Family Session at Saltair (one I will NEVER forget)

Guys. This session. This family session at Saltair is one I will never forget. It was a gorgeous day, and was the 3rd time we had rescheduled due to extreme rain (thanks utah unpredictable weather and unreliable forecasts!). As you can see in the photos, the sky was stunning, nobody was too cold, and every person in their family looked stunning.

The session was going great! We were getting posed photos, candid more “lifestyle” photos, and capturing the landscape behind them. We both felt so lucky the day had worked in our favor.

We had some normal “mishaps” (if you can call them that), like the toddler being hyper and running around— all to be expected! Baby getting hungry and sad and needing a bottle— it happens! Babies and kids will never act the way you want them to for photos, that’s just the universe saying hey. But then at the end of the session, a huge mishap occurred that was 100% out of our control.

Right at the end of our session, a microburst storm swept in, with strong thunder, lightning, wind, and rain. It was unlike any storm I’ve been in, probably because of all the open space and water from the saltair lake. It literally hit as we were walking back to our cars to head home. Lighting so bright it lit up the whole sky for a few seconds. Thunder so strong we could feel it with our feet. We said goodbye and I drove off after chatting with my friend and client.

As I’m driving away, I hear a huge thunder boom and see epic lightning and suddenly thought something had crashed into me. I stopped and no one was in back of me and I wasn’t near anything I could’ve crashed into. I’m thinking, this doesn’t feel right, something is wrong. A car honks at me as I’m sitting there and I tell them to go around. I continue driving toward the freeway and notice my car is shaking and I’m feeling way too much air. I stop again on the side of the freeway entrance, I look to the back windshield and realize.. it’s not there. My car is still shaking and now I’m shaking too. I felt so vulnerable in the storm, it felt like a hurricane or something utah would never have, i had no idea what to do. I try to get out of my car to look at it and I’m being blown away by the combination of wind and rain. My back windshield had shattered everywhere into tiny pieces from the thunder boom. I had expensive gear and had to move everything to the front, but I was so scared out of my car, I felt like I could be swept up and carried to the next city over, it was incredibly strong.

Gorgeous Saltair with blue skies, before the storm

I tried calling my husband— service was suddenly unavailable. I tried 3 times and nothing. I called my friend/client and luckily it went through to her! I told her my back windshield had shattered and I didn’t know what to do. I felt like crying but I didn’t let my fear show, I’m not sure why, I just remember I wasn’t crying or shaking with my clients, but when I finally reached my husband I started sobbing.

My client drove up behind me and needed to stay with her kids in the car but her husband helped me. He doesn’t speak much English and I don’t speak much Spanish, but we managed to work together to figure out a plan. They drove in back of me through the storm and until they knew I had exited the freeway safely. The poor visibility/bad hurricane-like storm lasted 20 or so minutes, and then the rest of the way was stormy, but manageable. My clients and I made sure each of us made it home safely. I am so grateful for them, I have never felt so vulnerable and scared going home from a session, but they helped me get through it. If I hadn’t reached out to them I would’ve been in panic mode all alone, unable to reach anyone, and thought I would be sleeping in my car in the middle of nowhere until I had service.

I had a lot of fun joking with my husband about my windshield the next day. Excuse my (or rather, my CAR’S) inappropriate texts, LOL, there was too much to joke around about, and when I’m traumatized I need HUMOR.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take pictures right when everything was occurring. I just wanted to get out of there. So any pictures I have are after most of the glass had been cleaned up. But here is some aftermath:

And there you have an eventful night that produced some beautiful photos for my client (and dear friend) and her family. I’d like to dedicate this post to Utah’s weather prediction system. You’re always there for us ;)

I’d love to hear other people’s crazy weather stories! Especially at or on their way to/from a photo session or some other event.

Til next time,

Jules

Did you know this is what could happen in a thunder boom? I had never thought of the possibility.

What are the best colors to wear for family photos?

So you have family photos coming up and you have no idea what to wear. Not to worry.

I get a lot of questions about outfits for photos & it’s something I love helping with!

