Family Photo Session at the Sand Dunes | Utah Valley Family Photographer
Family Photo Session at the Sand Dunes | Utah Valley Family Photographer
Tai Lee Photography | Artistic Family Photographer
Malissa has been a good friend of mine for the last several years and when she called me and asked if I wanted to swap family pictures for each other at the sand dunes in Utah, I was ALL IN. There are several sand dunes locations in Utah. One of them is in Eureka at Little Sahara Recreation center, another is the Coral Sand Dunes, and believe it or not, there are some in the Uintah Basin. It is always so fun to photograph another photographer’s family. They come ingrained with what we call insider knowledge ;) and know a few things that are really helpful for their photographer. They have an understanding that family photos can be fun, that they don’t need to stress about yelling at their kids through the whole shoot to get them to behave, and they have a sixth sense for killer locations to do family photos. Utah is full of these outdoor places to take pictures, but the standard is to do fall family pictures and do them in the mountains where the leaves are orange and red. Nothing is wrong with this, and the mountains in Northern Utah in the fall are stunning, but I’ve found that photographers as well as other clients of mine that are creative souls, really love doing something outside of the norm. They like to break tradition a little. Something both Malissa and I have LOVED is taking family photos in the summertime. The light is delicious, and warm, and full of life. So we swapped sessions and I couldn’t be more happy with how both of our photos turned out. Malissa does BEAUTIFUL work on film, and I snuck in a few film shots of her family as well. See if you can pick them out! Check out our family session with Malissa HERE.
Years I can remember staring at my computer screen trying to figure out how to search what I was looking for. I knew what I wanted, and I knew I would know it when I saw it, but to put it into words in a google search was the tricky part. It was the first time we were going to hire a professional photographer, and I knew I wanted family photos that were more than just the standard smiling at the camera and saying cheese type of stuff. The only word I could come up with was artistic. That was the label I put on photographers that really seemed to create photographs with heart. I wanted photos of my little family that really captured our love story, the ultimate love story of extending your heart beyond yourself. As time has gone on, there have been a lot of words I’ve used to try to describe what I do and the type of photographs I love to create for others. Storytelling, documentary, lifestyle. It’s hard to come up with a word that embodies a feeling that connect with your heart and soul. That describes how it feels to be seen in the work that you are doing within the walls of your home, navigating every season of life as you guide these little people alongside you. Sometimes it’s pretty, sometimes it’s not, but even in the midst of all the chaos of life and family, you are doing beautiful work and leaving a legacy behind. I see you, and it is always my honor to capture just a tiny snippet of the poetry that is your life. Words feel inadequate to describe this type of photography, but take all the words out, you’ll know it—you’ll FEEL it when you see it.
Local to Northern Utah or planning a visit soon? Are you ready to document your family in a way that makes you FEEL something, that really SEES you in the work that you are doing? Want something more than the “norm”. Me too. Let’s talk about your family photo session. Hit the contact button below to reach out, and let’s create something magical together.
Tai is a wedding and family photographer based in Northern Utah, available for travel in the US. Her mission in her work is to pour poetry into the images she creates for her clients. Her work has been feature on Dear Photographer and Utah Bride. CONTACT HER TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR FAMILY HERE.