Outdoor Summer Photos
One of my favorite places to be is in the mountains! I've grown up in the mountains, skiing, hiking, photographing.... This is where I love to be.
I found a place off of Trapper's Loop in Mountain Green that has a beautiful view of Mt. Ogden and the Weber canyon. (I don't know the names of all the mountains here, but I just know they are beautiful!)
This seems to be miles away from everyone, but really it's just off the side of the road. (The only bad thing about this is there isn't much parking room.) But it's a great alternative to Snowbasin, which is farther away. I do really like the view of the mountains from Snowbasin also.
Extended Family Session
This family had four kids: one was married with a baby, one was college aged, one was leaving on a mission, and the was in high school. The little guy was just 3 weeks old--so small! Luckily it was great weather and we had photos just as the sun was going down. My favorite time to take photos is about an hour before sunset. The open shade is really flattering and there are no harsh shadows on the faces. I also liked the neutral colors they chose to wear. (I have another post about what to wear.)
One challenge for families is scheduling. It was hard to find a time to get everyone together since they don't live close by. Their sons lived in Provo. I know it's not that far, but with a baby it can feel really far, right?
I came back up there to have photos of my family and it was quite the trick to get my daughter from BYU to come home. My son was off of work at 6, my daughter worked until 5, and my teenaged son wasn't too thrilled to have photos taken. (yup, I get the stress and frustration of having family photos taken.) I at least knew I wanted a mountain backdrop for our photos since I loved the scene for this family session.
Here are a few photos from the session that were my favorite.
When to Schedule a Session
Really, anytime is a good time for photos. I've taken family sessions year round, even in the snow! The hard part is if it's really raining, but I've seen cute photos with clear umbrellas so it can be done. Most people like spring or fall, but I keep busy year round. Summer is a great time with kids out of school and the kids' schedules can be less busy. But then my girls did ice skating year round and they skated and competed year round. Football season can be really busy for high school boys so that's something to plan around also.
One thing that can help is to tell your family how much these photos mean to you and will mean to them later on. Usually men and boys do now love having photos taken and it's the mom's idea. Once the men are there they like it, but I know it can be challenging to get them to buy in to whole idea. Tell them it's making a family memory and it's your family history. You are documenting who you are right now.
I love the photos of my grandparents and me and it's all I have left of them now. I have the memories and photos of us together. The photos bring back memories of our time together and how we looked at that time. In the end it is a family memory that will always be there.
So when ever you decide to have family photos you will be happy for the memories of how your family was at that moment in time and love to see your pictures on the walls.