I’ve put together a detailed post going over color palettes, how to achieve balance with outfits, and visual explanations of what works well in photos. Most of these are for fall (how is it already September?) and I’ll do more in the future for others.

Let’s get into it!

Keep the location in mind

Some locations won’t be good for bold and bright colors. Some will be really busy and compete with you. What season is it? Will the scenery have grass and trees? Will it be neutral? Will you be downtown with architecture? Bold brighter reds can look amazing against a black urban building, but wouldn’t work in most situations.

Don’t go crazy with patterns. Solids are your friend.

Focus on color, texture, and dimension. Busy patterns will compete with your gorgeous face and the location. That said, patterns like plaid, floral, etc. Can still work, but I wouldn’t put more than ONE person in a pattern. And make sure the pattern colors won’t distract from your face and the other people in the photo, as well as the location. I know, this is a lot of information. But trust me. Patterns and denim are adorable in everyday life at school and work, but they are not as photo friendly. You want to be able to focus your attention on various elements in your photos, and competing patterns will be distracting.

Choose mom’s outfit first, then coordinate with complementary colors for everyone else.

Mom is probably the one planning photos, so we’re gonna give her first outfit choice. Personally, I will either choose my daughter’s outfit first or my own outfit first, and then plan around those.

Let’s do an activity.

If this mustard dress is our “base” outfit, can you choose complimentary colors to go with it? The location is in the mountains with fall colors.

I feel like a lot of people are good with colors, but I’ve realized it comes easier to some people than others. Complicated algebra never clicked for me. But color coordinating luckily clicks for me. It comes in real handy as a photographer 😅 I remember working at a retail clothing store & customers being shocked that the colors I found for them looked so good. I realize this is a total not-humble-at-all brag, but basically, I gotchoo. I love playing with colors.

What colors did you choose to go with this outfit?

For me, right off the bat, I would say we need some subtle olive green, cream or white, and dark brown to help balance and tie everything together.

Something like this:

What did you come up with?

How I then plan everyone else is kind of.. intuitively. I visualize what would work well and go from there.

“Ok then my husband will wear his dark khaki pants that will pull those tones, I could do a cream button down on him, I look for a green dress or outfit that pulls olive tones for me, my son will be in olive or greenish grayish pants and a tan/brown shirt. We could throw in a tan hat on me or my daughter, they could do brown shoes or converse…” etc etc. But It’s all visual, I literally just picture us wearing certain outfits and colors.

Once I’m pretty sure on what I want, I’ll look up more ideas for outfits, search for things I envisioned, and keep my eyes peeled at stores. Sometimes I change my mind on the “base” outfit if I’m not digging the vibe while I start planning.

How I make final decisions is like this:

• Choose base outfit

• When planning your own, find a few that you like, and ask yourself: would I like it on my body/would it be flattering on me? (There are plenty of dresses I love that look great on the model, but I know they wouldn’t work for me.) Would this length work for me? And does it show off my best features?

• Move to the next outfits. Ask the same questions for everyone else. Do you (& they) like it? How would it look on their unique body? Will it be flattering? Will the color look good on them? And will it work with the other tones?

• Make a little document with ideas to use as a visual, or come here and look at mine 😜

• Try on. Make sure you love. Buy! Or do what I do and order a couple online and keep the one(s) that works best.

  I like to play around with colors & if I’m not loving it, I might ditch a color. Like this:

Not feeling the burgundy this year & want to stay more neutral. So I would redo it like this:

Then I start shopping and make final decisions based on what looks best on everyone! If you’re not buying new clothes, do the same thing but using clothing you already have. But pro tip: newer clothing does photograph better.

Cotton T-shirts and blue jeans can look sloppy and aren’t that photogenic

While I don’t recommend jeans for photos, if you are going to wear jeans in your photos, be careful choosing the color of your denim. And don’t put everyone in blue jeans. I repeat. Do not put everyone in blue jeans.

If you absolutely have to and have nothing else, keep the rest of your colors as neutral and simple as possible.

