The ultimate compliment to me is getting to photograph families over the years and watch them grow together. I absolutely love getting to capture Flathead Lake family photos with Tim, Courtney, Teddy, and Violet. It’s been a couple years since I last saw them (heyo, pandemic times), but it felt like we hadn’t missed a beat in how we all hang out with each other. I just love their fun, spontaneous energy, especially when it involves some family “Twister” moves, haha!

Eight-year-old Teddy and five-year-old Violet were eager to show me some of their gymnastic talents on their swing set (and on Tim, too)! The kiddos were extra curious about one of my big ol’ lenses, so we had a blast making some ultra up close and personal shots of them.

Violet was an expert twirler in her pretty dress, and Teddy got the whole family engaged in kicking a ball around to show off some soccer techniques. Both kids got some major airtime as Tim tossed them high into the sky, and there were plenty of tickles, giggles and hilarity to make everyone dissolve into fits of laughter.

It wasn’t particularly warm that day since a storm was threatening, but Violet, brave as ever, convinced Tim to jump in the lake with her to top off our session together. And then she did it again! (Major props to you, Violet!)

Tim, Courtney, Teddy, and Violet — thank you so much for bringing your full, wonderful selves to your session, and for always leaving me with a brimming heart and a face that hurts from smiling (that’s the BEST thing!). I adore your family dynamic so much!

On the docket:

Weddings and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I was so excited when Taylor contacted me about making some baby and family photos at her family’s place on Flathead Lake, because I had photographed her little sister, Kristi’s, senior photos there 7 years prior! Not only that, but I had made a few images of Taylor and Matt during that session, too. And they had only just been dating at the time! Fast forward a few years, and Taylor and Matt are married now and have a darling little baby boy, Maximilian!

Max was 2 months old during our most recent session, and what a little trooper he was! He loved looking at the sky, getting kisses from his doggo siblings, is a huge fan of all of his parents’ smiles and tickles, thinks his Aunt Colleen and Uncle Carter are pretty rad, and got super jazzed when he had the opportunity to stand on the dock (with a little help from his mom). Max wasn’t the biggest fan of hanging out in a bowl of cherries, though it was still pretty cute. (There’s a cherry orchard on the property, and Taylor and Matt told me that it’s become a family tradition to photograph their family’s babies in bowls of cherries.)

As per usual, Flathead Lake and Montana treated us to a gorgeous backdrop with a stunner of a sunset – you know, to put the proverbial cherry on top of the session. (Sorry, not sorry for that pun!)

I could go on and on here, but I’ll let the photos speak for themselves – it was such a special evening with everyone!

Taylor, Matt, Max, Carter and Colleen (and doggos, too!) Thank you so much for a truly delightful session – I loved getting to see you again, and am so glad you got to spend some time introducing little mister Max to Montana! What a sweetheart he is – congrats again!

On the docket:

More portraits! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Tim, Courtney, Teddy, Violet, Bill and Lorie’s family session last year was an absolute blast, so I was beyond excited to hear from Courtney again this summer to set up some more summertime family photos at Flathead Lake while everyone was together again at Bill and Lorie’s lake house.

Flathead Lake put on a stunning show that evening, and Teddy, almost 5, was super stoked to show me all the tricks he’d been saving up since our session last summer. Violet, almost 2, motored around everywhere, tiny little pockets full of rocks to throw in the lake at a moment’s notice, and was always interested in what her big brother was up to.

Teddy immediately took me to the dock where he’d set up his minnow-trapping contraption. And my heart just about melted upon seeing it, especially after hearing Teddy tell me that so far, he just hadn’t caught any minnows. But he wasn’t about to give up, and diligently checked it throughout the evening, rigging up even more elaborate minnow traps to catch those sneaky little guys.

At one point as Teddy worked on a mega knot, his grandpa looked at him and said, “If that’s not a knot, I don’t know what is!” which caused Teddy to just crack up and dissolve in a fit of giggles.

