Oooh, am I ever stoked to share Maelyn’s University of Montana graduation images with you today! When Maelyn’s mom contacted me about making grad photos for her college graduation announcements, I was excited to get to work with her. Especially when she told me she wanted to go off campus to make her photos. (We opted to photograph towards the campus and have it just visible in the valley below.) Heck yes please!

Making these images to celebrate such a major accomplishment is always so special to me. I can’t help but remember that time in my own life, and how giddy, excited, nervous, and exhausted I was. I was beyond ready to graduate, while simultaneously terrified about what would come next.

Maelyn’s also “so ready to graduate,” and I don’t blame her. She’s been working hard in school these past several years, and will walk across that stage with not one, not two, but THREE degrees! She’s been studying Ecology, Organismal Biology, and Wildlife Biology — talk about wildly impressive!

As we meandered around the property close to where she lives, she told me that she made her own earrings (with feathers) and has been doing so for ages. She also ties flies and fly fishes. Upon heading into the trees, Maelyn’s experienced eye noticed some upturned rocks where a bear had been active. But thankfully the only critter we encountered during our session was her sweet cat, Tiger.

Maelyn and Tiger have been together since she was a kid. At age 19, Tiger is one of her best buds, and a really awesome adventure cat! Maelyn told me that Tiger is sort of a dog-cat — she likes to hike and ski with her! How cool is that?! These two clearly have such an incredible bond, and I was just so glad to capture it for them. (Big props to Tiger for being such a sweet participant, even though she really wanted to go on a hike and smell all the smells.)

Thank you again, Maelyn, for such a fun session, and for fitting it in amongst all the things I know you’re wrapping up with school! It was such a pleasure to meet you and Tiger. Happy graduation to you, too! 

I hope you all enjoy a little peek into Maelyn’s college grad session!

On the docket:

Portraits and weddings and more! Stay posted!

See another college grad session here!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Way back in November of last year, Greg reached out to me about making Hamilton Montana family photos of him, his wife, Mary, and their son Jeremiah — and he booked the session as a surprise Christmas present for Mary. Fast forward a bit, and we planned on photographing sometime in spring, but it rained and rained and rained, and I think we had to reschedule something like six times! However, even with all those reschedules and rain delays, serendipity was on our side, and we experienced the most gorgeous evening together. The wildflowers were even still in bloom due to our wet, cold spring.

I met up with Greg, Mary, and Jeremiah on their 92 acre property outside of Hamilton, and as I parked my car at the their house, five-year-old Jeremiah came running up to me telling me that he had a gift for me! And out he thrust a little fist full of wildflowers he’d picked for me. I about melted of happiness on the spot right then and there. Suffice it to say that this was just the start of many, many delightful moments during our session together!

Jeremiah was incredibly excited about the photos and had all sorts of ideas for me. (As Mary said, “He’s five going on 30!”) He was our official tour guide, and he would take my hand, and lead me around to show off his favorite “shortcuts.” Bodie, their Rhodesian ridgeback, also joined us for some photos, too!

We had a blast finding the most perfect wildflowers and views, giggling and laughing and being silly, discovering dancing caterpillars, playing hide and seek in lupine, making flower petal confetti, turning into tigers in the tall grass, and even racing down their gravel road (Jeremiah definitely won that race with me, haha!).

What an absolutely delightful session! My heart was just soaring during and after, and I’m so glad we finally got to make these photos together! Thank you again, Greg, Mary, and Jeremiah! Your family is so delightful, and it was an absolute joy to capture these moments for you!

On the docket:

Portraits and weddings galore — stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Oh goodness – is there anything better than getting to make cute pup portraits? Methinks probably not, especially when the doggos are as adorable and sweet as Mighty and Melvin are, who are darling little Cavachons. These two rocked their Hamilton Montana dog portraits and had their mom, Shelly, and I in stitches laughing at their hilarious antics.

Mighty (also known as Mr. Mighty or The Prince) and Melvin (also known as Pickles, Sweet Pickles or Pickle Lips) had a great time traipsing about in the tall, golden grasses, and racing through leaves. They also showed me just how very much they love chicken treats. (Their love for chicken is real, folks.) When chicken treats were in the picture it was “every man for himself” trying to reach that delectable deliciousness. (Mighty may have used Melvin as a furry step stool to boost his reach – haha! Scroll on down to see photographic evidence of this – Melvin’s face just makes me split a gut laughing every time I see that photo.)

