]]>
With homecoming dances being canceled, Michael Curtis Photography is offering this fun 'fake HOCO' event at our studio in Arlington. This is a 2 hour photo shoot for groups of 4 - 8 high school students. The session costs $300 and everyone gets a lot of great photos.
Here's samples from a recent HOCO photo party that was put on for a group of girls from Sedro-Woolley. Round up your posse of besties and book a 'fake HOCO' (FOCO / faux-CO) photo party. Break out your favorite dress and glam it up! Give us a call at 425-610-9098.
It was such a pleasure working with all of you. Thanks Raquel, Malena, Jenna, Erin, Ashley and Sian.
The Puget Sound region offers an incredible variety of settings for senior portraits. We are happy to make recommendations based on your personality and the vibe that best matches who YOU ARE. We also encourage you to suggest locations that have special meaning and significance to you.
Fields, Flowers, Trees = Natural Vibe Parks, Arboretums, Nurseries
Snohomish flower fields | Stanwood City Park | Twin Rivers Park in Arlington | Burlington-Edison roadside flower field | Skykomish River Centennial Park in Monroe | Bonhoffer Garden in Stanwood | Padilla Bay State Park | Lake Stevens City Park | Everett and Seattle Arboretums | Bellevue Botanical Gardens | Kubota Gardens and Waterworks Gardens in Renton | Christensen's Nursery near Mt Vernon | Northern States farm just outside of Sedro-Woolley.
Brick, Glass, Steel = Cosmopolitan or Gritty/Grungy with Attitude! City, Alleys, Cafes, Cars
Arlington, Stanwood, LaConner, Conway, Anacortes, Edison, Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Sedro-Woolley, Burlington, Mt. Vernon and Bellingham offer great options for small town urban with nice street scene options, gritty grafitti alleys.
Seattle (downtown waterfront, Pike Place Market, Seattle Center), Bellevue Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell and Everett offer more upscale urban settings.
Water, Beach, Waterfront = Just Chillin’
Park Beach, Urban Waterfront: there's no shortage of great beach locations for your senior portrait session
There is no shortage of great beaches and parks for senior photos. Meadowdale, Golden Gardens, Richmond Beach, Kayak Point, Camano Island State Park, Iverson Beach, Deception Pass, Bowman Bay, Cap Sante Park and Washington Park in Anacortes.
Seattle, Edmonds, Mukilteo, Everett, Ballard Locks, LaConner, Bellingham gives up top locations for senior portraits on the waterfront.
Studio, School = Fashionably Push The Limits Magazine-style fashion shoot featuring your cap & gown, prom dress, sporting gear or at school
Professional studio session for a unique magazine styled shoot. Not your stuffy, rigid studio sitting but a fun and lively experience that delivers contemporary portraits. Some of our senior portraits have won awards in the Portrait Masters international portrait photography competition.
Fly your school colors with your senior photo shoot at the school or in the stadium. Break out your sports gear for some pictures of you in your element on the field or track.
We also offer end-of-year prom dress and cap and gown photo sessions too - go out with a bang!
Keep in mind these are only a few of the many options that provide top settings for senior portraits. I am happy the explore other areas and always open to your suggestions on places you want for your senior pictures.
Let's get creative and make beautiful senior photos that capture the true and unique YOU!
Please call us at 425-610-9098 if you have any questions or need recommendations for your senior photo experience.
]]>
Why go with a professional photographer? Great question!
The key to producing great images is a blend of making you feel comfortable in front of the camera, getting creative with the location, technical skills (camera, lighting, editing) and pose direction. With over 15 years of portrait photography know-how, Michael Curtis Photography will deliver a unique session, no cookie cutter formula, that produces epic photos!
Even experienced amateurs struggle with the more nuanced parts of portrait photography. The mastery of lighting, hiding undesirable features, and creating radiant skin tones are among the most difficult and most important parts of producing perfect portraits. When you hire a professional, they will put their years of experience and training to work creating images of you that flatter and look fantastic!
Behind the scenes, your professional photographer will have pro-grade equipment, cameras and image storage with backup copies, software for editing and years of training to deliver consistently great photos.
One last consideration when choosing your photographer is to take time to look at their portfolio and make sure that their style of photography and the way they process their photos match the look that you're after. Click HERE to visit my Senior Portfolio.
