August 15, 2022

Glacier National Park Adventure Portrait Photographer, Natasha & Aaron

The idea of "day after" portrait sessions seemed to have gained steam over the last several years. At least here in Northwest Montana where you might be getting married at a particular venue, but still want portraits done in Glacier National Park.

What may not be as popular, but just as sound in terms of destination wedding planning, is the "day before" session. Natasha and Aaron were traveling from out of state, and the way the travel schedule was working out, plus just the basic logistics of hair & makeup, etc. we opted to schedule their portraits in the National Park the day before their wedding at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

It was a perfect opportunity to spend some time getting to know each other in person, while also getting some of the wedding day and portrait jitters out of the way ahead of time, and it worked out beautifully.

August 5, 2022

Glacier National Park Adventure Portrait Session, Paige & Chris

This was one of my favorite days all summer, even though it was very much my longest day of work. My previous post featured Natalia & Ben's sunrise Glacier National Park portrait session. Well, that very same day I got to hang out with Paige & Chris again for their adventure session. It truly was a day that cemented in my head why I love doing what I do. The weather was perfect and we simply took our time meandering our way through the park and stopping when the opportunity presented itself. Prior to that, we did stop just outside the park to take some photos with their dog who was unable to attend their wedding day. That way he could be let off leash briefly which is generally frowned upon when inside the park, and explicitly denied on trails.

Paige & Chris once again proved themselves to be more kind than I could've imagined, and I can't wait for our paths to cross again.

August 1, 2022

Glacier National Park Sunrise Adventure Portrait Session, Natalia & Ben

Northwest Montana is an almost unbelievably beautiful place, and Glacier National Park is a perfect illustration of that. And sunrise pretty much anywhere usually provides really great light for photography. That said, in this part of the world devotion to that morning light comes at a cost. The cost of waking up very, very early in order to arrive at your destination for said light. It's bad enough living in Whitefish and traveling to the Western entrance to the park, but it's even worse when you live about halfway down the Western edge of Flathead Lake like Natalia & Ben do.

They had to get up and on the road a solid two hours before I did in order to make it to our session on time but I'm so thankful that they made the effort and were good sports about it all.

June 22, 2022

Glacier National Park Maternity Photographer, The Dittmans

The Dittmans had quite the adventure in order to arrive at their portrait session on time. First, their flight was delayed coming into Missoula, so they arrived a day later than expected, arriving the afternoon of our scheduled session. Along with that flight delay, their luggage somehow managed to not arrive with them, so they had no clothes for the session (though a quick trip to Target on the way to the Flathead Valley made up for that.) Finally, it was the week of historic flooding throughout Montana, making some areas impossible to get to for several days and even weeks, though thankfully that did not impact their drive. I met them at Lake McDonald Lodge, which is where they were staying for the first part of their trip, and they literally arrived 15 minutes before our session. Thankfully, that was just enough time to get settled and we had a delightful evening ahead of us as we documented this time before they moved from a couple to a family of three.

May 11, 2022

Glacier National Park Portrait Photographer, The Rhodes

As you might imagine people arrive in Northwestern Montana from all over the place. Tina and her husband were visiting from the Southeastern United States where the mountains look quite a bit different and the spring climate is dramatically different. No matter, they simply embraced the chilly weather, admired the snow on the mountains across Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, and we had a wonderful morning.

February 17, 2022

Glacier National Park Maternity Portraits, Cristine & Josh

Cristine and Josh seem to have developed a habit of finding themselves in front of my camera, and I do not mind one bit. We've met in Fall, Summer, and now winter. We need to get together in the Spring to complete the seasonal collection.

This session may have actually been my favorite as it's such an honor to continue documenting someone's life together as they move from a couple to a family.

February 15, 2022

Winter Engagement Portraits in West Glacier, Ashlyn & Patrick

Ashlyn & Patrick were recently engaged and in the area so naturally, they wanted some portraits taken in and around Glacier National Park. February weather and all. And like the vast majority of people that find themselves in front of my camera, they claimed to be totally helpless in photos. I had to vehemently disagree, however, as they absolutely nailed their session, especially the in-between moments where I simply take photos while not necessarily giving any direction at all. Just them being their natural selves. Which is actually a big pro tip. Just be yourself if you're having portraits taken, pretend the camera isn't there.

January 13, 2022

Whitefish Portrait Photographer, Ed & Suzette’s 20th Anniversary

This portrait session with Ed and Suzette was perfect for so many different reasons. Not the least of which was they were just a joy to spend a couple of hours with while we all lost feeling in our hands. For one thing, it was a great reminder you don't need to be recently engaged or recently married to have portraits taken. It can be any milestone, such as a 20th anniversary which is very much worth celebrating. It can also be an opportunity to document your vacation to an area that has a dramatically different climate than the one you're used to, and they were certainly not used to a massive powder day in Whitefish. It snowed all day, which was a dream come true for me, because I finally had the opportunity for a portrait session with it actively snowing, which had eluded me up to this point.

Ed's suit was rented from Mimi's Bridal in Kalispell.

November 5, 2021

Austin Engagement Photographer, Emily & Logan

Another benefit of being in Austin this fall was the serendipitous nature of being in the same general area as one of my couples for this upcoming summer. Emily and Logan had booked me for a July 4th weekend wedding here in Montana and happened to live in the Austin area. It was the perfect opportunity to meet up, knock out an engagement session and get to hang out before the big day in the coming year.

October 13, 2021

Glacier National Park Engagement Photographer, Cassandra & Justin

The Eastside of Glacier National Park is typically far windier than the Westside. Surely it has something to do with geography and the presence of the continental divide running more or less vertically through the park. Regardless of the reason, whenever I have portrait sessions scheduled over there I try to suggest that "flowy" or "breezy" attire be worn. Cassandra very much understood the assignment. Had so much fun traipsing around the park—from East to West—with these two this fall.

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Matt Wetzler is an editorial, motorsport, portrait, and destination wedding photographer based in Whitefish, Montana.

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