Ashley and Nick truly are two wonderful people — and I was so excited to be able to make Garden of One Thousand Buddhas engagement photos for them, which is one of their favorite places. Ashley shared with me that it’s particularly significant to them because it’s the spot they’d often visit together when they first started dating. (And if there’s one thing I love, it’s being able to make photos in meaningful places for folks!)

Zipping up to Arlee from Missoula, we somehow managed to be treated to one of Montana’s balmier days this winter, complete with a little sun and blue sky, which I think must’ve been timed just perfectly for Ashley and Nick’s session. The universe knew!

If you haven’t been to it before, the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas is a special place, surrounded by stunning mountains, dotted with Buddhas of all shapes and sizes, and permeated by a tranquil, positive energy that we all appreciated. We wandered through the grounds, stopping at various points to laugh and chat and make photos. I think everyone’s faces hurt from smiling and cracking up so much — always a good thing in my opinion!

Speaking of which, Ashley and Nick are just a blast to photograph, and I love to see just how much fun they have together! Even though things were somewhat chilly (I mean, it is still winter after all), the warmth and love they radiated made the temps barely noticeable.

I am just so excited to get to photograph their wedding in October, and I already know we’re going to have the best time together capturing such a special day! (Photo ninja mode, here I come! )

Ashley and Nick! Congratulations again on your engagement, and thank you for being just an absolute delight to photograph! You two are the bees knees, and I’m seriously stoke, stoke, stoked for your wedding! Woohoo!

P.S. Here’s a fun little GIF to enjoy, too.

On the docket:

Portraits! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

When Keriann got in touch with me about making Missoula Montana in-home maternity photos to celebrate this time in her and Alex’s life before their twins’ arrival, I was absolutely thrilled! Though I don’t have any children of my own, I can imagine how exciting it must be to have two little ones joining the family. It was a snowy, sunny day for our session (we’d experienced a bit of a small blizzard the evening before), so we kept things close to their home, which was cozy, inviting, and full of beautiful light.

It was so nice to laugh with each other as we talked about what it felt like to hear they were having twins (exciting and terrifying!!), and all the new things they’ve learned about twins in general. Keriann (and Alex, too) were such naturals in front of the camera. Keriann had the sweetest smile as she talked about her babies, who were pretty chill for most of our session (though they did start kicking her in the ribs towards the end of our shoot). We spent our time making photos in their living room, the nursery (with the two cribs), and out on their snowy front porch, capturing Keriann and Alex’s connection as a couple and their anticipation for their twins’ arrival.

The twins are due in April, though they’ll likely say hello to the world sometime in March. I’m so looking forward to meeting these little ones upon their arrival, and getting to document Keriann and Alex’s interactions with them as new parents.

Thank you, again, Keriann and Alex for a really sweet session! I hope these next couple months go smoothly for you both, and I’m so looking forward to seeing you again soon with your new family of four!

On the docket:

Portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

You know how you feel when you’ve just accomplished something simultaneously so difficult and so rewarding? Pure joy! And Jordan embodied that feeling perfectly during her University of Montana graduation photos the other day. (She literally kicked up her heels from happiness!)

We had such a great time making these photos for her to celebrate her December graduation. Jordan’s getting her degree in Math (something I greatly respect as someone who is forever challenged by numbers). In between making photos near the beloved Griz statue and Main Hall’s clock tower, we popped into buildings around campus to warm up, one of which was the Math building. As luck would have it, we found a room that wasn’t being used, and Jordan had fun writing a quick equation on the board that we could use as a backdrop to some of her images.

I’ve also got to give her major props for braving the chilly temps when we weren’t indoors. A few snowflakes were coming down as we made her images, but even though she was freezing, you would have never known it!

Another one of our warm up pit stops was at the library, an old haunt of Jordan’s since she used to work the late late shift there. We had a good time playing with the leading lines of the endless shelves full of books, and captured some images of Jordan pseudo-studying. (And I promise, we were quiet while we made these photos!)

Jordan! Thank you (and your most excellent sister assistant) for such a fabulous session! Your joy and energy is contagious in the best way possible, and I left with a perma-grin on my face (always a wonderful thing). Here’s to you and all your hard work to reach this point, and congratulations again on your graduation!

On the docket:

After a little holiday break, portraits and weddings! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I’m so excited to start off the new year by revealing that I was recently on assignment for People magazine for their “Half their Size” shoot in Stevensville, Montana. The lovely Jeannette Asbury was featured in this article, and this week the story went live — both on the front page of People’s website, and in print. You can read Jeannette’s story in the new issue on newsstands as we speak!

This shoot was such a blast! People magazine’s photo editor, Sarah Fernando, contacted me in early December to ask if I’d like to do the shoot (but I didn’t know what I’d be photographing), and it was a no-brainer to say yes. Fast forward a bit and it was revealed to me that I’d be photographing Jeannette, who was just beyond wonderful to work with!

Because Jeannette had made changes to her lifestyle following the method outlined in Rania Batayneh’s book The One One One Diet, and had become healthier through biking and running, it was important that I picked out a location that could facilitate both, wouldn’t be dangerous, and boasted gorgeous backdrops close to where she lives. Stevensville has no shortage of beautiful scenery, but I’m not gonna lie — I was more than a little nervous that our December 10th shoot was either going to be 1) freezing 2) snowy 3) freezing and snowy 4) blizzarding 5) foggy 6) muddy. I mean…December weather in Montana is a bit of a crapshoot!

But somehow we managed to luck out! Missoula got some snow that morning, so I was bundled up, ready to be tromping through some snow-dusted scenery, but as we drove into Stevensville, it was pretty apparent I was a little overdressed. That said, it was chilly! So I’m grateful I was wearing warm clothes.

As Natalie Mourton (my friend, photo assistant, and photojournalism grad school classmate) and I waited for Jeannette and crew to arrive, we watched it go from sunny, to completely foggy and socked in (hiding the mountains! the horror!), back to on-and-off sunny again. Thankfully, as the shoot time got closer, the clouds mostly behaved and the sun popped in and out from behind the clouds and was just gorgeous! While we waited for Jeannette to arrive, Natalie was kind enough to pose for me as I determined how and where I wanted to shoot. (She had some fun with this, as you’ll see in our behind the scenes images below.)

Soon, Jeannette drove up with crew in tow, and we were ready to get rolling. Jeannette’s husband, Rob, also accompanied her, and their dog, Stella, waited patiently in their truck. However, Stella was a little confused as to why she wasn’t going for a walk since Jeannette had her “fun clothes” on — poor Stella!

Candace Corey (the fabulous traveling hair and makeup artist) styled Jeannette’s clothes to the tee (per over-the-phone direction from the stylist for the shoot), she perfected Jeannette’s hair, added a touch of gloss to her lips, and we were off to the races!

We started out making images of Jeannette biking, and big thanks to Rob and Natalie for making sure none of us were run over as we made these images. In between shots, I’d text images I loved to People‘s photo editor so she could have an idea of what we were creating and let us know if we needed to change anything up (we were all good!). After we finished Jeannette’s biking images, she had a quick wardrobe change, we changed up our location, and were ready to get going again.

Jeannette was such a good sport for her shoot since she did a lot of biking and running that day for us! And she absolutely dominated her photos! (She got the main image for People‘s story!)

Just as the sun decided to sink behind the mountains, we declared our shoot a wrap! (See a fun little behind the scenes video below.)

Thanks again to all the wonderful folks who made this shoot possible! What an absolute treat! And congratulations again, Jeannette! It was such a pleasure to meet you, hear your story, and get to document your beauty — both inside and out!

Behind the scenes from our shoot. Photo credit: Natalie Mourton

Prior to getting started with our shoot, Natalie, my photo assistant, was kind enough to model the light for me so I could determine ahead of time how and where I wanted to photograph Jeannette.

Jeannette’s husband, Rob, took a moment to hold the reflector since he said “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do after seeing it on TV.”

We were all pretty stoked to have finished up such a wonderful shoot (and were very ready to get warm!). Video credit: Natalie Mourton

On the docket:

Portraits and weddings!

Cheers,

-Kristine

It is always such a pleasure to get to photograph the Simons family. And their Missoula wintertime family photos this year were such a treat to make!

I think we’ve hit all four seasons now in our images together (woohoo!), and I was pretty excited that Mother Nature decided to surprise us with some snow flurries! Snowflakes and photography are an absolute favorite of mine, and it just made their session even more fun and dynamic!

That said, it was pretty darn chilly for our session, so kudos to everyone for making it work and bringing some smiles to the table before our faces froze! The snow and the cold wasn’t two-year-old Brayden’s favorite thing (understandable!), so after we made a few images with him and his brothers, they all retreated to the car to warm up and chill out.

Meanwhile, Becka and Stephan stuck it out and made the most of the snow. I just love the images we were able to capture of the two of them individually and together. (Parents! Don’t forget to get photos of just yourselves — they’re so fun and your kids will love to see these images as they reach adulthood. )

Thank you again, Simons family, for another wonderful session! And for an always-enjoyed chat together afterwards. I love getting to see your family grow up right in front of my lens!

On the docket:

A super secret photo shoot…stay posted for the reveal!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Making Missoula family and graduation images for the Nelson family was such a pleasure! And somehow we managed to avoid the wet, strange winter rain we’ve run into this season. Much to our delight, we even had a dusting of snow to work with!

But, more importantly, I was super excited to see Carrie, Zoe and Zach again. I originally got to photograph them a little over 3 years ago for Zoe’s high school graduation. Fast forward a few years, and it was time to make some family photos again, and more graduation images — this time celebrating Zoe’s college graduation!

We all had a good time meandering around the University of Montana, from which Zoe had just graduated. It was so nice cracking up again together while making images, and everyone was just as fun-loving as I had originally remembered.

As we wandered around, Zoe told me that she’d graduated with a degree in political science with a minor in Latin American studies. She’s currently applying to grad schools for a focus on international relations and is excited for her next steps forward.

Zoe was just as fun and smiley as I recalled from our shoot those several years ago, and we had such a good time making images together (thanks for braving some of those slippery slopes, Zoe!).

To top off our shoot, the sun decided to peek through a small opening in the clouds and treated us to a really lovely sunset, which we fully made the most of.

Carrie, Zoe and Zach – thank you again for such a pleasant session! It was such a treat to get to see you all again – here’s to the next family graduation to celebrate!

On the docket: portraits and weddings! 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 to get a call from Christine asking me if I’d make some snowy family photos in Missoula Montana as a surprise gift for her mother-in-law’s birthday. It’s always such a treat to get to work with Christine and Pete (we’ve done engagement photos, wedding photos and Christmas photos together), and, as I suspected, it was a delight to get to meet Bradyn, too. It turns out, she’s just a natural in front of the camera!

They were all such troopers and braved a bit of a slushy day to make these images, but we just had a blast, and were treated to a beautiful almost-spring day.

I’m not sure any of us stopped laughing and smiling during their entire session as we walked from spot to spot on the snowy pathway to find the most perfect spots for their photos during their mini session.

Christine, Pete and Bradyn! Thank you again for such a delightful session! You always have me smiling and are just a great reminder of why I adore this job so very much! Cheers to you all!

On the Docket:

Portraits, editorial work and weddings – stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I wasn’t quite sure we were going to get much snow this winter since things felt a little dry at the end of January. But then February rolled around and we were finally treated to a downright winter wonderland. Even better was that just days before Joanna and Taylor’s winter wedding at the Jack Saloon in Lolo Montana we had some storms pass through and leave us with even more snow and loads of natural, beautiful backdrops for Joanna and Taylor’s special day.

Energy and excitement permeated the air as Joanna and Taylor and their family and friends got ready at the Lolo Hot Springs Lodge. Right before seeing Taylor for the first time during their first look, Taylor’s mother helped adorn Joanna’s bouquet with Taylor’s Granny Dot’s favorite hanky, to be used as Joanna’s “something blue.”

Soon, it was time for the two to see each other. Joanna surprised Taylor in the main lodge and he just grinned upon seeing his bride for the first time.

Before long it was time to zip on over to the Jack Saloon to get the wedding ceremony started. Everyone was all and smiles as things got underway. Joanna and Taylor shared little grins with each other throughout their ceremony, exchanged vows and rings, and sealed it all with a kiss, all to the cheers of family and friends (and a few other folks who happened to be visiting the saloon that evening, too).

