Congratulations on reaching the last year of your high school career! Graduation is a huge moment in any student’s life. Whether you’re preparing to head off to college or start your career, or even if you’re taking a gap year, this moment marks a huge milestone both in your life and the lives of your parents, and it deserves to be celebrated.

Senior portraits are a perfect way to capture your transition into adult life, but getting in front of the camera can be a little nerve-wracking for some. You may not know how to pose or what expression to have on your face. Do you smile should you be serious? Do you face the camera or look away? What time of year should you have your photos taken? What time a day is good for pictures?

Well, we’re here to answer all your questions. In fact, that’s why we put together this list of tips for getting the most out of your senior session and getting images you’ll love. And if you still have questions after reading these tips, feel free to ask!

Trust Your Photographer

This is the number one tip for any type of photo shoot. You hired a professional to ensure you get images you love and will want to share with family and friends, so trust their expertise. This is why it is important to do your research on what senior photographer you choose.  If you’ve never worked with a photographer before, assured that they will guide you through poses, making sure they get the best possible shots. When you choose a senior photographer who specializes in senior portraits, sports pictures and lighting, you get to work with someone who has years of experience taking just the type of senior photos you’re looking for and who is sure to provide you with photos you’ll love to share and will cherish for years to come

Be Fully Present

You probably hear a lot about mindfulness these days, but one of the best ways to truly enjoy your senior session and feel more comfortable is to simply be in the moment. Don’t stress about your hair or makeup or how you’re standing. Going back to the point above, if you trust your photographer allow them to work their magic.  Just focus on relaxing and being your genuine self. Talk to your photographer, interact with them, and chances are they’ll encourage a smile or laugh out of you. These small, fun moments are so much more authentic than carefully posed and staged portraits and will allow your true personality to show through your photos.

Have Fun

Speaking of showing off your personality, don’t be afraid to look silly, act goofy, or make a funny face. Sometimes a ridiculous pose is just the thing you need to loosen up! Dance around, wave your arms, go frolicking through a field—your senior session is all about you, from the things you love to your high school accomplishments. The more you let yourself relax and have fun, the more you show off who you are, which is exactly what everyone wants to see.  If you are doing a sports portrait session be who you are on the field.  You will love seeing that intense personality and how it comes across in your sports portraits.

Plan Out Your Outfits

When it comes to choosing what to wear for your session, be sure to think ahead. Choose outfits you love and pieces that make you feel good. If you buy anything new, be sure to wear it and try it out before your session. The last thing you want is to be uncomfortable. And don’t forget to take your undergarments into consideration! You don’t want bright underwear showing through your flowing white dress or bra straps peeking out of a cute blouse. Plan your whole outfit down to your accessories to make sure everything goes together.

Get Your Makeup and Hair Professionally Done

You may be a pro at makeup, but the skills of a licensed makeup artist can ensure that you look perfect in every photo. A professional can also help make sure your makeup doesn’t run or smear during your session. The same goes for a professional hair stylist, who can style your hair in a way that looks amazing on you and holds through all your posing and outfit changes.  We work with some of the best make-up artist in the Coachella Valley, so if you don’t know who to call please let us know.

Only Bring People Who Make you Feel at Ease

You don’t want a crowd at your photo session, so be sure to only invite along people who bring out the best in you and let you be your true self. It’s natural to bring a parent along (chances are they’re probably footing the bill for your session), but only include other friends or family members if you feel comfortable around them. If someone is there who makes you feel awkward, your images will come out inauthentic, and we want the real you to shine through!  We all have that one friend that can make us crack up and lighten up the mood… invite them along.

The post 6 Tips for Getting the Most from Your Senior Session first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

You’re about to graduate from high school and embark on a new journey in your life, whether to college, starting a career or a gap year. High school graduation is all about leaving your childhood behind and moving into the next phase of your life as an adult.

Professional senior portraits are the perfect way to mark this milestone in your life. These images give both you and your parents something to look back on in the years to come, as well as a way to share your excitement with friends and family about your accomplishments and the big changes to come in your life.  It is also a great way to document your passions, whether they be hobbies or sports.

Capture Your Personality

For your parents, senior portraits were probably a little more formal—a nice dress or shirt and tie in a photo studio. Today, however, professional photographers who specialize in senior portraits are able to create images that are closer to works of art. Through skillful lighting, posing, and editing, a professional photographer can help capture images that show off your personality and the things you love.  Depending on the packages you select you can also have multiple outfits.  This is where you will get an opportunity to really show your personality.

