One of the best perks to being a professional photographer is that I can document my own child’s growth frequently with portraits. I feel lucky because it is crazy how fast kids change and grow up. It really seems like just yesterday that I was propping my daughter up in our new little portrait studio to get some photographs of her as a baby. It’s been 7 years since then and now she is off at school all day, playing soccer, planning her own play dates, and reading almost as well as I can.

Every year on her birthday we do a portrait session of Chiara wearing and doing things she loves. The last couple of years I’ve turned some of the creative reigns over to her and had her plan out her own birthday pictures. (She loves fashion and definitely has a flair for the dramatic…so she is a natural at this!) We planned a weekend trip to one of my favorite locations, a ghost town about 6 hours from where we live in West Jordan, Utah right around my daughters birthday and figured it would be the perfect place to create some beautiful portraits for her 7th birthday!

One of the funnest parts of coordinating a photo shoot is figuring out what to wear. So with that goal in mind, we set out to the mall and Chiara picked out an adorable outfit that would be perfect for our ghost town adventure. (I was especially in love with the shoes she chose.)

Next, we needed to figure out some fun props to bring. We opted for an old lace umbrella and found a grungy suitcase at a local 2nd had store. I panted the suitcase cream, then antiqued it with brown tinted wax to make it look aged. I then added a pretty cameo applique on the front and back in Chiara’s favorite color pink to “girly” it up a bit. The two simple props proved to be the perfect accents to the rusty metals, peeling wallpaper, and rotting exteriors of the old town.

We were lucky that we had the entire town almost entirely to ourselves. We could be as creative as we wanted and explore freely. These portraits have a totally different “feel” than her 6 year old portraits which focused on her love of rock music and fairies! These portraits are pensive, dramatic, and a little somber as she connected with the vibe of the old town. I didn’t tell her how to pose in any of the shots. I let her have complete artistic freedom with her expression and choice of backgrounds. I find that most of the time children at this age already have their own ideas of how they see themselves and I like to capture that in our portraiture!

If you are interested in more information about our children’s portrait sessions please contact us at 801-413-3434 or check us out online!

We had a nice little change from all of our senior portraits lately, with portraits of little Drake and Cole.  Not that we don’t love you seniors!  But it was so fun to spend some time with these adorable little boys.  We have been priviledged to be taking portraits of these cuties for pretty much their whole lives!  We love the family and a photo shoot with them is more fun than it is work!

These boys have grown up so fast. It seems like yesterday that we were doing Drake’s newborn portraits, and he was only ten days old.  It wasn’t quite as easy this time to get them to sit still, but the pictures still turned out wonderfully.  We were lucky enough to work on a bright sunny day.  We were able to find a great field with lots of tall grass to work with.  The highlight of the day, however was our trip to a local beach.  The sand and the water were a hit!

And we couldn’t have taken pictures of Drake and Cole without including their best friend, Dexter.   They adore that little dog.  And he adores them right back.  So, we had to make sure that Dexter had his chance in the sun, literally.  He got to romp around in the sun and grass, as long as he sat still for a picture or two.

We had so much fun doing their portraits again, and hope to be able to continue to do so as they grow up. If you are looking for portraits of your precious ones, you can check out our portraits page or contact us through email or twitter with any questions that you might have. We love to work with little ones, just as much as we love our seniors!

We at Photoumbra are thrilled to introduce you to the Postma Family.  We were so excited to be contacted by the Jeff and Haylee Postma Family of South Jordan.  We have worked with the family before, including being a part of  the wedding of Haylee’s brother Layton,  and it was wonderful to get to know them a little bit better.    The Postma’s chose an organic session and we found some gorgeous South Jordan locations to showcase their family.

Jeff and Haylee are the proud parents of two, Tristan and baby Ashlyn.   Both are beautiful blondes like their mama.  It is obvious how much Tristan adores his baby sister and it was fun to photograph some of those moments.  It was also great to watch Tristan interact with his dad, especially as we took pictures of the boys with the skateboard.  It is so obviously a favorite!

This beautiful family wanted their portraits to be something special, and asked to include some of their passions, skateboarding and guitar, in the pictures.  It makes the pictures so much more personal and meaningful.  We were excited to be a part of creating these special memories!

We had to share this snapshot of our mini accordion albums that the Postma Family ordered. Our mini accordion albums come in sets of three in wallet or 3×3 size and have a magnetic custom photo cover. At only $99 these albums make great gifts for grandparents, friends, and of course for yourself!  For more great products, be sure to follow us on Facebook for updates.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to stay at the Homestead Resort in Heber, Utah with my husband and daughter. With nothing much to do but relax, peruse some great antique shops, and enjoy some excellent food, I thought it would be nice to photograph my daughter in her new Easter dress. Her grandmother takes her Easter dress shopping each year, so I like to create some beautiful portraits of her in the dress to give to her grandma as a thank you! In addition to the dress, I wanted have some other outfits on hand, so I took my daughter shopping and she selected some great new clothes!

