Maura & Matt’s Photo Shoot in Big Cottonwood Canyon

Ok, I tagged this in the Engagement category, but these are not engagement photos. However, they are similar to engagements since we have a couple together in Big Cottonwood Canyon. And so I wanted to feature some photos that actual engaged couples can see, and hire me. Duh.

Light peaking through the mountains

Maura wanted some photos of her and Matt in a location that screamed Utah. They are from Connecticut and wanted to show their friends and family some photos of them in Utah. The original plan was to go to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, however, the timing was too late in the season and the salt flats were covered in water. The best time for salt flat photography is in July through September and we shot in late October.

Finding unique portraits

So I suggested several locations, and we picked Big Cottonwood Canyon. It still had some autumn leaves and fall color. And there are some spectacular views of the mountains and rock formations.

Utah’s mountains are awesome for portraits

We even found a waterfall along the way to some areas I have used before. There can be a little bit of climbing and I seem to manage tugging around a light stand and my portable lighting kit. The photos turned out great!

Big Cottonwood Canyon is perfect for portraits

Waterfall background

Here is the behind the scenes view of how I photographed the couple with my lighting kit. I try to get the light as close as possible, but sometimes there is still a distance. This year I invested in some new lighting that is really helping. It is more portable, more powerful, and very flexible. I love the setup and most everything I have photographed this year was with these lights or their little siblings.

Behind the scenes

Capturing mountains

For each shoot, I want wide epic shots, close tight shots, horizontal shots, and vertical shots. I love the basic rule of thirds. I love to find textures and other light to work with.

Close up shot

And couples need to get close and comfortable with each other. Holding hands, light PDA, cuddling, and glances help create more natural poses.

Portrait version

Finding autumn leaves

Big Cottonwood Canyon has one area with amazing rocks and formations. It reminds me of the cliffs of insanity from the Princess Bride. It’s a great spot for photography. There were some other photographers, and I always get a smile while I carry a ton of gear and they have one camera and one lens. I could go simple, but I like it big and bold. I think the extra gear pays off as well.

Rocks and mountains

Finding different views

In one of the meadows we switched gears. They did a quick outfit change in the car and we then went full Christmas card photography. They had an inflatable Santa suit and it worked great. We even found some snow in the meadow and that really helped with Santa. The holidays are almost here! This week is Thanksgiving!

Santa makes an appearance

Christmas card time

Options for Christmas cards

We found some snow!