Family Sessions

activity-led family photos based in Salt Lake City, Utah

Real-life photos for easy going,

warm hearted Utah families.

Salt Lake City family photographer specializing in movement-based, candid sessions for families who want photos that feel like real life

True-to-life, connecting family photos.

Because family is a whole lot more than just 2 people and some kids.

Families come in all shapes and sizes.

Families are full of wiggles, silly faces, and hugs.

And especially, moments you want to remember. Let's take some movement based family photos together!

People who love to stay connected, hug, and say "I love you" will cherish the photos we make together.

Edgy, super-posed photos are

nowhere to be found.

Thank goodness

some testimonials

(from people who love me)

Frequently Asked Questions:

And way more info than you probably needed

Planning + Logistics Questions

• Where do family sessions take place? All over! Northern Utah has so many wonderful outdoor, scenic locations to explore with your family in the mountains or in your neighborhood. We can find a location that feels like you together, or you can take them at home where everyone already feels comfortable. I love at home sessions!
• Do you help choose a location? I do! After booking I send a Location Guide that will help you get started. There are loads of location recommendations in the guide that are within 1 hour of my home in Salt Lake City, Utah. The guide is has photo samples for each location, and is split into categories like Parks, Mountains, and Cityscapes. I've made a list of tips to help you reduce stress when choosing a location -- check it out here!
• What time of day is best for family photos? Most photographers dream of taking "golden hour" photos at sunset and sunrise. And while those are technically great and beautiful, I think happy people are most important to good photos. If your family has a "happy hour" let's prioritize that first! I've spent the last decade learning how to find pretty light any time of day.
• What should we wear for family photos? I think you should always be comfortable, first! Wear clothes that feel like you and are appropriate for the setting (warm clothes in winter, etc.). I have tons of helpful info in my after-booking welcome guide that will help you get started. Try to avoid matchy-matchy outfits and neons. But besides that, I want it to feel like YOU!
• What colors photograph best? Neutrals and earthy colors tend to be universally flattering. But I think we're stearing away from neutrality and want individuality to shine theese days -- so wear whatever you want! Textures, patterns, and personality are great!
• How long are your family sessions? Between 1-2 hours, depending on your group size or what we're doing.
• What should we bring to our session? This is different for everyone. It might speak to your soul to bring absolutely nothing, leaving your phone in the car. Or it might make you feel best to bring touchup items, snacks for kids, favorite toys, books, or even activities to do together. I absolutely love when people bring items from home to include in the session that help you remember this phase of life. For my own family photos, I brought my dog's favorite toy, my husband brought his guitar, and I brought a cocktail to pour and sip together. All of these items showed up in our photos and we had a more expierience-led session instead of a posed session. This kind of thing can be fun with kids who have favorite toys/books, or if you want to share your family's favorite pizza for photos! We can chat about this as much as you want and make a plan together.
• What happens if the weather is bad? If the weather is bad, we'll most likely reschedule. Some people really don't mind a little drizzle or light snow flurry -- they can actually be kind of fun! But if it's too wet or windy, we'll reschedule. You always have the option to take photos at home as a backup.
• When should I book family photos? I take photos all year round! In fact, doing multiple sessions a year is such a fun option. I have packages for that.
• How far in advance should we book? To guarantee the date you want most, I recommend reaching out 6-8 weeks ahead of time, especially if your schedule is tricky. For Fall bookings, I recommend reaching out as early as possible because those dates fill up the quickest. My weekend sessions fill up first, and I usually have weekday options last minute.

Experience + Style Questions

• What are family photo sessions like with Becky? I try to keep things as relaxed and real-life as possible. I give you things to think about and do together than bring out your natural ways of interacting and expressing. That way your photos look and feel like you. Consider these sessions 10% posed photos, and 90% unposed and candid photos. Even our posed photos together will have a very high level of realness to them. They may be messy, silly, and as real-life as they come! I take photos in the "in-between" moments too when you're not "on" or ready for photos. Those are where the heart of my style lives.
• What kinds of moments do you try to capture? Little ways family members interact, hugs, kisses, squeezes, spins, chaos, running around, gathering together, group hugs, laughter, exploring nature, joking around together, and reminiscing. If you want to include any special activities, I love that kind of thing. Think favorite foods, games, throwing a ball around, picnics, sleds, skating, bubbles, paper airplanes, playing with the dog, an art project, site seeing, etc.
• What makes these sessions feel natural instead of posed? The way you interact with your family will be the biggest factor! If you have kids, play with them, talk to them, be silly with them, hug them. Try not to worry about where you're looking or what you're doing with your hands. The more you forget that we're taking photos, the better it will be! Let's try to capture what life FEELS like, and not how everyone looks when they're looking and smiling for a camera. Check out this blog post for more tips on how to have a stress free session.
• Will my family be posed at all? I'll give you general guidance and then help you forget that we're taking photos! I'll give you things to think about and talk about, and activities to do together that help bring out your personalities and the ways you interact. If you have things you love to do together, let's do them! I'll keep an eye out for things that draw attention to relationships, tell a story, or make the photos feel more squishy and lovey. You'll enjoy spending time with your family.
• What if my kids are wild, shy, sensitive, or won’t cooperate? I accept! Wholeheartedly, yes! Telling kids what NOT to do is the biggest buzzkill for candid photos. Let's play, let's take a walk together and talk about dinosaurs. We can be as silly or relaxed as your kids want to be. That's where the gold is! I actually recommend never telling your kid to calm down or reign it in for photos. And if I could decide, I'd never tell your kids to say cheese. Nothing removes spontaneity and authenticity more than breaking up the flow for your kids so they don't feel free to be themselves. Check out this blog post for how to help kids have the best session.
• Can we just play and interact naturally during the session? 1000% yes. If we never get a posed photo I'm absolutely thrilled. But I generally do offer to get at least one photo where everyone is composed and looking at the camera if that kind of essential is desired.
• What if my child has a meltdown during the session? Let's remove the pressure! Most of the time, we can be patient and you can give your kid the kind of love they need. Tender moments like that are actually really sweet for photos and give you a chance to add those kinds of memories to your session. Most of the time, we can reset pretty easily and get a good variety of photos. I've been doing this a long time and know how to help make everyone feel comfortable. Let's face it, kids will be kids, and odds are someone is going to get sad. It's normal and actually a great chance for documenting and celebrating your life as it is right now. But if someone in your family really is beyond comfort, beyond resetting, actually sick, or really can't participate in a way that feels like them to you, we'll just reschedule. No big deal.
• What if my partner hates taking photos? My style is actually probably pretty good for them then! I try hard not to make posing take over. If you're like me, you just want to hang out with your family and have someone take the photo from good angles. I'll find ways to help them forget we're taking photos, and enjoy spending time together. Give them a copy of the Welcome Guide you get when you book, include them in the process, and prep them for how relaxed and fun this can be. It'll help!
• What’s the difference between Becky's sessions and traditional family portraits? Traditional family portraits are formal, very posed, very controlled sessions. The goal of those sessions is to get everyone composed and looking at the camera at the same time. That's not my goal! My goal is to capture your family interacting, playing, laughing, and spending time together. We'll wrangle you all for a posed family photo, but biggest priority will be those slice-of-life unposed moments. I take photos in the "in-between" moments too when you're not "on" or ready for photos. Those are where the heart of my style lives. If you want to explore whether a candid family photo session is for you, check out my blog post here.
• Can grandparents or extended family join? Absolutely! I have different size sessions for different group sizes.
• Can we include pets? Definitely! I love pets. I do countless sessions with dogs and cats, and have even seen my share of reptiles, horses, farm animals, rabbits, and chickens. If they're you're family, they're invited. Check out my blog post for tips on bringing your dog to your session.
• What if my kids don’t smile? Honestly, I prefer not to pressure them. Instead of asking them to smile, play with them instead.
• Do my kids need to behave perfectly? I prefer that they don't! Chaos makes for fantastic, expressive photography!
• What if I feel awkward in photos? I've spent 17 years learning how to help people feel at ease in front of a camera. We'll chat, you'll joke with your family, and we'll have a good time together so hopefully you forget that we're even taking photos.
• Can you help if we’ve never done family photos before? For sure, the entire time.
• Are these sessions good for neurodivergent or sensitive kids? I think my photography style is particularly good for neurodivergent kids and grown ups alike. I like to keep things very go-with-the-flow, and remove expectations for what HAS to happen. How a photo FEELS when you look at it matters the most. If spending time with your family looks like sitting around a pile of toy cars, exploring woods together, or including emotional support items, that's what we'll do.
• Will bodies or faces be photoshopped? No. I edit blemishes and lint that won't be there a month from now. But I don't alter body or face shapes. My photos celebrate who you are right now and help you see your family the way you love to see them every day.
• Will there be guideance the whole time? You'll always know if it's a time to be candid and let the moment happen, or if you're supposed to be following instructions. You won't always be told exactly what to do or where to place hands. You won't be told what emotions to express. I'll encourage you to follow your heart during our session and be spontaneous.
• Why do candid family photos matter? Candid family photos are important to me because they help me remember what life was life during a certain period of time. They reflect how things FELT instead of just how people looked. They allow space for huge laughs, cozy cuddles, fun games, and joint activities that spark the best memories for you.
• What kinds of family moments become most meaningful over time? The most meaningful family photos capture connection instead of perfection. Photos that feel like real life remind you of what was meaningful at the time far better than a posed say cheese photo.

Product + Deliverables Questions

• What’s included in a family session? Every session includes a digital download of all the final images from your session. After we take photos, I'll take a few weeks to edit the best ones, and devlier them to you in an online gallery where you can view, download, and order prints.
• How many images will we receive? Each session size has a minimum number of photos I deliver, but I usually deliver many more than the minimum.
• How long does it take to get our gallery? Up to three weeks.
• Will we see a sneak peek? Probably not, but sometimes I do if my schedule allows it for really special sessions, like newborns and anniversaries, or if I just really really want to!
• Can we order prints or albums? Yes! Your online gallery has a built-in, professional print store where you can order high quality prints of all kinds. I have curated a selection of my favorite printers and products I trust that really make the high quality photos you've purchased shine.
• Can we print the photos anywhere? The photos are yours, so you're welcome to use and print them however you like. I recommend printing from the built-in store for the best results.
• How much do family sessions cost? Your session fee can be found at the top of this page. If the session fee is $455, you'll receive an invoice for $455+tax. Between $50 - $150 of that is paid up front as a non-refundable retainer and goes toward your balance.
• Do you offer payment plans? After booking, you'll receive an invoice you can use to make payments on whenever you like. The full balance is due by our session date.
• Do you take Venmo or Apple Pay? I take Venmo, PayPal, credit card, cash, or check. Your invoice is digital so if you have Apple Pay or Google Wallet you can use those from your phone.
• What is the refund policy? Retainers are non-refundable and reserve one time slot. If you cancel your session or voluntarily reschedule, your retainer is forfeit. Once your session happens, your remaining balance is non-refundable as well.