find them online. ​(Careerbuilder)​

Your online presence is the first thing people see, whether you are searching for the perfect job or just excelling in your current position. Personal branding is about presenting yourself in the best light possible. 

If you are a looking for a job, a promotion, or just an improved online presence, please let me help! Contact me now to schedule your complimentary consultation to discuss how professional portraits can take your online presence and personal brand to the next level.

719.644.6505 | lindsey@lindseyslattery.com

I do! And I don't even drink Pumpkin Spice Lattes...although I love the smell when I walk into Starbucks. I love everything about Fall, from the chillier mornings to the warmer afternoons and then the cool Fall evenings that just make me want to bundle up in front of a fire pit! Plus the photo opportunities around Colorado Springs definitely excite me for Fall Family portrait sessions! Fall photo sessions are a great way to update your family picture and have something fresh to add to your Christmas card (Gah...how is it time to talk about Christmas already?!?!)

And, the clothes...let's just talk about the clothes! Leggings and tunics are my jam y'all...people think you actually got dressed when you wear leggings and a tunic - versus my typical wardrobe of capri workout leggings and tank tops. Throw on some cute booties and you are fashionable and comfortable. Fall for the win!

Another bonus of Fall is the changing leaves and the color palette. Each year, it varies a little bit, but most of it is pretty standard. Maroons, navy blues, golden/mustard yellows - I love them all.  When I Facebook friend (Yay, Daisy and Elm Jewelry) and previous client recently posted about the Fall Pantone colors for 2017, I had to giggle, as I have been recommending a VERY similar Fall palette to my clients for their Fall family photos in Colorado Springs for the past few weeks.  

Since not all of you are my clients and you may want to be clued in to this year's trends, I thought I'd share here as well! Here's what Alyson posted...