DENVER — For so many people, the holidays are about family, but getting everyone together for the perfect picture is almost impossible.
You’re in good company because a Colorado woman is out to capture those special moments and frame them for you to cherish for a lifetime.
Chianne Coffman noticed something when she started taking pictures of her own son: She had a passion for photography.
“Something clicked in my mind that said this is what I want to do,” Coffmansaid. “This is my purpose, is helping families celebrate.”
So she left her corporate job to launch Chy Creative, a business that turns traditional family portraits into an immersive experience.
“We talk on the phone, then we meet in the home,” Coffman said about her high-touch business model.
“[I] help them decorate spaces, plan for the shoot, and then we actually have the photo shoot.”
“I feel like sometimes family photos are a little intimidating because you think, ‘I don't know how to match,’” said Tkale Ribble, one of Chy Creative’s customers. “I don't know how to color coordinate. Do we all wear flannel? Like, what do you do?”
Ribble and her husband just adopted a little girl, and they took new family photos this holiday season to show the five of them together.
“I just…my heart melted, and I just started crying,” she said after seeing the photos.
The end result was a 40-inch canvas for their home’s mantle, and a story series of photos for their daughter's future wedding day.
“[Chianne] just happened to capture these precious moments of my husband twirling my daughter” Ribble said.
The key to Coffman’s high-touch business model is communication and holding someone's hand through the process. She then presents the images in a way that fits her client’s personality.
“This is the product they most want because it's ‘Aah!’ and ‘Heart’ and ‘Peace’ and looking over their shoulder,” Coffman said of her nine-part series.
“At the time, it feels really goofy and unnatural, but meanwhile the whole time, I’m capturing these beautiful images that I see as a final composite.”
They’re tangible pieces that she says today are too often lost to the digital world of social media.
“Our house just feels more cozy and welcoming, and I don't have to change my decor to match my pictures because all of the colors already match what we have in our home,” Ribble said.
Coffman also makes elaborate Christmas cards with family photos.
You can find her at ChyCreative.com.