One of the questions I get asked the most is, "What should I wear for my photoshoot?". Among the rules and guidelines for what not to wear for a photoshoot, there is one that jumps out the most - baggy shirts. The majority of women and girls I talk to say they are self conscious about their tummy or hate that they have a "little extra" in their mid-section. Girl, you know I'm one of those women too. I hate the little pooch that hangs out right under my belly button - you know, that ugly bit of fat on your lower belly that won't go away? Mine just pulled out a lounge chair, poured itself a margarita, and got comfortable on my tummy. And no matter how many salads I eat or the number of swear words directed at my pooch, it just won't go away. Needless to say, I understand the desire to wear baggy shirts. Get Ready for Some Real Talk.Can I tell you a secret? I used to be a hypocrite. One of the golden rules for professional photos is to avoid wearing loose shirts because it makes you look like a large square with no body shape. I would tell my clients to wear form-fitting shirts when I was doing the opposite. I would strictly wear loose shirts to hide my pooch, especially when I got my photo taken. Well, recently I had been coming to the realization that maybe I should follow my own advice, and this realization came to a tipping point after my last headshot session. I had brought a few different outfits, one was a fitted tank top and the others were looser shirts. After the shoot, as I was flipping through the photos, I noticed that I looked heavier in the loose shirts and skinnier in the fitted top! On top of that, I hardly noticed my dear, margarita-sipping pooch. I looked way skinnier in the photos with the fitted top because it showed my body shape! Take a look at these side by side unedited photos of me from the headshot session. Which girl looks skinnier? Do you believe me now? Same girl, same day, same jeans, different top. Now some of you might argue that the difference in pose is making a difference, and you're right to a certain extent. So below are some more examples of different poses to prove my point. Did you know that this rule applies to women no matter their weight, shape, or size. Even if you're 100lbs overweight, you'll still look skinnier in camera if you wear a form-fitting, structured shirt or jacket rather than a baggy top. Try it! Also notice how I mentioned structure? Structured tops and jackets like a jean jacket, blazer, or leather jacket will help you look even slimmer on camera. If you'd like to read more on outfit ideas for your professional photos, check out these other great blog posts! 5 Tips to Create Outfits that Rock Outfit Inspiration to Make your Friends Jealous of your Professional Photos Learn more About us.We are a Denver Luxury Portrait Photography studio who specializes in high-end Denver Family and High School Senior photo experiences. We are passionate about empowering women to be confident, feel beautiful, and achieve their dreams. This is the driving force behind our business. We are in your corner, saying, "Yes, you are enough. Yes, you are beautiful in your own way. You are smart, confident, and able to achieve anything you put your mind to." We are also passionate about giving back to the community and donating to deserving causes, check out this year's donations. Sarah Lindsay Photography is a nationally recognized portrait studio and Sarah's work has been featured on the cover of and inside spreads of Shutter Scene Magazine. Sarah's work has also been featured on major photography websites such as ShootDotEdit and Miller's Professional Imaging and has been nominated for the City of Northglenn People's Choice - Business of the Year. Your time is precious. We understand that and we want to make your experience as relaxing as possible. We will guide you through the entire process, from your initial consultation to your final artwork pickup, we'll be by your side every step of the way. Let's Chat!Want to work with Sarah? Use the form on the Contact Us page to get the conversation started.
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As a business owner, you work hard to build a successful business. You wear many hats, like customer service rep, CEO, CFO, manager, errand runner, etc. and people don't often get to see the behind the scenes struggles that come with running a business. I recently had the honor of being interviewed and featured in VoyageDenver Magazine and was asked to share my story about starting my business and building Sarah Lindsay Photography from the ground up. Keep reading the article below or see the article on VoyageDenver's website here. ![]() Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lindsay. Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today? When I was young, I would carry around my mom’s old briefcase and pretend that I was the CEO of some large company, conducting staff meetings, taking notes, typing numbers on a calculator that no longer worked… you know, the usual childhood make-believe games that ten-year-olds play. I didn’t put the two together at that point, or even years after, but that was the first time I remember wanting to be something more than an employee. I wanted to be the creator of my own success. Fast forward to 2015. I had recently graduated from college and was bouncing around from job to job. I felt lost and frustrated that I couldn’t find a passion that made me want to get out of bed in the morning. My brother had done it – I swear he was born wanting to be a police officer, and at that point, had recently been hired onto the Fort Collins Police Department. My dad had done it – he had been a pilot for 25+ years at that point. But since I was raised to walk down an expected path: graduate high school, go to college, get a degree, get a career, stay at the same career until you retire, I had forgotten that I had wanted to start my own business and be my own boss in the first place. This lifelong dream of being my own boss was bubbling up but I hadn’t noticed it because I was too consumed with the thought that I was failing at life. So, when my (now) husband gifted me with a DSLR camera one Christmas, it opened the door of opportunity and gave me the tool I needed to make the jump and start my business. So, I started photographing things like flowers, water