Professional makeup for the ladies is highly recommended; day-to-day makeup just doesn't show up as well on camera. Our makeup artists are highly trained and can achieve a flawless natural or glam look, to suit your style. Another part of having a professional makeup artist is that it's a special day and I think being pampered and having fun is a huge part of making you not only look great but feel great. That's the formula to having a great senior photo session!
A professional is invested in your satisfaction. As a professional photographer, your satisfaction with the images, service and overall experience are the highest priority for me. It is mainly through word-of-mouth referrals that I sustain and grow my business, therefore, I am fully committed to your satisfaction.
Please check out our Class of 2021 Senior Portrait Planning Guide for more information and tips or call Michael at 425-610-9098 to book your session or have any questions answered.
]]>
The 1 hour studio session price is $150. You will received 5 retouched digital images of your favorite shots. Add a friend for an extra $50 -- this adds 30 minutes to the session (they get 5 edited photos too).
Give us a call at 425-610-9098 to book your session.
]]>
]]>
]]>I feel blessed to have been able to photograph such a great group of people. I'd also like to thank my team who helped with hair, makeup and styling of these portrait sessions. A shout out to Emma Culbertson for her hair and makeup work behind the scenes and for being one of my subjects in front of my camera. A big thanks to Rebecca Elton for her professional hair styling and makeup work on several of these portrait sessions. Some of these awards were won in the high school senior category and some in the contemporary portrait category.
Ladies, I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks Abby, Ellie, Emma, Jan, Josie, Malia, Marcelle and Payton for spending time in front of my camera.
Cheers.
Michael Curtis
'Award Winning Photographer'
Don't wait until the last minute to organize a little pre-graduation photo shoot. Do it Solo or make it a Group shoot. Plan a little get-together at a local park with your besties--it's the perfect way to get fired-up for the big event! There is limited availability so call soon to reserve the date - 425-610-9098. Book your Cap & Gown Photo Shoot Here!
]]>Now is the time to round up your posse for a fun prom photo shoot with all your best friends.
Here is an example of a prom group shoot for Stanwood High School seniors that we did on a Camano Island beach. What a great group of grads getting preparing to embark on the next phase of their lives!
It's great to have Katelyn as my Class of 2020 senior ambassador representing Michael Curtis Photography at Marysville-Getchell High School. We did her first photo shoot in early March in downtown Snohomish on a clear but chilly day. So chilly that we decided to visit the Snohomish Pie Company for a fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie. I'm looking forward to working more with Katelyn throughout senior photo season.
I'm excited to have Allyson as my Class of 2020 senior ambassador representing Michael Curtis Photography at Anacortes High School. We managed to fit in one of her senior portrait photo shoots in Mt. Vernon on a nice day in February.
Their mom had some nice things to say in her review of my services: "I have used Michael Curtis Photography for all three of my girls for senior photos! He is so professional and extremely talented! We highly recommend!" Thanks Alana--you have been blessed with these 3 lovely young ladies.
]]>
]]>Ashley, her mom (Holly) and I caught an incredible fall evening for some golden hour portraits. We were last to leave Bowman Bay at Deception Pass after getting this great series of photos.
Masters for this portrait of Emma in the teens and seniors division. Thanks for the collaboration Emma who did
her own makeup and hair.
]]>
Digital negatives are a large selection of images from your photo session. The digital negatives are photos that have have had basic editing (white balance and exposure modifications) and delivered as a digital file as a download from the client's gallery or on a flash drive. These files are sized to provide optimal prints up to 8"x12" in size.
I deliver approximately 75 images per hour of shoot time.
Thanks to USB Memory Direct for the custom flash drives they supply me.
]]>
We were able to capture so many memorable images that they decided to upgrade their wedding album to 50 pages and stepped up to the album produced by my favorite printer in Italy.
In spite of their delay in choosing the photos for their album I managed to have the book produced just in time for their first anniversary. I schemed with Noah to surprise Rachel with the album at the cafe where they were enjoying their anniversary brunch.
Thanks for these kind words Noah & Rachel..."October 22nd, 2016 - We'll never forget this wonderful day and start to the blessing that is our marriage! A huge thank you to Michael Curtis for putting together a BEAUTIFUL wedding album for us (and delivering it to us personally on our one year anniversary yesterday, how special!) We couldn't be happier with this keepsake. In honor of our anniversary, Noah and I wanted to share the photos from the album with you. Thank you to everyone who prayed, witnessed and celebrated with us at our wedding last year, we are so grateful for you! 
