Utah Adventure Sessions
Vacation Photography For Fun, Wild, Adventurous Couples And Families
Your Vacation To Zion Will Be A Trip You’ll Remember Forever. I’ll Make Sure Of It.
When I ask people about the photos from their last vacation, I hear these kinds of responses all too often… “Our iPhone and tripod setup just didn’t do as good of a job as we hoped it would.”, “All of the family photos we have with everyone together are posed and don’t really represent our family dynamic.”, “We forgot to take any fun photos at all!” Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing: You don’t want to spend time, money, and energy on planning a vacation only to get home and have mediocre photo evidence. It’s never fun to look back on your photos and realize they didn’t capture the real moments, the fun parts, the adventure. In fact, when you have photos like that – you don’t tend to look back on them at all.
So if you want these vacation photos to be a different story… If you want beautiful photos that you can blow up and hang on your walls, or print off and give to Grandma and Grandpa… If you want to look back on your vacation and see the authentic moments – not posed and stiff, with someone left out because they were stuck behind the camera… If you want memories of the moments where you and your family are stress-free, carefree, and genuinely having a good time together… Then you’re in the right place.
Capitol Reef Family Photographer & Couples Photographer
Hi, I’m Sarah!
Photographer, wife, and most importantly mom of two (one human baby and one fur baby), and all-around nature obsessed Utah local. If you’ve chosen Zion as your vacation destination, then I know that we’re going to get along great. I love Zion with all my heart, and only the raddest people tend to make their way here.
I know you hear this from every photographer… but, truly: I’m a storyteller.
And one thing you’ll notice about our relationship is that it will quickly feel like we’re old friends catching up after a long stretch apart. I’ll get to know you and your partner or family better than you might expect – the quirks, the dynamics, the backstory.
There’s a reason for that: I use that information to plan out your session so that I can tell the real story…The real story of your vacation. The real story of the people you love the most. The real story of your relationship or family as it is NOW.
Because…It won’t be long before the baby arrives, and then it’ll be years before you get away for another vacation just the two of you. It won’t be long until the kids are grown up, asking to stay home instead of joining the family trips, or off at College and unable to tag along because they’ve got finals to study for.
It won’t be long until you’re onto the next chapter of your life, and the one you’re in now has closed. And it won’t be long until the vacation you’re planning is over and you’re home, suitcases unpacked and clothes put away, back to the regular routine.
Having professional photos taken on this vacation means you can be right back in the middle of the fun and in the middle of the memories at any point – months, years, and even decades from now.
No memories lost and forgotten, only to be found 30+ swipes up on your camera roll, or floating around somewhere in the cloud. No one will be left out of the photos, or feeling weird about what to do with their arms from posing stiffly. No “hey – remember that trip we took to Zion?” followed by “oh yeah, kinda!” Just candid, real, beautiful photos of you and the people or person you love the most.
“Sarah was absolutely AMAZING! I was initially impressed with Sarah’s work after finding her online. I needed a photographer for a proposal I had planned. Traveling from the other side of the country, and not knowing the area at all I was blown away by Sarah’s willingness to help me. She was not only my photographer but my pseudo-event planner! During our initial call Sarah helped me plan the perfect location for the proposal and walked me through the steps to get the best photos. Sarah also provided me with PDF files for what to do while in town, where to stay and where to have a romantic dinner after the proposal. Hands down the best experience I’ve ever had with any photographer, and I’ve worked with quiet a few. Sarah captured the moment perfectly and I wouldn’t have done it without her. Thank you so much Sarah! I am forever grateful to you.” – Tim
“Sarah is an outstanding photographer! She goes above and beyond for her photos and especially for her clients. Our experience with her exceeded everything we had hoped for – her professionalism and enthusiasm completely blew us away! The way she captures emotion and sunlight is incredible. She truly has a vision for each photo shoot and puts her whole heart into it! If I could give 10 stars I would!!!” – Rebecca
Utah Is My One True Love.
It’s the best place in the entire world. And I cannot wait to show you around. Most photographers LOVE travelling to other states, exploring different parks, and finding new spots to take their clients to. I love that for them. But me? I am obsessed with Utah.
There is nowhere I would rather be, nowhere that I know better, and I bring that obsession along on your session day. So if it’s your dream to get beautiful portraits in Utah, I already know we’re going to be best friends. And because I love this state so much, I am fiercely committed to preserving it. That’s why all of my services are as green as possible – from the food packaging that I bring, to the solar panels that power my computer while I edit your photos – everything is environmentally friendly and decompostable, recyclable, and/or renewable. We leave absolutely no trace of us being here – except for your footprints in the dirt and the photos on my camera roll. And if education is your thing, I’ll put my forestry degree to use and tell you everything that you want to know about the forest we’re in, the trails we’re on, the canyon we’re in, the area that surrounds us, and the creatures that inhabit it.
The cliche is true:
Photos are memories
that will last a lifetime.
Capturing these memories isn’t something that I take lightly. I don’t just show up and snap away. Our journey together starts with you filling out my contact form and telling me some details about your vacation and the people that will be here with you.
