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

This last Friday I photographed Neli and Vern’s wedding, which was just absolutely lovely. They’re such a sweet, nice couple and have a great love story to boot. Neli is originally from the Canary Islands, and Vern spent his childhood there with his family. However, they never met while he lived there. Neli had known Vern’s parents but had never met Vern. Fast forward some years: Vern traveled back to the Canary Islands to help celebrate his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary – which is when he met Neli and fell in love. And now, they are married!

To see their happiness and sheer joy was such a delight, and again, I’m just so grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of such a special moment in people’s lives.

These are a few of my favorite images from their wedding day. Congratulations, Neli and Vern! ¡Felicidades!  I wish you both the very best!

Neli getting her makeup done.

The ladies peeking out into the church area to see what Vern was up to.

Neli smiles at Vern.

Having a little fun after the ceremony.

We had a mini "after session" before the reception started. There were clouds but the rain stayed away!

This huge old tree was a nice prop. Isn't Neli just gorgeous?

So in love! Amor amor!

Kisses for the new couple!

Gettin' country at their reception.

Everyone was shakin' it to the music!

Holding each other tight during the song "At Last."

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Petunia celebrated her first birthday this last weekend and I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph her celebrating her day. This lucky little cutie got to eat some homemade doggie cupcakes (though she seemed to prefer the frosting more than the cake), frolic through some dandelions, chase a pug-sized squeaky tennis ball and even leap after some bubbles.

These are my favorite images from the session – happy birthday Petunia!

In other news, I’m hoping the rain lets up for Vern and Neli’s wedding tomorrow. They’re a great couple – I’m looking forward to photographing their day!

Cheers,

-Kristine

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On another one of my photo adventures with my visiting brother, we checked out the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge.  I’d never been before, and it was definitely worth the trip. It’s a gorgeous spot with all sorts of bird activity.  I should mention, I love birds. LOVE ‘em.  Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I grew up with canaries as pets and have two pet birds of my own (Flash the parrotlet and Mozart the canary).  Or my love for them could be because they’re just so darn cool.  Don’t tell me you aren’t envious of their wings and ability to fly!

Anyway, these are some of my favorite photos from our excursion – enjoy!  The highlight for me was seeing the Great Egret.  What a cool dude!  And if you get a chance, you should swing by and visit the refuge.  It’s lovely!

Look at his yellow eye!

This was an interesting specimen of the Great Red-Headed Brother.

Seriously stunning!

Same osprey, different wing stroke.

This is the great egret - isn't he gorgeous! He did some dancing for me in between digging around for grub.

More dancing - look at those wings!

I love the way they fly. Just so beautiful.

Cheers,

-Kristine

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Wow, this last week was a crazy one! But it’s been great.  I took some time in between photo sessions to hang out with my brother who was visiting from Seattle.  We had ourselves some fun little adventures in and around Missoula (photos toward the end of this post), and I was able to help him learn the ropes of his new Canon DSLR.  I love teaching!

But first, I wanted to post some of my favorite images from Stacey and Bryan’s short ‘n’ sweet wedding at Missoula’s Gibson Mansion.  They are such a nice couple, and their family is equally as delightful!  I’m so glad I was able to photograph their wedding, and if you’re reading this, Stacey and Bryan, congratulations again!

Now to the photos:

My brother and I took a little trip up to Garnet Ghost Town and had ourselves an interesting time navigating the rutted, still snow-packed roads to actually get to it, but we made it and didn’t get stuck. The buildings were, unfortunately, still locked since it was the first week the road to it was open, but we made it fun and happened to be there for some really fantastic evening light. See the photos below for evidence of our good time. :)

An old license plate I think.

We were getting creative with an outhouse window.

A crumbling stove.

This truck and that light were seriously some of the coolest things.

Loving the cracked windshield.

I want my car's dash to look like this. It's just so funky and awesome!

I caught my brother a little off guard.

Soon to come on the blog: more photos from my photo adventures with my brother, along with a sweet couple’s portrait session, and a little pug puppy’s first birthday photo session!  Good stuff!  Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

P.S. Oh, and if anyone would like their own photo session at the Ghost Town, oh my gosh, by all means, let me know! I think it could be incredible and make for some really unique, beautiful images.  Trash the Dress would be epically cool there, too – especially if you’ve got a vintage gown! :)

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In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I wanted to post a few pictures of my wonderful mom.  We aren’t spending today together since I’m here and she’s in the Midwest, but love knows no boundaries or distance.  And I love her, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her with all my heart.