Celebrate Your Accomplishments

You’ve worked hard to get to graduation, from studying for exams to participating in sports or other extracurriculars. You deserve to celebrate everything you’ve accomplished over the last four years of your high school career. A senior portrait session is a great way to celebrate all that you’ve done while looking forward to the future.  Some seniors will be able to continue playing sports past high school and for others this will be the last time you get to wear a jersey.  Sports requires lots of hard work and lots of sacrifice.  This is an opportunity to tell that story and commemorate those sacrifices with amazing sports portraits.

Remember This Moment

Graduation is a huge occasion, and while you may feel like you will remember it forever, you may be surprised how quickly you might forget the feeling. Photos are a wonderful way to capture not only how you looked, but your personality and interests. Looking back on your senior photos in the future will allow you to remember that unique time in your life years later.

Get the Expertise You Need

Anyone can snap a few photos, but if you want someone to make you look your absolute best, you need a professional photographer. They can help guide you through poses and even facial expressions to help get images you’ll love. Plus, their skill in lighting and framing photos, as well as editing, will give your photos the boost they need to be truly memorable.

Make Your Parents Happy

While your senior photos are about you and your accomplishments, they also mark a huge moment in the lives of your parents as well. What better way to thank Mom and Dad for their support than to give them a memento celebrating how far you’ve come?

Graduating from high school is an important milestone in your life, which is why it’s so important to document this moment. You deserve quality images that you can look back on for years to come and maybe even show your own children one day. A professional senior session is an investment in memories and well worth it.

The post 5 Reasons to Have Professional Senior Portraits Taken first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

Denise is a class of 2020 senior that attends Desert Hot Springs high school.  She was the winner of our big senior portrait session giveaway we did earlier this year.  Denise plays volleyball and is planning on attending college after her high school senior year.  

When Denise came in she was a bit shy but quickly warmed up.  Denise’s session was lots of fun taking her senior portraits.  We especially had fun taking the diving pictures.  We had to do it a few times to get it right.  Denise’s mom was helping to throw the volleyball towards her so that she could dive and hit it before it hit the ground.  For a while, the ball hit her face, neck and every area except her hands J.  The outtakes from her senior portraits are hilarious!  We were all laughing and having a great time! 

Denise was able to borrow a volleyball from her school which is awesome because the schools usually have custom balls made with the school logo and or school colors.  This helps to make for some unique senior portraits.  We always recommend adding anything that helps personalize your senior portraits which is why we have all of our seniors complete our senior questionnaire. 

One thing to note about Denise’s senior portraits that may help others schedule their session.  We are sometimes at the mercy of the team.  We wanted to do the senior portraits earlier in the year but we had to wait for the season to start so that Denise could get her jerseys.  That being said, if you plan on taking senior portraits with a school uniform you may have to talk to the coach about letting us borrow the team jerseys. 

Lisandro Rivera Photography

The post Winner of Our Free Senior Portrait Session first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

 Senior Picture Testimonial

Jaden and Mandy shared this about his senior pictures,

 “It was an extreme pleasure, Mr. Rivera is a professional.  I look forward to working with him and even got my friends excited about working with him for their senior pictures.  We came in and felt extremely comfortable and fired up about the shoot and were extremely pleased with the way they came out!  I feel that he captures me perfectly as a football player.  I strongly recommend him for senior pictures.”

Mandy (Jaden’s Mom):

“I love the way my son and his sport is captured in these amazing photographs.  The creativity, quality, and eye for detail is unmatched!”

 Jaden is the starting running back for his high school football team and was recently voted as the week two high school player of the week for his performance against Banning where he had 27 carries for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns on offense and 10 tackles, a sack and 3 quarterback hurries.  The Shadow Hills Knights beat Banning 44-6. 

Jaden is a senior at Shadow Hills high schools and has aspirations of playing college football.  I can’t wait to see what is in store for Jaden.  He is a great kid on and off the field. 

Lisandro Rivera

The post Jaden’s Football Senior Pictures first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

High School Senior year is an excited, nerve wracking, and joyful year rolled into one. This year signifies the end and the beginning of different chapters in yours and your seniors lives.   This is the year son/daughter will decide if they will go straight to a 4-year college, community college, take a gap year or study a trade.  Don’t let the stress of their senior year make you lose focus on the most important thing, spending quality time with them before they leave.  This is may also be the last year they may play sports, be in band or any other school activity.  Sadly, this may also be the last year they will be home for all the holidays, birthdays and family celebrations.  That is why it’s important to celebrate their Senior year. 

I am going to cover some important testing information as well as a timeline that should help you navigate your seniors last year. 

High School Senior Testing

 As recent news has shown us, the college application process is nerve wracking for students and parents alike.  For most of your high school seniors, they probably started testing last year with the Pre-SAT’s and maybe their first actual SAT.  

Kahn Academy

Kahn academy is a program that most local schools have contracted with to provide free SAT help free of charge.  It is a program that can improve your son/daughters score by up to 150 points. 

Important Dates to Know

Universities of California

Application dates: November 1-November 30

Website to apply: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply

One Online application will work for all campuses.

Four personal insight essays (350 words each) are mandatory when submitting the application.

UC’s do not accept letters of recommendation.  UC Berkeley may ask for one in January.

SAT/ACT Must be taken by December of your senior year.

You must send your official transcripts in June once grades are posted

Get transcripts at www.parchment.com

Checklist for UC:

1.  Application
2.  Essay
3.  Payment

California State Universities

Application dates:  October 1- November 30.

Website to apply: www.csumentor.edu

Non-impacted schools or programs may accept students after the deadline

No essay required

No letters of recommendation

SAT/ACT Must be taken by December of your senior year.

You must send your official transcripts in June once grades are posted

Get transcripts at www.parchment.com

Checklist for CSU:

1. Application
2.  Payment

Private and or out of state schools

Please review each school’s website for their requirements as each school can vary. 

Community Colleges

Apply in the Spring (usually opens registrations in March) www.collegeofthedesert.edu

They do not require SAT or ACT testing

Pledge/Edge program offers free tuition for all students that graduate from a school within the Coachella valley (see if offered in 2020. Information releases in September).

Other Important information

FAFSA & DREAM act

www.fafsa.gov or www.dream.csac.ca.gov

Applications must be submitted from October 1-March 2 2020 to qualify for Cal Grants or Pell grants. 

Scholarships

Please see your counselor for packets to scholarships and look online for scholarships and deadlines.

Important Note

All of these services are FREE, if you find someone charging for these services DO NOT USE THEM!

Disclosure

These dates are accurate to the best of my ability, however, I recommend you talk with your son/daughters counselor to verify this information and make sure they don’t miss any deadlines.  Please speak with your high school seniors school counselor to confirm these dates. 

High School Senior Pictures

Don’t forget to schedule your son/daughters Senior Pictures.  This is an important milestone and you want to make sure you capture this special moment.  The schools contract with a high volume national company, I suggest you look at the work on my website www.leeriveraphotography.com .  We do lifestyle senior shoots and we specialize in sports photography senior pictures as well.  I suggest you schedule your high school senior session as early as possible so that we can plan out the details and make sure we make your pictures as personal as possible. 

Lisandro Rivera

The post How to Navigate Your High School Senior Year first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

I’d like for your son/daughter to prepare for their high school senior sports shoot the same way they would prepare for a game. Bring all the equipment (including balls) you would typically need at a game and then some. What do I mean by “and then some”? Well, for instance… you may not like to use eye black in a game, however, for your pictures eye black can give your pictures a great look.  Being prepared will provide you with the best senior pictures.

For a boy I would also bring a suit or some nice pants/jeans with a dress shirt and tie, I like to mix in different looks. For girls, the same is true, bring a dress, depending on the situation it may be fun to add in a different look. Adding these different looks can show you are more than just an athlete. We also offer packages that include an on-location lifestyle high school senior session as well as a sports senior shoot.

Don’t Forget Your Jersey

If your high school senior is a multiple sport athlete, bring all the gear for the different sports. Also, if the sport is in season you should have the jersey/s. If, however, your sport is not in season it will be important to talk to the coach and explain you have a scheduled a high school senior pictures for your son/daughter and would like to borrow a jersey for the shoot. Try and get the jersey/number your daughter/son likes to wear; this makes them feel better about the shoot.

Our senior sports shoots are done on a green screen. We will add the background in post-production. Once the images are ready I will present them to you and you will select your favorite images.   I will work on creating the background for those images and you will then be invited to our office for the reveal.

Prior to the reveal, I ask that you please send me pictures of any walls you think you would like to hang up your wall art. You can take the pictures with your phone and send them to me (I will provide you with more information after the shoot).

On the day of the reveal, you will have the opportunity to purchase any images you like.

This is their high school senior year, let’s create something that will blow everyone away!

Click here to see our gallery for more ideas or join our facebook group.

Respectfully,

Lisandro Rivera
(310) 629-5575 / www.leeriveraphotography.com
IG: @lisandroriveraphotography

The post How to get Great High School Senior Sports Pictures first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

If you haven’t don’t worry, I hadn’t either.  When Jeremy and Jessica approached me about photographing their surprise wedding I was confused.  I was asking for clarification, so is it a baby shower or a wedding?  When they said it was both and how it was going to be a surprise pop up wedding I got excited!!