♥️"
]]>
Beth West
What I look forward to most my senior year is, I will be attending a Sno-Isle program in Everett for medical assisting. I am very interested in the medical field and this is advancing me even farther into it. I also am nervous but excited to start applying to colleges and just start planning my future. Lastly, I look forward to my senior year of high school soccer. I have played soccer since I was very young so this upcoming year is partly an end of many years of playing with friends from 9 years old. It will be sad but I'm excited for all the memories to come and to see how far our team will go this year.
Be sure to enter the SENIOR WEEK Giveaway drawing for some great prizes. Open to all high school students in King, Snohomish and Skagit counties. ENTER HERE.
]]>
What is SENIOR WEEK?
It is the one week each year that we celebrate the graduating Seniors and upcoming Seniors!
ENTER TO WIN GREAT PRIZES
Michael Curtis Photography is giving away amazing prizes to ANY high school student in King, Snohomish and Skagit counties. Enter the drawing to be eligible to win!
Grand Prize: $120 Gift Card for Merrell Footwear and Apparel
Runner-up Prizes: 3 Pistil Designs Scarves (comfy and stylish) valued at $30 each, 3 Pistil Designs Caps (summer savvy headwear) valued at $30 each and 3 Pistil Designs Headbands (pretty and practical) valued at $14 each.
BOOK YOUR 2017 SENIOR PORTRAITS -- And SAVE $100
We open up bookings for 2017 graduating Seniors with a HUGE early bird discount ($100 off senior portrait sessions). You must book your senior photo session during Senior Week to be able to take advantage of the sweet discount. Class of 2017 Senior Portrait Sessions may be scheduled for June 15 through September 15. Limited availability so lock in your session now.
Click Here to ENTER TO WIN.
Increase your chance to win with a bonus entry for sharing or tagging 5 friends on the Facebook and Instagram posts.
Facebook: Michael Curtis Photography - Seniors
Instagram: @michaelcurtis
#michaelcurtisseniorweek #michaelcurtisseniorportraits
]]>
Summer is a great time for senior picture shoots when the weather is nice. Yes, it is possible to do your senior picture shoot in the fall but I suggest avoiding the 'last-minute' rush.
Schedule your summer senior shoot now with Michael Curtis Photography and take advantage of the SENIOR WEEK Early-bird Discount and Save $100 on your senior portrait session. You must book your session during SENIOR WEEK (June 5-11) to be able receive the discount.
We shoot at great locations in the Puget Sound area...urban sessions in Seattle, park settings and waterfront beach shoots.
It is best to have your senior portraits taken during spring / summer and before the start of your senior year when life gets crazy in your busy final year in high school. Senior year is an important time in your life making it the perfect time to create images that preserve this phase in your life.
Summer is a perfect time for senior picture shoots when the weather is great. It is possible to do your senior picture shoot in the fall but I suggest avoiding the 'last-minute' rush.
Schedule your summer senior shoot now with Michael Curtis Photography and take advantage of the SENIOR WEEK Early-bird Discount and Save $100 on your senior portrait session. You must book your session during SENIOR WEEK (June 5-11) to be able receive the discount.
]]>
Applicants must be fun, energetic juniors who are full of personality and love to take pictures. They also need to be active on social media.
A Model Release will need to be signed by a parent/guardian prior to the photo shoot. Parents are welcome and encouraged to join us for the photo shoot.
In addition to participating in the fun event, each girl will receive 5 professional photographs that are suitable for sharing on Instagram, Facebook and their other favorite social media. They also get a $100 discount from their senior picture shoot if they book their summer/fall senior portrait session with me.
Sound like fun? Interested? Contact Michael at 425-418-8127 or email [email protected].
Spread the word. Hurry, final selection happens on May 17.
Engagement Slide Show -- check it out!
]]>
It is always fun getting to spend time with my wedding clients, getting to know more about them, seeing how they interact with each other and generally having a good time getting creative with photos of them. Sometimes that involves coaxing them to dangle their feet off the edge of the boat dock or climbing trees (nicely done there Rachel) all in the spirit of getting some interesting photos.
