Ellen and her mom were visiting Whitefish this spring and realized she hadn't had any senior portraits taken yet so why not take advantage of the beautiful area and correct that oversight? As is typical of spring weather in Montana—and the general late arrival of actual spring—we weren't able to take advantage of fields of wildflowers, or enjoy a beautiful sunny evening but I think we made out okay hitting up some of my favorite spots in town.
The real impetus for the Sarailles family reaching out to me was senior portraits for their son because the due date for the yearbook was coming up. Hey, it happens to the best of us. So that was the main goal, and Mother Nature blessed Whitefish with a fresh layer of fluffy snow the day before so pushing the session to the last minute was ultimately the right call.
After wrapping up those we went ahead and knocked out some quick, updated family photos and called it a day!
This past fall I was delighted to receive an email from a former coworker from my very first job after school. Her son—who was just starting elementary school when we first worked together—was entering his senior year in High School and she was wondering if there was any chance I'd be in Austin over the next six months or so for a senior portrait session! After I got over the shock of feeling super old I was happy to report that I would be in town that fall. I was able to piggyback that portrait session on my time in town to cover the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
We met up at a county park closer to their house and then headed into downtown Austin where we used the more urban environment as a backdrop and took advantage of sunset on the skyline.
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.
I'm not sure what it is with so many of my family portrait clients who are vacationing from places I have deep ties to, but the Feckes were no exception. They were visiting from Northern Illinois, which is where my mom is from, and where many of my friends from my time at Eastern Illinois University live. I'm not mad about it, it's always fun to compare and contrast the geography of Western Montana—majestic mountains everywhere—and just about anywhere in Illinois which is decidedly lacking in majestic mountains, though there is often a small hill or two. In addition to getting family portraits, they also used it as an opportunity to snag individuals of each kiddo, as well as some 'senior style' portraits of their oldest.
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.
It's always such an honor when a friend asks me to take photos for their family. No matter the type of job, and when I know they have an enormous list of other photographers they could ask who would be overjoyed to do the work.
This was especially the case when my friend Sarah asked if I was available for senior portraits for her daughter Alma. Alma wanted something outdoors, and just pretty relaxed. So that's what we did.
Hey everybody, meet Aspen, Class of '23. Aspen is a badass softball player, you don't want to mess with her. Especially when this senior absolutely rocked a chilly August morning and a 4:30 am wake-up call to make this sunrise happen.
