Arches National Park Family Session | Utah National Park Portrait Photographer

Dunn Family Photo Session

This sweet family made the drive from Bountiful to Moab, Utah to explore the spectacular landscape of Arches National Park with me in the early days of spring. The breezy weather was perfect for the desert area and kept us cool from the hot sun.

Greg and Myrinda along with their adorable kids Weston and Azure joined me at the sand dune arch turnout for their photo session. This trip I had my family along for the ride as well and we had a good time getting to know the Dunn family. Their kids were the cutest! Azure’s name was so fitting to her incredible blue eyes. And Weston was so full of fun energy, we talked about the adventure we were having and loved finding cool rocks and climbing on the big sandstone boulders.

Myrinda chose the cutest outfits for her family, the blue tulle contrasted perfectly against the red rock backdrop and the boys looked so dapper in their formal wear. I get asked often for tips on what to wear for family sessions. Honestly there are so many great options that it’s hard to give specific advice. However I do have a few ideas to help you decide what is best for your family. I actually wrote a blog post with my basic tips as a guide, so you can find that HERE.

As the sun set the temperature dropped, but this cute family just huddled close to keep warm and it created some really precious moments. I love capturing the real authentic reactions because the candid photos are what people end up loving the most. It’s always nice to have a photo with the whole family looking at the camera and smiling because thats what we want to frame for our home walls or put on the Christmas card. But the images that bring tears are the spontaneous intimate moments or the hilarious reactions to unplanned comments or events. I love catching those on camera for my clients. Those are the photographs they cherish forever!

Portraits | Images that reflect who YOU are!

It was a complete privilege to take photos of this amazing sister of mine! Okay, we’re cousins… but both of us don’t have blood sisters so we consider ourselves blessed enough to have each other growing up! Hannah is quirky, fun, hilarious, and in all sense of the word...BEAUTIFUL. We had a lot of fun experimenting with the light in the Station Studio located in River Heights, Utah for this portrait session. I think you will agree with me, these images turned out so pretty.

During solo portrait sessions I do my best to help the person forget that there is a camera in their face. We put on some music and hang out. Sometimes there is dancing, or singing… but mostly just the two of us chatting and getting to know each other.

The majority of people don’t love having their photos taken especially if they are the only subject. I definitely fit in that category! That is why I do everything imaginable to break the ice and make you feel comfortable and confident!

You can see that we had a lot of fun as we experimented with light and movement to create artistic images. I truly love how Hannah’s vibrant personality shines through these images, illustrating who she is inside and out!

There are several reasons to have your own personal portraits taken. Not only do you need a photo or two for special occasions like a graduation announcement or a new about page as you embarking on a business adventure. You need good portraits of yourself for your posterity!

Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but as I was gathering photos for my grandmother’s funeral I realized how important it is to have nice portraits taken throughout your life not just during the big events. Unfortunately my grandmother didn’t have very many decent photographs of herself in her golden years. Long story short, it would have been nice for us grandchildren to have a nice image of this beautiful grandmother of ours in the era we knew her best. So do your parents, children, grandchildren a favor and get in front of the camera regularly!

How to choose outfits for family photos

One of the hardest parts about family pictures is picking outfits that not only look good together, but look good for the location you will be having them taken. Here are my top tips for choosing clothes that you will love for your family portraits!

#1. Consider The Location.

You may not have ever thought of this before. It actually took me several hours of studying family photos that I liked one day to notice that the backdrop totally makes or breaks the outfit! And this is step #1 because most of the time this is the first thing that is planned. We usually are picking the location before anything else because the blossoms are in full bloom or fall for the colorful leaves, or this specific grove of trees looks amazing right after it snows. My clients usually have a specific location in mind when they call so I know I’m not alone when I see a beautiful place and think, “that would be a great place for our family photos!”. “I need to set up a time to get our photos taken!”

When considering your backdrop when picking your outfits you will want to find colors, shades and tones that contrast the location. For example, light solid colors will really stand out against a forested mountain location. The clothing we wear can can compete with the backdrop if not considered. Bright and bold pattern clothing will look best in a neutral location like the Sand Dunes, Salt Flats, or a studio with solid neutral walls.

With busy locations such as the mountains, orchards, or colorful city backdrops you will want to stick with neutral colors and soft patterns to create some contrast between you and the background. 