The even more wonderful thing about this session was that it was a gift to Shelly and her husband, Bob! Talk about a nice present! I may be a little biased here, but getting to create lasting memories is a gift that truly keeps on giving.

And I just love that we got to capture Mighty and Melvin being their wonderful little selves. Getting to watch them run through the tall grass, fluffy ears a-flopping, and bearded little smiles wide and happy truly fills one’s heart to the brim!

Shelly, Mighty, and Melvin – thank you so much for an absolutely delightful session! I loved getting to meet all three of you and create these images for you and Bob! What an absolute blast! Thank you again!

On the Docket:

Editorial images! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I knew that my friends Jennie and Mike had been thinking about a winter Missoula Courthouse wedding, but hadn’t yet determined when they were going to say their “I do’s.” Suffice it to say, I was so tickled when Jennie asked if I’d consider accompanying them and taking a few photos of their nuptials. Count me IN!

We all headed down to the courthouse together, which happened to be a gorgeous, bluebird winter day, and had a good time hanging out, cracking jokes, sharing a few courthouse candy machine M&Ms (which we had thought were going to be Skittles), talking about dogs, skiing, and the massive amount of snow Missoula had just gotten. (We all kind of love the snow – I originally met Jennie when we were in the same For Women Only class at Snowbowl.)

Soon, it was time for Jennie and Mike to get hitched. They stood together and held hands in the rotunda of the courthouse, laughed, grinned and made their promises of forever to one another, signed their license, and tah dah! They were married – just like that!

We had fun making some images inside the courthouse, and because it was too pretty outside, we zipped on out to capture some shots out there as well. The snow beckoned, and, to celebrate their newly-married status, Jennie and Mike leapt into the snow backwards to make some newlywed snow angels. Perfection!

But we couldn’t just end things there – Jennie and Mike’s dog, Sophie, had been patiently waiting in their truck for us, so we went to say hi to her, let her smell Jennie’s bouquet, and get some good nose-time in with my camera.

Jennie and Mike! Thanks so much for asking me to make these images for you – it was so fun to be able to capture these moments and memories for you, and I can’t wait for your big celebration this summer! Cheers to you two! :)

On the Docket:

Portraits, and editorial work – stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I always have the best time when photographing Christine and Anders (see proof from their engagement session and wedding), and this time was no different, except for one thing. We got to make their Missoula Montana fall family photos with dogs! Misha, their golden retriever who’s about a year and a half, and Sam, their 12-week-old Australian Shepherd were as cute as cute can be, and the absolute sweetest pups you can imagine.

This was Sam’s first time really exploring beyond his backyard because he’d just gotten his shots. He was a little apprehensive at first since leashes are very big, scary snakes, black cameras are very frightening clicking boxes, and bicyclists are weird, fast humans with wheels. But soon he discovered the magic of pinecones which had him feeling mighty good about life. Misha also did a great job protecting her little sidekick from terrifying yellow school buses with some ferocious (read: very much NOT ferocious) barks, which were immediately accompanied by oodles of tail-wagging. Because Golden Retriever, amiright? ;)

We all had a fantastic time wandering through the woods, and the pups were beyond excited to explore, sniff up all the new scents of the day, and do their best to jump into the nearby creek. They also bestowed upon me loads and loads of puppy hugs and kisses, which nearly had me melting into a happy little pool of photographer joy. Sam was feeling especially lovey-dovey, and couldn’t get enough of Anders – the number of sweet puppy kisses he gave him was absolutely hilarious!

Christine, Anders, Misha and Sam! What a true blast of a family session it was! Thank you again for having me document you two and your darling doggies – I just love getting to work with you, and we for sure need to hit up Big Dipper soon (yay puppy cones!) and grab some beers. :) Here’s to you all and your fabulous family!

On the Docket:

Editorial shoots and weddings! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Kristina and I first met at Snowbowl where we both were part of the same women’s ski group. Our group was totally rad, and we quickly became friends with one another as we spent time chatting on the lifts and laughing over après ski beers at the Last Run Inn. So I was tickled when she asked me to make some images of her doing her thing, which is Missoula Montana trail running. And boy howdy, does she do this well!

I’m always so very impressed by people who run (I’d love to be one of them myself – maybe one day!). But I’m in total and complete admiration and awe of people who not only run, but run mountains! Kristina’s so good at what she does that she is sponsored by several gear companies, and regularly posts about her trail running adventures on her blog and her instagram account. Seriously, she’s amazing, goes to amazing places, and runs amazing races. Follow her!

