let the adventures begin...
in 10 on 10
S U M M E R T I M E is here! It's my favorite time of year...the time of year that allows for lots of exploring and wandering and being outside. Nothing feeds my soul like getting outside and doing things like this. I love watching my kids discovering things and enjoying themselves in places where we are totally unplugged and just in the moment oblivious to the clock or any schedule. There is nothing better if you ask me....
I am rejoining my old "10 on 10" group from 2013 this month. Yeah, I know this is not a "10 on 10" as I have posted about 100 images but be sure to follow the circle and see what the other girls are up to....next up is Melissa Weicker (who I adore).
more family love...
This family? They came from sunny SoCal for this session. Utah is the second driest state in the nation but in May we hardly saw the sun come out. The weekend this family was here the forecast was BLEAK. I was honestly wondering if we would be able to shoot at all. It rained ALL day on this day...and then about 4:00 the sun came out and stayed out until we were done when it started pouring rain again. I guess some things were meant to be and I am SO happy it worked out like it did.
A Joshua Tree Family Session...
Last month I went to Palm Springs for SEE and I got the opportunity to photograph this family in Joshua Tree. You know those families that you meet and they just ooze love for one another? Not in an obnoxious or cheesy way but in a way that you can tell they just genuinely enjoy being around one another? That was this family to the core. I'm sure every photographer writes in their blog posts that they wanted to take the kids home with them but in this case I can say that and genuinely mean it. By the end of this short time I had with this family they even referred to me as "like a sister who is just really old". I had SO much fun with this family and I think these images show that!
10 minutes in Joshua Tree....
Last month I went to SEE Palm Springs. I had the opportunity to photograph this family in Joshua Tree for about 10 minutes in some sun that was a bit brighter than I wish it would have been. I am not a photographer that generally shoots in such short amounts of time as I find it hard to get the the heart of the family connections BUT I am pretty happy with what we accomplished in a short 10 minutes. This family made it easy. I only wish I would have had some more time with them.
5 minutes in our backyard blooms...
I've been a bit obsessed with freelensing lately...and our backyard blooms. I figure they'll be gone before I know it so I might as well shoot them to my hearts content. Head on over to the 5 Minute Project to see more....
P.S. If you want to learn more about freelensing HERE is the best guide I've come across put together by two gals who are masters at freelensing.
5 minutes underneath...
It's been awhile since I have contributed to the 5 Minute Project. I try to not do too much double posting (aka here and there) but sometimes I just want to have the images here on my own blog too...so double post it is! Here is 5 minutes with my boy underneath...and a bit of animation to go with it! Be sure to head over to the 5 minute project blog though to see all kinds of amazing posts from other photographers....
"10 on 10" the doll edition
Man, I need to blog more. I think because I post almost daily with my 365/730 project, I forget that this blog need attention too. Be sure to head on over to see what Ali Deck is up to (she is pretty awesome) and then follow the circle though. It so crazy to think that we started this group back at the start of 2013. TIME FLIES!
winter in the utah mountains
A couple weeks ago my little guy stayed home sick with croup. We were both a little stir crazy cooped up in the house so we jumped in the car to go on a drive. I really had no intention of getting out of the car but when we got up here and I saw this beauty, I couldn't really help myself. He was begging to get out too.We had some warm gear in the trunk that I never unloaded from sledding a few days before so I let my sick kid get out of the car and run around in the 20 degree mountain air. Cold air is good for croup anyway right? We had a great time and the last shot is a selfie I took of the two of us by propping the camera up on a rock. Pretty glad it did that.
You may have seen me post these over on the 5 Minute Project or the selfie on Wherever I Am With You but I want these on my own blog too so I guess you'll have to look again. :)
watching the sunset....
in 10 on 10
Back in 2013, I was part of a "10 on 10" group with a group of pretty cool and talented ladies and we are back this month with a blog circle...10 images posted on the 1oth of the month...so go check out our circle starting with Ginger Unzueta
You may recognize a few of these images from a collaboration I did with Storybox Art for the 5 minute project that you can find here...but I had to post the others I got that I liked as well. :)
5 minutes with dad....
A couple weeks ago I shared this series over on the 5 minute project blog where I contribute regularly. I am sorta in love with these moments between these two so I wanted to make sure I blogged there here too.I mean how could I not want these here too right?
what a fall day in the mountains looks like....
Last month we headed up into the mountains before every leaf fell off the trees. My kids complained about going but one we got there they had a great time. Why do kids do that? Why can't they shout hooray every time I want to go somewhere? :) I tell you with four kids it's really hard to make everyone happy at once. In fact my oldest opted out of this adventure and regretted it later.
