Another young actor I've had the privilege of photographing on stage a half dozen times or more, Neva has been in many, many Alpine Theatre Project productions—often in the same cast as my daughter—and was looking for some updated studio headshot portraits. Here are the results!
I've known Gabriel and Elijah for over six years now. My first encounter with them was as a volunteer reader for my daughter's first-grade class which they happened to be in. From there our paths have crossed dozens of times as their parents founded Alpine Theatre Project which I've had the pleasure of working with for over three years both as a volunteer and as a theatre parent and they've been a part of some Whitefish Theatre Company productions as well.
They're aspiring stage, film, and television actors, so they needed some headshots for a conference they would be attending in the winter. Pretty happy with how these turned out.
I was finally able to make it out to Dog Creek Lodge in Olney for a wedding, and it was such a blast. Just a short drive North of Whitefish on Highway 93. Anna and I met for coffee very early in the planning process and she had everything organized and very much under control. She and Justin are both very much into the outdoors—hiking, running, biking, all of the things—they just wanted everyone to have a great time for the wedding day in a beautiful outdoor setting.
One of the more unique elements they had was a unity ceremony consisting of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich together, and then each taking a bite together not wholly unlike "The Lady and the Tramp" spaghetti scene.
Venue: Dog Creek Lodge / Planning and Rentals: Empress Tents & Events / Bakery: Fleur Bake Shop / Band: The MAC Band / Catering: Silk Road Catering / Florals: Two Kays Flower Farm / Transportation: Rocky Mountain Transportation / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography
The Genther family, like many families I have the pleasure of working with each year, were on their way around the country while taking the time to 'road school' their kids. I guess technically you'd call it homeschooling, but when your classroom is the wide-open country that doesn't seem to encapsulate the experience. We met up in West Glacier towards sunset, headed into Apgar Village, and they ultimately ended up in Lake McDonald to close out the evening. Pretty much the perfect way to end a session on a relatively warm late-summer day.
A friend I met through volunteering with the Whitefish School District—who happened to also grow up in Austin and graduate from the same High School my brother did—put me in touch with the DeVore family who have their own Texas ties. The oldest DeVore daughter would be getting married and they were looking for a photographer.
This friend was doing some initial wedding planning help before they had brought on wedding planner extraordinaire SG Weddings and Events and her team and once the ball got rolling she assembled just a stellar team of wedding vendors. The day was absolutely beautiful with fluffy white clouds in a blue sky, and maybe just a little too hot for us wedding vendors but almost chilly to the guests from the Lone Star State.
Venue: The Homestead / Planning and Florals: SG Weddings & Events / Bakery: Montana Wildflour / Bar Services: Spinnaker / Catering: The Kopper Kitchen / DJ: Big Mountain DJs / Hair & Makeup: Shayna Beauty & Sieh Beauty / Rentals & Decor: Barndoor Event Rentals / Transportation: MT Party Bus / Videography: Skeeter Johnston Productions / Wedding Content Creator: Keep Candid / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography
I've known Cole and his family for a few years now having photographed him and his sister multiple times in productions put on by the local theatre non-profits Alpine Theatre Project and Whitefish Theatre Company. And even did studio headshots for both of them earlier this summer.
Cole's mom had a very defined vision for his portraits leaning into the fact he is very much a 'theatre kid.' We coordinated with the technical coordinator of the Whitefish Performing Arts Center for some photos inside the empty stage, utilized the stage all dressed up for ATP's production of "Million Dollar Quartet," and okay since we're in Montana we did just a handful of outdoor photos with a view here in Whitefish.
This leads me to my biggest advice to seniors looking to have their portraits done. You should take the opportunity to have the portraits reflect who you are and your personality. No need for boring studio portraits.
Ashley and Matt were recently engaged and just happened to be here in Northwest Montana for a friend's intimate wedding day. In my extremely biased opinion, they had the magnificent idea to get some engagement portraits done while they were here. After all, it's awfully difficult to pass up the opportunity for engagement portraits at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park.
I met Jennifer and Eric at the My Montana Wedding Expo & Style Show in Kalispell this past January. They already had an amazing wedding photographer for their big day but weren't able to schedule an adventure session with that same photographer due to scheduling. They were on the hunt for a photographer who offered adventure portrait sessions and was familiar with Glacier National Park. I was happy to inform them that I fit both of those requirements and was more than happy to get them on my summer schedule.
We enjoyed a very hot but no less beautiful late summer wedding day along Going-to-the-Sun Road, getting to know each other, and making some stunning portraits. The session honestly couldn't have gone any better.
Last October I was fortunate to spend a perfect, mid-October evening with Morgan and Bryan traipsing around West Glacier—and a quick stop at the Bulldog in Whitefish—for their engagement portrait session.
I couldn't wait to see them again for their wedding at the Ashley Creek Historic Venue at Snowline Acres which is perfect for large weddings like they were planning. It was a very elegant, black-tie-style affair full of love, laughing, smiles, and dancing... lots of dancing.
Venue: Snowline Acres / Coordination: Empress Tents & Events / Catering: Desoto Grill / DJ: Peak Audio / Florals: Pure Happiness Wedding Flowers / Transportation: Wild Horse Limousine / Second Photographer: Porsche Jean Photography
I was so fortunate to be brought on for this unique wedding weekend by my friend and wedding planner extraordinaire Sarah.
Jessica and Doug were here from the East Coast, but Doug's family has decades-long ties to the Whitefish area which made it the perfect place to form their union. Their friends and family joined them for several days of pre-wedding events and the wedding itself making it feel very intimate even though it was a reasonably large wedding.
My involvement kicked off with the 1980's 1980s-themed welcome dinner at Triple B Ranch the night before the wedding. There were fanny packs, neon clothing, crimped and teased hair, and period-appropriate costumes, a surprise flash mob to a medley of '80s hit songs that had been choreographed and rehearsed over Zoom for weeks leading up to the weekend, and finally '80s song karaoke.
For the wedding day itself, Jessica had a very defined vision of all white. The florals were white and the guests were instructed to wear white as well. It made for some unique photos, especially on the dancefloor which rarely ever features uniform clothing choices.
Venue: Triple B Ranch / Planning, Coordination, and Florals: SG Weddings & Events / Band: Mike Murray Tunes / DJ: Cleveland Terry / Hair & Makeup: Boundless Beauty Studio / Catering: The Kopper Kitchen (Welcome Dinner) and Silk Road Catering (Reception) / Photobooth: Mountain Memories 360 Photobooth / Rentals: Peak Audio / Second Photographer: Cortney Foster
