Kelly and Mark were visiting friends who had recently moved to Lake County here in Montana and had been discussing eloping for a while. That being the case they thought Flathead Lake and the surrounding mountains seemed to be as perfect a place as any to do so!
We met up at the Lake County Courthouse in downtown Polson for a few quick portraits of them and their friends who served as witnesses, and then we headed down to the lakefront for some portraits of just the two of them.
I met Leah and Hans at the My Montana Wedding Expo and Style show this past January and they booked me on the spot. They were planning a "backyard wedding" at some property of family friends on Halfmoon Lake just a hop, skip, and a jump from Glacier National Park in West Glacier.
After a quick "fake first look" with the best man standing in for the bride, and then a real first look we hopped into cars and headed into and around Glacier for the wedding party photos before returning to the ceremony and reception location for the remainder of the night.
Venue: Private Residence / Rentals & Decor: Empress Tents & Events / Catering: Josh Auerhammer / DJ: Bradshaw Media / Florals: Bitterroot Flower Shop / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography
This large group portrait session was such a joy to be a part of. I large group of college friends had gotten together here in Whitefish and wanted to commemorate the occasion with some big group photos, some individual family photos, and some couples photos. Large family reunions are of course a joy, but when that large family is people who have chosen to be 'family' it's truly unique. And frankly, all of the little children running around, inside jokes, and just general camaraderie is a blast.
Sara contacted me about some extended-family family portraits while they were all spending some time here in Whitefish at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. However, her request was a little out of the ordinary in that she insisted they wouldn't need my normal two-hour coverage time because they were all seasoned picture takers because after all, she is a photographer herself! I'll admit I was a little skeptical about really being able to get all the photos I like to get of such a large group in an abbreviated amount of time, but they nailed it, and were in fact all absolute pros at getting their pictures taken.
Taylor's family has moved around a lot, but have spent a couple of lengthy stints in Montana, and they own some property in Northwest Montana. Unfortunately, they were once again moved out of the treasure state, but that didn't mean she didn't want her senior portraits taken here in Whitefish. And who can blame her really?
I was able to spend a wonderful evening hitting up several spots around town with Taylor and her mom as they said goodbye to the mountains for the time being. As such, she felt the need to take one last swim in a crystal clear Montana lake before returning to their current home where the water is, shall we say, less clear.
Several months ago my friends Joe and Katie bought a boutique hotel right in downtown Kalispell. Then came a couple of months of frantic work as they refurnished, remodeled, and converting office space into two additional rooms. This brings us to today and eight rooms, conveniently located to major thoroughfares, walking distance from walking and biking trails, downtown shopping, and local food options.
I occasionally dabble in real estate photography so when they asked if I was available to help them get their listings ready for primetime I jumped at the chance. If you're planning on being in the Flathead Valley and need a place to lay your head, it's worth checking out. You can learn all you need to know about the accommodations at the Switchback Suites website.
One thing I always tell my wedding couples is that no matter how far out you begin planning, the wedding day will arrive before you know it. Time seems to accelerate the closer the big day comes. Lindsay and Brady's wedding was no exception. They booked my photography services 19 months ago, way back in 2021. Fast forward to the summer of this year and here we are!
This was such a fun and unique wedding, as just about everyone in the wedding both wedding parties and the bride and groom more or less grew up together. There's something really cool when everyone has that shared history together that makes the wedding day really intimate even though there are around 200 people there.
Venue: Diamond B Weddings / Couture: Mimi's Bridal / Hair & Makeup: Halo Salon / Bakery: Montana Wildflour / Sweets: Montana Sweet Traditions / Flowers: Two Kays Flower Farm / Catering: Dickey's Barbecue / Photo Booth: The Candid Caravan / Jewelry: Coins & Carats / Second Photographer: Cortney Foster Photos
I met Tracy through my work with Alpine Theatre Project here in Whitefish, having photographed her performing in multiple productions from the annual "Yuletide Affair," and tributes to big band era music, the queens of country music, and well, "Queen."
It was a pleasure to get to work with her on some updated headshots for her portfolio. Largely because she's just awesome to work with, but also because it gave me a chance to exercise some photo skills I don't necessarily use on a day-to-day basis. That being of a studio portrait setup. I broke out my backdrops, my studio flash setup, and we cleared some space at ATP's rehearsal space to make some magic. Hair and makeup were done by Sieh Beauty.
You can see her on stage next month in ATP's production of "Million Dollar Quartet."
I was so fortunate to team up with An Epic Elopement for this sweet little elopement at Avalanche Creek in Glacier National Park. Just Michelle and Tyler, Tyler's parents, Michelle's best friends, myself, and Katie officiating. Michelle made her own bouqet with blooms from Two Kays Flower Farm, we took some lovely photos in a few different spots in the park, and they had dinner at the Belton Chalet just outside the West entrance.
It's always great to be able to capture stages of life for friends of ours. My family met the Mordis family several years ago through our daughter who shared an art camp at Stumptown Art Studio with their youngest daughter. Since then they've returned to Whitefish every summer and we've watched Whitefish Theatre Company acting camps together and had pool parties. This year their visit, unfortunately, coincided with my wife and daughter being on a vacation of their own, but I still managed to meet up with them at City Beach for some long-overdue family portraits.
