TAYNEE MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Utah Wedding and Family Photographer

utah photographer

Orvin Family | Utah Family Session

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The Orvin Family wanted a clean white open look for her shoot so we chose Saltair. This is a great easy to get to location and beautiful most times of the year.

This family was so fun and the kids were so attentive and well behaved. In her questionnaire I asked her something about her kids, and she told me that the boys love soccer. At the end of the session, I surprised them and pulled out a soccer ball, and we had them play soccer for some images.
This family is also a great example of what to wear for your family shoot. They had such a great choice in colors, styles for the kids and mom and dad. I would absolutely recommend using them as inspiration for your own photos.

I left this session truly loving my job even more. Not only were they beautiful but the the boys were so sweet and I love how sassy the girls were!

Brinnlie and Jason Maternity | Utah Photographer

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Brinnlie and Jason were such a wonderful couple to work with for their maternity shoot. I love these photoshoots because we are capturing such a beautiful time of their life and I think pregnant women are so beautiful.

When I was helping her plan out what she would wear for her shoot, She incorporated her wedding belt with the dress I loaned to her and it was absolutely beautiful. I love that she had something personal and special to her as a part of her shoot.

With that said, I have a few maternity dresses I can always let you borrow for your shoot, just ask me as you are booking so that I can let you know what I have.

This session was a destination shoot and it was so fun. It is a full day event but I am happy to do it for other clients if you are interested as well. The package includes photos in the canyon and a ride in the side by side ranger and gas for travel. I love getting to go to special spots that a lot of people don’t go to for their sessions.

Family Christmas Photos

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Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year! It’s encompassed by family, friends, and lots of traditions. In my line of work I get to capture the magic of the season, and for photos, there is no other season like Christmas. I can’t wait to tell you why Christmastime is an important occasion to photograph as well as give you theme ideas and outfit ideas for your holiday photoshoot. 

Why is Christmas time an important occasion to photograph? Why not just do regular family photos?

Traditions

Christmastime is an amazing time of year for families because of all the traditions. Some families decorate the Christmas tree together, play in the snow, or make cookies from their family recipes. Other families go and chop down a Christmas tree in the woods together (or for my city folk, you go to a tree lot together and pick out the perfect tree). In my family I take all of the kids to visit Santa. All of these amazing traditions are memories that deserve to be photographed for your family to remember! All of these moments are unique to Christmastime and the joy that it brings.

Perfect for Christmas Cards

Why not send out a unique holiday card this year of you and your family making cookies together in the kitchen? Or possibly you and your family having a flour fight while making cookies in the kitchen? It’s guaranteed to be the best family Christmas card around!

Invest in a great photographer for family Christmas pictures

As you start planning your holiday family photos, think about who you would like to capture those moments. I believe in choosing someone you trust and believe in to capture these memories. This is a great time to hire that photographer you’ve always wanted to work with. I don’t trust my photos to just anyone with a fancy camera. When regular family pictures can be captured anytime, traditions usually only happen at certain times of the year.

Theme ideas

First, Choose a Theme

First I suggest choosing a theme for your Christmas family photos. When you are thinking of a theme, it doesn’t always have to be an activity. Sometimes, the theme for holiday family photos is the feel or look you want. It can also be a place or an outfit choice. Here are a few ideas that are classy, timeless, and beautiful:

  • Pictures with Santa
  • Casual comfy
  • Decorating the Christmas tree
  • Making or drinking hot cocoa
  • Making cookies
  • Surrounded by Christmas decorations
  • Indoor white space studio
  • In the mountains 
  • Playing in the snow
  • Favorite winter activity
  • Matching pajamas
  • Make a truck the centerpiece
  • Get dressed up
  • Build a snowman

Indoor or Outdoor

You might have a special place or tradition you want to include in your Christmas photo shoot. Something that is unique to you and your family. For me, I love white space studios with classy holiday decorations. Indoor and lifestyle studios are great places for Christmastime photo shoots during the Utah winters, because you can look festive without the bulky coats. It’s also a great idea to be indoors when you have babies or other little ones in the photos. If you choose to do your photos indoors, the best time to take photos inside is around noon when the sun is highest in the sky and the room is the brightest. The best time to do outdoor photos is 1-2 hours before sunset.

Utah studios I love for indoor Christmas photo shoots:

Outfits 

There are limitless options based on the feel you want for your holiday pictures. Do you want it to be casual/comfy, dressed up, or playful/bright? Pick a theme first, then focus on the outfits. 

Best stores to buy family Christmas outfits 

Best colors and textures for Christmas family photos

For holiday family photos all of my usual rules for outfits can be thrown out the window. Christmas photo shoots can be matchy-matchy, have plaid, Christmas pajamas, or be casual. I do stand by the fact that neutrals like white, heather grey, and tan look great in photos. Flowy dresses on women also look amazing on every body type. But if you are going for that fun or cozy look for your photos, don’t hesitate to add bold Christmas colors like deep red and pine green. If you are looking for outfit ideas for the rest of the year I have a great article on that here.


To book your Utah family Christmas photos and hear about my Christmas mini sessions click here.

Elise Newborn Lifestyle Session Utah Photographer | Taynee Miller

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It’s always an honor when another photographer asks you to do their photos. In this case Kelsey is great friend of mine, and a photographer with a great eye for detail! Her baby Elise was born during Covid and she wanted to wait a few months to do newborns to let things settle down, and have a more interactive and alert baby! We did her photos at 3 months when she was awake, smiling, and still in that sweet cuddly stage!

For baby Elise we did her photos at their home in California. It was so fun to capture her with her siblings and getting those special moments with their family. We focused on more of a journalistic approach, which was so special and you still saw the ups and downs of motherhood and bringing a new baby into your home! 

Throughout my time there I was able to get intimate moments with their new baby as well as mom consoling her other children and a lot of genuine connections. During the shoot, one of the older kids got hurt, and I was able to capture mom spending some one on one time with them also, which I know as a mother I would love to have that imagery as well. With both parents there I also got to see some of dad with the babies. I loved watch Dad dancing with Emaline, it was such a special moment to watch them interact together! 

I love all newborn shoots but this one really felt special to me! I hope you love getting to see a glimpse into their session! 🙂 

Cohen Family Utah Photographer | Taynee Miller

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When I moved to Utah I knew I wanted to go back to still shoot and visit my clients in the Bay Area. While my business is now primarily here, I hope to continue to make trips back home and keep those relationships. Utah has become home for now and I love it so much. The landscape here in Utah is something so different then what I was shooting at, so it really has pushed me in my business for my new clients!

Some of my favorite shoots here in Utah have been with the incredible landscape. The mountains are something else here and really there is nothing that compares to it. Whether I do your photos in Utah or California I hope you know I will always provide the highest quality of work and beautiful images to last you a lifetime.

I asked the Cohen family for a little review to share with you all, and this is what she wrote: Amazing – you somehow captured Reagan and Arthur’s personalities perfectly. I can’t wait to frame them… our house is going to be a Taynee Miller gallery!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Utah In-Home Lifestyle Newborn Session | Taynee Miller

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One of my favorite things to photograph is in home lifestyle newborn sessions! Everything about a little baby is a miracle. Being able to get pregnant, growing a baby, and delivering a healthy baby are all miracles. When Ariel Taylor contacted me about capturing her newborn I was so flattered. Ariel is a Bay Area mom boss and started her own maternity clothing line. She also makes the cutest babies making my job very easy.

When we planned the newborn photo session picked to do it on what we thought would have been a sunny day. However, that is definitely not what we got. When the weather that day was overcast and dark we hoped to reschedule the photoshoot, but the Taylor’s were going out of town that weekend and we had no other choice but to make it work. I normally love to shoot with natural light because it has a softer, more natural look in the photos, instead for this shoot we substituted the lack of light with some flashes.

When I got there I was immediately greeted by Ariel’s 3 year old daughter, Gemma. She was a little shy so to help her feel more comfortable, I had her Dad read a book to her on the couch and then had her twirl around the living room to capture some fun real life moments. When baby Luca was brought out, Gemma immediately ran up to him and started giving him hugs. The session then became all about Gemma loving and taking care of baby Luca.

I had so much fun with the Taylors and I’m thrilled with how the photos turned out. Thank you Ariel for choosing me to be the one you trusted with these memories.