I’ve always loved this quote from Peter London in his book “No More Secondhand Art”, he says, “It is not beauty we are after, but meaning. Big, deep, wide meaning.” That strikes a chord. While I sure appreciate aesthetically pleasing moments with family pictures, my primary aim is to capture authenticity and something that is true, and I value that over an idealized version that might not actually exist in real life. So, I look for genuine, unscripted connections that not only look amazing, but are real. And heartfelt. So, if you are looking for a family portrait that gets at the depth of your family’s story, let’s chat. — All that said, I just got some film back from my time with Shay and Ryan and I think this image gets at the heart of what I’m talking about.
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother’s Day to all who pay attention to such things. Here’s a teeny collection of mothers with their kids from recent portrait sessions.
Don't wait until it's too late. Let's schedule your family portraits today!
Every year around the holidays, a number of people contact me about getting family pictures in time to send something out with holiday cards. I always do what I can to work that out, but some people wait until it’s too late. I don’t want that to happen to you! (One time I pulled a drawer out too far and it landed on my foot. I don’t want that to happen to you, either, but that one is pretty much out of my hands).
The next couple months are the perfect time to book a family portrait session so give me a call or email me and let’s set something up!
Family pictures can be done at your home, some outside location, or at my studio in Provo.
If I’ve photographed your family before, you know how easy it can be. If I’ve never photographed your family before, it’s possible you have some apprehension about the process, perhaps feeling like it’s too big of a hassle. Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about. One of the comments I hear over and over from families that come to be photographed, is just how easy and fun it is. In fact, just last week, I received this text from a mother who brought her five kids and husband to the studio. “Thanks again for your work with us yesterday. That was a really great experience on our side and far less painful than everyone was dreading. You’re awesome.” See, nothing to worry about!
To make an appointment, there's contact information here.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Family portraits in Provo
Five pictures of three people
Provo Family Portraits - Quigley Family
If you don't already know about the company Chatbooks, well, there aren't very many of you left. They're taking over the planet! It's a brilliant idea and a great company. That's because brilliant people cooked up the idea. Founder Vanessa, and co-founder Nate (they're husband and wife!) have a wildly successful business but say they're just getting started and I can't wait to see how Chatbooks continues to grow. (And if you really haven't heard of Chatbooks, check out this hilarious video).
So Vanessa and Nate run a great company, but they've also got a great family. And they came to the studio a few months ago to be photographed. Their kids are growing up, moving on, spreading their wings, and they felt it might be one of the last times to get a picture of them all together for a while.
Meet the Quigley family.
Justin photographs big families with lots of kids or families just starting out and he wants to photograph you.
Let's talk.
Utah Family Portraits - Oldham Family
In high school, Annie learned to drive her fathers 1982 diesel Mercedes. When, as an adult, it was time for another car for her family, she told her husband about how much she liked that 1982 Mercedes. Her husband searched secretly to find the perfect option, and found one from a lady in New Jersey, and without Annie knowing, had it shipped to Utah as a surprise. Now, Annie's kids drive that car to school, the car they named: Beauty. It just made sense to include Beauty in the family pictures.
Meet the Oldham family, and the Oldham family auto, photographed in Provo Canyon.
Family portrait photography - Provo & beyond
I first met Lara when their first-born, Baker, was just a teeny little thing. Now, he's all grown up. Lara told me that everywhere they go, everyone wants to say hello to him. As soon as we left their house to walk over to where these pictures were taken, the first car that drove by was a van full of girls. They rolled down the window and called out, "HI BAKER".
Meet the Henry family, photographed near their home in Spanish Fork.
Justin photographs families with responsible kids or kids that are...more carefree, and he wants to photograph you. Let's talk!
Family portraits in Los Angeles
I've been photographing the Makin's since before they had kids. Now they have two. With that newest addition, Jessica hired me to visit them in Los Angeles and photograph them at their home.
Meet Jessica and Jeff and more.
Justin photographs families in California and New York and everywhere in between, and he wants to photograph you.
Let's talk.
Provo Family Portraits - Smith Family
The Smith family bought a house in Provo and then went to work on remodeling it. An endeavor that took about a year. Once finished, they wanted to get family pictures taken in the new space the night before they moved in.
Meet the Smith family.
Justin Hackworth photographs families in new homes or old homes and he wants to photograph you. Let's talk.
Provo Family Portraits
The Hakonson family, photographed recently at my studio in Provo.
Utah family portrait photography - The Auernig Family
Kevin and Anne are great. They also own Sodalicious. They are fun. They have a beautiful family. I photographed them at their home in Provo, Utah.
Whitney and Stephen Call
Whitney and Stephen, from Studio C.
Family portraits - The Gochnour Family
One of the best things about working as a photographer is the people you get to meet, hang around, associate with.
Back in the early 19...well, a long time ago, I worked for company in Salt Lake called Gastronomy and one of the coolest people in the world was my boss, Mr. Jeff Gochnour. As a boss, he was fair, funny, honest, a good example of how far hard work can get you, and a thousand other worthy ideals.
After leaving the company, I never really saw him or heard from him, but last year, he was a guest at a wedding I was photographing. He said he was following me on Instagram and wanted me to photograph his family.
It was an honor for me to photograph the family of someone I admire so much, and after being around his kids, it's obvious that all the things I like about Jeff are rubbing off on his offspring.
Meet the Gochnour family.
Justin Hackworth photographs blasts from the past, former bosses, happy families, and he wants to photograph you. Interested? Let's talk!
Film images scanned and developed at Alpine Film Lab.