Kristine Paulsen Photography – Lifestyle Portraits, Editorial and Wedding Photography in Missoula Montana

I went to the fair in Missoula a week (or was it a couple weeks?) ago and had tickets to go to the rodeo with my boyfriend and a very good, old friend from my days in the midwest.

It was pretty great – I haven’t been to a rodeo since I was a wee thing passing through Jackson Hole – and I figured I’d take my camera along just for the heck of it.

Disclaimer: I wasn’t shooting as a press photographer so I didn’t have the freedom to move around the arena, but I think some of these shots are kinda cool.

Have fun checking them out!

It’s almost as if he’s levitating.

Check out the air this bronco got!

Finally, the light became interesting.

These oxen were enormous!

Cute little boy wearing his dad’s jacket.

It’s amazing how skilled these guys were.

The little guy was so adorable!

And these chicks had some serious skill.

Mad bull.

I like the guys’ faces behind the action.

Cheers!
-Kristine

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I’ve been a busy lady, but I’m happy to say I’ve got the photos edited for the lovely bride and groom, Ashley and Luke, who had their wedding at the Gibson Mansion in Missoula, MT.

What a wonderful group of people! Ashley’s dress was gorgeous (as was she) and Luke looked super sharp in his black tux accented with red.

Seriously – a beautiful wedding and lots of fun to shoot. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day. (Though it was a wee bit warm. I’m sure Luke would agree.)

I’m posting a small sampling of some of my favorite shots from the day:

Everyone had to get their pics with the bride.

The ladies were getting ready in a second floor room of the mansion – there’s a great balcony up there, perfect for a bride to peek down from to see guests arriving.

The ladies were trying to decide the best way to get Luke’s ring up to the altar. I believe they decided one of them would wear it on her thumb.

I love, love, love this pic. Ashley’s dad is in the background trying to keep his emotions in check, while the rest of the ladies are on a mission to get the wedding started.

These two are just so sweet! Look at their gazes at one another!

The kiss!

The happy newly-married couple.

They had a brief moment to themselves before the rest of the bridal party showed up on the porch of the mansion.

It was so hot that day! Poor Luke! They all had such great attitudes about it, though.

Ashley really made a beautiful bride.

The guys had a little fun with some poses.

Sigh, kissing on a balcony. Beautiful!

The couple had a great group of fun friends.

He had so much fun going for the garter.

Their absolutely gorgeous cake. I wish I knew where it was from…

This little guy was pretty happy about his slice! You should see the entire series I have of him munching away at it.

So, just a small sampling, but I think you can get the picture – a very beautiful, happy wedding.

I’m also hoping to post a couple photos in the next few days from the Fair’s rodeo. We’ll see what time allows.

Back to work!
-Kristine

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The other day someone e-mailed me to take a look at some photos they had taken at a wedding. I have never met nor heard from this person before, and being the curious person I am, took a look at what had been sent my way.

The shots were ok, but what really killed the work was the poor light.

Now, I understand we don’t all live in a perfect world and can’t always control when good light is going to happen (as this particular person could not as the wedding was planned for noon time), but for those of you out there who are in the process of planning a wedding (or anything else that will require photos and whose start time can be managed) please read on.

Like I said in the title of this post, exquisite light is just that. And if you can plan around it, you won’t regret it.

What is great light? Stop and think for a moment about the photos that you have loved in the past. What was it about them? The content? Surely. The composition. Definitely. Was there great light? Most likely!

Great light tends to happen in early morning hours or towards the end of the day when things turn “golden.” As good friend of mine calls this “sexy evening light” because everything looks beautiful during these golden hours.

This is an example of some nice golden evening light. The textures are much more interesting because the light catches highlights and creates beautiful shadows.

This is an example of morning light, though the sun’s probably just a wee bit too high. Still, the light is very nice. (Both of these shots came from an assignment I did on Portland Island, B.C., for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.)

If you’re partaking in a photo shoot, try your best to avoid setting up the shoot during hours when the sun is high and overhead. This causes harsh shadows and the light is an unflattering color. In the morning or evening, the light is golden, it glows, and really flatters skin tones.

I worked with a photographer once who would only photograph weddings at certain times of the day when he knew light would be spectacular. The results – consistently stunning photographs. (It also helped that he’s a great photographer.)

Another type of light that is universally flattering, though not as dramatic, is light from an overcast, cloudy day. You’ll notice that colors seem richer, and shadows are minimized. Why? Mother Nature has provided us the most wonderful of softboxes – clouds. (Softboxes are items photographers use to soften a lightbulb light…they put a big, translucent white box in front of a light to minimize the harshness of a bare bulb.) So, the clouds act as a softbox for the sun.

Anyway, long story short. If you can, research the time of day you’d like to have your event, and try to find yourself some exquisite light. Like I said, you won’t regret it.

Cheers,
-Kristine

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I’m so excited to have finished editing the photos from Jackie and Jonathan’s beautiful wedding in Cancun, Mexico.

What a wonderful trip it was! I met so many delightful people, and was reunited with old friends as well – plus, it’s just cool to do that in a place as spectacular as Cancun!

It was a busy day photographing the wedding, but everyone was in good spirits even when stressed, and the results were, of course, beautiful. It helps that Jackie and Jonathan are madly in love and this always shows through. While photographing the bridal party on the beach after the wedding, the clouds started rolling in, signaling an approaching storm. We were all a bit nervous, not being familiar with storms in Cancun, but boy, I was in love with those clouds. I think it really helps these shots just pop!

I’m including several of my favorite shots from my time in Cancun, coupled with several shots of me photographing Jackie and Jonathan’s trash the dress session (kudos to John C. for taking the shots of me taking photos).

Speaking of which – this was so much fun! Jackie had a second dress she used for trash the dress (and I think Jonathan had a different suit to use, too). We woke up early the morning after the wedding ceremony and hit the beach around 7:15 to catch some of the beautiful morning light.

Pelicans were diving for their fish breakfasts and crabs scurried around the pier while we set up. I know I had a blast, and I’m sure they did, too, as we all had plenty of time for fun and laughter during our shoot. Their photos, I think, are stunning, and mainly because Jackie and Jonathan were so gung-ho about doing all sorts of fun (or as some people might say, crazy) things.

I returned stateside the 30th of July and promptly shot another beautiful wedding at the Gibson Mansion in Missoula, MT, on August 1st. Ashley and Luke are a beautiful couple, and it was great to be a part of their special day as well. Friendly folks all around, and very relaxed and happy. I can’t wait to begin editing those photos, too! The Gibson Mansion is another beautiful location, and the light towards the end of the evening was just gorgeous. (Seriously, I was so giddy about the light on the cake – ooh how scrumptious-looking). I’ll post a few selected photos from their wedding as well.

Anyway, enough of the talk – let’s look at the photos! Scroll down to see a few of my favorites…or if you’d like to see them all, visit: http://www.kristinepaulsenphotography.com/jandjloose.html. (Jackie and Jonathan have given me permission to share.)

Hasta luego,
-Kristine

A storm was rolling in – but aren’t the clouds spectacular?

Poor Jackie – her dress was soaking wet and I’m sure weighing a ton! But it was pretty comical!

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