So, happy Mother’s Day, mom!  You’re the best mom a daughter could ever ask for! Can’t wait to see you and Dad again on your next visit.

And now, the pics (from the days of film!). I know she’s probably not going to like that I posted these pictures, but I think she’s the most beautiful, wonderful woman and mom in the world:

Baby me and my mom - I was only 1 day old I think.

My mom and my little brother. I just love this picture...nothing like a hug from mom to make everything just right.

Mommy and me.

Cheers,

-Kristine

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First off – I’ve got to give a big, huge, gigantic shoutout to everyone who participated in Wednesday’s Seize the Deal!  There were 28 of you who did and I seriously cannot wait to be your photographer!  I plan on offering more deals, promos and contests like this last one, so be sure to either follow this blog, follow me on Twitter or Like me on Facebook. You’ll get the latest and greatest news that way!

I’ve gotten some questions from folks about how to redeem the vouchers you received, so I figured I’d address it on the blog.

First, remember that you have to get in touch with me to schedule your photo session. The only information I receive from Seize the Deal is your name along with your voucher barcode – so, unless I know you personally, I don’t have the means to get in touch with you. If I could, I would – I promise. :)

So, just give me a call, shoot me an e-mail or send me a message via my contact page on my website.

You also don’t have to book a session with me right away. These vouchers technically are good forever, though I’d prefer if you use them before 2011 sneaks up on us.  I book up pretty quickly, so it’s a good idea to get in touch with me a couple weeks before your ideal session date to make sure I can photograph your session on your ideal day and time.

Weekdays are better for me than weekends (I am usually shooting weddings on weekends, especially during the summer), but I’m happy to be flexible with your scheduling needs.

When we do get your session all scheduled and ready to go, just remember to print the Seize the Deal voucher you received and bring it along to your session. Voila – easy as pie! Then the fun really starts!

If you’ve got any more questions, just let me know.

And now, I’m going to leave you with a few photos of a seriously cute, cute, CUTE album I designed.  It’s 4×4 with a linen cover and its own little cloth case, the sweetest little thing you’ve ever seen, and you could order one for yourself!

Cheers, and Happy Friday!

-Kristine

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PLEASE NOTE: This deal is no longer active. For those of you who purchased deals and have not yet redeemed them, you can still do so, but new deals cannot be purchased at this time. Please subscribe to my blog posts or “like” my Facebook page to stay updated on current promotions. Thank you!

Missoulians! Or anyone who will be within 20 miles of Missoula! In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I’m offering a fantastic one-day-only deal: for a mere $60 you can get a wonderfully fun, on-location photo session AND a bevvy of gorgeous prints to boot (16 wallet-sized photos, six 5×7′s and one 8×10 standout wall print that’s ready to hang, PLUS 5 web-sized images to use on the social media of your choice).  You’ll also get to preview all your edited photos in an online gallery that you can share with your besties.

This is the perfect opportunity to receive beautiful, professional portraits and exceptional-quality prints. Do you need engagement photos? Maybe you want some images of your kids?  Or set up a time to capture photos of your soon-to-be graduate.  And hey, how about some portraits of your favorite pet?  There are possibilities galore – if you have any questions, please contact me and I’ll be happy to chat.  (Please note: 3-5 people max for these shoots.)

Full price is $230, so take advantage of this deal while it lasts. You save $170!  Please visit Seize the Deal to partake.

There needs to be at least 7 people who are interested in this extra special promotion for the deal to go live.  (You won’t be charged unless 7 people purchase.)  So tell your friends, your family, anyone who will lend an ear.  Did I mention this is a one-day-only deal?  It expires at the end of the day today!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I can’t wait to be your photographer!

-Kristine

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No, not a photo of me (thank goodness!), but one of the photos I shot for the Missoula County DUI Task Force. Remember a few months back when I was hired by the Century Council to photograph their grand announcement of Cops in Shops in Montana? (See this blog post to read about it.) I made several images for them of a local Missoula cop getting tough on alcohol in a grocery store.

And now, it’s up on a billboard! Pretty cool!  I can’t get over just how large that photo is. I actually saw it after shooting a short and very sweet wedding at the Gibson Mansion. (Congratulations Stacey and Bryan!) They had a lovely ceremony and are such a nice couple and family. I can’t wait to post a few of my favorite pictures from their day.

But for now, I’ll leave you with billboard photos:

The task force was very nice and gave me photo credit.

If you want to check it out yourself, the billboard is near the Stephens Ave. and SW Higgins intersection, right around Romeo’s Italian Kitchen and near Pattee Creek Market.

Cheers,

-Kristine

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