PHOTO + DESIGN

BY MAD

Salt Lake City photographer

Mengwasser Family + Snowy Utah Family Photos

Mengwasser Family + Snowy Utah Family Photos

This snowy session was shot in early December 2025 up Big Cottonwood Canyon. If you live in Utah, you know we hadn’t gotten much snow by then. Leading up to this session date, I was a little worried we wouldn’t have enough snow to make is as beautiful as it could be. It ended up being just enough, and the photos turned out beautifully! This was my second session with this gorgeous family, and I’m so grateful they wanted to book with me again! Their first session, is also one of my favorites. If dreamy family photos in the snow are on your wish list, there’s still time to get them done before spring! Please contact me to book and you can see more of my recent work on Instagram.

I’d LOVE to photograph your family! Please contact me to book and you can see more of my recent work on Instagram.

Beenken Family + Jordan River

Beenken Family + Jordan River

Putting the Beenken family into words is going to be difficult. Last year, Sammy was nominated for my #photosforjamie series, where I donate family sessions to women with breast cancer in honor of my mom. Sammy is love, strength, and joy. She has been through SO much and has handled it with such bravery. She’s truly an inspiration!

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Smith Family + Bountiful Utah

Smith Family + Bountiful Utah

I have photographed the Smith family several times, and they also brought their son to my portrait minis this year! I adore them, return clients are just the best. I’m excited to see them each time, and see how adorable Oliver has grown. He has such a playful and adventurous spirit. He always makes it so fun!

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Mengwasser Family

Mengwasser Family + Utah Mountains

I adored meeting this family! They were so sweet and easy to talk to. It was fun to spend a beautiful evening the Utah mountains getting to know them a little. Their little girl was an absolute angel! She was so pleasant and happy for the entire session, I couldn’t believe it. She even gave me a few smiles. This session was shot in October of 2024, but this location is gorgeously green and even has some wildflowers right now. The wildflowers will only last a couple more weeks, so don’t miss out!

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Baptism Photos + Lola

Sweet Lola. I have photographed her since she was preschool age, and she was just as cute back then! She recently turned 8 and has decided to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints soon. She is so excited and her session was really fun! I adore her!

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Johnson Family

Bless my dear sister-in-law Nicci! She is the very first person who asked me to take their family photos. She has stuck with me, and I’m so grateful. I look forward to taking her sweet family’s photos every year. She is so laid back and just trusts me and goes with the flow. I love that about her! They are all just so photogenic and I always love how their photos turn out.

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Walker Family + Big Cottonwood Canyon

I sat down to edit a sneak peek of this session and ended up finishing the entire thing! This family is just too gorgeous, I couldn’t make myself stop. Val and I know each other from design school and I love each time I get to see her and her family. Their sweet Gavin is growing so fast! He looked like such a little man in his outfit. He has grown so much since their session last year (see it here). Gav definitely has a future in modeling if he wants it. He had so much fun exploring, running, and was mesmerized by the river nearby. Hopefully we wore him out and he slept like an angel that night.

This beautiful family has an exciting announcement and they let me in on their secret a little early….

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Hammocks + Summer

Sometimes I shoot personal work on film. Since all the pictures from my childhood are on film, these instantly feel like old memories to me. I love that about it. And the colors are just so perfect. I will always remember summers hanging out in the back yard after John gets home.

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The simple things

Bought a bubble machine today. It was a good choice. I love summer.

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Why I am a Photographer

I loved photography long before anyone paid me to do it and I will love it even if I never get another paying client. It has always pulled at me, but since having kids that pull is even stronger. To capture them just as they are. Right now. Sometimes I look at them and they seem so small and the next minute I can’t understand how they have already gotten so big. I think the most important photos I can take are of my own family. No they are not perfectly styled, and my home is far from perfect but what matters is capturing the little details I never want to forget. I took these shots of Ava the other day because the summer weather is making her natural curls perfect and I love them. Please never go away. These photos make me want to cry happy tears of love, so I can only imagine the treasures they will be years from now. (Tess is getting some cute curls too, but she is far less cooperative in front of the camera at this age.)

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