When in doubt, solid or subtle patterns in neutral colors and tones are a safe choice if you just aren’t sure! I totally recommend looking at lots of family photos to see what you like and don’t like. Pinterest is a great resource for this!

This cute family below loves bright colors. They knew we would be taking these photos in an apple orchard where green and the bright sky would be the dominate colors. So they wore colors that would pop against the green and white. There was also a red shed in the orchard and even though red was worn it still worked for the look they were hoping for!

#2. Pick a color palette.

You will want to consider your location like step one, neutral / soft colors and tones for bold locations. Saving the bold color for neutral locations. Neutral locations are easy, really whatever works, but whatever you choose will determine the look and feel of your photos.

If you don’t know where to begin then go online to find what you like and don’t like. Pinterest is a great resource for this as well. You can even find color palette examples to find tones that look good together. 

Here are a few palettes I put together from photos in this post. I always pick two dominate colors from the background then pick three complementary colors to use in your outfits.

#3. Start With Mom

A lot of moms dread picking their outfit because it’s the hardest! They pick something darling for their kids and then can’t find anything for themselves that coordinates. You can even choose your outfit before the location and color palette if needed! Go to your closet or shopping and find something that makes you feel confident and pretty. If you feel good in what you wear that will shine through your expressions in your photos and visa vera! Husbands and kids are usually more adaptable so make sure you focus on YOU first! Trust me, avoid the urge to start with the kids clothes that are always so cute! Start with mom. It will be worth it!

#4. Don’t force your family to wear something they hate.

Just like you, you want the whole family to feel confident, comfortable, and looking good in their outfit. When someone is uncomfortable in their clothes they are constantly tucking and adjusting which results in stiff smiles and poses. When one feels confident and comfortable they will not be focusing on their clothes, their attention will be turned to the family and genuine smiles and reactions will be captured. That’s what truly makes a beautiful photograph.

Hello, This is me.

Welcome to my little corner of the internet, I’m glad you stopped by. Here are a few things about me and what I’m passionate about.

My WHY

The reason WHY I hustle and work my buns off… my incredibly handsome husband and beautiful baby girl. They are my everything! Together we dream of owning a ranch with all the critters. We love animals, along with the cuddly joy that they add to this life, we believe that they teach us compassion and hard work. We want our children to grow up taking care of living things, knowing that they have the responsibility to feed and care for their beloved friend. And seeing that this kind of lifestyle requires land and money… we work. We work hard!

Our world is becoming more sedentary. With careers being more technology based it’s hard to build endurance for good old fashioned hard work. I’ve felt that in my own choice of career. Working hard in my job as a photographer and graphic designer requires a lot of sitting at my computer for hours at a time. One busy day kept me at my computer for 12 hours with only a few bathroom breaks, I even ate my meals between editing images and responding to emails. That requires endurance and hard work in it’s own way, but definitely leaves me yearning for something more active, I need to move my body to feel good. After a few years into my career I realized how weak I had become to outdoor work when I took a few days off from my desk job to go work on the farm. It was incredibly hot and my tasks consisted of heavy lifting, shoveling, running, and more physical work than I had done in a while. This is when I realized I needed more balance in my life. I didn’t want my desk job to become my only job. Owning our own animals have encouraged us to find time to be outdoors working and playing. That balance has brought me much satisfaction and joy.

My roots

My grandpa, along with his brothers built a ranch in Idaho along that Blackfoot River. I have fond memories visiting the ranch and luckily married a man that appreciates the ranching and farming lifestyle. For this reason it’s our dream to create this for our family.

Our beliefs are deeply rooted in God, hard work and fun!

I’m an artist

Art has been “my thing”’ forever, from a young age I’ve loved creating. However I don’t claim to be a natural, I wasn’t instantly good at any specific medium like many of my peers. I went to college, studied and worked really hard to develop skills in art and design. Although this has caused much frustration to my life at times, I’m proud of my journey and thankful to have a career that I love. Some of my favorite artistic projects include wood cut print making, ceramics, and painting.

I like to boogie!

I’ve always, ALWAYS loved to dance. Although I’m not really that great at that either haha… very few things make me happier than cranking up the tunes and dancing! It’s my favorite part of wedding celebrations, I get so hyped when one of my couples tells me they are adding a dance party to their wedding day. I greatly believe that sometimes, you just got to “dance it out”. Any other Grey’s Anatomy fans out there?

