I was so excited to meet up with Erin and Chris for their Missoula summer maternity photos. I hadn’t yet connected with them because their maternity session (and upcoming newborn portraits) were a gift from Erin’s sisters. (Side note: what an amazingly thoughtful gift to give!)

When I met them for their maternity session, it turns out that Erin and I had met a few years back during the “For Women’s Only” ski program at Snowbowl. (Funny how small towns work like that!) It was so nice to see her again in this new stage of her life, and we had such a fantastic time making images to celebrate her mama-ness.

Their 10-year-old border collie mix, Lyra, also joined us for our shoot, and was such a trooper even though she seemed a little confused that we weren’t all going for a longer walk together and kept stopping a lot to take photos.

We had such a beautiful evening to make Erin, Chris, and Lyra’s photos. Mother Nature treated us to perfect light, with gorgeous cottonwood fuzz floating around creating a sparkle-like effect.

Erin and Chris’s little boy is due in early August. Erin told me she can’t quite wrap her mind around his arrival and meeting him for the first time. “What will he look like?” she mused. She and Chris are beyond giddy to meet their little man.

Erin, Chris, and Lyra! Thank you for such a fabulous session! I loved everything about your shoot, and I’m just so excited to meet your little boy very soon!

On the docket:

Editorial shoots, brand sessions, portraits, and weddings — stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I always love documenting people during new stages of their lives, and I was so excited when Rachael reached out to me about making Missoula springtime maternity photos to celebrate such a special time as she and her partner, Joe, await the arrival of their first child.

As we walked and talked during their shoot, they told me that their little boy is due at the end of May. He’ll be joining two older fur siblings, one of whom made a cameo in this session as well. Rookie, their mini doodle, was beyond excited for his moment in front of the lens and could barely contain himself. But he absolutely knew how to work it for the camera and flashed all sorts of cute smiles my way.

We had a quintessential Montana session. As we meandered about near the river, an osprey dove into the river fishing for its dinner. (Mother Nature really excelled that evening!)

Rachael also told me that “it’s been weirdly nice to be pregnant during a pandemic.” She hasn’t had to worry about going out, spend time worrying too much about what to wear, trying to hide her bump, etc. I hadn’t even thought of that, but what a totally unique perspective! And just think of the tales she and Joe will be able to tell their son once he’s a little older!

Thank you again, Rachael, Joe, and Rookie for such a great evening! You three are all naturals in front of the camera, and I had such a wonderful time making these photos for you. I’m so beyond excited for this new adventure, and can’t wait to hear about your little guy’s arrival! Congrats congrats congrats again!

On the docket: portraits, weddings, and business branding sessions! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

It’s a huge understatement to say how enjoyable it’s been over the past nine years to get to work with Katie and Mike and capture their life events on film for them! So, during their family session this past spring I was especially excited to hear that they were expecting again in February, and even happier to get to photograph their wintry Missoula maternity photos to ring in 2020, this time with big sister, Ruth, as part of the images, too!

We’ve had a pretty warm winter thus far, but I think Mother Nature heard our pleas for snow and treated us to a fresh dusting that afternoon, as well as some perfectly-timed snowflakes a little later on during our session! We’ve shot in this location regularly during the past nine years of making images together, and it’s always fun to see how the seasons change along with the changes and additions to their family!

Ruth was happy to give her little brother kisses but was a bit unsure about being in the cold for some photos. However, I think she did great, especially as an opinionated 2-year-old! (I especially loved her addition of mardi gras necklaces to her look! Gotta love being two!)

And even the family’s two dogs, Drake and Dozer, joined us for a few images too, in between their bouts of wrestling and running around in the snow!

Katie, of course, just glowed in her emerald-green gown, which paired perfectly with the snow-dusted evergreens behind her! We joked that she should jump in the creek like she did for her maternity images when she was pregnant with Ruth, but decided to forego it this time around since January was just a touch chillier than our August images had been. ;)

Katie, Mike and Ruth! Thank you again for all the laughs and fun and braving the cold! You have such a beautiful family, and I can’t wait to meet little mister Mikey soon. This is such an exciting time for you all, and I’m so glad I got to capture yet another wonderful life event for you all! Cheers to your soon-to-be family of four – woo hoo!

On the Docket:

Portraits, weddings and editorial work! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I was so tickled when Katie recently got in touch with me to do her Missoula maternity photos – not only because she’s pregnant with her first baby (SO EXCITING!), but also because I was so looking forward to seeing her and her husband, Mike, again too. I have had the pleasure of making photos for them before – for their engagement images, their wedding day, and their rock the dress photos, and I was so looking forward to getting to see them again and document this new, wonderful stage in their lives!

Katie and Mike decided to have their photos done at Mike’s parents’ property – which is actually where we did their engagement photos way back in 2011. It was quite the change from our original shoot when everything was covered in snow and we were thigh-high in it in some areas!

And it was the perfect location for their photos – so green and lush! We also got to catch the last of a smoky sunset to start out our session, and Katie was just glowing (she is one gorgeous mama-to-be!). We meandered on down to the creek that runs through their property for some images too. (Katie was definitely a fan of the cool water on her bare feet!) And holy moly – talk about a magical setting for these images. It was no surprise that we had such a blast laughing and cracking up as we made their photos. Katie and Mike’s dog, Drake, even joined in for a few photos too! (He’s also a pretty excellent photo-bomber leaping through the grass, dolphin-style!) Katie’s mother, Connie, deserves a shout out as well for being a most excellent wardrobe assistant, and for being at the ready for any help we needed. (So wonderful to see you again, too, Connie!)

Katie and Mike! I just loved getting to hang out with you two again, and it was so fun to document this new exciting time in your lives! I am so thrilled for you both, and am simply beyond happy for you and your soon-to-be family of three, and I can’t wait to meet your little Ruthie!

On the Docket:

Portraits and weddings! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine