Fall in Arizona is definitely different than fall here in Utah! I love the outfits that Dawna picked out for her family pictures last fall! I can always count on the Caudle family to be the sweetest ever! They had been going through some hard things last fall. As soon as I saw the FB post explaining their situation, I had to offer to gift them a family session. Dawna has always been so good about referring people to me and she just loves the pictures I take for them. They were so grateful when they got the text that I would take their family pictures. After I sent them their pictures, Dawna sent me a picture of a "grateful pumpkin." They had written the things they were grateful for on the pumpkin and my name was written on it. That made me feel so special and grateful for their gratitude. The Caudle's have now moved to Utah so I hope I can photograph them in the future! 

Enjoy this fall outfit inspiration! Dawna did a great job with layering and color choice. I love the different variety of sweaters and the casual shirt and tie for Matt. So perfect! 

 
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The Jorgensen family is the coolest! I have known them my whole life. Our parents went to school together and I went to school with the boys. I was also the babysitter of some of the younger boys.  It was so fun taking their family pictures in Grace, Idaho before Camm left on his mission to Tempe, Arizona. Becky did a great job picking out the outfits for family photos. I love blue. It photographs so well. I also thought the girls looked stunning in white. I can't wait to find out which pictures are their favorite and to see the prints they want to order. Thanks Jorgensen Family for having me take your family photos! You're awesome. 

The day I took the Christensen Family Portraits, we closed on our house in Logan! It was a busy eventful day, but it was nice it started with these four Christensen babies smiling so good for the camera at their family portrait session!! I told Sue, the grandma, that she has the best grand babies ever! They were so fun to photograph. Also, I am getting better and better at the Baby Shark song. Do your kids love that song?? Do you fellow photographers use it at your family portrait sessions? If there was a theme to this session, it would be Baby Shark. The siblings were even teasing each other and singing it to each other to get them to smile. 

If there is only one reason we should move to Utah from Arizona, these babies would be the reason!! CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE THEM!!?? I CAN'T! Lane and Lander were born in June and stayed in the nicu in Logan, Utah for about a month. Lander got discharged about a week before Lane. These boys belong to my sister Morgan and her husband Will. I know the Nicu is definitely hard and not ideal, but I personally made some special memories and bonded with these boys by being able to go see them in the NICU. The staff there is absolutely amazing. These boys and their parents are absolute fighters. I can't wait to document them as the grow up! I love being an aunt. 

Lander

Lane above. Lander Below. Haven't they come so far??

Lane

Lander

Lane and Lander. Do you think they look identical? I think they do not.

Lane

Left Lane. Right Lander

Lane above and below

Do you think you will be able to tell them apart in the future after seeing these photos??

Megan grew up in the town over from me! She was a cheerleader and so was I. I am a little bit older than her and was able to photograph her cheerleading team in 2013/2014. She started following my photography facebook page back then, and then asked me to take her wedding photos after her and Porter got engaged! They are getting married in just a couple weeks and I am super excited! 

We took their engagement pictures on Megan's grandfather's farm near Grace, Idaho. The sky was OUTSTANDING! We couldn't have asked for better scenery! Megan and Porter have so much fun together. We were driving Megan's grandpa's new ranger to our photography locations, and it wouldn't go more than 5 mph. We had no idea what was going on and Porter tried everything! About 45 minutes into the shoot, we called the cute grandpa and he told us to put our seat belts on and it would drive faster. We got a good laugh about that! Such an easy fix could have saved us from some snail paced driving. At the very end our our session the wind kicked in. It was a miracle that it was not windy the whole time! I actually loved the pictures we took in the wind! 

Congrats to Megan and Porter on their upcoming wedding! I am so happy you asked me to be your photographer!

It is always an undertaking for families to get family pictures scheduled when everyone can be together! It is awesome when families can make it happen! We had lots of fun taking the Smith's family photos. I saw that Lori posted on her Facebook that this is the first time they were able to do a photo with everyone! 

At extended family session I take pictures of the whole group, just the parents, just the children of the parents, the grandparents and grandchildren, each individual family, just the girls, just the boys, and... am I forgetting anything?? We basically do all of the groupings possible! 

If you haven't had photos taken like this in a while. I highly recommend it! It is so important to get a family photo of all of you! 

 I have gotten to take pictures for Mara and Adena in Grace, Idaho for the past few years! First, I took maternity pictures for Mara. She brought some books, special outfits and books that we photographed her with. Then when Adena was just a baby, we took her pictures of her and her mom with those special items! Adena is a little older now and we got to take some more pictures of them. I love that Mara is passionate about documenting her and Adena's relationship and her relationships with others who are important to them! They are the most beautiful pair and so fun to be around. I look forward to taking pictures of them in the future and watching Adena grow. Isn't she the most beautiful little thing??

1. I have been taking clients since 2009- ish! I was 16-17 years old! I got asked to take pictures at my friends sisters wedding reception and I got paid $20! I also took a lot of friends senior pictures while I was in high school.
2. I have owned 3 different cameras. I first learned on a Canon Rebel which the school owned. I was the year book editor so I had access. My parents then bought me a Nikon d3000 when I was a junior or senior and then in 2012 I bought a used Nikon D700 for $1700. I had that until 2018 when I bought a Nikon D750. I love the D750 because it is so similar to the D700. 
3. I have 3 lenses. I use my 50mm and my 70-200 mm lenses most. I also have a 24-70 mm which I use at weddings.
4. The past few years I spent my fall/winters second shooting weddings with 2 photographers who I really looked up to! It was awesome seeing their different techniques, skills and talents and learning different things from each of them.
5. I learned the most in the photography world in 2011-2012 when I did an internship with Jon Leask Photography when I lived in Rexburg. He was willing to teach and guide up and coming photographers and that inspired me to also help others learn in the photography world. 
6. My favorite thing to take pictures of is families. 
7. I have taken pictures at one funeral. It was a very special opportunity to serve, and very emotional. I captured some of the most emotional photographs I have ever taken.
8. In 2013-2014-ish I photographed several pageants. I loved it! I would love to be more involved in the pageant world someday. It is so fun capturing the talents of young people and seeing them succeed.
9. I often think about quitting but never do. I know I truly don't want to, but sometimes it feels hard. Sometimes I compare myself to others. Sometimes I wish I was better at business and taking pictures and it is easier to quit than to become as great as I know I can be. 
10. Every single one of my clients ever has been through something extremely hard. I am so inspired by everyone I take pictures of! It makes it that much more special to capture photos of human beings. I love capturing people being joyful and happy together despite all of the hard things they have faced.
11. I usually become friends with my clients. I am a friend maker through and through. 
12. I would love to sell prints and products to my clients someday instead of mainly selling the digital images. That's one of those challenging steps I would love to take in my photography career! I have a passion for good prints and albums. 
13. I have formatted memory cards before retrieving the images off of them! Thank goodness for Blake Erickson who has helped me recover them! 
14. My desktop is verrryyyy unorganized! My organization system is non-existent!
15. I am super fast and efficient at editing. 
16. I am sometimes not very good at describing the position I want you to stand in. 
17. I act like a complete weirdo to get little kids to smile at the camera!
18. I have never entered my photography into a contest of any kind! I totally will someday though! 
19. I have always wanted to be a mom and a photographer. Well I guess that isn't true. Growing up I wanted to be an office lady... I had my own little business and I still remember its name, my fake name, and all the receipt papers I would fill out. I had a cute little homemade computer and headset! 
20. I love photography with my whole heart! I can't go anywhere with out seeing beautiful things I want to photograph or take clients to. I just think this world and the people in this world are so beautiful and should be documented. 

And a little bonus

21. I am passionate about businesses. It makes me happy too see friends start and run successful business. If you tell me about your business or business idea I will probably get super giddy and be more excited than you are. :)  

Family Photography is my specialty! I love capturing family photos of any type of family! When you book a family session with Nicole Erickson Photography, you can expect an efficient and fun family portrait sessions, quick delivery of you stunning photographs, true to color, bright and timeless editing, and a friendly experience with me!

1. Booking your Session. You can book a session with me by emailing, calling, texting, direct messaging me or talking to me in real life! I have flexible dates available. 
2. Planning your session. You can check out my blog about what to wear for family photos. This blog has some tips for picking your outfits for your family portrait session. We will also talk about where you would like to take your photos. I currently live in Logan, Utah and travel to Grace, Idaho a lot to take pictures. I know of great places to take family pictures but would also like to take pictures of your family in a special place to you. If you own your own property, often go playing at a certain lake or certain mountain area, or have other special experiences somewhere, lets consider taking pictures there! When picking a location it is important to consider what the location will look like at the time of our shoot and at that time of year.  
3. Picking a location & time. When taking family pictures, I like to shoot early in the morning or as close to sunset as possible. The reason for this is because the lighting is best at these times of day. The shadows are less harsh and the photos will turn out stunning. Sometimes it isn't possible to schedule photography sessions at these times, so if we need to shoot at a different time, it is important that the location has a decent amount of shade. With my experience, I can shoot in any lighting situation and create gorgeous images!
4. Emailing and contracts. I will email or text you with tips for your photography session and send you a portrait agreement via email. 
5. Photography Session. Here is the fun and hopefully not too chaotic part! Once we arrive at the family session location, we will get right into taking your pictures! At family sessions I take several pictures of the whole group, individual pictures, pictures of the parents, pictures of just the kids, pictures of mom and the girls and mom and the boys, dad and the girls and dad and the boys, and sometimes each parent with each child. We also take pictures of just the girl siblings and just the boy siblings. I capture mainly posed photos with everyone looking at the camera and also those candid fun in-between moments of you and your family playing and laughing together. 
6. After your session I will send you a preview via email either that night or the next business day! 
7. Delivering your session. I take pride in my fast delivery of sessions. Sometimes I am able to get sessions delivered that day or the next day, but I promise your photos will be delivered with in a week! I know I love getting my pictures right away and it is something my clients really enjoy! Your photos are delivered in an online gallery called PASS. This is an amazing website where you can easily download the photos right to your computer. You can share the link with family and friends and easily access the link via any device. You will receive 60+ digital images with your portrait session.
8. Follow-up. A few weeks after your portrait session I will check in with you and make sure you are loving your photos and see if you need any adjustments made to them. You are always welcome to order high quality professional prints from me. You will also have the print release so you can print the photos wherever you please. I recommend mpix.com for the best quality. 
9. Posting your photos and keeping in touch. I will likely post your photographs on my instagram, facebook and blog for marketing purposes! I would love if you shared your pictures online with family and friends and shared my posts with them! I love photographing my clients family and friends and appreciate all of the referrals I get! I love interacting with my clients on social media. It is a great way to stay in touch! Make sure you follow along for helpful tips about family photography! 

We had a busy day a few weeks ago! I had the Hatch Family pictures scheduled in Provo Canyon. I also had a Lasik follow up in Sandy, Utah earlier in the day. I got Lasik in February before we left to move to Utah. I highly recommend it! I used a Groupon and went to the Lasik Vision Institue. They have locations nationwide so it has been easy to transfer my care. My life is changed because I can see! I can see stars out the window while I lay in bed. Crazy right?! Anyway,  I loaded the kids up and we headed to Salt Lake. Blakes sweet sweet cousin Nicky watched my kids while I went to Provo Canyon for my shoot. I mention Nicky because I love her and she inspires me so much. The kids had fun playing with cousins and I enjoyed driving through Provo Canyon for the first time. It really is gorgeous. 

The Hatch Family is so fun. Their kids did so well for pictures and were having a great time. I love seeing parents who have three young children. That is only one more than I have, but it seems like a lot of work! haha. The Hatch's are the cutest parents and so patient and loving to their kids. It is always a pleasure to see them every year for their photos.