Last February I was hired by a photo agency out of France to photograph James Lee Burke for a piece they were writing about him for their publication, and I loved every. single. second of it, and couldn’t help but wax poetic about the experience, which was beyond wonderful. I initially wrote about it on the blog here, and shared images as well.

Fast forward about a year, and I was contacted by the lovely folks at Missoula Valley Lifestyle Magazine asking if they could feature my images and my original blog post in their upcoming February issue. So, here you go – the magazine has gone to print and the Missoula Valley Lifestyle Magazine feature is live!

Enjoy, or perhaps, re-enjoy below! :) And indulge in some of Mr. Burke’s writing as well! (Or, you can read the article and the whole magazine here.)

P.S. Click any of the spreads below to be taken to a new page where you can click again to zoom and read. I know that text is tiny otherwise! 

On the docket: portraits and weddings! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

A couple weeks ago, I received a message from Agence RÉA in Paris, France, asking me if I’d be interested in an assignment photographing James Lee Burke and his Montana ranch for the French magazine, Le Point. Oh my, twist my arm, YES!

So off I went on a foggy, damp Montana Valentine’s Day to hang out with Jim, listen to his incredible stories, and even get to meet his four sweet horses.

I walked up to the door of his ranch, and he and his wife, Pearl, greeted me with smiles and a warm welcome and offers of tea. We sat down at his kitchen nook and spoke while we both munched on chocolate covered almonds. It didn’t take long for Jim to launch into some great tales, one of which was about the man who photographed the portraits at Charlie B’s bar in downtown Missoula. It’s no surprise that Jim is a wonderful storyteller in person, too – he’s animated, gesturing with his arms and raising and lowering his voice at the perfect moments – always punctuated with hearty laughter.

Jim invited me into his office where he began pulling a few of his favorite things off his shelves and desk to tell me a little bit more about them. Civil War-era bullets rolled around in his palms, his hands traced the frame of a portrait of his great grandfather, and then, picking up what appeared to be a skull, Jim began to chuckle a little. “This,” he said, with a mischievous smile, “is the remains of a New York critic who gave one of my books a bad review!” We both exploded in laughter. “Actually,” he admitted, “it’s a cast of Lucy, one of the first hominids.”

We decided to head outside to the barn to feed the horses. As Jim was lacing up his boots and putting on his hat, I thanked him for being so gracious to do this shoot since he was in the midst of a pretty terrible cold and cough.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “It’s a pleasure. And you know,” he looked at me intently as he opened the door, “you’re a real pro.”

My eyebrows leapt up my forehead and my smile about split my face in half. “Oh, thank you! Wow, thank you!”

“I’ve been photographed a lot,” he said, “and I know a true professional when I meet one. You’re the real deal.”

We headed out the door, my smile going on for miles, and Jim pointed out the best way down the steep and icy slope. His horses were so excited to see him, and though I haven’t spent a whole lot of time around horses, I’ve never met such sweet beasts. They honestly reminded me of super-sized golden retriever puppies.

They nuzzled into Jim, leaning their furry faces into his chest and arms, and clearly soaked up the kisses he had to give them. As he popped into the barn to retrieve some alfalfa treats, the three horses would poke their heads in, sometimes sneaking into the barn itself, like overeager little toddlers.

“Oh, look at you!” Jim said. “Look at you taking liberties because Miss Kristine is here! You know you’re not allowed in here! Now you get back out there where you’re supposed to be!” He’d gently nudge them out the door again, turn his back, and a few minutes later, one hoof would poke its way onto the concrete pad and Jim would kindly push the sweet offender back outside again.

After the three horses had been fed, we walked down the road a way to go feed Two Bit, the other horse in the other pasture. Two Bit is apparently a bit of a troublemaker with the three other horses, so he needs to be separated from them. Jim warned me to move slowly around Two Bit – not because he would be aggressive toward humans, but because he’s slightly unpredictable, according to Jim.

“He’s a little…spastic,” he explained. “He won’t even go into the barn because he gets so worked up seeing his reflection in the windows!”

We passed through the gate and Two Bit immediately walked up to me and reached out his nose to say hello and get a good sniff. I put my hands out to him and he inhaled. “He NEVER does that!” Jim said. “Never ever! He must really know a good’un when he meets one.”

I grinned again – compliments from Jim AND his horses! I was on top of the world.

