10 Best Places In Utah to Take Family Pictures | Northern Utah Photographer
Utah Family Picture Locations | Salt Lake Family Photographer
Let’s be clear, Utah is in no shortage of really epic and beautiful locations to take your family photos. The best thing about Utah and it’s scenery is that is is so diverse. You really can get any look you want just depending on how far you are willing to drive. A family photo session can be as simple as creating beautiful images in your own home, and yard, or more of an experience like driving to a beautiful location that is in itself a work of art. Neither one is better than the other, but this post is going to focus on the variety of outdoor photo shoot locations in the Northern Utah area. I’ll save the topic of in-home family photo sessions for another blog post, because those are just as lovely.
I could write a 20 page book on Utah locations that would work well for photo shoots, but what I’m going to do instead is list a few locations that are foolproof that you can’t go wrong with. Let’s start with a few places that you can take family pictures near Salt Lake City.
1 | Antelope Island and Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
Antelope Island is one of the most unique photo locations I have ever been to. You’ve got this really cool desert kind of a look, with these giant boulders, soft yellow grasses, and Utah Lake in the background. It has a lot of variety to it which makes for a large variety of poses for your family photos. There is the side by the Lady Finger Trail that is really beautiful, but if you continue on the road past the trail to where you can go and see wildlife, you will find a side of the island that looks like you are in New Zealand, and who doesn’t want their family pictures to look like they had them taken in New Zealand? You definitely want to plan to shoot here in the spring or fall when the nights are cool. Pretty much anytime from September to April is a fairly safe bet. When it’s warmer, there are bugs, and they are a nightmare to deal with. Trust me.
Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
The scenery is simple, soft, and clean. The soft yellow grass and a pretty boardwalk make for a really pretty backdrop. There is a cool wooden hut looking thing that really sparks the sense of adventure and curiosity in kids. These are exactly the types of settings that work well for getting natural and candid photos of kids and really helps to make your family photoshoot fun.
2 | Tunnel Springs in North Salt Lake City, Utah
Cue the Sound of Music, The Hills Are Alive. This place is stunning. Rolling green hills, and tall yellow grasses makes it feels like you are in another country with stunning views of the Salt Lake Valley. There is so much space here that even if there are other photographers and their clients, you can still find a place to have as your own.
3 | The Bonneville Salt Flats
The Salt Flats are probably one of the more well-known areas in Northern Utah, but they are popular for a reason. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Salt Lake City but SO worth it. The Salt Flats are such a great photo location because they are a work of minimal, fine-art. The setting is neutral toned with wide open spaces, and cool textures. The cool thing about a backdrop like this is that you can literally wear anything for your family photos. It looks good with soft, neutral colors and fun, playful colors. Or if you want something more dramatic you can go monochromatic and really amp up the texture and design lines in your clothes. The salt flats will compliment anything you choose to wear.
INSIDER TIP** If you want the Salt Flats “look” but don’t want to drive clear out there, you can go to Saltaire for the same vibes. There are a couple of differences, and that is that you won’t really get the salt ridges like the Salt Flats have, and it can sometimes be wet, and a bit muddy. The images you see here with water in them are all at Saltaire.
Directions On How To Get To Saltaire Here
Now that we’ve covered a few areas near Salt Lake, let’s cover a few family photo locations near Utah County.
4 | Guardsman Pass and Empire Pass in Park City, Utah
This location is only about 5-10 minutes outside of Park City and has got the perfect setting for spring, summer, and fall with wildflowers in the springs and red and orange leaves in the fall. It does close during the winter, but any other time of year it is has gorgeous views, rolling green hills, and cute little walking trails. It’s the perfect simple, clean backdrop with the Utah Mountains in the background which is a signature look of Park City.
5 | Little Sahara Recreation Area in Eurekea, Utah
If you’re in the Utah County area and don’t mind a big of a drive, the sand dunes at Little Sahara are another minimal, clean setting that live up to the name and make is look like you are in the Sahara Desert. This is another setting where you can wear whatever you want because the color of the sand will compliment it. Family pictures should be an experience where you have a good time with your kids and you are able to make memories. The sand dunes are perfect for families with kids because it’s basically a giant sandbox. For a photographer that really loves to capture connection, and natural moments, this location is a dream. I’ve had even the most shy kids open up and let down their guard when we’ve been at the sand dunes. They can’t help but play and explore.