droplets, and my pets. Then, for some crazy reason, I decided to apply for a wedding photography internship (with absolutely NO experience whatsoever). To my great surprise, they took a chance on me and hired me as their intern wedding photographer! I gotta be honest, I was so scared my first day – I had no clue how to work my camera. The company told me they would teach me how to be a photographer, but when I asked what settings they used on their camera, they told me they shoot in (dun, dun, dun…) AUTO MODE! I was flabbergasted! So, I made it my mission to teach myself how to use my camera to it’s fullest potential. After about a month, I was in full manual mode, had multiple lenses, flashes, and felt like I finally was good at something. From there, photographing people and empowering women through my lens grew into a passion and I started Sarah Lindsay Photography. We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? It seems like a lot of people think they can start a business, get a website, and ‘poof!’ they’ll be rolling in hundred dollar bills the next day. But in reality, it’s not like that at all. Building and running a successful business is hard work. It’s a daily grind, albeit one you actually enjoy doing, and takes a long time to become profitable. I never could have predicted how rough the road would be, and to be honest, it’s still rough sometimes. I’m constantly “failing” (as a Type A perfectionist, that’s really hard to admit!). However, without failure, success will never follow. You will never know what doesn’t work, and therefore what will work until you fail. I’ve had my fair share of roadblocks: starting my business without knowing how to use a camera or run a business for starters, but also not knowing how or when to say ‘no’ to a client that I know, in my gut, isn’t right for me. I clearly remember one client, a few years ago, when I was still photographing weddings. After just our first conversation, I knew she wasn’t going to be a good client. However, I was new to the industry, needed the money, and hadn’t learned to trust my gut yet. So, I took her on as a client. But soon, she started pushing for discounts, freebies, and more things that she hadn’t paid for. She would say passive aggressive things and critique me, knocking my confidence. She was a bridezilla. That was the last time (ok, fine, the second-to-last time), I didn’t listen to my gut. There are also daily challenges that come with running a business. I feel like today, with social media, people only see the “rainbows and butterflies” side of your business and think that running a successful business is a piece of cake, but in reality, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Accounting, marketing, customer service, CEO, operations manager, professional photographer, are just some of the hats I have to wear on a daily basis. Running a business is hard work. Running a successful business is even harder. But, you know what? I wouldn’t trade it for anything. So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sarah Lindsay Photography story. Tell us more about the business. Sarah Lindsay Photography is a Denver Luxury Portrait Photography studio who specializes in high-end High School Senior girls and Family photo experiences. I am passionate about empowering women and girls to be confident, feel beautiful, and achieve their dreams. This is the driving force behind my business. Coming from experience, women never think they are enough. Well, I am in your corner, saying, “Yes, you are enough. Yes, you are beautiful in your own unique way. You are smart, confident, and able to achieve anything you put your mind to.” We are also passionate about giving back to the community and donating to deserving causes, like the Rose Andom Center and the Police Unity Tour. I have built Sarah Lindsay Photography to be a nationally recognized portrait studio and my work has been featured on the cover of Shutter Scene Magazine. My work has also been featured on major photography websites such as ShootDotEdit and Miller’s Professional Imaging and has been nominated for the City of Northglenn People’s Choice – Business of the Year. To our clients, your time is precious. I understand that and I want to make your experience as relaxing as possible. I will guide you through the entire process, from your initial consultation to your final artwork pickup, I’ll be by your side every step of the way. Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business? Good luck has not played a major role in my life or business. I strongly believe that I have created my own success from the ground up. However, bad luck has recently played a role in my life which has, in turn, affected my business, so this seems like a very fortuitous question for me right now. When you’re a business owner, your personal life spills into your business life, there’s no way around it. You are the only one responsible for your success. You are the only one there, doing the daily tasks necessary to keep your business afloat. This became very real for me recently. I had four family deaths in the past year and a half. Two were somewhat expected as my grandparents were getting old and their health was declining, but two were totally unexpected. Like, punch you in the chest with a red-hot iron, type of unexpected. I felt like I couldn’t stand up without getting knocked over by another blow to the heart. This caused me to retreat into myself and fall into sadness. I didn’t want to get off the couch, I didn’t want to eat, and I didn’t want to work (coming from a self-proclaimed workaholic, that’s a big deal). In a way, I was lucky that the brunt of the depression hit during my slow season because my business suffered and I didn’t book a single client for months. I’m still dealing with the grief, but, thankfully, I have gotten my business back on track and it is thriving once again! My studio is ramping up for High School Senior season this summer and have been booking clients months in advance. A huge thank you to VoyageDenver for interviewing and featuring local business owners and showing their audience that running a business is not always sparkles and unicorns. However, I do want to say, running your own business is one of the most rewarding things you will do. So if you're considering it, go for it! Don't let fear get in your way.
