The Owens family were visiting from Canada. And while they'd visited Whitefish before, this was the first time they'd all been able to get together in several years. I enjoyed joining them at their vacation rental in the Beaver Bay area of Whitefish Lake and we set out getting individual families photographed, along with individual photos of the children, followed by big groups, and even popping some champagne.
The Korpela family reunion I was fortunate to be invited to photograph followed a similar theme to so many large family gatherings I photographed in 2022. That the occasion was the first time everyone had been able to get together in one place, at the same time, in at least two years due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It's always so fun to be a part of these large gatherings.
My favorite part of this particular portrait session though was eventually winning over the youngest member of the family. For the first 30 or 40 minutes she didn't want anything to do with this stranger in their midst taking everyone's photos. But after giving her some space, and having her race her brother to see who was fastest she warmed up and did a complete 180 from before, totally taking control of the session and art directing a good portion of the photos that came afterward.
My portrait session with the Bratt family was another amongst the "delayed family reunion/vacation" that finally got to take place after COVID cancellations. They were staying at the amazing Snowmoon Ranch vacation rental as part of the Going-to-the-Sun Chalets in West Glacier. After the standard group photos you really have to get at these moments, we had those who wanted to kayak or canoe do so and I snapped away. Such a great way to spend another evening of near-perfect weather this summer in Montana.
The Anderson family have been regular visitors to the Whitefish area for years, but a global pandemic and a closed Northern border between the U.S. and Canada had prevented them from making the visit for the last several years. Hailing from Canada and points beyond, this was the first time the whole family has been together in over two years and it was such a pleasure to document the occasion with some portraits at Whitefish City Beach and Riverside Park.
I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it, I really do enjoy doing multi-family, multi-generational family portrait sessions. I get to meet people from all over the country and often get to witness their introduction to Glacier National Park and see their reactions that first time.
I know I must sound like a broken record with these blog posts, especially for family portraits, but I try to speak only the truth! I may be an introvert at heart, but I truly enjoy getting to meet families from other parts of the country, particularly when it is multiple generations of said families. Being able to see them all together and documenting their time here in Montana through photography really is lots of fun and I am fortunate to be able to do so. The Schneiders were no different, and they were all spending time together at a lovely rental in Lakeside. Smoke unfortunately mostly obscured any views of Flathead Lake we may have had otherwise, but we made do with the surrounding area and I'd say the results speak for themselves. Also, puppies! I will never discourage anyone from bringing their dogs with them for family portraits because after all, they are part of the family. As long as it is legal to do so of course, there are places inside National Parks you are not allowed to bring your four-legged friends.
This was such a great evening spent with the Schram family at Walking Bear Resort on the South end of Whitefish. It's said so often by photographers here in the Flathead Valley that one of our favorite parts of our jobs is meeting people from all over the place that come together here in Northwest Montana, but it's really true! It's also fun to witness families with multiple generations spending time together, something that culturally in the United States anyway seems to be more normal than it is now with people living more spread out than they may have historically.
I had such a great time photographing the Wagners in Columbia Falls this past month. They were celebrating their parents' 40th Anniversary and converged on the Flathead Valley from all over the country to spend time together and do some quality hiking. It was honestly one of those family sessions I didn't particularly want to end, they were all so friendly and sweet, and I probably could've chatted with them all day if they—and okay me too—didn't have other plans that day. It really is always a pleasure getting to meet these multi-generational groups spending time together on vacation, and one of my favorite things I get to do as a photographer.
Debbie contacted me through my Instagram page in hopes of getting just a handful of photos of her family's spring visit to Whitefish. It was the first time they'd all been together in several years and was especially important to her parents. Multi-generational family sessions are always such a pleasure to do because there are always special moments whether it's between a dad and his daughters, some sibling tomfoolery, or grandparents and their grandchildren. Because of the toddlers and their diminutive attention spans to match their size, and the fact that Debbie is a pretty great photographer herself, I created a custom 'multi-generational family session' and we knocked these out in just 30 minutes.
There are few things more satisfying to a photographer when their clients refer friends and family to you. One thing that comes awfully close though is when a fellow photographer refers their past clients to you in an emergency. The amount of trust involved in such an act is something I take extremely seriously, so when my friend Kiralee texted me after being stricken with the flu to see if I was available to handle some family portraits for Sam and her family when they weren't able to reschedule I was extremely humbled and glad I was able to help her out. On top of that, Sam and her family were a hoot, and it was such a pleasure working with them for some late fall photos.
