Though Alena and Dan’s springtime Missoula mountainside wedding was smaller than planned due to Covid-19-related restrictions, it was still such a beautiful day for these two! The mountains and valley provided the perfect backdrop, wildflowers swayed in the breeze, and the clouds upped their drama factor for the day.

They married at Alena’s parents’ home, and started the day off helping each other get ready, with lots of laughs and smiles as they navigated their way through tying Dan’s bowtie.

Before long, it was time to officially say their “I Do’s” (which were being live-streamed for friends and family who couldn’t make it to Montana in person). The smiles and laughter continued as they promised their love to one another, exchanged rings and sealed it all with a kiss!

A small storm headed its way towards us, but we still managed to get in some fun pictures of just the two of them amidst the arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers that dotted the mountains before the rain really started to come down.

The merriment continued as friends and family toasted the newlyweds. And there were even Zoom toasts, too, from those friends and family who couldn’t be there in person. Thank goodness for technology!

Folks enjoyed a socially-distanced meal and were treated to a schwarzwaeldekirschtorte made by Alena’s mom, which is a traditional German cake from the Black Forest region where Alena’s Opa is from.  After everyone had their fill of this super special (and delicious cake), people mingled and chatted alongside a raging bonfire while the sun skipped across the valley down below.

Alena and Dan! It was such a pleasure to make these images for you and to meet your friends and family! You two have had such a positive, beautiful attitude surrounding all these changes to your original plans, but I’m pretty sure that just solidifies the fact that you were meant to be together through thick and thin. Here’s to your newest set of adventures in Utah, and to continued adventures in your lives together! Congratulations again!

Vendors for Alena and Dan’s Springtime Missoula Mountainside Wedding:

Venue: Private residence
Officiant: Couple’s friend, Alex
Musicians: Couple’s friends, Ally and Joel
Florist: Bitterroot Flower Shop, Missoula, Montana
Caterer: Biga Pizza, Missoula, Montana
Cake: Made by Alena’s mother
Rentals: Oh So Chic and Eastgate Rentals, Missoula, Montana
Paper Goods: Noteworthy Paper and Press, Missoula, Montana
Wedding Dress: Reformation
Groom’s Attire: J. Crew and Calvin Klein

On the docket:

Portraits – stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere, I’m sure you’re well aware that the Coronavirus and COVID-19 have drastically changed this world and our everyday lives. It’s also changed my photography business (for the time being). So I wanted to write a quick blog post addressing COVID-19 and Photography, and how I and my business are handling it.

First things first – I am a very, very lucky photographer. This is directly related to the fact that a couple years ago, I miraculously got offered a job at a web design company out of San Francisco and have been working remotely for them ever since. I still have that job today while simultaneously running my photo business. Because of that job, I’m not struggling nearly as much as some of my other photography colleagues are. However, that doesn’t mean that things haven’t changed for me and that my business hasn’t taken a hit financially. Because it has.

That said, due to the way I’ve run my business the past 14 or so years, I WILL weather this storm and I don’t plan on going anywhere. It’s an understatement to say just how eager I am to pick up my camera again to document your lives, loves, dreams and businesses just as soon as it’s safe to do so again!

True, my photo income is shaky at best right now. But I’m committed to doing what I can to slow the spread of the virus, ensure safety within our community, and absolutely support the decisions of my clients if they need to reschedule their shoots, or plan for a shoot farther into the future than they had originally anticipated. Health and safety first, always!

In the meantime, I’ve had a lot of people assuming that I’m not working. True, shoots aren’t taking place right now, but I’m still plugging away over here working on the behind-the-scenes stuff to serve my clients and to keep my business operational. Just a few things I’m doing are answering emails, editing photos, delivering photos, editing albums, printing albums, placing orders, honing my craft by learning new techniques, updating my website, researching stock photography, etc., etc., etc. And still working my other job on top of it, as per usual!

I’m also actively looking for ways I can diversify and continue to have some sort of an income stream from my business. (So if you’re interested in purchasing any of my wildlife or nature imagery, please let me know! That said, I know everyone’s budgets are a little stressed right now, so no worries if you can’t or aren’t interested in that.)

I also just wanted to share what I’m doing when I’m not working (because we can’t work ALL the time, even though I sometimes am guilty of working too much). I’m a person who loves to constantly be creating, moving, thinking, and helping. So, here are a few fun things I’ve been up to. Hopefully these will bring a little light and perhaps some inspiration to your day!

As some of you may know, I really love to sew. So I figured that using my sewing skills to help make masks for others would come in handy! I also created a mask sewing tutorial on my Instagram account that you can follow along if you’d like so you can make your very own masks as well! Please note – these homemade masks do not replace medical grade masks, and cannot fully protect you from the virus. What they can do, though, is help to keep you from touching your face when you’re out in public, and can also keep your own bugs to yourself. :) Please, still be mindful of the stay-at-home order, though, and don’t let the fact that you’re wearing a mask give you an excuse to be reckless in your social behavior. Remember, we are all in this together!

I’ve also decided to try a new app for at-home workouts! Fitbod is fast becoming a favorite of mine because not only are they offering free bodyweight workouts to anyone and everyone for the time being, if you DO want to pay for a subscription it’s affordable! Not to mention, it allows you to input any sort of gym equipment you own and then it builds workouts for you based off of that very equipment (along with bodyweight exercises). It’s become a great motivator for me, the workouts are enjoyable (and REALLY do work you hard!), it’s an excellent outlet for any lifestyle frustrations you’re feeling, and it makes me feel less guilty about the comfort-food cravings I’ve been having when life has me feeling low. Plus, toning up is never a bad thing, no matter what’s going on. (I want to be primed and ready to shoot again once we’re allowed to!)

Even with all this wackiness that’s going on in the world, nature still marches right along (thank goodness!), and I cannot TELL you how grateful I am that warmer weather is headed our way, along with new beginnings. Spring crocuses are always a great reminder of that. Plus, they’re just about the sweetest, most beautiful things ever, don’t you think?

I am a big fan of being able to laugh at the absurdity of things. And, while of course this virus is scary and it’s wise to take its dangers seriously, I’m pretty sure you still also have to find ways to laugh.

Enter: social “fishtancing.” Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks put together a really clever graphic reminding people what 6 feet between them looks like – all with different fish. When I first saw this, I just loved it! Check it out:

As good as that was, Brandon figured he’d be a great example of a 6 foot (+ 4 inches) distance, so we had a good time putting our own spin on that social distancing graphic, with Brandon as a replacement. (Side note: he works for the forest service, and no, this is not “forest service official.” This is just our way to get a good chuckle in.)

That’s all I’ve got for the moment, but I do want to say one more thing:

Please stay strong, stay healthy, stay vigilant! Please support your small, local businesses! We all could use a helping hand and I KNOW for a fact we ALL appreciate it!

Last, but not least, I hope this post gave you a little smile. And in the meantime, I’m dreaming of the day we’ll all get to see each others’ smiling faces in person again!

Cheers,

-Kristine