And giggling, happiness, and laughter pretty much sums up our entire session that evening. Everyone had a fantastic time tossing rocks into the lake, Teddy showed me how high he could kick his kickball, Violet demonstrated some super stellar somersaults and rolls all around the grass, the kiddos chased each other laughing and squealing with happiness, and then rushed back to dole out kisses to their parents and grandparents, Twizzler treats were a fan favorite, sparkler time was beyond exciting (and Teddy insisted that “picture lady” had sparklers to play with too – how sweet!), and before we knew it the sun was setting, and it was time for Teddy’s favorite thing – to fly into the air alongside his sister, Violet. And fly they did! Laughing and giggling and completely delighted as their parents tossed them, over and over, all silhouetted by a beautiful sunset on the lake.

But before we said our goodbyes, Teddy and Violet wanted to show me a few more of their moves on the swing set, swinging as high as they could into the sky, pure joy on their faces. After one last cool move down the slide, it was time to bid them farewell, and Teddy gave me the ultimate compliment, a high-five foot five with his feet – haha!

It completely goes without saying, but Tim, Courtney, Teddy, Violet, Bill and Lorie – thank you again, tenfold, for another fabulous session. The joy and love in your family is so beautiful, and I just feel completely honored getting to capture it for you, and having the opportunity to document your kiddos as they grow. What an absolute treat! Here’s to another wonderful evening on the lake and many more in the future!

On the Docket:

Weddings, portraits and elopements! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I’m just going to come right out with it – I absolutely, unequivocally adored Tim, Courtney, Teddy, Violet, Bill and Lorie’s Flathead Lake family portraits in Polson Montana. Not only are they such a sweet family, but they were willing to just have fun, play with their kiddos and let their kids be kids with them. That to me is the definition of a perfect family session. No rigid line-ups in front of the camera. No constant adjustments of clothing. No commands to force smiles.

Instead we goofed around on their slide, we picked cherries (and three-almost-four-year-old Teddy insisted I have one too and was kind enough to remind me to “spit the pit out, Kristine!”), we wrestled in the grass, we marveled at the power of Flathead Lake’s waves crashing into Finley Point, we played pat-a-cake, we giggled on swings, we chased mayflies, and to sum it up, we simply enjoyed the heck out of a perfect summer evening in Montana.

It’s, of course, an understatement to say just how glad I am that Tim and Courtney and their two cute-as-cute-can-be children, Teddy and Violet (10 months) contacted me to do this session. They came all the way from Rhode Island to visit Tim’s parents Bill and Lorie at their lakefront property for about a week and wanted to capture how much they love their time on the lake and how much they love one another.

And I’d like to think we did exactly that. :)

Thank you again, Tim, Courtney, Teddy, Violet, Bill and Lorie! It was SUCH a treat to get to meet you all and make these images for you (I still can’t believe Teddy is usually shy around new people!). I had an absolute blast and I’m so glad we got to document a little slice of your time on the lake this summer. You have such a beautiful, vibrant, happy family, and making these images for you just made my heart sing! Thank you again, and come back to Montana again soon!

On the Docket:

Weddings and portraits and elopements! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

There’s something about Flathead Lake that is just so magical. So when Sarah asked me about coming up to Bigfork to meet up with her and her family who were all going to be together to celebrate her dad’s 70th birthday, I was excited.

It ended up being a super hot day (think 98 some degrees!), but that didn’t faze this group one bit! The kiddos kept us going and we had a nice time wandering the areas near the lake, as well as even taking a wade into the lake itself. The girls had a lot of fun showing off their rock-throwing skills, got kisses from their grandpa, and led us all in a little walkabout.

Thanks again, you guys! It was so nice to meet your family and your darling little girls! I hope you all had a wonderful birthday celebration in Montana!

On the docket: portraits and weddings and weddings and portraits! Don’t miss out!

Cheers,

-Kristine