Hi, I'm Sarah, one of ShutterHappy's owners and the original founder. I started ShutterHappy from the ground up in July 2010.

I was raised in front of a camera and at a very early age had a camera in my hand. I believe that family photos are not a privilege to be given only to the wealthy. Everyone should have affordable family portraits! For me, photography is a way to capture the memories that we too easily forget.

My mother passed away very unexpectedly at the age of only 29. I was only 8 and photos were all I had of my mother. I have no real memories of her or my life with her. I had a very hard childhood after she died. I was raised by my father and very evil step-mother. I left home at 15 and have lived on my own since I was 16. Today, I believe that everyone needs to capture every milestone of their lives not only to cherish today, but to be cherished by those we leave behind when we're no longer here. When I'm gone, wether that's tomorrow or decades from now, I want my kids to have those tangible memories of my life with them. I want them to know my love for them. I am committed to making that happen for everyone, affordably!

Today, I am a very proud mother of four incredible boys and one beautiful little girl. I am the wife to one amazing husband (Ryan) who understands that I don't take no for an answer and I want all the things in life. Ryan, is a co-owner and office manager of ShutterHappy. He handles a good portion of the office work including but certainly not limited to answering emails and Facebook messages.

I am a small town country girl born and raised in tiny tiny tiny (did I mention tiny) towns in Montana. I moved to Idaho in 1999 and haven't looked back. Although the saying is true; "you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl". So after marrying Ryan (born and raised in Boise, Idaho), I just couldn't handle living in the City anymore, so we now live near Idaho City, which is actually much larger than where I grew up, if you can believe that. We love the outdoors. Camping, hiking, all things mountains, and wildlife. And we have a terrible travel addiction! We want to see all the things!

Ryan and I were married in a very private ceremony (just the two of us) on Oahu, Hawaii. Our dream is to retire there.

In 2020, after 10 years of growing ShutterHappy into the nationally known company it is today, I sold half of the company to Christy Cooper. This gave me some much needed time with my family and the ability to focus on my specialty and passion; birth photography. I now primarily photograph births while Christy takes on the families and other session types.

Hi, I’m Christy!

I was born in Montana and for the most part of my life I was raised as a military brat. Upon retirement, my mom and dad‘s dream was to relocate back to Idaho to give my brother and I a taste of ranch life.

Idaho is home. I am a small town country girl, wife, mama and Mimi. My favorite nickname comes from my grandson Cash.. who calls me Grandma Cookie.

I take pride in my family. At a young age, my ever so handsome husband and I brought four children together into this union and together we have four boys. Yes, we have 8 children! As a young mom I’m sure you can only imagine the looks I got. They are a tight bunch of siblings. Through every trial and tribulation my family has endured.. you would never guess that we are a blended family. We choose to celebrate life’s triumphs together!

I am always up for a great adventure! My curiosity and spontaneity drives my husband crazy. Rarely will I take “no” for an answer. I always look for the good and the possibilities in everything and everyone. I love fishing, hiking and being outdoors with my family. Exploring every nook and cranny of Gods creation is my fav!

In my younger years, I always carried a disposable camera to document my days. In 2008 I bought my first real camera with the intent to create and save precious memories of my family and children to keep forever. As Gretchen Rubin says, “The days are long but the years are short.”

Over the years my love for people and photography has grown. When my dad died of Leaukemia in 2011, I realized that I only had a handful of portraits with him. His death was the catalyst that put so many things into perspective. I have learned that it isnt always enough to be intentional about preserving memories in my heart, but to also invest in tangible portraits that will last forever. It brings me great joy to offer this to you as well.

Working with Sarah and being part owner of ShutterHappy Photography is the greatest adventure.. I am so excited to be living my dreams!!

Together, let us help you preserve what is most important to you and turn your precious moments into art that will last for years to come!