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 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

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

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

First, I just love, love, love when folks contact me wanting to do family photos with their four-legged friends, and secondly, I love it even more when it gets to take place in the winter! So it was no surprise that Margaret, Scott and their adorable dog, Danforth Quayle’s, Missoula pet and family photos would be so enjoyable.

Margaret and Scott have been wanting to make some portraits for a while now, and decided this was the year to do it – and also give it as a gift to their parents! (Always a great idea!) Luckily we were able to fit a session in for them while it was 1). actually snowy (sometimes Missoula doesn’t see that much snow in the city). 2). while it was actually not totally freezing and deep-freezing us with sub-zero temps (thank goodness!). AND 3). while Scott was still in town (he’s a professor of philosophy at a liberal arts university in India – yep, India!).

It was so fun to get to chat with these two as we ventured around making images in the snow. I asked to know a little bit more about how their sweet dog, Dan (Danforth Quayle), got his name. Margaret told me that all their dogs have been named presidents’ names, which I think is just about the most perfect thing ever. (They’ve also had chickens named after first ladies!)

Thank you again, Margaret, Scott and Dan for such a delightful afternoon! And thanks so much for braving the cold and tromping through feet of snow to get the photo – worth it, I’d say! It was such a treat to meet you all and I’m so excited that you’ve now got some fun photos of your lovely family!

On the docket: weddings and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

When people ask me to photograph them with their pets, I admittedly always get a little excited (ok, a LOT excited), because pets and their people are seriously the Best. Thing. Ever. And when I’m told that the session will include a puppy and an older dog too…well then. It’s no surprise that my heart completely melted during Kristy’s Victor Montana pet and family pictures.

I met up with Kristy, Dug, her 10-year-old golden retriever, and Sven, her 12-week-old golden retriever puppy at Kristy’s friend’s ranch in Victor. It seriously couldn’t have been a more idyllic setting – the ranch land is rugged and beautiful, and full of areas perfect for two curious dogs. Plus, that little dusting of snow on the mountaintops is always a nice bonus. We had a great time wandering the land and chatting, and as it turns out, Kristy also has Wisconsin connections, which is always fun to discover. (woot woot!)

A small creek runs through the ranch, and Dug took the initiative to jump in and go snorkeling for a variety of rocks that passed his strict rockhound test. Kristy and I couldn’t help but laugh ourselves silly at Sven’s antics, doing his best to imitate his big brother, Dug. As only a puppy can do, he barked and jumped alongside the creek, waggly puppy tail waving in the air, wanting to jump in, but being a little cautious as it was pretty deep for his currently short stature (which he had discovered earlier).

Kristy – what a pleasure it was to be able to make these images of you and your happy furry family! It was so fun to document this time in your life, and so cool to see how much your pups love you and how much you love them too. They’re lucky lads for sure!

On the docket: portraits and more portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

When I heard that Sean was interested in having me do his senior photos, I knew we’d have a great session. A couple years ago, his sister Katie and I had had such a wonderful time during her senior session, and I still recall just how fun it was to run through the fields and chase the light with her. :)

Sean’s session was just as fantastic. He picked our location in Lolo because he’s spent quite a bit of time down by the river throwing sticks for his dog, Jake. Jake even got to come along for Sean’s shoot, and made a few cameo appearances as well.

We had such a fun time wandering the trails by the river, cracking up at Jake and his antics, and exclaiming over the absolutely beautiful day to which we were treated. Sean told me that he’s likely going to head to college at Montana State University after he graduates, and is interested in pursuing film and videography (I’m a little biased, but that sounds awesome!).

Sean! Thank you again for such a wonderful session – it was such a treat to get to meet you and Jake, get to see your mom again, and have the opportunity to visit some of your favorite places along the river. Here’s to a fabulous senior year and a great start to your college career as well!

On the docket: portraits and weddings! Stay tuned!

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