I am looking forward to their October wedding at one of my favorite churches to shoot in and being able to photograph their reception and a very cool venue (I will leave details for them to share)!
Emily + Joseph Kennedy wedding day! Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church | Everett WA | Anacortes Transit Shed | Anacortes WA | Michael Curtis Photography
]]>
Pre-wedding portraits of Emily and Joe.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Everett WA. Joe and Emily were fortunate to have long-time friend, Fr. Saguto from the FSSP marry them.
What a break! I had scouted this cool location near Anacortes WA for some creative bridal portraits and was excited to take Emily and Joe there for photos. When we left the church to make the 50 mile drive to the Transit Shed reception venue it was raining lightly. I'm thinking maybe portrait session could still happen if we moved quickly. About halfway in the drive the clouds unloaded in a torrential rainstorm. I tried to call Joe's chauffeur, best man brother Michael, to tell them that we likely will have to cancel the portrait shoot and head straight to the reception. The attempt to contact them failed as Michael's phone was turned off. Since I couldn't announce the change of plan I had meet them at the park where the shoot was to take place. As we drove to within 5 miles of the location the rain lightened up and on the final approach to Cap Sante Park had completely stopped. We had about a 15 minute window between rain squalls to capture Emily and Joseph enjoying a few quiet and loving moments together before heading to the lively reception.
Bridal portrait during a slight break in the rain storm. How's that for timing?
Time to party with friends and family at the Anacortes Transit Shed reception hall in Anacortes WA.
Emily and the girls getting ready.
Christian and the guys preparing.
Emily and Christian -- 'First Look'
Time for the wedding of Emily and Christian at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Sedro Wooley, WA.
Party time at Sedro Wooley Community Center.
]]>
This past year my mother's older sister passed away. This aunt was an amateur photographers who had been bitten by the travel bug. Every year she and my uncle embarked on at least one amazing vacation either here in the USA or some distant land abroad. We were always treated to a slide show upon their return. I must admit that as a young child these 2-3 hour slide show were a chore to endure. As we grew older we came to look forward to their presentation of images and the stories. Their photographs and stories were straight out of National Geographic.
One of my cousins has recently taken on the task of sifting through the hundreds of boxes of slides and uncovering countless gems of photographs. In addition to the travel images, my aunt always had her camera in hand at family gatherings capturing pictures of all our families and documenting our youth. I was taken by surprise when my cousin posted a photo on Facebook this past Mother's Day; a shot that I had never seen of my mother holding me when I was just a few days old. It was very touching to see myself cradled in the arms of my mom. My cousin has promised to share more of these photos as the are uncovered in this archeological find of the many boxes of photos.
The major take-away of this reinforces why I love photography and being able to help future generations have a photographic family heritage. Exist in photos!
#existinphotos
Time to bask in the Jamaican sun, toes in the water and sipping some rum.
Sneak Peek.
]]>
I was fortunate to be able to travel with my fifteen year old son to visit my hometown of St. Louis for a family reunion. As a Seattle wedding photographer with a love for photography I coaxed my mother to pull out her boxes of photographs. We invited my sister and brother who I rarely get to see over to look through a boxes of pictures. It was great fun looking at images from our childhood and recalling memories of family celebrations, vacations and and life as a child. We were all thankful that photography played such an important part of our life. It was truly a blessing to have so many photos of my dad who passed away a few years ago. It was especially fun to share with my son the stories associates with the photos and be able to visually show the family tree. I appreciate the value of the family heritage we have preserved in the many photographs.
]]>
A little 'behind the scenes' action of Ken and Carin Wilson enjoying their time in front of the camera at their family portrait photo shoot at Golden Garden Park in Seattle, WA. Little do they know that I was having just as much fun working with them and their lovely children and grandchildren.
It was a glorious spring day (sunny and upper 60s) for the wedding of Emi and Peter at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle. In the unusual role of guest and not photographer I did my best to sit back and enjoy the ceremony and celebration without the pressure of being the 'hired gun' to shoot their wedding. I did click off a few photos of the procession and capture the emotional 'first look' as Emi and her father Keith walked down the aisle. The look on Peter's face was priceless as he saw Emi process in. Congratulations Emi and Peter!
It was an honor to photograph another wedding for the Thrasher family. This time it was for Elizabeth and her now husband Jack.
The day started off with a lovely solemn nuptial Mass at St. Joan of Arc Church in Coeur d'Alene. We then headed to the Coeur d'Alene Resort for a festive reception on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene. I have to say that I have never attended a wedding where there were so many people brought to tears by the heartfelt and loving toasts. All this was topped off by the emotional note that Elizabeth had written to her dad that she had read during her 'father-daugher' dance. We should have bought stock in Kleenex last week as there must have been a ton of tissues used to wipe away tears!
It is truly inspiring to see such solid families brought together by the bond of marriage!
Congratulations Elizabeth and Jack.
Church: St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church - Coeur d'Alene, ID
Reception: Coeur d'Alene Resort
Photographer: Michael Curtis Photography | Seattle, WA
]]>
Elly's and Chad's recent wedding at the Brickworks in Friday Harbor was an incredible day! The weather in March doesn't get much better than what they had for their wedding day. Wedding prep began at Harrison House Suites where they did a 'first look' session followed by a trip to the south end of San Juan Island to shoot photos of them at San Juan Island National Historic Park. We returned to the Brickworks for the ceremony and reception that culminated in a piggy-back race down the street!
Location: Harrison House Suites | Brickworks | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA
Photographer: Michael Curtis Photography
]]>It was a lovely wedding of a great couple!
Church: Immaculate Conception Church in Arlington, WA
Reception: Gleneagle Golf Club
Photographer: Michael Curtis Photography
]]>
Here's to a healthy and Happy New Year - 2015!
Happy New Year to you and your lovely family. Thanks again for the beautiful pictures of our family. We appreciate your great work.
God Bless,
Alain
Be sure to contact Michael Curtis Photography to learn about the all-inclusive wedding photography packages that we offer. All our wedding packages include an engagement photo session. Not only do the engagement photo shoots allow us to create amazing images and get to know you, but they are always great FUN!
Here are samples of photos from my engagement shoot of Marie and Mat in Edmonds, WA.
Click here to see more examples of engagement photos.
It was wonderful having you there on our wedding day! Thank you Mike for taking our beautiful wedding photos!
We will cherish them and our album for a lifetime. Thank you! ~ Jessie & Alex
Thank you again for all of the time and work that you put into our wedding photos. We really enjoyed working with you!
And we appreciate all the care you put into capturing the day for us. ~ Marie & Mat
]]>
Congrats Nikki and Anthony!
]]>
]]>
..
]]>
]]>
]]>“19 November 2013, Oxford, UK:
selfie noun, informal
(also selfy; plural selfies)
a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website
Today Oxford Dictionaries announces selfie as their international Word of the Year 2013. The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest during the year to date. Language research conducted by Oxford Dictionaries editors reveals that the frequency of the word selfie in the English language has increased by 17,000% since this time last year.
Selfie can actually be traced back to 2002 when it was used in an Australian online forum. The word gained momentum throughout the English-speaking world in 2013 as it evolved from a social media buzzword to mainstream shorthand for a self-portrait photograph. “
The Michael Curtis Photography Blog Selfie. This inaugural blog post is not really about me (maybe a little) but more about the great people who have allowed me to photograph their life events (weddings, baptisms, graduations, sporting events) as well as capturing moments in their life through high school senior pictures and family portraits. It is truly an honor to work with my clients and create images that preserve their memories and emotions for themselves and the enjoyment of generations to come. There will be more posts showing images of the people who have hired me to artfully photograph them in a manner that a camera-phone selfie cannot.
Now I’m not out to bash the ‘selfie’ shooter – especially since most of us have likely taken an arm-length self portrait at one time. It must be pointed out that professional photography differs from the ‘Selfie’ snapshots in the quality nature of the image and the likelihood that it will be printed and given as a gift or used to create wall art that will stand the test of time. I’m not denying we are in the digital age, hence the online galleries and even this blog but the fact remains that there is something special, tactile and long-lasting with printed photos, wall art and photo albums.
I feel compelled to include my Selfie though not technically a legit Selfie since it was shot with my camera on a tripod since the lens I had on my camera that the time could not focus in the short ‘arms-length’ distance.
I hope you will check in from time to time and view current work of Michael Curtis Photography. How's that for a little "shameless-self-promotion' or more aptly 'selfie promotion?'