If you’re doing jeans, some look better in photos than others.

This style photographs best, although you’ll still want to keep your top and shoes neutral if you wear jeans.

These jeans do NOT look so good in photos. They’re just very… blue and denim-y. And distracting. Remember, bring the focus upward to your face. You don’t want any clothing that is so distracting it takes away from that.

Clothing can look different in natural outdoor light then it does in the mirror at home.

Do a check outside in the shade and in direct sunlight to make sure you love the way your outfit looks and fits on your body. The next tip is for you if you notice any distracting squishy parts of your body that are catching more light and hugging parts you’d rather not show off.

SHAPEWEAR WILL KEEP YOUR LOOK BALANCED

First, I have to say, I do not body shame, and your body is a work of art no matter the size. However, I DO recommend shapewear if you’re going to wear anything form fitting and you notice any “rolls” or indents/seams tucking, because it will keep everything balanced so that when you look at your photos, you will look at your face, and not be distracted by body parts catching more light than others. Really what we are doing is making it so your entire stomach catches the same amount of light and shadow, and you’ll feel less self conscious.

Personally, I feel like a lot of shapewear is SO constricting and I can’t wait to get it off, so my preference is the shapewear underwear that just compresses the lower stomach. Use your own disgression and comfort level based on the outfit you’re wearing. I only wear it if I’m in a form fitting dress and parts of my stomach look… squishy.

There is nothing, I repeat nothing, wrong with the woman’s body in the first image. However, I guarantee you will be happier with your photos if you wear shape-wear. This only really applies to anyone wearing form fitting material that hugs parts of your body that distract from your face.

Match your photographer style with your own

If your photographer edits with moody or rich tones, moody rich colors look best. If your photographer edits with bright and airy tones with bright green trees and bright green grass, lighter pastels will look great. If they put a super yellow filter on the pictures and you can’t tell what the outfit colors were originally, I don’t know what to tell you 😂 consult with your photographer or hire me instead. (Wink wink).

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice

Most photographers, myself included, always want as much information from you as possible! Send your photographer a picture of everyone being photographed if you won’t meet in person before your session. What are you most comfortable wearing? What makes you feel sexy but also yourself? What does your house look like? What kind of things are you into? What are your favorite movies, do you binge watch crime shows, do you lock yourself in the pantry with cookies to get a break from your children, do you appreciate art, do you have tattoos, do you need to cover garments in your photos, do you read full paragraphs on websites about clothing colors for photos? Yeah. Like. Let us into your world. It’s easier to make magic in the photos when we can connect with you and know who you are.

Have a look at Some beautiful color palettes

LETS GET OUR GRADE ON

The following photos are NOT my photos, I would never shame my own clients. (I mean, nor am i shaming these guys).

I’m going to give these next outfits a letter grade so you can get an idea of what outfits work best in photos. The grade will be below the photo.

B-

Everything EXCEPT dads shorts is perfect. But dads shorts make such an impact that it took the grade down. If his shorts were the same color and style, but pants, it would be a B+. If he had black pants and shoes that weren’t so athletic looking, it would be an A-. If the daughter then also had a headband that didn’t have a pattern (since her outfit has a pattern), it would get an A.

B

Same thing here! It’s perfect except for dads shorts! Turn those shorts into pants and these outfits get an A.

A-

Gorgeous! The only thing I would suggest is seeing how black jeans or chinos look over the jeans. The Jean material and style here photograph well, but our eyes would focus on the elements of the photo better if the pants weren’t as distracting. All in all, this outfit is great, and they did a great job incorporating denim! The photographers style and editing work well with their colors and the scenery as well. I would be stoked if these were the outfits my clients showed up in.

A-

I love! Everything is very balanced, however, it would feel more balanced against the stark white sheet if the boy’s pants matched his dads shirt and if he had a grey shirt on instead of black.

D-

Please don’t show up like this. They are too matchy, they are in a bright color that will reflect on skin tones, and they are in jeans that don’t work well for photos. Also they look awkward and miserable, but this was once the style so we’ll say nothing more and move along.

C+

Much better than the last one! Still overkill on patterns. However, the grey is so neutral that it does provide balance. But it’s also too many pairs of jeans for my preference. I would put a couple kids in black jeans or black leather skirt or romper. I would make sure the jeans had something interesting, maybe a small rip (the kind that is supposed to be there) or maybe black leather pants. Cut out at least half of the plaid and have someone in a hat that pulls a coordinating color (not plaid!)

A

The outfits aren’t distracting, they go well with the background/scenery, and my eyes are balanced when I look at the image. There is texture, there is interest, but nothing steals the show. It’s about the family, not the outfits. (Although the outfits are still amazing)

A-

Change the kid on dads shoulders out of those jeans into the same color as his brother and we have an A. Everything is coordinated but not too matchy matchy, and my there is enough interest to keep my eyes happy. If moms dress were SLIGHTLY more neutral that would elevate it as well. But overall, beautiful, stunning, I love.

I hope by putting these examples it helps you decipher what a good outfit would be and what a bad one would be. I could do this for hours, but I think this is enough.

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Some additional color palette examples & things to consider:

If you’re going to do something bright, like red, be intentional. Unless you’re doing Christmas photos, I would avoid bright red and opt for dark reds, burgundy, etc. Bright reds and oranges will be reflected on your skin and will be distracting. Instead, have pops of red that are intentional, like these shoes, and you’ll get better results.

These clients of mine did a good job with colors. Less denim would’ve worked even better, but because of the beach vibes, it doesn’t scream overkill.

The example photos below are NOT my original content (I will replace with my own examples soon & update this post), but do a great job at visually showing why certain outfits don’t work as well.

These IMAGES do a great job at demonstrating how to create balance with different LOOKS:

If your clothing is loose on top, balance it with something tighter on the bottom. If your top is tight, balance it with something looser on the bottom. Also, the outfit on the right is slimming, elongating, and helps us look upward at the face rather than the outfit.

More tips:

Draw attention to your face with balance.

If body parts are getting hugged that distract from your beautiful face, create some balance with subtle layers or a loose (but not TOO) loose fit

While he looks great in both shirts, in photos an over shirt always works well for guys!

If you want to create balance on the bottom, (especially if you’re on the short side!), make sure your pants aren’t too baggy or long. Ankle length pants draw the eye upward, create balance, and make you appear taller and more put together. And you’ll like your photos better! If you are short, make sure you get a short inseam. No matter your height, if the inseam isn’t right, get them tailored to YOU. Clothing should fit your body, not the other way around.

Was this post helpful?

I hope you learned something, and I know your photos are going to look BOMB now that you know what to look for and what to avoid.

Until next time

xx

Jules

About the author: Jules wagstaff (datura photo) is an artistic wedding photographer and lifestyle family photographer in Utah county. Want more info? Have a look around the site and use the contact form to get in touch!

Some color palette ideas for family photos

I’ve got a lot more color scheme ideas on their way, but here are a few color palettes for family photos. All inspired by my rad clients. Consider this a teaser. I’ve been working on a post for a minute that will go SUPER in depth.

What’s your favorite color combination? I am absolutely mesmerized by the moody jewel tones against the sand 🤩

How to look more natural In photos?!

So you want to look more natural in photos. And you want to be posed in a flattering way.

I gotchoo.

Watch this video for a few of my go to tips to look more natural in photos:

Tips for looking better and more natural in photos

What makes you uncomfortable in front of the camera? Spill that tea, honey.

I want to help you get comfortable and confident with a camera in front of you.

XX

Unique reception ideas in 2022

Are you looking to do something different at your wedding reception?

Keep reading to learn my top tips for a perfect wedding reception.

Mini sparkling rose (or water) for a unique wedding send off

(Above photo not taken by me, it was taken by Jerome cole in Australia)

You know how much I love champagne pop photos. Ugh, they are everything. But what if all your wedding guests had mini “champagne” bottles of non-alcoholic rose (so kids can participate) and sprayed toward the couple during your send off? Another option is having gorgeous bottles that are filled with sparkling or regular water to avoid getting sticky. (But like, y’all could take a sexy shower together on your wedding night to get things going 😜)

Water drops photograph in the most magical way. And if your photographer is seasoned, they’ll know how to photograph and direct some epic wedding exit photos using “champagne” pops.

Tips for photographer: make 2 aisles like you would for a sparkler exit. Space everyone close enough that you’ll see the water spraying but far enough that the couple won’t get soaked. When the couple is ready to come out, have everyone shake their bottles aggressively. Direct wedding guests to get ready and have their thumb cover the top after removing the lid and shake the bottle toward the couple. Make sure they understand this is NOT a water fight and that they are not to intentionally soak the couple (make sure the extra drunk ones are clear on this) but are to enthusiastically spray toward the couple, shaking the bottle around to create a sprinkler effect. Backlighting with a flash would make these shots extra freaking epic.

Artist corner

An artist corner is a unique reception idea that you can put your own spin on.

Have a photo of the couple and instruct everyone who visits the artist corner to recreate the photo with the art supplies provided. Have a space on the bottom the guest can leave a note for the couple on. And you can have a gorgeous scrapbook they can place their creations into, giving you the ultimate wedding gift you can look back on to remember your day.

Other artist corner ideas

Temporary tattoos with photos of the wedding couple. One wedding I photographed was of an artist who does illustrations, while her husband is a tattoo artist. She had her illustrations turned into temporary tattoos and a tattoo station for guests to apply the tattoos and have a photo opp.

Origami station. Wedding guests can make origami creations with wedding themes.

Snowflake station. Having a winter wonderland wedding? Have a snowflake station! Your guests (kids especially) will love getting creative with snowflake designs during your reception, and you can have them given to you to hang up, or let them take the creation home to remember your day.

Pizza instead of wedding cake

Ok. Hear me out. Pizza instead of cake?

When was the last time you had a slice of wedding cake that was so good you can remember every subtle flavor it had and almost passed out it was so good? Never? (If you have, leave it in the comments).

Ok now think about a super cheesy slice of pizza bursting with flavor and gooey cheesy goodness. Now you’re hungry, right? So why not have something you and your wedding guests actually want to eat?! And the wedding photos will be SO SICKKKKKK. It’s way more fun putting a piece of pizza in your partners mouth then having 100 guests watch as you put a forkful of cake in your partners mouth. Both of you can go at the same time for an epic photo. Also, can we do the math on how many pizza boxes cost the same as a 3-tiered wedding cake? Like, pretty sure every family could take an entire box of pizza home with them. They’ll remember that forever.

Donut game

Have you ever played the donut game? Where you put donuts on a string, attach to two sides, and make everyone eat the donut without using their hands? We did this game at every birthday party growing up so it’s extra nostalgic for me.

You could do the donut game instead of wedding cake or just include it as a wedding reception activity. Make sure you have some epic prizes for the winner. Everything is more fun when it’s competitive.

Carnival rides

Weddings should be a PARTY and who doesn’t love a little adrenaline rush?

Consider having carnival rides at your wedding for the most memorable wedding reception!

A mini Ferris wheel is the ultimate romantic ride while swing rides will give your guests a nice rush. Top it off with free carnival treats like cotton candy and your guests are sure to put your day into their top core memories.

Karaoke room

My sister had a karaoke section at her reception and it was SO.MUCH.FUN.

By separating the karaoke into its own room you won’t disturb guests who would rather not hear your loud rendition of “spice up your life”. And you’ll keep guests entertained for hours, whether they choose to sing or just listen.

Do you have unique wedding reception ideas to add to this list? I’d love to hear them!

Happy Sunday!

NOW GO HAVE THE WEDDING OF YOUR DREAMS!

About the author: Jules (Datura photo) is a top rated wedding and elopement photographer in Utah county. She is also a utah engagement, maternity, child, and family photographer in Utah.