An Incredible Family Session
It’s hard to summarize this shoot without using cheesy overblown adjectives like ‘amazing’ ‘incredible’ ‘fantastic’ etc. The thing is: those words perfectly encapsulate the experience, so how do I veer from them?!
This family of about 30 people were in town from all over the globe to celebrate the holidays together in Park City. [What a neat idea, no?] When their travel director contacted me about photographing them, I was psyched — I love working with out-of-towners and meeting new people. However, as I heard the details of the shoot, I was more… intrigued. 6 makeup and hair stylists and all accompanying accoutrement. Professional costumes shipped up from Salt Lake City (and these costumes included ev.er.y.thing — shoes, pantyhose, wigs, boas, moustaches, jewelry, props, etc). On set stylists. And a booked location for the shoot (Park City’s most renowned art gallery, the Kimball Art Center).
Could I do this?? Without quaking in my boots, I mean? d a u n t i n g.
Of course I would tackle this shoot, and as the day approached, nerves & anticipation & enthusiasm overtook me. When we arrived, Chubasco was preparing some incredible food and PlanIt Events was scurrying around ensuring that everything was perfect. By the time the family arrived, we’d set up an enormous amount of photography gear — everything from two adjacent backdrops for a 20ft span of white-infinity-ness, to softboxes/umbrellas/constants/ringflashes, to a jamming sound system. The family’s theme for the shoot was Decades, with each family encompassing a different genre (Flapper, Mad Men, Wild Bill, Gangster, 80s, etc), so we had appropriate music ready for each group as they headed for their glamorous moment in front of the lens.
Oh man. Just so much fun. I love these shots. I really do. And I love the concept. This family has found a way to create not only fun photos but also an unforgettable experience for them to share altogether. Warms my heart. Plus, it MUST be said that the hair & makeup artists really brought this day alive — a tremendous job. And I’m so grateful to the team that helped pull all of this together so gorgeously: Darryl Dobson, Carley Throgmorton, Erin Madsen, Becky Pederson, Amy DeVore, Stephanie Anderson, McKayla Anderson, Jenna Betschman.