So here is how I saw this pop up wedding unfold.  All the guests arrived dressed up and fully expecting a baby shower and nothing more.  All the décor screamed baby shower.  They had games, cakes, center pieces and even a slideshow prepped for the baby shower. 

At some point in the day, Jeremy played a slideshow and video that captured the 9 months of the pregnancy as well as some hilarious videos they captured when they announced their pregnancy to different members of their family.  Jeremy, Jessica and the wedding party sneaked out during the video, got dressed into their wedding attire andwhen the video ended they all made a grand entrance!

The reactions on people faces were priceless!! As a photographer I was joyfully overwhelmed, I had SO many different and awesome reactions that I couldn’t possible capture them all.  People were in shock and disbelief.  I could hear several people including the father of the bride saying, “Wow, I almost didn’t come”.

After the wedding you can see so many mixed emotions, everyone was happy, however, you could see some were still in shock and otherswere still confused. 

I truly hope this is not my last pop up wedding because it was SO much fun!!  Congratulations to Jessica and Jeremy on the wedding and now on becoming parents.  On 10/29/2018 little Jazelle Kalea was bornto two loving people! 

On a side note, Jessica was a TROOPER!! She was 8 months pregnant when the wedding happened!! She was out taking pictures, greeting guests, coordinating and participating in an AWESOME first dance on a very hot 105-degree day. 

Thanks again Jeremy and Jessica for allowing me to be your baby shower, surprise pop up wedding photographer!

Pictures by Palm Springs Wedding Photographer, Lisandro Rivera

The post What, Huh, Really…. It’s a Wedding?!! first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

Glendy and Mauricio were surrounded by friends and family from Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and the Coachella Valley.  It was great to see how they beautifully involved God in every aspect of the wedding. 

Glendy and Mauricio’s wedding had a rustic theme that fits perfectly with the Joshua Tree wedding venue and desert backdrop.  The wedding coordinator Mechelle Williams from Chaise Moments made sure that the wedding went off without a hitch. The wedding included rustic apple crates with beautiful flower arrangements.  All the tables had rustic wood slices that showed the rugged tree bark.  The wedding bouquets and center table flower arrangements had a deep burgundy, pink and white flowers to complement the rustic wedding theme.  Glendy and Mechelle did a great job planning and coordinating the wedding.

Glendy wore one of the most amazing wedding dresses I have ever seen. The wedding dress was from a designer at the Essence of Australia in Los Angeles.  I loved the color and how it complimented everything about the wedding. 

The best thing about Glendy and Mauricio’s wedding has nothing to do with the wedding dress, wedding venue, and the rustic theme…. instead, it was all the love that you felt from all of their friends and family.  The best man and maid of honor speeches were very touching and personal.

 As a wedding photographer, I have the privilege of standing back and see everything unfold.  It was great to see all the love that day and see how everyone was happy and excited for the bride and groom. 

Joshua Tree Wedding Pictures by Lisandro Rivera   

Wedding Venue: Joshua Tree Private home         

Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia       

 Wedding Planner: Mechelle Newman from Chaise Moments

 Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia                                                         Wedding Planner: Mechelle Newman from Chaise Moments

The post Beautiful Joshua Tree Wedding first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

March, 11^th 2017

Jill and Sam live in Northern California but they wanted to get married in the location they had first met. They started planning their dream Palm Springs destination wedding a few months before their wedding day. They really didn’t anticipate having a big wedding but with the help of their parents they were able to put together a beautiful desert wedding.

Jill and Sam’s wedding was a much anticipated event because they had been dating for several years. They had friends and family fly in from across the country for their wedding.

It was an honor to have been your wedding photographer! I love the emotion you guys displayed for each other in your wedding pictures.

Event: Palm Springs Destination Wedding

Palm Springs Wedding Dress: My Little Bridal Boutique

Palm Desert Wedding Venue: The Living Desert

Palm Springs wedding Flowers: David Rohr Floral Studio

Palm Springs wedding Photographer: Lisandro Rivera

Lisandro Rivera Photography

www.leeriveraphotography.com

(310) 629-5575

The post Jill and Sam’s Palm Springs Destination Wedding first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.

Riverside Wedding Venues:  Bridges Auditorium Wedding Venue

Wedding Photographer: Lisandro Rivera Photography, available to travel

Stephanie and Diallo were married at the Bridges Auditorium wedding venue.  It was a very classy and elegant wedding.  Stephanie had all the details planned, her wedding dress was amazing.  Stephanie and Diallo made it easy to be a wedding photographer on their wedding day by having such a great wedding venue and having so many great details.

The post Stephanie and Diallo’s Wedding at Bridges Auditorium Wedding Venue first appeared on Wedding Photography Quinceanera.