If I could bottle up everything I love about documentary family photography in Utah and put it into one session, I think it would look a whole lot like this evening at Pineview Reservoir.
I had photographed this sweet family once before, and when mom told me they hired me again specifically because I was fun to work with, I was thrilled. Because beautiful photographs are obviously important to me, but I also want your kids to leave family pictures thinking, Wait...that was actually fun?
And spoiler alert: these kids definitely did!
How Do I Plan a Documentary Family Photography Session?
Long before we ever showed up at Pineview Reservoir, this session started with planning.
Every family I photograph begins with a questionnaire where I get to learn about you. What do your kids love? What do you enjoy doing together? What does your family actually feel like?
Mom told me she wanted an outdoor location where the kids could explore, and I couldn't stop envisioning this family playing on a beach. I knew exactly where I wanted to take them.
Pineview Reservoir in Northern Utah gave us everything I was looking for: sand, water, mountains, room to run, and plenty of opportunities for kids to just be kids.
During our planning call, we talked more about the feeling we wanted the session to have, and we worked closely on outfits that photographed beautifully while still feeling comfortable and, most importantly, like them.
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What Does a Documentary Family Photo Session Actually Look Like?
Once we got to the beach, we basically just...played.
I did very little traditional posing. Instead, I gave a few prompts here and there and stepped in when I could see a moment unfolding that I wanted to capture.
The kids made and flew paper airplanes. Their little boy played in the sand with his trucks. We played music and danced on the beach. Mom brought along Harry Potter and read aloud to everyone because reading together is something their family genuinely loves to do.
Those are the photographs I want to make. Not just five people looking at my camera smiling, but photographs that make you remember what being a family together actually felt like during this season of your life.
Family Photos at Pineview Reservoir, But Make Them an Adventure
This family is pretty much my dream client. They collaborated with me during the planning process, trusted my artistic vision, and then showed up ready to play, explore, get dirty, and eventually get very, very wet.
By the end of the evening, everyone was in the water splashing around. At some point I stopped feeling like I was working and started feeling like I was just hanging out with friends at the beach, with my camera conveniently in my hands.
And honestly? This is exactly the kind of family photography that brings me alive!
What Is a Family Film and Why Add One to Your Family Photo Session?
One of my favorite parts of this session was that I didn't have to capture the magic in still photographs alone. I also created a short family film for them, which brought an entirely different layer to their story.
Photographs can freeze the tiny details, the sandy hands, the way your child smiles, the way they curl up next to you while you read, but video lets you remember the movement of it all. Kids running through the water. Paper airplanes flying through the air. Mom reading Harry Potter on the beach. Dancing together and splashing each other as the evening came to an end.
There is just something about seeing your people in motion that hits differently.
My Utah family films are meant to feel the same way as my photography: natural, emotive, nostalgic, and completely centered around connection. I'm not trying to create a perfectly scripted movie where everyone performs for the camera. I'm capturing little pieces of your real family exactly as you are in this season.
And someday, when those little voices sound different and those sandy little feet aren't so little anymore, you'll be able to press play and have a tiny piece of this chapter back.
Can Family Pictures Actually Be Fun for Kids?
Apparently yes.
As we were leaving, their little boy announced, "This was the most fun ever! Can we do it again soon?!" Dad started laughing and said, "Wow. My kids have never said that about family pictures. EVER."
And there it is. That's what I want your Northern Utah family photography session to feel like.
I want to make beautiful, emotive, artistic photographs that you'll hang on your walls, but I also want the experience itself to become part of your family's story.
So if you're looking for a Pineview Reservoir family photographer, Ogden Valley family photographer, or documentary family photographer in Northern Utah, and you're willing to play, dance, explore, get sandy, maybe get soaking wet, and trust me when I say just go with it...
You are absolutely my kind of people.
Let's document your story
If you want photos that capture your family exactly as you are, I'd love to create with you.
