A Family, a Baby, and a Couple o' Dogs

 

One of the aspects of my job as a photographer I appreciate most is the variety from day to day.  I love photographing wedding - we built the brand Whitney Lewis Photography around weddings.  Nothing in the world makes me happier than taking great photos of lightning.  People, portraits, and headshots - the faces, expressions, personalities.  I get to travel!  To go to new cities, National Parks, states, even countries...  And I get to meet and be inspired by the stories and relationships of amazing people.

Sometimes, however, I forget how unique each session is.  I've done hundreds of family sessions, and each one is different.  It is true.  THIS session reminded me to open my eyes and celebrate the uniqueness of each person (including babies!) and family.  What a fun shoot we had.  Everyone was so chill, little Harrison and all the adults!  That is certainly unique.  And refreshing.  Sigh...  These guys were so cute.

 

This is what we call:  puppy love :)

 

 

Today, I am feeling particularly grateful for all my clients.  I love working with happy people!!

istockphoto - Family at Liberty Park

  This was a beautiful day at Liberty Park.  Green grass, blue skies, and the sun was shining!

We met up with Rob and his kids for a quick stock shoot and playing at the park!

Rob is good friend and amazing musician.  He is a dj, a saxophone player, does clubs and weddings. But beyond that, he's an incredible and loving father.  It was so sweet to see him with his kids here...

Life is good, isn't it?

 

Provo Family Photos

Family photos... in the winter???  This doesn't look like winter!

I have been pleasantly surprised this year with the lack of winter in Utah.  Being a native Texan, I always dread shoveling the walk and defrosting my car, not to mention driving on those icy roads!  But that hasn't been a problem this winter (YET!)  It's made for some amazing Fall-looking photos even though we're several months past fall.  I'm a very happy person this winter because I get to see the sun, go outside without worrying about a heavy coat, and we have happy subjects for a photoshoots!

This family was amazing.  We shot all around south Provo - mostly by Nielsen's Grove Park.  The kids were full of personality, and I had a lot of fun trying to show that off.

 

 

 

See all of their photos HERE

McDougal Family

  I was so happy to get to shoot the McDougals and their extended family the Eichers.  Since shooting Holli and David's wedding earlier this year, we've become really good friends.  We've even got a regular pinochle game going.  What is pinochle you say?  Only the greatest old-person card game ever! Seriously, Thomas and I are completely addicted, and we were happy when we found another couple to share our nerdiness with.

I'm getting distracted though- back to the photos!

This fall was so awesome!  The colors on the trees just kept sticking around, even after we started to get some snow...

  

Whipped cream + tiny cookies + hot chocolate on a cold day=  yum.

    

Snowball fight!

  

Eichers Family

  We shot the Eichers and the McDougals together for some extended family potraits.  You may remember seeing them when I shared the photos from Holli and David's wedding earlier this year.

I love shooting in the capital building... lots of natural light, it's a gorgeous building, and best of all? It's warm in the wintertime.  :D

This family is so expressive!  It's awesome when family portraits include a healthy dose of silliness.

  

The red glasses made it around to most of the family members.  They add a certain amount of panache to the wearer, don't they?

  

  

And what better to finish pictures than with hot chocolate and humungous marshmallows?

Dunford Family

  What's more fun that taking family photos with awesome hats and a GINORMOUS dog?  Taking them in a snowstorm that combines the last bit of fall colors with the blustery weather of Christmas!

The Dunford family was awesome to work with, and one of their dogs is seriously about as big as I am.  It was great!

And look how adorable little Caroline was!  Between the hat, the boots, and the little bit of 'tude she's showing, she is one of the cutest little girls I have ever seen!

 

 

I loved how colorful this shoot turned out, and how it didn't matter how cold it was or if it was snowing; this family was up for it!

 

Plus, a return to extreme adorableness.

Ellwood Family

  As I am soaking up as much sun as my pale winter skin can take, I wanted to share this winter family shoot we did recently at Wheeler Farm.  There isn't any snow on the ground, but we sure felt like there could have been!

  

Alex is a financial planner with a local firm here in Utah, and he needed a new photo for the company website, so we did a few quick headshots for him as well.

  

If you're thinking about doing winter family photos, a good solid red is almost always a great choice for a color.  These ladies look beautiful, and really pop out in front of the background with the vibrant shade of red they went with.

  

After the more outdoorsy nature setting, we also got a couple of more formal portraits at the Capitol Building in SLC.  We got there just in time to catch the last bit of the light.  The night skyline was gorgeous!

Carlin Family- Downtown Salt Lake

  It's so fun to have more family living in Utah now.  Sandy is my sister-in-law, and she moved here with her family when her husband Kevin got a new job in Provo.  She has always been really supportive of my work, and so I was delighted when we came up with an arrangement for some trade work.  I would take family portraits of them, and she would come over several times to clean the house.  Given I would MUCH rather be taking photos than doing housework, I think this might be the best trade deal I've had to date!

It reminds me of the movie Julie and Julia, when Julie tells her boyfriend she knows why she's so bad at housework- she has ADD.  And he says "OH!  Is thaaat it?"  Yes.  I must have ADD.

  

I may be biased, but my niece and nephew are adorable.  You can't deny it!

Family Photos

Thank you so much for all the submission in our contest.  We have chosen the top 10, and from now until Thursday morning, you can vote on our Facebook page.

And now, today's post:  a mini session of a mother with her 4 kids at a park.  This location was dynamite!  It's the Novell Children's Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove.  Made me want to move to Pleasant Grove when I have kids.  A great place for photos, but also just a great place to play!!  Amy wanted to do these photos as a Christmas present for her husband.

 

My favorite thing about this shoot was how much they loved to laugh!  Amy is a wonderful mom and it's just awesome to see such a happy family.

See more of their photos here.