Wow, I can't believe all of you are graduating already! It seems like just yesterday, we were standing in a sunlit field photographing your senior portraits... Thank you for making last season so full of beautiful, handsome, smart, and talented young women and men. I can't wait to see what amazing things you'll do! To celebrate here is a slideshow of all the amazing Seniors I had the honor of photographing this year: If you're interested in booking your Senior VIP Experience with us, here's what you can expect: The Senior VIP Experience was created to boost confidence in young women at a time in their lives when it is most vital by giving them an empowering senior photo shoot. Through your senior portraits, you'll have an incredibly positive experience that counters the negative messages you are bombarded with daily to help you conquer anxiety and self-doubt. Our clients love fine-art pieces to display in their home, so we shoot with the final artwork in mind. Whether it's a large wall art piece or an heirloom album, we'll design a custom keepsake just for you. This time in your life is overwhelming and your time is precious, we understand that. To make this process as relaxing as possible, we guide you through every step, from your initial consultation, to what to wear, to choosing your photographs and your final artwork pickup. Our professional Denver Senior Photography Studio is here for you! Your Denver Senior Pictures experience:The Denver Senior VIP Experience includes:
Who are we?We are a nationally recognized Luxury Denver portrait photography studio and Sarah's work has been featured on the cover of and inside spreads of Shutter Scene Magazine. Sarah's work has also been featured on major photography websites such as ShootDotEdit and Miller's Professional Imaging and has been nominated for the City of Northglenn People's Choice - Business of the Year. Our clients value custom, museum-quality artwork hung on their walls, heirloom albums that will last lifetimes, and a one of a kind, high-end experience unlike any other. Your time is precious. We understand that and we want to make your experience as relaxing as possible. We will guide you through the entire process, from your initial consultation to your final artwork pickup, we'll be by your side every step of the way. Call us now to get your questions answered or book today - 970-518-7790
Spending 10 minutes with Olivia, you’ll instantly realize she is an outgoing girl with a contagious smile. Everyone wants to be around her. She is a Senior at Broomfield High School, plays softball, and is loved by her amazing group of friends - a normal girl who does normal things. What makes Olivia “different” is that she has no hair. At all. But if you ask me, this is what makes her most beautiful. Experiencing periods of patchy hair loss, Olivia was diagnosed with Alopecia areata at age 13. That changed at age 17 when she eventually lost it all. Alopecia totalis is a rare disease that attacks the hair follicles causing the hair to fall out. "My world had been turned upside down by a disease of which I had no control.” Olivia writes, "I no longer looked the way everyone else did, and I felt as if I was not worthy of anyone's attention. As a result, I felt that everything was crumbling down into millions of trivial pieces . . . as if my whole lifetime was determined by this disease. This disease was defining me, it was taking away my happiness.” I first heard of Olivia's story through her posts on Instagram and instantly knew that I wanted to do something empowering for her. Putting myself in her shoes, it was hard to imagine what she was going through. It would be hard to feel feminine, to feel beautiful, to feel confident... "I wore hats everyday to school. I was trying so hard to keep it from everyone because I was ashamed. I was ashamed that I no longer looked a certain way . . ." says Olivia, "This began to negatively impact several parts of my life. I didn’t want to go anywhere with my friends. This disease disrupted my softball season; I was no longer confident and that showed on the field. It affected the way I interacted with my peers in the hallway; I walked to my next class as quickly as I could so no one saw me. My lack of hair controlled how I related to others because I thought they only saw my hats. I allowed this disease to dictate my confidence, my mood and ultimately it changed my personality." But as I continued to follow her journey through Instagram, I saw a strong young woman who would not to give in. She dug her heals in, refused to controlled by her disease, and ultimately she blossomed... "At the beginning of October 2017, I cut off the remaining meager strands of my hair." Olivia states, "For the first time in a long time, I felt beautiful. What I had been trying to hide for so long could no longer contain me. Hats no longer contributed to my collection of fashion accessories. It didn’t take long to realize how happy I’d become. I felt as if I was no longer carrying 1,000 weights everywhere. The mountain of stress I had been carrying with me since the beginning of the school year was gone. Not one person said anything negative about me wearing a hat or not wearing a hat. Everyone was so proud of me and, most importantly, I was proud of me... I realized cutting off those final strands had liberated me..." After seeing her break free and blossom, I reached out to her to see if she wanted to do a shoot highlighting her beautiful bald head. Her response was a resounding and enthusiastic "YES!". For her photo shoot, Olivia and I wanted to show off her natural beauty and confidence with a shoot that wouldn't hide her baldness, but instead show it off! We wanted to show the world that bald is beautiful and your hair does not define who you are - YOU define who you are. For Olivia, I wanted this shoot to be empowering. I wanted her to feel drop-dead gorgeous. But ultimately, both of us wanted to show others with Alopecia that they are beautiful too. They shouldn't be ashamed and hide their hair loss, no, they should embrace it and love themselves! To those who have Alopecia or to anyone who looks "different". We want you to know that you are perfect. You are stunning. You are strong. You are amazing. You can do anything. You are loved just the way you are. ![]() Hey there! I'm Sarah, owner and professional photographer of Sarah Lindsay Photography! We specialize in museum quality custom artwork, like fine-art wall portraits and heirloom albums. We do it all for you, so all you need to do is sit back and relax! We believe our work allows my clients to feel insanely confident and beautiful, not just in front of my camera, but going forward in life by creating an incredibly positive and self-affirming experience. Click here to learn more about Sarah. |