6 | Saratoga Springs, Utah & Loch Lomond Pond
There are a couple of locations in this area. You can go to the Saratoga Hot Springs and that entire area is perfect. There are really cool, tall, yellow grasses, views of Utah Lake, and the hot springs themselves. I HIGHLY recommend having your family photos in some hot springs at some point in your family life. They’ll be different from all the family pictures you see that everyone else has, and it’s also a really cool experience to have together. Then you’ve got the photos afterward to look back on and relive those memories again and again.
The pond is a really cool little spot near the hot springs, but it’s got more of a woodsy look to it. There’s a cool willow tree next to the pond that is like something out of a storybook. With trees, rocks, and the pond, you’ve got a lot of variety in this easy to get to location in Utah County.
7 | Potato Hill In Draper, Utah
The Potato Hill trailhead is located on Traverse Mountain Road, about half-way between Highland Drive and the Traverse Mountain summit. It’s an easy location to get to and offers a variety of scenery. It look gorgeous in the spring, summer, and fall, and there is plenty of space to roam and get good lighting, shade, pretty golden hour photos, and then blue hour photos if you want that moody nighttime look to your photos. This area has beautiful greens, flowers, and mountain scenery.
8 | Provo Canyon
There are multiple locations in this one canyon. You can go to Vivian Park, Bridal Veil Falls, or go to the Timpanogas Trailhead in Sundance. I also have a couple secret spots I like to take people here that aren’t as frequented. This is easy to get to, and has plenty of options for mountain scenery for your family pictures. This is a really popular place to go for fall family pictures if you are wanting the fall colors. I personally recommend going in summer when everything is fresh and green. Break tradition a little, yeah?
Ok last, but not least, I’m going to give you some good family photo outdoor locations that are near Heber and Park City. These places don’t seem to be swarming with other photographers which can be nice when you want a little privacy. And remember, a gorgeous location + a family experience = win. You’re creating beautiful memories and you get to have your connections documented in beautiful locations. Let’s hop to the locations already!
9 | Lilly Lake Campground on the Mirror Lake Highway
Imagine the seclusion and serenity that comes with being in the mountains near a lake without having to actually hike to it. This lake is literally right off the road and you just have to take a few steps to get to it. Lilly pads cover parts of the lake in the summer and it’s just really cool.
10 | Upper Provo Falls
This location is also on the Mirror Lake Highway. It’s cool because it’s so unique and has these steps and steps of waterfalls. I always love finding a location like this because it’s different from what you see all the time. I get a lot of clients who are looking for something different from the norm, and this location would totally give you that.
Like I said, these are just a FEW places in Utah that would be good for family pictures, but there is a good variety of options to choose from. There are places near Utah County, Salt Lake City, Heber, and Park City and any of these places are also a dream to shoot at for any Utah family photographer.
BONUS | In Your Home and Backyard
There is magic in the seemingly mundane, everyday happenings that take place within the walls of our homes. This is where we form connections, where we rock our babies, nurture our children. The walls of our homes see it all. The good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly. Our homes are an extension of us, and where we live out really significant pieces of our stories.
One of the crazy things about our day to day moments, is we think we will remember all of those details. We don’t think we’ll forget what that part of life was like, how tiny our new babies were, playing in the sprinklers in the back yard, bath time, dancing to music on your record player, mixing up a bottle for our baby—the way our lives looked at that time. But things change, life evolves, and we do forget. Photos help us to remember, and show us how amazing our life was all along.
Family photo sessions at home are non-traditional, and really highlight the work that you are doing for your family that isn’t often celebrated, documents the “imperfections” that actually weren’t imperfections at all. The experiences we have at home are what really make up our history and focus on who we are at the heart. That phrase about home being where the heart is isn’t wrong. Taking family pictures at home is when I hear people most often say how enjoyable it was, both moms and dads. It doesn’t feel forces, and you get to just have experiences with each other.
I’ve written an article that talks about having your newborn photos taken at home that goes into some of the best reasons to have photos taken at home with your photographer, but is applicable to any family. You can read that blog post HERE.
Looking for tips on what to wear for your family pictures? This blog post delves into all the tips, along with what NOT to wear to your family photo session.
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Utah Photoshoot Location Guides
I’ve written a couple of other blog posts with some locations not mentioned in this blog post. I’m currently working on compiling a comprehensive list of all of my favorite photo locations in Utah in one place that you can screen shot or download, but in the meantime, enjoy these other articles with some locations that are a little more popular, and some that are a little more private and won’t have 8 billion other people there.
Tai is a family photographer based in Northern Utah, that travels within the US to artistically document families, weddings, and elopements. She mixes digital and film photography and takes a documentary, storytelling approach to her session.
©Tai Lee Photography