This is my Aunt Jacki and Uncle Tracy and their kids and grandkids. Look at how cute they all are together! It was really fun for me to take these photos for them. It’s always a good time when we all get together. Jacki is grandma of the year! Every year she does “Cousin Camp” where all her grandkids come stay at her house for a week full of fun activities! She’s amazing! She even includes my girls because she’s so sweet and thoughtful like that. She goes ALL OUT and they look forward to it every year. So many of my own childhood memories were sleepovers at her house and helping on their farm and I love that my girls are now doing the same. Thanks Behling family. Love ya!
utah family photographer
Strang Family + Raleigh North Carolina Family Session
This family has my heart! Joanna is my sister-in-law and she has the sweetest family! They used to live close to us, but last year they moved to North Carolina. We were recently able to visit them and it was so fun! We loved being able to spend time with them. I’m so glad I was able to get in a family session while I was there. We went to a local Arboretum and it was so beautiful! Thanks Strang family! Love ya!
[Read more…] about Strang Family + Raleigh North Carolina Family Session
Martin Family + Memory Grove Park
The Martin family was so sweet! Their beautiful little Serena was so laid back and relaxed during their session. I was completely shocked! Usually at her age, they just want to crawl away and do anything but pose for the camera. Courtni and Kade make such a cute couple and their interactions were so sweet! I could tell they just adore their baby girl. Here are some of my favorites from their session. Thanks Martin family!
Personal Photos + Black & White Film
Sometimes I shoot film for fun. Mostly for personal work. I love how it pushes me to try new things, learn more and slow down a little. It’s fun not to be able to see the final image right away. I just got back some scans today and thought I would share some of my experiments with you. While there are quite a few that turn out blurry, I got a handful that I really love! Technically, most of them are still really bad haha but they are of my people so they still give me all the feels!
Spring Break
We spent spring break in St. George and the weather was perfect! We saw friends and family, fished, covered ourselves in sand, swam and ate delicious food. It’s always so nice to get away for a few days and just play together. I actually didn’t take many photos, but the sand dunes were definitely one of the highlights! Love my people! 
[Read more…] about Spring Break
Nelson Family + In-Home Session
My husband and I met Kensey and Alex through mutual friends. They are such an awesome couple and have the most beautiful family! My family took a trip to St. George over spring break and I’m so glad I was able to do this session while we were there! In-home sessions make my heart happy and the Nelson’s dreamy home topped it off for me! I’m in love with how this session turned out. It was such a great mix of smiles, tenderness and playful moments. This family loves to spend time together and just have fun and it shows!
I want to throw in a disclaimer here. When you look through these you might think, “These seem so perfect. My family session would never go this smoothly. I’m terrified of how my kids might act.” You might think this session was just smooth sailing the entire time. It wasn’t. There were times it went perfectly and then there were times none of the kids were listening, the baby was crying and lots of bribes were involved. This isn’t the exception, this is NORMAL! Expect that your kids will have meltdowns and trouble listening. They are kids after all, it happens! Family photos might be a totally new experience for them. There is no such thing as a family session going perfectly. The important thing is to try and not let it ruffle you. Keep smiling and having fun and the kids will feed off of you! We will push through it together and I promise the end result will be worth it! Thank you for having me Nelson Family! You were champs!
Where to print your photos + It Matters!
Nothing makes my photographer heart happier than to see my clients print their photos and display them in their home. I love when my clients send pictures of my work framed on their walls! I also love printing my own family photos in a photo book and hanging them on my walls. It brings me so much joy to see them often! If I don’t print them, they end up stuck on my computer where I rarely see them. It makes the cost and preparation of getting family photos done feel like a waste! I get asked often where the best place to get photos printed is. My number one response is to use a professional photo lab. It is soooo worth it once you see the difference in quality between them and your typical one-hour photo lab! I offer professional prints and I try hard to keep them affordable because I want all my clients to be able to have quality printed photos. If you are interested, just shoot me an email at madison.jj@hotmail.com and I will send you my pricing list and answer any questions you might have.
I have seen print comparisons online before (this one is great if you want to see a comparison to Costco), but I wanted to do an experiment of my own. I chose the two photos below and printed each of them at my professional lab, Wal-Mart and Target to compare. I know we have all been in a hurry to order photos and have ordered them at the closest one hour photo lab to save a little money…. but I’m hoping this post will make you think twice the next time you choose where to print your precious photos. Especially if you will be framing them for your walls!
Henson + Lifestyle Newborn
Sweet little Henson didn’t even open his eyes to meet me, but he’s so dang cute I’ll forgive him. I love this family and I’m so grateful they keep having me back! It’s so fun to watch their little family grow. Henson’s older brother Gav is always trying to steal the show! Wherever I went he would find me and say “cheese!” He is already so sweet with his baby brother. He just kept cuddling him saying “cute”. It was the sweetest thing! Thanks Walker family, you have the most adorable babies!
Favorite Session
The session I used to be the most terrified of is now my favorite! In the past, I wished all families that booked me only had one little baby that still slept all day and couldn’t run away from me yet haha. Or maybe even a senior girl that was a total natural in front of the camera and listened to everything I said. I would get so nervous before a family session with several young kids or heaven forbid, toddlers! How will I win them over? Will they listen to me? What if they cry the whole time? Will dad just roll his eyes when I give him directions? Once I figured out how to work with energetic kids instead of against them, it all changed! Of course kids don’t want to stand perfectly still and take a list of instructions from a stranger. And no kid gives a natural smile when you say, “look here and say cheese”. Instead we play games and run and cuddle and it’s magical. Family sessions are so fun and are now my favorite to shoot! Every session ends up going so differently, highlighting each family’s unique dynamic. I love how I can give families the same games to play and yet the photos end up being one of a kind. Capturing the love and joy within families can’t be beat!
Carter Family + In-home Newborn
Perfect little Owen Beau. It was easy to see why his parents are head over heels about him! He was wide awake the entire session and so laid back. I swear he was even posing for me a few times! Even his older doggy brother was so well behaved through the entire session. The Carter family recently moved into a new home and it is gorgeous and full of beautiful natural light. The whole thing was a dream!
Bryan and Emily went to the same high school, and met through a mutual friend after Bryan had just graduated. They will soon be celebrating their 5th Valentines together (though it sounds like they put each other in the friend zone for the first one haha). They love to travel, workout together, grocery shop together and just be outdoors. I could tell they were so prepared to be parents! They are naturals with their sweet new babe, I loved watching them together. Their excitement for bringing Owen home was contagious! Congratulations Carter family, I’m so happy for you!
