Planning for your sports senior pictures

You will need your uniform… and yes… even your cleats!  We try to make our pictures look as real as possible.  If you don’t have your uniform reach out to your coach, I can reach out to your coach too.  Most coaches are super cool with letting you borrow your uniform for a shoot.  Ok… one important thing about your uniform. Can you please iron it or throw it in the dryer for a few minutes before the shoot?   I’m especially looking at the guys on this one, lol.  If you play with swag on the field… show it in your pictures!  We can also add some accessories to your shoot… we have some dark visors and some thick chains for the picture. 

Senior pictures on green screen or on the field

We are known for our green screen work but we can also go to your field and get some amazing pictures on location.  When we use the green screen it’s all about visualizing what you are doing and going all out!  If you give me full effort you will LOVE your pictures.  Practice how you play right…. The same is true for your pictures.  Once we shoot your images on green screen I get the computer and go to town!  I start creating/selecting backgrounds that will compliment your energy and style.  It’s important to come in with the mentality that you are going to give it your all!

Lighting

A lot of people tell us they love our pictures but they can’t always explain why.  The main reason our pictures stand out is because of our lighting.  We make sure to light all of our subjects in ways that will make the pictures pop.  We have mastered our lighting through many years of work and that is why our pictures stand out from the rest.  I use anywhere from 0 to 5 lights on any given shoot to make it work.  Each picture is different depending on how I am visualizing the final picture to look. 

Viewing and ordering session for your sports senior pictures

Once we are done shooting and editing we book a viewing/ordering session.  This is where you get to see your images for the first time and you get to order your favorite images. 

Sharing your images online

Whatever images you buy you will receive in a web-ready format.  This will allow you to show off your pictures on social media!  Please tag me when you put them online.   

The post Here’s What to Expect from Your Sports Senior Pictures first appeared on Desert Sports Pictures.

Our goal is to create amazing senior pictures that you will love! Our sessions are anything but boring!  We make your senior portrait sessions a fun experience, and there are so many ways we do that! Scroll through Pinterest and you’ll see tons of ideas for how to make your senior photos unique. Here are a few of our favorites!

Spell it out

Scrabble is definitely an old school game, but the tiles are a fun way to spell out your name, the name of your high school or even what college you plan to attend. So, break out that board game!

Write in chalk

Want a more colorful way to reveal your future plans? Write out your message in chalk and pose next to it!

Hold up a sign

Whether it’s a favorite quote, your graduation year or just your name, there are tons of ways to express yourself with a sign board. A letter board allows you to write any message you want, creating a custom sign for your session.

Your favorite school spots

Did you have a particular seat during football games? A special study spot? Why not incorporate these special memories into your senior portraits?

On the sports field (or court)

If you play a sport in high school, a great way to recognize your athletic career is to take photos on the field or in the gym where you practiced and played. We are known for our senior pictures but did you know we are award winning senior sports photography studio? 

Show off your class ring and letterman jacket

Your class ring is unique to you, capturing not just your birthstone but also your accomplishments and passions in high school. Capture a close-up of your ring as a reminder of what your high school experience was like. Bring along your letterman’s jacket to show off those patches!

Your go-to hangout

If you have a favorite restaurant or place to spend your free time, why not take some photos there? After all, this place is special to you and likely something you will want to remember for years to come.

Dress up for prom

You don’t want to wear that prom dress just once! Show off your prom look again and take some formal photos during your senior portrait session.  We love to get you all dressed up and take you to some of your favorite spots in the Coachella Valley. 

Put on the cap and gown

Your parents will love having photos of you in your cap and gown, and the ones taken at the actual graduation ceremony likely won’t be top-notch. Get some professional photos of you in your full commencement gear!  We use our expertise in lighting to really make your pictures stand out.

Library or bookstore

If you’re especially focused on academics, surrounding yourself with books makes for fun photos! Your local library or a bookstore can be a great place to capture this aspect of your personality. We can also do magical shoots of you on a green screen surrounded by books.

Bring along your pet

This requires some advance planning, but including your pet in your senior portraits is not only a fun way to commemorate your love for your four-legged friend. It can also help you feel more relaxed and at ease.

Unique sports pictures

Let us put our award-winning skills to use to create the most creative sports pictures for you!  We photograph you in on a green screen and create magic.  Bring all of your gear and be ready to jump, dive, swing the bat, or tackle.

The post Fun Ideas for Rock Your Senior Pictures first appeared on Desert Sports Pictures.

Each senior has taken a different path to get to their senior year.  Regardless of how you arrived to your senior year it is very important we make the most of it.  One way you can do that is with fun and creative graduation pictures!  Graduation pictures that will be as unique and as special as your journey to this ever-important senior year of high school. 

Many know us for our sports pictures, however, we also specialize in unique graduation pictures.  We have cap and gowns for several of the local high schools.

Graduation Pictures with Cap and Gowns

We can take graduation pictures with the cap and gown from your high school. We have acquired cap and gowns directly from Jostens for most of the local high schools.  Those that we do not have can reach out to Jostens and purchase them.  We will make sure the cap and gowns have been steamed with a high heat steamer and quarantined for at least 3-4 days before the photoshoot to prevent exposure to COVID. 

If you want to see some sample graduation pictures please check out our portfolio; Girl Graduation Pictures, Boy Graduation Pictures

Pictures In Studio or On location

We can do your graduation pictures in the studio or on location.  Through our years of experience in Palm Desert, La Quinta, and the surrounding areas we have collected several amazing locations that fit all types of personalities.  With our knowledge of the area and your input of what you would love will allow us to find the perfect location for your senior pictures amazing!

