Category Archives: Senior Portraits

Why Print Photos in the Digital Age?

In today’s digital age, we are surrounded by an abundance of digital photos stored on our smartphones, computers, and cloud services. While the convenience of digital photography has its advantages, there is a growing concern that we are losing an entire generation of photographs due to the lack of printing.

Let’s explore FIVE consequences of not printing portraits and the importance of preserving our images/memories in tangible form.

The Fragility of Digital Data: Digital photographs are susceptible to loss or corruption. Hard drives can fail, memory cards can get damaged, or files can accidentally be deleted. By not printing portraits, we place our memories at risk, relying solely on fragile digital files that can easily disappear.
The Joy of Tangible Memories: There is something magical about holding a physical photograph in your hands, feeling the texture, and reliving the moment it captured. Printed portraits allows us to create tangible memories that can be displayed, shared, and passed down through generations. It brings a sense of nostalgia and connection, evoking emotions that digital images alone cannot replicate.
The Importance of Archiving: Printing portraits ensures their longevity and preservation for future generations. By printing and archiving photographs, we create a tangible legacy that can be enjoyed by our children, grandchildren, and beyond. These printed portraits serve as a bridge between generations, fostering a sense of belonging, and allowing our stories to live on.
The Loss of Personal Touch: In the digital realm, our photographs often remain hidden within the confines of our devices (think about yourself trying to find one single image on your iPhone). Printed portraits allows us to showcase our cherished memories in our homes, creating a personal touch and a sense of warmth. They serve as conversation starters, sparking stories and connections with our loved ones. Without printed portraits, we miss out on the opportunity to share and celebrate our lives with others.
Preserving Cultural Heritage: Printed portraits are not just about preserving our personal memories; it is also about safeguarding our cultural heritage. Family portraits capture moments that define our identities and histories.

As we continue to navigate the digital age, it is essential not to overlook the importance of printed portraits.

Preserving our memories in tangible form allows us to safeguard them against technological failures, relish in the joy of physical touch, and create lasting legacies for future generations.

Let us not allow an entire generation to be lost in the millions of digital images, stuck on a device.

At Innovative Images, Kurt is a PRINT ARTIST. Now you know why!

It’s time to give your walls a story to share.

Lets get it all figured out

1. Prefer text? Text Kurt at 972-335-3686

2. Prefer email? Email: Kurt@innovativeimagesphotos.com

3. Prefer a call? Schedule your call here: https://calendly.com/innovativeimages/portraitphoneconsultation

Make Up Tips for Portraits

LIGHTEN UP. Avoid going too dark in your foundation shade. Have your shade professionally matched to your skin tone as close to the day of your shoot as possible. This really matters!
MATTE IS A MUST. Especially for your cheeks, stay away from shimmery powder, no exceptions. For eyelids, keep shimmer strictly to the lids.
PRIMARY FOCUS. Primer is essential for keeping makeup intact! It’s like the base coat of a nail manicure. Oil-free versions are best and also sensitive skin-friendly.
SAY NO TO SPF. Primer and foundation should be SPF-free. Formulas containing sunscreen cast a ghostlike glow with the camera flash or reflector.
LINE UP. When lining eyelids, start in the center and work your way to the outer edge. Lining the entire lid will cause the eyes to appear smaller. Use a slanted brush with a dark (but not black) shadow to line the lower lids.
MORE IS MORE. Camera lighting will wash out colors, no matter what. Don’t be scared off by a dramatic finished look. It won’t photograph that way unless you have gone overboard. Your makeup should be a bit more intense than your every day look. Please avoid too much eyebrow pencil but do fill in your brows for a natural look. Eyebrows frame your face so a delicate balance it absolutely critical.
BLEND, BLEND, BLEND. When it comes to concealer, cheek contouring and eye shadow, a quality set of brushes is key. The camera will highlight and pick up on unblended edges, creating a clow-like look. Unblended concealer will highlight fine lines.
MELLOW YELLOW. To set makeup, choose a yellow based powder rather than a translucent powder Much like SPF formulas, translucent powders cast a white glow when photographed.
AU NATURALE. Always have makeup applied in a natural light. This will be the best indicator of how it will look when photographed. Please wear a little make up even if you do not normally do so because a totally natural look can really make you look washed out in photos. We love natural looks, but a little lip color, cheek color, brow pencil, and mascara will go a LONG way!

10. SAY NO TO SPIDER LASHES. The worst mistake that people make is wearing long, fake, thick eyelashes. Your eyes will disappear in the shadows of the spider like lashes. If you are dead set about falsies, keep them shorter and less thick than normal. I promise you..eyelashes can ruin portraits and no amount of retouching can repair the damage. I wish I could post some of my clients who have made this tragic mistake but I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone. Too much mascara can have the same negative effect. Mascara is great but do not apply it over and over making the lashes stick together and look clumpy.

11. USE COLOR HARMONY. Think about what you are wearing and select lip and cheek colors that blend with your clothing. A complementary nail color is essential too. For example, if you wear pink, do not use coral shades for lips, nails, etc. If you are someone who doesn’t like pink on your lips, you should avoid pink clothing too. It’s probably not your best look!

11. PRACTICE RUN. Don’t let the day of your photo shoot be the first time to try new products. Trial runs are essential to creating the perfect final look!