During our session, Kristina was gracious enough to put up with my slow pace as we hiked up some hills with all my gear, and once we were to a spot we liked, man did we ever have a blast! It was so fun to watch Kristina run, and every now and then, her pup, Blaze, would join us for a few images too when he wasn’t off galavanting through the grasses. I swear, I think we laughed the most of the way through this entire session, which is always a good thing in my book.

And that light! Daaaaaang! We hit golden hour right on the head, coasted our way through that and landed straight in beautiful, glowy, sunset light. I was stoked and probably was speaking only gibberish at this point because the light was seriously THAT. GOOD. And I was beyond excited.

Of course, it goes without saying that Kristina just nailed her shots. What a fun shoot!

Kristina! Thanks again for a splendid evening – what a treat to get to do this for you! Let’s do another shoot sometime soon, but before that let’s grab a few drinks too. :)

On the Docket:

Weddings, elopements and portraits, oh yeah! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I had the pleasure of photographing Margaret and Grant’s wedding last summer, so I knew we’d have a blast again this spring making their Seeley Lake Montana family portraits, this time with their puppy, Teddy the St. Bernard in tow! (Though he’s already a very big boy!)

I met up with them at their family cabin on a (chilly!) spring day in June, and, as it happens in Montana, we got a little bit of everything as far as weather goes – but the best thing is that Margaret, Grant and Teddy were totally open to making it work and going with the flow.

We began our session in the woods outside their cabin, and were serenaded by some chatty Sandhill Cranes as Margaret and Grant strolled along the pathways around the property. As we headed to a spot where massive numbers of lupine were in bloom (and I mean massive – it was a sea of purple!), the sky became a little darker, the wind picked up, and just as they stepped out into the field, Mother Nature unleashed a sky-full of graupel on us.

But instead of being forlorn at the change in the weather, we all just laughed our heads off and went with it – which is always the best way to be, in my opinion. And what fun images we made because of that! Margaret’s hair and dress were catching the wind with great, dramatic flair, Grant was laughing at his hands full of graupel, and my hair was totally covered in it. Hilarious!

As is the saying in Montana: “Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes.” And sure enough, as we chased the nearest opening in the clouds we were treated to faint rainbows and beautiful light peeking through the gray.

Soon the sun began to sink and turn the sky a pinky-purple, so we decided to make some portraits of Teddy on his own. And oh my gosh – I laughed so. dang. HARD. Turns out Teddy loves a little keep-away game with the camera and he made a series of THE most hilarious faces as he ran circles around me. What a hoot! It’s moments like these that I absolutely love, and I swear, all our faces were a little sore after that episode because we had all been smiling and laughing so hard.

Margaret, Grant and Teddy! What an evening! Thank you so much (as always) for being so completely wonderful to work with – and ohmygosh, Teddy – what a little (wait a second – big!) sweetheart! I’m so happy we got to make these images for you all, and thank you again for the Coldsmoke surprise (so thoughtful of you!). Always love me some good Kettlehouse beer. :) Cheers to you all!

On the docket:

Weddings and elopements and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

So, you know how you talk with someone and you just click? I totally felt that way when chatting with Melisa initially about her wedding day. We both love words. We both love birds. (Words and birds! See what I did there?!) And her goal was to get married on her wheat farm to the love of her life, surrounded by her family and all of their farm critters (horses and dogs and chickens and turkey included!). Hooo boy, yes please! Therefore it was no surprise at all that when I zipped up north for Melisa and Zack’s Dutton Montana farm engagement, that it was just such a wonderful time.

Dutton treated us to a beautiful sunny, windy day just outside of Great Falls, and we had such a nice time poking around Melisa and Zack’s farm, and getting to meet all of the above-mentioned critters. I can’t tell you how excited I was that they got to be featured in Melisa and Zack’s engagement photos too! As Melisa had told me prior to our session, one of their horses, Song, is a big time photo bomber, and she wasn’t kidding! That horse knows how to work it for the camera!

We also had a few moments to talk more about Melisa’s family’s farm, which has been in operation for five, yes FIVE, generations! How cool is that?! Zack also grew up farming in Minnesota, and eventually made his way out west. And the two met while attending a rodeo where they just happened to be sitting next to one another – kismet, I say!

