Mother's Day Mini Sessions in Colorado Springs at Ute Valley Park
Mother's Day mini sessions in Colorado Springs are happening this year on Monday, May 11th, 2026 at Ute Valley Park. A small, late-spring offering. Four time slots, fifteen minutes each, one evening of golden light at one of my favorite places in town.
This one is for the moms who are usually behind the camera. Whether you are booking it for yourself, gifting it to your own mom, or surprising the mother of your children with something she would never ask for, the invitation is the same. Come exist in the frame this year.
I want to tell you why I added this to the calendar.
Mother's Day is May 10th, and so many of you have shared the same quiet truth with me over the years. There are almost no current photos of you with your kids. You are the one holding the phone, the one cropped out of the family group text, the one who said next year the last three Mother's Days in a row. I kept thinking about that. I kept thinking about how time keeps moving, and how someday your kids will look for you in the photo albums.
So this year, on the Monday after Mother's Day, I am opening four little windows of golden hour at Ute Valley Park.
Update: All four spots for May 11, 2026 are reserved. Thank you, friends. The next round of small sessions will be held in the fall, send me a message if you would like to be the first to know when those dates are open.
The Quiet Details
Each session includes the time at Ute Valley Park, a full digital viewing gallery to choose from, five hand-edited heirloom images to keep, and the option to upgrade to your full gallery or purchase additional images a la carte.
You will receive personalized wardrobe styling guidance and a session prep guide ahead of time. Galleries are delivered through your online portal with full reprinting rights and access to my professional print shop.
Monday, May 11, ute Valley Park, Colorado Springs
6:35 - 6:50 pm
6:55 - 7:10 pm
7:15 - 7:30 pm
7:35 - 7:50 pm
What’s Included in a Small Session?
15 Minute Session in Colorado Springs
Full Digital Viewing Gallery to Select Images
5 Hand-Edited Heirloom Digital Images to Keep
Option to Upgrade to the Full Gallery or Purchase A La Carte
Personalized Wardrobe Styling Guidance
Session Prep Guide with Outfit Tips
Online Gallery with Professional Print Options
Full Reprinting Rights
$300
How Do I Book a Mini Session for Mother’s Day?
Booking is simple:
Select your preferred date and time using the booking calendar (linked below).
Fill out the short form with your information.
Watch your inbox over the next few hours. I will reach out with access to your client portal. There, you can pay your invoice, sign your contract, and start planning for our time together.
Once your invoice is paid and your contract signed, your spot is officially yours.
If you don’t hear from me by the end of the day, check your spam folder. Still nothing? Reach out directly, and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.
Why Ute Valley Park
Ute Valley Park is one of those places that gives more than it asks for. Tucked into the northwest side of Colorado Springs, it is a quiet sweep of red rock formations, open meadows, and scrub oak. Accessible without being crowded, beautiful without being precious. In the evening, there is a particular way the light moves through the rocks here, slow, generous, like it has nowhere else to be.
I have photographed so many families on this land. It never stops surprising me. There is a softness to the way Ute Valley holds people, a way the rocks catch the last of the sun, that makes everyone in the frame look like the most loved version of themselves.
For a Mother's Day session, that is exactly what I want for you.
For the Moms Who Are Never in the Photos
Here is the thing I want to say plainly.
Most moms I know have hundreds of photos of their kids and almost none of themselves with their kids. You are the documentarian. You are the one capturing first steps and lost teeth and sticky-fingered birthday cake moments. You are the one who hands the phone to your partner and says, get one of me with the baby, and somehow it never quite happens.
I am not telling you this to make you sad. I am telling you because it is the most common thing I hear from moms who finally book a session. I just want my kids to have pictures of me with them. That is the whole thing. Not a perfect outfit, not a curated aesthetic, just proof that they were loved by you, in the body you had, in the season you were in.
This Mother's Day, the gift is being in the frame.
Three Ways This Session Might Find You
One, for yourself. Maybe you have been the one quietly wishing for current photos with your kids. Maybe you have been waiting for the right time, when you have lost the weight, when the kitchen is clean, when the kids are older. I would gently say, stop waiting. Book it for you.
Two, as a gift for your own mom. If your mom is in Colorado Springs and you have been wondering what to give her this year, this could be it. A session with her grandbabies, or just with you, on a piece of land that asks nothing of her except to show up and be loved. I have physical gift certificates I can mail to you or hand off locally, so you have something tangible to give.
Three, as a surprise from a partner. Partners, this is your sign. The mother of your children is not going to ask for this. She will treasure it. Same gift certificate setup, same easy handoff.
A Few Things You Might Be Wondering
Why only one day? This is a small, late-spring offering I added because Mother's Day deserves more than another mug or a brunch reservation. Four spots, one evening, full heart.
Can I bring my kids and partner, or just me and my kids? Either works beautifully. Mini sessions are designed for immediate family, so think of you and your kids, you and your partner and kids, or you and your own mom. If you want to include extended family or grandparents, I would recommend a full Hometown or Rooted Connection session so we have time to capture everyone with care.
What should we wear? You will receive my full styling guide once you book, with access to my client closet for borrowable pieces. May at Ute Valley Park photographs beautifully in soft neutrals, sage greens, dusty blues, warm creams, anything that complements the red rock without competing with it. If you would like to start dreaming, my post on what to wear for family photos in Colorado walks through everything in detail
What if it rains on May 11th? I will make the call the day of and provide an alternate date if conditions do not cooperate.
How long until we see the photos? Your gallery will be ready within two weeks. You will get a link to view your images online, download your included photos, and decide if you would like to upgrade to your full gallery.
Can I gift this to someone? Yes. I have physical gift certificates I can mail or meet you with locally. You will still need to book the time and complete the booking for them.
What if all the spots fill before I can book? I will not be adding more dates this season, but will have select dates for small sessions this fall. If you miss out, my full session collections are always available, and I would love to find another date that works for your family.
A Soft Invitation
If something in you is already saying yes, listen to that.
Maybe it is for you. Maybe it is for the mom you love. Maybe it is for the partner who would never ask for this on her own. Whoever it is for, the offer is small, the spots are limited, and Mother's Day is a couple of weeks away.
Let this be the year she stops being the one behind the camera.
Important Notes About Small Sessions
Session fees for small sessions are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Outside of weather, sessions cannot be moved to another date, as small sessions are only offered on select dates each season.
In case of inclement weather, I’ll make the call the day of your session and provide alternate dates if we cannot meet due to conditions.
Changes or cancellations within 24 hours of the session time cannot be accommodated.
Small sessions are designed for immediate family only. If you’d like to include grandparents or extended family, a full session is recommended.
Sessions must take place at the designated locations listed above. For custom locations or extended time, please consider booking a full session.