We love exploring new locations that provide unique senior pictures!  Last year we took trips to Glamis, Salvation Mountain, and the Salton Sea for some creative graduation pictures.  My goal is that my pictures never become stagnant and evolve with the times.  That being said, we also know that some parents and grandparents want traditional poses.  We always make sure we get those images first before we start going for the more creative senior pictures. 

Creative Lighting for Graduation Pictures

We are masters of lighting.  What that means is that we have had enough training and time using several different lighting tools and techniques to make AMAZING pictures in any location.  Ever stare at one of our senior pictures and say, I like it but I am not sure why?  Most likely, it was our lighting.  Sometimes our lighting is so dramatic that you can’t help but notice it and other times it is so subtle that you will not know if lights were used.  Lighting is an art form, it is just as important to know when to light a subject as it is to know when not to light a subject.  I live by a famous saying, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.  Sometimes God gives us amazing light and using only that may be the best way to go for your senior portraits.  Other times we have little to no light or the light we have is patchy and ugly.  That’s when knowing how to manipulate the light can take a boring image and make it EXCITING!

Our Graduation Pictures are Never Boring

The school provides you with a company that can take care all of your boring senior picture needs. Joking aside, if you want your senior portraits that will be different than what 90% of your classmates are getting and you want to proudly share them on social media set up an appointment with us so that we can get started on planning your one of a kind graduation pictures. 

The post One of a Kind Graduation Pictures first appeared on Desert Sports Pictures.

We were excited to do these La Quinta senior portraits for Christian, a class of 2020 senior at La Quinta High school.   We had fun taking his senior pictures on the La Quinta football field and in the studio.  Christian is successful both on and off the field, he is graduating with a white cap and gown because he has an overall GPA of 4.0 or higher!  As I said, he dominated on the field too.   Christian plays both sides of the ball, he is a tight end and a defensive end.  Christian wore number 8 for the La Quinta Blackhawks in 2020! 

Christian’s Lifestyle Senior Pictures

We started this La Quinta senior portraits session where he is most comfortable, on the field.  He went with a relaxed black hoodie and jeans.  We took pictures by the 20-yard line to show it off given he is a Class of 2020 senior.  We also took some of his senior portraits behind the seats to add some grunge and differentiate his pictures.  Christian’s mom shared that Christian typically hates pictures but he was excited at the idea of taking pictures with me because they are “beast”!

On the Field Sports Action Shots

I was lucky enough to be on the sideline to watch Christian play against Coachella Valley High School.  They lost that game, however, being on the sideline I got to see firsthand how tough Christian plays!! Even though they were trailing the whole game Christian kept his foot on the gas pedal!  He leaves it all on the field for every play!  It was a tough game and Christian was able to make some key plays that game. 

In Studio Sports Senior Portraits

This is what Christian and I were most excited about, time for fun sports portraits!  When we do our sports senior pictures I always tell athletes, I can make you look amazing but your athletic ability is what is going to sell the sports pictures.  Christian KILLED it!! He was grunting and pushing hard for every picture! He chose to use our black visor for some of his pictures.  Those senior pictures were some of my favorites.  We got a bunch of really dramatic sports pictures for his overall senior portrait session. 

Cap and Gown Graduation Pictures

Even though the session was in September we were able to use a white cap and gown that I have in my studio to take his graduation pictures.  We used some of our dramatic lighting to make Christians Cap and gown pictures really stand out!  Our pictures are NEVER boring,  we make your senior portraits stand out! 

La Quinta Senior Portrait Client feedback

Christian and his mom Tina loved his senior pictures! They recommended a friend and purchased some lovely prints for their home! That is why we are considered the best Senior photographer in La Quinta.

We had a lot of fun with Christian’s picture session.  We got to relax and listen to Da Baby while we were taking pictures and best of all, they loved their senior pictures! If you want to see more La Quinta senior portraits session please click here.

– Lisandro Rivera

The post La Quinta Senior Portraits of Christian Morcus first appeared on Desert Sports Pictures.

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.  We had 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! 

Volleyball Senior Portraits

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 pictures 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. 

Congratulations again Denise on winning the free senior portrait session!

Denise is a fierce competitor on the Volleyball court! She was named to the Desert Empire League (DEL) first team. Check out the article here.

If you want to see more sports senior pictures please check out our portfolio. You can also check out a video more senior pictures here.

Lisandro Rivera Photography

The post Senior Portraits Giveaway Winner Denise Anaya Rocked Her 2020 Volleyball Senior Pictures! first appeared on Desert Sports Pictures.

 What Jaden had to say about his senior photos:

 “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.”

What Jaden’s mom said about the Senior Pictures:

“I love the way my son and his sport is captures 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 voted athlete of the week multiple times!! He won those awards because he was smashing on the field! Jaden went beast mode against Banning, my dude had 27 carries for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns on offense and 10 tackles, a sack and hurried the quarterbacks throw three times.  The Shadow Hills Knights beat Banning 44-6. Check out the highlights!

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.  Jaden racked up the most yards of any running back this year.  He also received the citrus player of the year award and will be attending the University of Redlands next year!  Thank you for trusting me to take your senior photos! 

As we know the class of 2020’s high school senior year was cut short but Jaden has kept his head up and is looking to keep playing football for the University of Redlands!! My alma Mater, GO BULLDOGS!! Keep mashing on the field.

Check out my portfolio to see more sports senior pictures. Also, please check out a video we did on some of Jaden’s pictures here.

Lisandro Rivera – Senior Photographer

The post Check out the Senior Pictures for the #1 Running Back in the Desert Empire League in 2019! first appeared on Desert Sports Pictures.