Then, I’ll send over a link so that we can get on a call to go over the details, and make sure that we’re on the same page and have the same vision. After the contract is signed and the initial invoice is paid up, I’ll send over everything that you need in order to get started with the planning! I help you with the major and the minor details – from location scouting, to vendors and permits (if needed), to posing guidelines, I make sure that you’re fully supported and prepared every step of the way.
AND, to top it all off, I’ll help you style your session so that your outfits complement each other and the surroundings. We’ll make sure that your clothing is practical for whatever we end up doing that day AND looks great.
You also get two planning calls and full email access to me all throughout the journey!
From proposals to family vacations, and everything in between - I have a package for the vacation you’ve got planned.
The Investment
Each package includes:
- Up to 60 minutes of photography coverage
- Two 30-minute planning calls
- Personalized styling assistance
- Location guide
- Assistance with permits (if necessary)
- Posing guide
- 5-10 sneak peek images within 24 hours
- An online gallery of 25 high-resolution images with my signature hand-painted edits delivered within 2 weeks.
Family session
Your adventure in Zion will be just as unique and wild as your family – and photos will do it justice.
- Up to 5 family members – each additional family member $25/person
- Starting at $575
Proposals
A beautiful, exciting moment in your lives that you and your partner will want to relive for decades to come.
The proposal package also includes…
- Personalized vendor recommendations (musicians, flowers, romantic picnic service, etc)
- I arrive to the site 15 minutes ahead of you and your future fiancé(e) to ensure everything is set up and ready to go
- Proposal planning guide
- Starting at $600
Maternity sessions / “Babymoon” photos
It’s the final getaway before your bundle of joy joins you earthside – let’s capture the two of you before your world changes.
- Starting at $575
Couples sessions / Honeymoon photos
You deserve to remember this special time in your relationship.
- Starting at $575
If you’re ready to start planning this part of your adventure…
“I’m normally not someone that writes reviews but I highly recommend that you DO NOT HESITATE TO BOOK SARAH!!! Her work is clearly amazing but she is SO much more than that. One of my favorite things about photos is the reminder of the feeling you had when it was captured. This is truly where Sarah nailed it. We had a blast!! My fiancé said it felt like we did a hike with an old friend that we hadn’t caught up with in a while. I couldn’t agree more! She also went above and beyond to hype us up, style outfits, come up with amazing location options, and had an insane turnaround time for sending us the gallery. She truly is the total package! My only issue with Sarah is now we have extremely high standards for a photographer and wish she could capture our wedding!!! Thank you for being you Sarah. We will never forget you or how you made us feel. The photos are a constant reminder of how much fun we had. We will definitely stay in touch and hope to see you again soon!” – Tayler + Nick
“WE LOVE the photos so much!!! They are seriously exactly what I had been envisioning and hoping to capture. Honestly I have tears in my eyes looking through them. I couldn’t be happier! Now the tough part will just be figuring out which ones to frame . I showed a few of my girlfriends and they made me promise that we’d go to Zion and hire Sarah to do a BFF photo shoot.” – Kristin K.
You Were Likely Drawn To "Wild Is Our Love" Because Of The Photos.
There’s a reason for that: They truly stand out.
I don’t use any kind of presets or blanket-editing techniques; I go through each of the photos one-by-one in Photoshop and edit them for exposure, color-correction, and blemishes.
This process is called ‘hand painting’ and because it’s so time-consuming, a lot of photographers have moved away from offering it. But next to spending time with you and capturing your memories, hand painting your photos is one of my favorite parts of what I do. And the results are SO worth it.
You’ll receive 5-10 hand-painted photos as a “sneak peek” within 24 hours of your shoot, and a full gallery of up to 75 photos within 3 weeks.
Keep in mind that I’m capturing you and your partner or family as you are, out in the wild of Zion. Wind in your hair, sun on your face, bellies sore from laughing. Whether we’re hiking, having a picnic, down in a canyon, or anywhere in between… I’m going to capture the actual story of this day as it is – authentic and raw.
Family & Couples Photography in the Capitol Reef Area
Here’s something that I know to be true: You’re going to look back on this chapter of your life and realize these were ‘the good old days’.
Frequently Asked Questions
YES! Of course, you can. I can’t wait to meet them.
Full retouching services (like skin retouching, flyaways, wardrobe changes, etc.) are not included in these packages but can be added on for an extra fee.
Of course! The packages on this page include up to one hour of photography but we can always increase that time for an extra fee. This would mean you would also get additional photos.
Yes! I travel throughout Utah and Arizona. Please indicate on your intake form where you’d like to meet so I can let you know if it’s within my travel boundaries.
This vacation and piece of your story will come and go... But you have the chance to remember it forever.
Let me capture your story so that you have this piece of it forever. Beautiful, carefree, and wild… just like Zion. Because let’s face it: Your iPhone and a tripod just aren’t going to do the trick. Take Your First Step Towards Your Dream Session