The Grand Teton National Park

In college I lived and worked in the Grand Teton National Park. It was the most amazing experience that shaped me into the woman I am today. Part of my heart remains with those majestic peaks and I love that my career brings me to the tetons several times each month.

If you and your person want to say your vows in this spectacular location, I can show you some of the most magical hidden secrets of that place.

My job is so RAD!

I get to adventure to the prettiest backdrops and photograph the coolest people. Helping couples create a perfect day or weekend dedicated to celebrating their love and union makes me so happy! It is the absolute best feeling in the world getting to see these weddings come together. Then to be able to capture all the memories too!… my job is the greatest!

Goat Backpacking | White Pine Lake, Logan Canyon

Yep, you heard that right. Goats! My husband and I took our 19 month old daughter on her first backpacking trip this summer with the help of our goat babies Ace and Millie. When making plans for this trip we got a lot of surprised comments from friends and family… Taking a toddler backpacking? You’re crazy! Taking goats with you? That’s so cool! … haha. It was quite amusing.

Why goats!?!

Goats have a strong herd instinct and will follow you without much coaching. They also can carry a pack which can help lighten your load or allow you to bring a bit more gear for added comfort. Plus, they are so fun to have around!

I grew up with lots of animals, including a goat or two. Our first goat, Joe was an Alpine breed, a medium sized goat that got pretty big in my 9 year old eyes. I liked him but his lopsided horns intimidated me. Goats are innately playful and head-butt for fun but for a little kid… not so fun. When I was around 12 yrs old I decided to sell Joe in order to buy two pygmy goats, without my father’s knowledge (maybe my mom knew… I can’t remember). I made my own sales flyer and posted it in our local grocery store. Within a few days we got an offer. My dad wasn’t too amused, but went along with the sale (aren’t dad’s the greatest?) Soon after, I had two baby pygmy goats and my love for goats grew and grew. I learned that they can be quite comparable to a dog, they can be cuddly and loyal too! In fact, my parents had a goat a few years ago that hung out with our dog, I’m not sure he realized he was a goat, he acted just like our dog and would try to do everything the dog did.

I highly recommend getting a goat or two, they just add so much to life!

Meet Ace & Millie

These two Nubian/Alpine siblings are 2 year old. Ace has the white face and Millie the dark brown face. They did a fantastic job on their first backpacking trip. Ace is the more dominate, playful one. He often head-butts Millie over and over without a rebuttal. Millie is the chill/ quiet one, so she just takes it or walks away.

Yes, we brought our toddler too.

Our first plan was to leave Jane home and make it a date, but as plans progressed we just couldn’t leave her behind. Not because we just couldn’t stand a night without her, but we really wanted Jane to have this experience. Personally, our biggest goal as parents is to provide our children with as many experiences as possible, we know the variety and difficulty will serve them well as they grow more and more independent. So we switched gears and started to prepare for our adventure to include little miss Jane.

What gear made it possible.

The goats packing some of the gear made it possible for us to bring our toddler and the gear necessary for comfortable sleeping (well, as comfortable as backpacking can be…haha). The first thing we got figured out were the packs for Ace and Millie, they took our pads, pillows and sleeping bags. Having them carry these lightweight bulky items allowed us to have more room in our packs.

My hubby carried Jane in this Osprey carrier that has lots of pockets and room for a water bladder. Jane loved riding in this carrier, it allowed her to sit comfortably and see where we were going. We have other carriers like the LilleBaby and Solly which we love for other purposes. The Osprey carrier was the perfect choice for backpacking.

I carried the rest of our gear in my Cotopaxi Nepal Pack. This has been my favorite backpacking pack. It’s super comfortable and has lots of pockets to fit all the gear you need. In my pack I had our JetBoil Stove, food, toiletries, warm jammies for all of us and our tent. This Kelty tent has been the best purchase. We love that it is made up of mainly screen so we can see all around us at night. It allows us to star gaze as well as quickly see what is making those strange noises at night. :)

Such a great trip!

We had such a good time. Backpacking always takes a lot of planning and work to make it happen, but it’s always worth it. The views were stunning this fall season and it’s always refreshing to get some fresh air.

Jane did spectacular! She loved riding in the pack, eating trail snacks, and drinking water from the camel back. It was all very exciting and new for her and we loved watching her enjoy the outdoors.

Ace and Millie were amazing. I don’t think we will be backpacking without them anymore!

This is an adventure that I would highly recommend for all to experience at least once in their lifetime!