As we strolled through the pastures that evening, Gypsy and Junebug (Zack and Melisa’s dogs) stuck around close by as well, and we all giggled and laughed as Song stopped to chew his lead rope every now and again, and dole out some big ol’ horsey licks here and there from his soft, velvety nose.

Because several of Melisa and Zack’s chickens had had a chance to star in some images earlier in our session, Carol, the turkey, not to be outdone, made a cameo as well. I’ve got to say, this is the closest I’ve ever been to a turkey, and she was a sweetie! (As were all of Melisa and Zack’s animals.)

But I think the best part of their entire session was watching these two interact with one another. Seeing them look at each other and smile at one another just warmed the cockles of my heart – and getting to capture this in a place that’s so important to them – well, that’s just icing on the proverbial cake.

Melisa and Zack! Thank you so much for such a delightful photo shoot – and it was so good to finally get to meet you, Zack! Additionally, though I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – I cannot thank you ENOUGH for helping me with that crack in the oil pan of my car.

(Context for those not-in-the-know: as I was driving in to their farm, a big ol’ rock kicked up and left a nice gash in my oil pan, effectively releasing ALL of it right as I pulled into their driveway. Egads!) You and your family didn’t need to take the time to help me out, especially as late as it was in the evening, but you did, and I’m just so incredibly grateful. You are good, good folks!

But most importantly, it was a blast to get to work with you two, and I’m just so excited for your wedding day! Please give all your critters big hugs for me in the meantime. :)

On the Docket:

Portraits and weddings! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I’m always so tickled when I get to work with past couples of mine – and that was absolutely the case for Sarah and Matt’s Missoula autumn anniversary photos with their sweet pup, Oliver. (We called it an “anniversary session” even though it was technically a few months after their first anniversary, which was in August.)

I hadn’t met their dog, Oliver, before as he’s the newest addition to their family since they’ve moved to Montana, so it was such a treat to get to document these three together just enjoying the beauty of a chilly October day in Montana.

Oliver was pretty excited to survey his new playground, and did his best “dolphin” impersonation as he leapt through the swaying grasses, popping his head up every now and then to get a visual on us. We had such a great time chatting and cracking up at Oliver’s antics, and I’ve got to give a shout out to Sarah and Matt for braving the cold and wandering through the hills for their images.

We somehow also managed to avoid most of the raindrops the day was throwing at us, and even lucked out with some pretty spectacular big sky clouds to act as a wow factor in our backdrop, which always gets me pretty excited.

Sarah, Matt and Oliver! Thank you again for such a happy, fun session – I just love getting to work with you guys, and have absolutely enjoyed the opportunity to document so many wonderful moments in your lives! Here’s to loving where we live, and appreciating it and protecting it always!

On the Docket:

Weddings and portraits! Don’t miss ’em!

Cheers,

-Kristine

It is a complete understatement to say just how much fun it was making Becka, Stephan, Blayz, Brodee and Daisy’s springtime family photos in Missoula. Becka was so positive and happy about this shoot as we talked about setting it up, so I knew we’d have a great time, and boy did we ever!

We managed to snag ourselves a perfect spring evening – the light was golden, the grass was lush and green, and it was just beckoning everyone to have fun and play! And play we did! That’s something I love doing in family sessions, especially with kids where it can be challenging for them to hear “hold still,” “let me fix your hair,” “smile!” That rarely ever works because we just simply don’t exist like that in life – especially kids! Kids are on the move, active and inquisitive, and that’s what I like to portray in my family sessions.

I love how Becka and Stephan were open to this type of photography, and because of this the boys enjoyed the session too. We ran, I’m pretty sure we all nearly laughed our heads off, the boys demonstrated some of their best wrestling moves while giggling uncontrollably, Daisy the black lab pup leaped through the grass, dandelion seeds were sent off into the breeze (mostly into my hair – haha!), and zombies (in the form of two very silly, adorable, happy boys) made a grand appearance at the end of our session as well. We were all a little dirty afterwards, but that came along with some pretty wide grins, too. (And dirt and grins is never a bad thing in my book! I think we could all do with a little more of that in our lives!)

Becka and boys! Thank you SO much for a truly wonderful session! It was such a pleasure to meet you all and make these fun images of your crew. I’ve had a smile plastered on my face editing your photos because…well…how could I not? :) But I’ll stop yammering so you can take a peek below to see why!

On the docket:

Portraits, elopements and weddings! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine