Posts in Sessions
Lauren + Tanner | Laguna Beach Engagement Session

Lauren and Tanner’s love story is one of patience, distance, and a matchmaking aunt :) And it starts way back when their parents were in high school!

Read More
Cara + Dean | Summer Engagement Session at the Utah Capitol Building

Cue the drama, because Cara and Dean are a theatre couple through and through. Thankfully, their love story has a much sweeter ending than Romeo and Juliet - but is just as romantic. Cara and Dean met as new theatre students at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. Dean was quick to ask her out on a date and they have been inseparable ever since! While Dean drove long hours to finish his degree in Lighting Design…

Read More
Styled Shoots Across America - What to Know Before You Go

Last year I attended a styled shoot hosted by Styled Shoots Across America. They’re owned by the ultra-talented Heather Benge and are known for putting together lush, over-the-top styled shoots where photographers can grow their portfolios. SSAA hosts two types of shoots – smaller ones with one theme and one location; and larger, all-day shoot crawls (like the one I attended) that have a variety of looks, models, and themes.

Read More
SessionsRachel Cottrell
Paul and Brielle Anniversary | Utah State Capitol

I am so excited to share another session with Paul and Brielle! We got together at the Utah State Capitol Building this spring for an anniversary session under the cherry blossom trees. They made the drive down from Idaho and we met up on a gorgeous spring morning. If you’ve never seen the Utah State Capitol grounds during the first few weeks of spring, you MUST check it out sometime. The grounds are full of gorgeous cherry trees and the blossoms are so beautiful.

Read More
SessionsRachel Cottrell
Ally + Noah Engagements | Albion Basin, Northern Utah Photographer

Meet Ally and Noah; it was so fun to hear about their love story as we shot their engagement photos! Baseball player meets a cheerleader, and the rest is history as they say. Ally and Noah are obviously head-over-heels for each other and lift each other up so much. Seeing these two interact and make the other smile at their photo session was too cute. We shot their engagements at Albion Basin in the town of Alta at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon near Sandy, Utah.

Read More
SessionsRachel Cottrell
Wedding Day Workshop in Logan, Utah | Cache Valley Photography Workshop

A few months ago, I joined up with Katie from Love, Kate Events to put on a joint workshop for both photographers and planners. I love working with Katie and both of those groups provide a perfect complement for each other! When it comes to the wedding industry, we all feel you can’t get enough exposure or networking with other creatives and it’s so inspiring to see how other people work!

Read More
Gwyneth and Jake Engagements | Black Sands Beach, Sausalito, California

Well hello there gorgeous couple! This is Jake and Gwyneth. We took their engagements on the beautiful rugged shores of Northern California and I could not be more thrilled about how incredible this session turned out.

Jake and Gwyneth both go to Berkeley and met at a viewing party for the Bachelor (looks like she said yes to the final rose!). They are both crazy athletic and adventurous as Jake traveled to do triathlons all this summer and Gwyneth is in Africa this summer for a research project. They truly are couple goals and crazy in love. Their snazzy summer wedding will take place at the Oakland Temple with a ring ceremony at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and a reception at the Golden Gate Yacht Club.

Read More
SessionsRachel Cottrell
Mardi + Ashley Engagements

Say helo to Mardi + Ashely! Their charcuterie board was such a fun addition and really portrayed their love of all things food and eating together. Their wedding will be at Shade Home and Garden, a greenhouse venue in Orem. Their session was at my favorite secret spot in SLC, a park with gorgeous mountain views and open meadows. We had perfectly lovely summer weather, which in addition to the charcuterie board and gorgeous location, helped in making this one of my favorite engagement shoots to date.

Read More
Springtime Dallas Styled Shoot with Julep Events

I was able to pair up with the amazing Ginny of Julep Events, a stunning wedding planning company. She found the most incredible vendors to come together for this springtime bridal shoot. We were inspired by soft blossoms, elegant bishop sleeves, and classic elegance. It was like every single vendor brought the best of the best to this shoot and created the most stunning event.

Read More
Harry + Andrea Anniversary Session

Andrea and Harry are such a rock star couple. I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to photograph their engagement session at Tibble Fork Reservoir and the American Fork Amphitheater. The pair decided to actually tie the knot on a sunny Arkansas day! Then, after an absolutely beautiful wedding in their home state, Andrea was finally able to join Harry in Utah where he had relocated for work and they started their married life together.

Read More
Tessa + Scott Engagement Session

Meet Tessa and Scott! We took their engagement photos at both the American Fork Amphitheater and up by Tibble Fork Reservoir in American Fork Canyon. It was a pretty chilly day, but we majorly lucked out with the weather. There wasn’t much wind, which made walking around in the snow so much more enjoyable. As a couple, Tessa and Scott love spending time outdoors, so I’m glad we were able to capture their photos the way they wanted!

Read More
Shaina + Micah Anniversary Session

This beautiful couple is Shania and Micah! I am so excited to share this session we took on a chilly day this last December.

Shania and I met in college, and were actually roommates for a few years! She was my test subject for way too many photo assignments while I was still in my program. I was SO honored when she asked me to photograph her and Micah’s wedding. They got married in South Carolina and had a reception at the cutest country estate. It was my first experience with southern humidity and one of my first wedding photography experiences! It was a really magical point in my career and I’m so glad this sweet couple trusted me so much.

Read More
SessionsRachel Cottrell
The Stimpson Family | Tips for Family Photos

Family photos are the most precious keepsakes. Being able to freeze a moment in time with the people you love the most and have that memory forever is priceless. When you take family portraits regularly, you capture moments in time that you never want to forget. Those missing front teeth, that silly grin, that hair cut your two-year-old gave themselves—these are all memories you can keep forever. Follow these tips for a successful family portrait session and don’t let these fleeting family moments pass you by without capturing them!

Read More
SessionsRachel Cottrell