There is something extra special about photographing a family more than once.
You get to see the kids grow, personalities change, and families step into new seasons of life. And sometimes, you pull up an old gallery afterward and think, Wait... how are they already this big?!
That was definitely the case with this sweet family.
I first photographed them a few years ago for one of their little ones' first birthday. Coming back together for another family session and seeing how much all of the kids had grown since then was so much fun. One of my favorite parts of being a family photographer is getting to document these little pieces of a family's story over timeâand this session was such a sweet reminder of that.
When we started talking about locations for their session, they had one main request:
Somewhere green.
Easy enough!
I immediately thought of one of my favorite locations near Utah Lake.
I love this spot because it gives us so much variety without having to get back in the car and drive to another location halfway through the session. There is a grassy park, lots of beautiful mature trees, walking trails, and if you're willing to walk just a little farther, you eventually make your way down to a small sandy beach area along Utah Lake.
Basically, we can get completely different looks within the same family session.
And for this family, it ended up being perfect.
We started our session in the park while the sun was still pretty high in the sky.
Now, bright sunshine isn't always a photographer's best friend. đ
I love beautiful, glowing light, but when the sun is still high, it can create really harsh shadows across faces. So instead of putting everyone directly in the sunshine, I positioned the family behind one of the large trees.
This is actually one of my favorite little tricks when I'm photographing families around trees!
The leaves filter the sunlight so beautifully, creating this soft glow around everyone without having that harsh sun directly on their faces. You still get that gorgeous, light-filled look, but in a much softer and more flattering way.
And the light that evening was SO pretty coming through those trees.
I love movement and connection in my family sessions.
I want the cuddles.
The giggles.
The little kids being silly.
The way your toddler reaches up for you.
The way your husband looks at you when you're laughing.
All of those little moments that actually feel like your family.
But I also know that sometimes you just want a beautiful photograph where everyone is looking at the camera.
And honestly? I think there is room for both.
We started the session with a few of those classic family portraitsâeveryone together, looking at the camera, smiling, and making sure we had those photographs that you can frame for the wall or send to Grandma.
I quickly noticed that this family really valued those images.
They wanted to make sure everyone was included, everyone was looking, and we had plenty of those more traditional family photographs.
So we leaned into it!
Every family is different, and part of my job is paying attention to what seems important to your family instead of trying to force every session into exactly the same mold.
Once I knew we had plenty of those classic portraits, though...
It was time to play.
This family has one teenage daughter and three younger kiddos, which gave me a little bit of a fun challenge.
Because let's be real...
What feels adorable and natural for a five-year-old doesn't always feel quite as natural for a teenager. đ
With little kids, it is so easy to say, âRun to Mom!â or âEverybody tickle Dad!â and suddenly there is movement and chaos and everyone is laughing.
With a teenager standing there, I definitely had a few moments where I was thinking,
Okay... how do I include her in this without making this feel completely ridiculous?
Because I never want an older child to feel like they're awkwardly standing on the edge of the family photographs while all of the younger siblings are interacting. At the same time, I don't want to make them participate in something that feels way too young for them.
So we found a balance.
Some moments were playful, some were quieter, and some were simply about everyone being close together.
And I think it worked out really beautifully.
That's one of the things I love about photographing families with children in different stages of life. There isn't necessarily one pose or prompt that magically works for everyone.
You adjust.
You watch.
You see how everyone naturally interacts with one another.
And sometimes the best photographs come from giving everyone enough direction to know what to do, while still leaving room for them to just be themselves.
One of my favorite parts of this session actually happened when we pulled Mom and Dad aside for photographs of just the two of them.
They told me they hadn't really had professional photographs together since they got engaged.
And I immediately thought...
Okay, we are DEFINITELY fixing that.
I think this happens to so many parents.
You fall in love.
You get engaged.
You take a million pictures together.
You get married.
And then the kids come along.
Suddenly every photograph is about the babies.
Which makes sense! They're adorable!
But somewhere along the way, Mom and Dad stop getting in photographs together unless someone happens to pull out a phone at dinner.
And I think that's a little sad.
Because the relationship that started the family deserves to be documented too.
So while the kiddos hung out nearby, we took some time for just the two of them.
No kids hanging on their arms.
No one trying to get a toddler to look at the camera.
Just Mom and Dad.
We photographed them close together, laughing, cuddling, and simply being a couple again for a few minutes.
Those photographs ended up being some of my favorites from the entire session.
I hope when their kids look at these images years from now, they don't just see what their parents looked like.
I hope they can see how much their parents loved each other.
Once we finished in the grassy area, we started making our way down the trail toward Utah Lake.
And this is where sessions with kids become especially fun.
Because kids talk.
A LOT.
đ
And these kiddos were no exception.
They were so chatty as we walked down the trail, telling me things and talking with each other while we made our way toward the beach.
I love this part of sessions because everyone starts relaxing.
The official âOkay, we're taking family pictures nowâ feeling starts to disappear, and it becomes more like we're all just walking somewhere together.
That's also when I start watching for the in-between moments.
At one point, Dad and their youngest daughter were walking together ahead of me.
They weren't posed.
I hadn't told them where to stand.
They were just walking.
So, of course, I snuck a couple of photographs.
Those are the kinds of images that I think become more meaningful with time.
Maybe today it just looks like Dad walking beside his little girl.
But one day, she's going to be grown.
She won't be that tiny little girl walking next to him anymore.
And suddenly a simple photograph like that becomes something incredibly special.
Once we finally made it down to the sandy beach area, the kids immediately discovered something much more exciting than family pictures.
Seashells.
Tiny little shells were scattered all over the sand, and the kiddos were absolutely fascinated by them.
Honestly, family photos didn't stand a chance. đ
They were searching through the sand, picking up their favorites, showing them off, and completely obsessing over their little treasures.
And I loved it.
Because this is exactly what I want to happen during a family session.
I don't need your kids to stand perfectly still for an entire evening.
Actually, please don't make them do that.
Let them explore.
Let them find seashells.
Let them get a little sandy.
Let them run.
Let them tell me the very important story they've been waiting ten minutes to tell me.
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Those moments give me something real to photograph.
Instead of constantly telling children to smile, we can give them something to actually smile about.
And that's when we get those expressions that parents recognize immediately.
That's my kid.
Not the forced smile they make when you tell them to say cheese.
Their real smile.
Their real personality.
Their real childhood.
By the end of the session, we had photographs underneath beautiful green trees, glowing sunlight coming through the leaves, classic family portraits, playful images, photographs of the kids, photographs of Mom and Dad alone, little moments along the trail, and sandy beach photographs by Utah Lake.
All without ever having to drive to a second location.
That's exactly why this spot has become one of my favorite places for family sessions in Utah.
It gives kids space to move around and explore, while also giving us enough variety that your final gallery doesn't feel like every photograph was taken in exactly the same place.
We can start surrounded by greenery and finish near the water.
And the walk between the two gives us even more opportunities for those little unplanned photographs that I love so much.
If there is one thing this session reminded me of, it's that every family brings something completely different in front of my camera.
Different ages.
Different personalities.
Different relationships.
Different ideas of what photographs are most important.
And that's a good thing.
I don't want every family gallery I deliver to look exactly the same.
I want it to feel like you!
For this family, that meant making sure we had plenty of those beautiful photographs where everyone was together and looking at the camera.
It meant figuring out how to balance a teenager with younger siblings.
It meant making time for Mom and Dad to have photographs together for the first time in years.
It meant listening to chatty kiddos on the walk down to the lake.
And, it also meant taking a little break from family pictures because there were VERY important seashells that needed to be collected.
Those are the things I remember from sessions.
Not whether every hair was perfectly in place.
Not whether every child looked at the camera every single time.
I remember the relationships.
I remember the little personalities.
I remember what made everyone laugh.
And I love knowing that those little pieces of a family get to live inside their photographs too.
Getting to photograph this family again after several years was so much fun. The kids had grown, their family had changed, and I loved getting to capture another little piece of their story.
Thatâs one of my favorite parts of being a family photographerâgetting to watch families grow and giving them photographs to look back on years from now.
And if the kids leave the session with pockets full of seashells? Iâd call that a pretty successful evening. đ€
If youâre dreaming of light-filled, natural family photos with a mix of classic portraits, play, and genuine moments, Iâd love to document your familyâs story.