Before it got too dark, we definitely had to make the most of the beautiful snow fields and pine trees nearby, so Joanna and Taylor braved the chilly weather for some fun pictures in their own personal wedding winter wonderland.

We rejoined everyone for some dinner, and soon after were treated to some nice toasts, a great cake cutting, and lots of live music that had everyone dancing, laughing and kicking up their heels.

Throughout the evening, I had kept my fingers crossed that we’d be treated to some freshly falling snow, and whaddya know! We got it! So Joanna and Taylor were gung ho and brave enough to venture outside with me into the cold once more, and we had so much fun making images that, as Joanna put it, ended up looking like they were a part of their very own snow globe.

Joanna and Taylor! Thank you again for inviting me to document such a happy, beautiful day in your lives! I loved meeting you both as well as your family and friends, and I wish you two many years of happiness, laughter, and magical snowflakes every February. :) Congratulations!

Vendors for Joanna and Taylor’s winter wedding at the Jack Saloon in Lolo Montana:

Getting ready venue: The Lodge at Lolo Hot Springs, Lolo, Montana
Wedding Venue: The Jack Saloon, Lolo, Montana
Florist: Flower Happy Floral, Hamilton, Montana
Cake Artist: Black Cat Bake Shop, Missoula, Montana
Band: Top House, Missoula, Montana
Hair Artist: Adore Hair & Design, Hamilton, Montana
Officiant: George Cuff
Bar and Spirits: The Jack Saloon, Lolo, Montana
Wedding Dress: Lilian West by Justin Alexander from Last Best Bridal Shop, Missoula, Montana
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

On the Docket:

More weddings, editorial work, and portrait sessions! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Winter weddings definitely make my heart skip a beat. They’re just filled with romance, beauty, the twinkling lights and glamor of the season, as well as its warmth, coziness and overall joy. And Anna and Jeff’s Missoula Florence Hotel winter wedding certainly embodied all of these things and then some!

Their day started out with Anna finalizing her finishing touches in the Wilma condo she had rented. Her mother helped lace her into her beautiful tea-length dress as her family watched with anticipation. Soon it was time to walk over to the Florence Hotel where their ceremony space awaited them, adorned with greenery, white roses, and softly glowing candles.

Jeff was all smiles as he watched Anna walk down the aisle on the arms of her parents. They smiled and grinned at each other as they made their vows to one another and exchanged rings. Before long, it was time for Anna and Jeff to seal it all with a kiss as their friends and family erupted with joyful exclamation for the newlyweds.

Afterwards, we took a few moments to make some fun images inside and outside of the hotel. With a place as beautiful as the Florence Hotel, we definitely had to take advantage of all the seasonal sparkling lights, and that lovely old clock out front, too. But the most beautiful thing was getting to witness just how much love is in Anna and Jeff’s eyes as they look at one another and exchange smiles. It easily outshined any of the twinkle lights in the background.

We zipped back inside for a tasty dinner, moving toasts, and some scrumptious desserts. Not long after, Anna and Jeff kicked off the dancing with a lovely first dance featuring some of their ballroom dance moves they’d been practicing. At that point forward, everyone joined in, got their own dance moves on, and had a great time partying it up on the dance floor. The joy in the room was palpable, and I’m pretty certain I didn’t stop smiling the entire rest of the night – such a fun, happy evening!

Anna and Jeff! Thank you again for inviting me to document such a completely fabulous, beautiful day in your lives! I just loved seeing how much you two love one another, and absolutely adored all your family and friends. I am just so thrilled for you both, and wish you a future filled with even more joy and smiles and happiness! Cheers to you two!

Vendors for Anna and Jeff’s Missoula Florence Hotel Winter Wedding:

Venue: Governor’s Room, Florence Hotel, Missoula, Montana

Officiant: John Nugent, the bride’s uncle

Florist: Bitterroot Flower Shop, Missoula, Montana

Bar/Spirit: Paradise Falls, Missoula, Montana

Catering: Catalyst Catering, Missoula, Montana

Wedding Dress: a Leanne Marshall design from Velvet Bride, Missoula, Montana

Groom’s Attire: from Wein’s Men’s Store, Butte, Montana

On the docket:

More intimate weddings and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine