LARAMIE FAMILY PHOTOS | The Herrera Family

Living here in the beautiful state of Wyoming, Rick and I have the pleasure of taking Laramie family photos all over! Sometimes we visit the city, sometimes majestic gardens or rustic homesteads. Often we head for the snowy mountains but our favorite locations have sunny backlit tall grasses. Carlos and Sidney came all the way from the other side of the world to attend seminary right here at The West Institute.  Because these two are not Wyoming natives it was extra special to take Laramie family photos with their girls. They moved here from Costa Rica and although they don’t have gorgeous wide open country like we do they have wild sloths that sleep on front porches at night, crazy right?!

For their session we headed out to the Happy Jack recreation area where we found lots of wide open space for the girls to run and play. The tall WY grasses were backlit and gorgeous and there were even a few Fall leaves that had fallen to the ground. We decided to start out with some family groupings, their girls Selah and Addy were shy and adorable as they warmed up to Rick and I with our big old cameras!. It wasn’t long though until they were giving us cheese faces for photos, showing us leaves they had found and giggling away on the other side of our lens.

Sidney and Carlos have such a unique and wonderful story. After Addy was born Sidney was the first in their family to attend seminary. Long nights, busy weeks and time spent studying until the wee hours of the morning let Carlos have the opportunity to take care of his girls by himself. This year they traded and Carlos attended seminary giving Sidney the gift of spending every minute caring for the girls she had so missed! What a wonderful way for them to have first hand knowledge of what it feels like to be not only taking care of your family by yourself but also the memory of missing that same family like crazy! In either scenario it is so admirable that they would follow the call they felt from The Lord to really dive into learning His word. What a sacrifice for their family, excited to see the many blessings they are sure to reap from their love, work and dedication!

Rick and I photograph families a bit differently than other photographers in the area. We definitely know the importance of a beautiful traditional portraits, you know the kind where every member of your family is smiling and looking at the camera. We try to make sure to include many options of this classic type of portrait into each of our sessions of Laramie family photos. Our FAVORITE types of photos however are the ones that feature people who love each other and showcases a connection. Add in some emotion and that makes every photo even better! There is this tiny amount of time where these girls are little. For now they are delighted with every Fall leaf, fascinated with the amazing world around them and head over heels in love with their wonderful Daddy. They laugh, giggle and play and are silly with their sweet Momma… They are unaware of what anyone else thinks and are so authentically genuine and themselves. Capturing this sweet family as they are, in a real and documentary way was such an honor. We have gotten to know them throughout their time here in Laramie and we really wanted their Laramie family photos to show who they are and how much they love one another.

Throughout their session we tried to foster and encourage interaction to really capture connections and emotion. We asked these two what they like to do with their girls. Ticking, spinning and playing were at the top of the list. So after getting some traditional looking at the camera photos we spent the rest of their session doing just that. Photographing at the end of the evening we also got to capture it all highlighted with that gorgeous golden light! Loved the warmth and love that came across in their set. Hoping these photos will help them remember fondly that one time they lived in a super tiny town in WYOMING of all places lol!

We should also mention the little bit of added pressure we had on their session… You may not know this but Carlos happens to be one of the most creative people we know. He is absolutely talented and gifted musically as well as having a wonderful eye for producing videos. Handy with a camera the photos he taken of his own family are not only beautiful and technically very good but also very creative. As a creative, working for another creative you really want to do your absolute best. It is important that the photos be technically good (in focus, composed well with great lighting) but MORE importantly you want them to be creative and unique.

Carlos and Sidney we hope that our photos help you to remember how much we LOVE you all here in Laramie. Thank you for letting us capture your sweet family on film! We are eagerly awaiting what the Lord will do with all your hard work and dedication!

Selah is just so lovely, love the way she wanted to pick up all the leaves and take them home with her!
These are our favorite kind of Laramie family photos. With wide open mouth smiles and lots of fun!

What a beautiful family! These girls were so well behaved it totally made our job super easy!
I don’t know how to describe this one except ADORABLE! That nose scrunch I’m totally dying over the cuteness.
Sister kisses are the best, these two are super close and it totally shows in their Laramie family photos!
We adore these two. They are such a gift to one another, love getting to also grab a photo of them not as Mom and Dad but as Husband and Wife…
Carlos is so close to his girls, they absolutely adore him and just light up with they are around him!
Selah is soooooo beautiful inside and out. he is also polite, fun and loves Jesus from the bottom of her heart!
This photo is one of our faves, so serene. This photo is a moment for these two love it!
Sister cuddles… love how timeless this one is in black and white! This has to be one of the cutest Laramie family photos!
Sunny backlit family portraits are our FAVORITE kind. Love those sweet faces and those tall grasses!
Not every photo has to be looking at the camera, love how these two make each other laugh!
There is such a special bond between Mother and Daughter. I know I feel it with Chloe and it really is an honor to get to capture this in their Laramie family photos.