I am honored to be posting today with some photographers that I admire a lot in a blog circle called "what _____ looks like". Each month we fill in the blank and with something and link to one another. Be sure to head over Wendy VanSosen and to see what her month looks like....
it's all about family...
I had a GREAT time with this family...and hopefully that shows in the images. The weather got a bit cold but these kids were troopers. Mom is a photographer...which is a serious honor to know she chose me to capture her family.
what "her first time out in the big california surf" looks like
We went to Southern California last week for fall break. Needless to say, it didn't feel much like fall there. We go to the beach often considering how far it from us. I love the ocean so much. I lived right here for the first 5 years or so of my life. The beach was literally my front yard. I spent a lot of time in the ocean every summer of my life as a kid. Even after we moved away, my mom made sure we spent some time there every summer. I would spend hours just bobbing in the waves and diving under them. This past trip was a big one for my oldest girl. She got the courage to go out in the big waves past her knees. She got to experience that freeing yet humbling feeling that comes from being out in the huge and vast ocean. She was giddy and kept telling me how fun it was and wondered why she had been so scared before. It was a full circle moment for me to be able to be out there and experience this with her...and I love that I was able to have my camera with me. This month I give you "what her first time out in the big California surf looks like".
And true to form, the powerful ocean flexed it's muscles for her. A big wave tumbled her to the bottom and she got a battle scar on her cheek to prove it. She was a bit self conscious of it but I kept telling her how cool it was to have proof she did something brave (and that it would go away).
Now head on over to see what El Hogan's adventurous world looks like this month....
5 minutes of fall in an aspen grove
An aspen grove is a sight to see in the fall....and Utah kills me with it's beauty. Be sure to head over to the 5 minute project to see what has been going on there.
mommy daughter love...
in portraits
It's always super flattering when people spend a bit of time with me while they are on vacation. These two were here from Seattle and we got to spend a bit of time up in the gorgeous Utah mountains. It was really fun to do a mommy daughter shoot!
out of my comfort zone...
So about two weeks ago I attended and taught at Click Away here in Salt Lake City. I enjoyed myself more than I even imagined I would. One of my jobs there was to do a live shooting demo for a very small group of ladies. Kirsty Larmour's cute, funny, smart, and well traveled girls were my models (lucky me). I was thrilled to meet Kirsty as I have admired her and her work for a long time. I will say that this particular shoot was OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE in pretty much every way possible. I'll list the reasons why: 1. It was at 3:30 in the afternoon. YIKES. For a photographer who is very inspired by light, this is tough. I mean I shoot my own kids in full sun all the time but I NEVER schedule clients this time of day.
2. We were shooting in a urban setting. I generally shoot in more rural, wide open spaces. I do this because I don't live in the city and because I like kids to be able to roam and play a bit. On this shoot we were constantly dodging cars in parking lots. For me that makes it hard to relax.
3. I was trying to connect with these gorgeous girls and do what I normally do during a shoot but I had a group of fabulous photographers watching me. It was HARD to connect with my subjects while trying to explain what I was doing and seeing....and when I say hard I mean really, really hard.
In the end though I am happy with my results. I always tell myself that all light is not equal but you can take a cool picture in any kind of light...and I feel like I proved my own point to myself with these images...
I also always tell myself that if something scares me, it's probably a sign I need to do it and I'll learn something from it. This shoot was no exception. I pushed through all kinds of fears this particular weekend at Click Away...and laughed so hard I snorted but maybe I should leave that for another post.
what a few minutes of hula hoopin looks like...
This is the time of year that there is much less time for the adventures I crave. With four kids and all their activities and schedules during the school year, it's just hard to find the time. So we spend much more time around the house...doing things like hula hoopin...or whatever else we can find to entertain ourselves outside before the snow comes. This month I give you "what a few minutes of hula hoopin looks like"...
Now head on over to see what Andrea Hanki of Pink Sugar Photography's world looks like...she's a fav of mine and always has such an interesting perspective on the everyday...
5 minutes of stick collecting....
I decided I'd make a sideshow of this months 5 minute project to one of my very favorite songs...just because. So be sure to turn up the volume REALLY loud because this song is out of this world good and good songs sound better loud!
(Bon Iver Skinny Love)
Be sure to head on over to the 5 minute project blog to see what has been going on there...
and in case you are lazy and don't want to take the time to watch the slideshow, here are the images without the killer song....
The mountains, a family, and a moose
This family came here all the way from my home state of Texas on vacation. I am always honored when people spend their precious vacation time having me photograph them. We had a wonderful time in this amazing setting and at the end of the night I planned for a special guest to visit these Texans....A MOOSE! Yeah, we got photobombed by a giant moose. It was a super cool way to wrap up our evening...and now this family has a portrait with a moose. I'm sure not many people can claim that. :)