A Sample Senior Photo Shoot

Senior photo shoots at Innovative Images start with a decision regarding what type of session a person desires. We base our sessions on how much time and travel needed to achieve a client’s goals. We offer a 1 1/2 hour session which normally allows for three clothing changes and no locations other than our studio setting which includes indoor and outdoor areas. The session fee is $100. and must be paid in advance to schedule a date/time. We also offer a 2 hour session which allows for another clothing change and a location within a few miles of our studio, if desired. This session fee is $150. Our final offering is a 2 1/2 hour session which includes 4-6 clothing changes, studio areas and locations. See the link at the bottom of this posting for online booking.

During the session, Kurt will help determine what a client should wear and the best background for the outfit. We do have a dressing room where clients can place their clothing and freshen up between changes. If multiple clothing options are being used on location, we find a place to change or use our vehicles. It always works out! Kurt does all sorts of poses in each clothing choice allowing for lots of creativity and options. He will do close ups, full length, smiling, serious looks, etc. Clients love the way he takes charge and helps them look their very best.

Depending upon the session, you will see between 50-100 images at the order appointment which is typically 2-3 days after the session. Prior to arrival at the order appointment, Kurt will review the pics and narrow the choices down to the best ones so clients will not be overwhelmed. He will delete those in which eyes are closed, etc. In addition, Kurt picks his very favorite images and does a little retouching so clients can see what the end results will be.

Check out these photos of a Super Safari session done in February, 2024. You would never guess it was in the middle of winter! Part of this photoshoot was at Adriatica Village in McKinney and the others were done at our home studio.

Senior Photo Session – 1 1/2 Hours

Senior Pics for College Grads

Most people used to consider a full on senior portrait session as something specific to high school seniors. That is no longer the norm! College seniors are celebrating their accomplishments with senior portrait sessions on their respective campuses. We know that college shapes lives in very profound ways therefore recording graduation with professional portraits is a special way to remember this amazing time of life.

Each spring we schedule local college seniors at schools such as North Texas, SMU, TCU, Austin College, University of Oklahoma, UTD, etc. Call us for more details!

Here are a few of our favs from Emily’s session on the campus of the University of Texas Dallas.

College Choice Mini Sessions

Deciding upon a college destination is a huge decision! The choice made will shape an adult’s life in many ways. We wish all of you who are in the process of deciding great wisdom!

Once a high school senior decides where he/she will attend college, a mini photo session may be the perfect way to celebrate and document the decision. Seniors LOVE putting their photo wearing college spirit wear on the back of their high school announcement. Our custom designed high school graduation announcements are stunners!

We offer a 30 minute, add on senior mini session for $50. (photos not included) These sessions are designed for those who did senior pics with us previously and wish to add on either college choice photos, graduation robe and hat photos or prom dress/suit photos. Give us a call @ 972-335-3686 to arrange yours today.

If you did not do senior photos with us, but wish to do a basic senior photo session with 3 clothing changes, 1- 1/2 hours, we can incorporate your college choice photos into the session. (Session fee is $100.and does not include photos. Book HERE

Hudson

Hudson is a 2024 Senior at McKinney Boyd. He is a two sport athlete, playing both basketball and baseball for the Broncos. The highlight of his high school years have been reaching the playoffs in both sports.

Hudson has unbelievable blue eyes that absolutely shine in his photos. He is very tall and you might be surprised to know that he wears a size 16 shoe!

We love photographing Hudson and have no doubt that his future is very bright.

Marissa

Marissa is the second in her family to do senior portraits with Innovative Images. She has an older brother, Caleb, and a younger brother, Josh. Marissa’s pets include two bulldogs named Rocky & Ellie.

We absolutely love photographing Marissa. She has an instinctive photogenic way about her and her eyes are completely stunning. Marissa has an exotic look and she absolutely lights up the camera. Take a look at a few of our favs!

Daylin

Sometimes during a photo session we realize that the subject is truly “PHOTOGENIC.” Daylin was a complete natural in front of the camera and could pull off both fun and dramatic looks. Take a look at some of my favorites! There are so MANY more amazing pics of her – too many to share! A good portion of these were taken at our home studio in McKinney, TX in the month of June.

Karsen, Senior 2022

Personality +++++ describes Karsen perfectly! I asked her to tell me about her style and she said, “New York high fashion.” I love it!

Her goal after high school is to become a “Big Hollywood actress.” I can envision it easily. She is charming, kind and ambitious. It was a blast photographing her and seeing the many looks she has.

Her inspirations are Marilyn Monroe, Margot Robbie and Judy Garland. Her favorite movie is “Starwars Empire Strikes Back.” I can see her starring in this type of movie!

Karsen enjoys hanging out with her friends, shopping and riding the jet ski at the lake.

We hope your dreams come true!!!!

Nicole, Senior 2021

Nicole was one of the first of the Class of 2021 that we photographed this year. If the experience for both her and us is any indication of what’s in store for the year, things are going to be absolutely amazing. Nicole seems like an “old soul” with an outgoing, compassionate and tenacious spirit. She was absolutely a delight to work with and we are in love with her casual, beautiful results. Check out a few pics from her session…..

Nicole’s future plans are to attend college, obtain a Master’s in athletic training and Doctorate in physical therapy. Her ultimate goal is to become a trainer/physical therapist in the NFL.

It hasn’t been easy going into a senior year with a pandemic and uncertainty everywhere but Nicole says that the whole experience has “Taught me to look at the positives in a bad situation.”

Good Luck Nicole. You make the future seem as though we are all in good hands!