We had a blast photographing around the resort and then ventured into town to explore. My daughter had a great time (as always) hamming it up for the camera. She is a very serious model and has her own version of “blue steel” that cracks me up. I think the most challenging thing about photographing children is getting them to be natural in front of the camera. And by natural, I don’t necessarily mean “smiling”. Some kids are more serious, some bubbly, some giggly, some inquisitive, and some just shy. As a photographer, it is my job to help the children relax, feel safe, and try to get them to just be who they are! I have parents call me often to book portrait sessions with praises on how they like the natural and somewhat whimsical feel to my children’s photography, only to have them tell their child “smile” and “say cheese” the entire time throughout the portrait session. While I do love a great “real” smile from a child, I also think it is important to allow the child to be who they are; wether silly or shy or serious.

Some children open up right away and are completely natural in front of the camera and others take a bit more time. I find that getting the child to talk about something fun or exciting in their life, is a great way of distracting them from the pressure some feel. We also try not to seat the children right away. Letting them play with something or walk around a bit in the beginning is also a great way to acclimate them to the studio or location and let them know that this experience can be fun!

Here are some of my favorite portraits we did! To view more of Photoumbra’s portraits, visit our website! You can also find us on Facebook.

This past week we had Jeanice into our studio for a really fun portrait session. Her sister had come in just weeks prior so it was important that Jeanice have all different sets and styling. We had Jeanice pick out 3 new sets and plan out her outfits a week prior to her session. I love letting the kids help design their own portrait session! At Photoumbra Studios we have 8-9 sets up at anyone time, each with a different color scheme and “feel”. We also have another 10 or so that parents and kids can choose from prior to their session. Having a variety of sets in the studio is very important to keeping our images fresh and the session fun! We did Jeanice’s portrait session in about 1.5 hours. She was able to be photographed on 4 different sets and with 4 different outfits and hair styles during that time.

While I am a huge fan of location and outdoor shoots, there is something very relaxing and comfortable about photographing in the studio. We always have some good music playing and plenty of snacks and drinks to enjoy, not to mention that it’s always the perfect temperature.

Here are some of our favorite portraits we did of Jeanice. If you get a moment please check out our children’s and family portrait website and “like” us on our Facebook page!

We recently had the very cute and energetic Jocelyn in our studio. She was just about ready to loose a front tooth and turn 8, so her mother thought it would be a great time to bring her in for a portrait session. Her mom made sure that getting her portraits done was a special experience for her, so she took her shopping for various outfits ahead of time and took her in to get her hair done before her session! I was super happy to see the stage had already been set for this to be a really fun and memorable time for her.

We photographed Jocelyn on 4 different sets in our studio and as the session progressed, we got more casual and playful in her outfits and poses. With some fun music playing and snacks on hand, I think she had a blast and I know we captured some great portraits of her that really reflected her fun and outgoing personality! Here are some of our favorites!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to photograph two adorable boys. These boys were full of energy {like most are} and we had a blast trying to keep up with them. Photographing and moving quickly is key in photographing children this age. Most children this age have a 1-2 minute attention span {I’m not exaggerating} so you can’t expect them to sit perfectly for 5 minutes while you configure your lighting equipment or insist they pose a certain way. I learned this lesson early on in my career. In photographing young children, we realize that we have to be quick, flexible, and entertaining. I LOVE the challenge of photographing children! If you would like us to photograph your children please give us a call at 801-413-3434 and check out our website!

If you have children, you know how fast they change and grow. As a mother and photographer, I think it is important to document your quickly changing child, their interests, passions, and dreams through artistic portraits. Children have such pure and bright spirits, it is our goal to capture their unique personalities by creating a comfortable and fun environment for them to interact with.

Our children’s portraits are a one of a kind, intimate, and a fun experience. Prior to the session we will collaborate with you about your child passions and personality. Each portrait is created with great care and sensitivity, and is created carefully through an artistic process between the subject and maker.  

Since my daughter was born 6 years ago, we have tried to make it a point to do a special portrait session with her on her birthday. This past year, she has developed some very specific interests and talents in music and art so I wanted her portraits to reflect her passions. I was nearly a month late in doing my own daughter’s birthday portrait session, but we finally had a free weekend to do these and we had a great time painting the guitar her favorite colors prior to the session.

Our portrait sessions are only $100 for studio and $125 for location. Sessions usually last about an hour and include a handful of our favorite images for you to use on Facebook or email to friends. If you haven’t signed up for the {Umbra}clique please do so, we send out occasional email blasts featuring our latest products, contests, and studio specials!

Earlier this month we photographed the adorable Riley. His mother, Shelby, just moved to Salt Lake a couple of months ago and wanted to get some portraits done of her son for his 1st birthday. We had a blast trying to get this serious little guy to smile. We brought bubbles, music, toys, and even had his grandma dancing around trying to make him laugh. Riley held his composure though and wasn’t about to yield to our efforts. We did however catch a few small smirks that he tried to get in under the radar. Smiling or not, this kid is adorable and I love the portraits we were able to do of him.