After we fed Two Bit, we walked back to the main house where the French journalist, Julie, had showed up to interview Jim. She and I chatted a bit (I asked her what she thought of Montana – her giggled , wonderfully French-accented response: “Is this Switzerland?!”). We continued our conversation as Jim went into the next room to fetch something before I headed out for the afternoon. I tried to convince Julie that should she ever need a photographer in France, I’d be more than happy to hop on a plane “because I’m sure there’s not a single photographer in France, right?” She grinned, “Nooooo, noooo. Of course not! No photographers at all!”

Jim returned with a hard copy of his newest book, House of the Rising Sun, and began to write an inscription. He handed me the book, and I thanked him profusely for such a pleasant, happy afternoon, and for his complete and utter generosity.

“Thank YOU!” he said. “Come back any time you want – we’d love to have you visit.”

I left his ranch feeling so thankful for this job, but more importantly, thankful for good souls like his in this world.

Upon returning home from the shoot, I opened the cover to his book and turned to the inscription he had written in dark blue ink: “To Kristine, With thanks for your gracious manner and wonderful sense of humor —- All the best, James Lee Burke.”

What a perfect Valentine’s Day. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

On the docket: more portraits!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I got a note all the way back in December from Emily who was so excited to surprise her twin sister Marty with a Christmas present of a portrait session for her and her four-legged friends, Patches and Cricket, her two horses, and Pele, her trusty dog. Patches and Pele are getting up there in years, so this was especially meaningful for Marty.

And it was such a pleasure to photograph this session for Marty and her very well-loved animals. As it turns out, Patches likes to “work it” for the camera (I swear, she struck a few poses for me), and Cricket…well, she’ll put up with the shoot, but she gave us some pretty hilarious expressions, which had us both cracking up. Pele is such a sweetie, though a little camera shy, but you can see how much she loves Marty.

Marty – this was such a treat to document how much love you have for your animals – I’m a big believer in the great joy they can bring to our lives, so to be able to capture this for you was super special. I hope you had a safe trip to Jackson! :)

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

Cheers,

-Kristine

We are so darn lucky to live in Montana. I mean, just look at what our eyes get to feast upon on a daily basis! Lauren and Jeff took advantage of the exceptional natural beauty of the Two Feathers Ranch where they were married and met up with me a couple days after their wedding to have fun rocking their creative bridal session.

It really couldn’t have been a more gorgeous evening – we caught the tail end of a summer storm, so we had some beautiful clouds in the sky and golden light towards the end of our evening. We got to hang out with their horses as well, who were exceptionally curious about my cameras. (See outtakes towards the bottom of this post.) To top the evening off, Lauren even braved the cold creek running through the property and absolutely stole the show.

You two were just awesome! Thanks so much for doing this unforgettable session with me!

And now for a few outtakes: these are just too hilarious not to share. Jeff and Lauren’s horses were INCREDIBLY interested in what on earth I was up to with those weird gadgets in front of my face, so they decided to investigate by sticking their noses straight into my lenses. They absolutely cracked me up and we got a nice goofy nose shot because of it.

And yes, if you were wondering, I get in the water, too, when photographing bridal sessions in creeks. It was freezing at first, but Lauren and I eventually numbed to it and had a great time – and managed to navigate the mossy rocks successfully. Always a bonus!

On the docket: weddings, weddings and more weddings! And, if you’re seeing this session and wish you would have done something like this with your dress – I book these creative bridal sessions (also known as “trash the dress” or “rock the dress”) separately from wedding collections (some collections also include this) – no matter how long ago your wedding day was. If you want to create stunning memories of a dress that’s currently hanging in your closet (perfect for an anniversary gift to your love), then by all means, please get in touch. I absolutely adore these types of sessions. :)

Cheers!

-Kristine

It’s been a bit rainy in Montana as you may have noticed. (What is that glowing orb in the sky?) But the sun finally came out, the clouds parted and gave way to a beautiful blue sky and gorgeously sunny evening for George and Emily’s engagement session in Ovando, MT, at the Montana Mountain View ranch that George and Emily adore.

Their dog Billy joined us for the shoot (and kept us cracking up by barking into gopher holes!), and George and Emily’s two horses Linus and Deuce were happy to accompany us into a field of wildflowers (which they gladly ate).

It really couldn’t have been a better evening – we all had a blast – and we finished off the night with burgers and beer and a full moon to knock your socks off. (Thanks for the treat, you two! You seriously rock!)

I am so excited to photograph your wedding, George and Emily! On to the photos – enjoy!

On the docket: weddings, weddings and more weddings!

Cheers!

-Kristine