where I'm blogging!

Yay! You can follow my new blog, finally, at www.morganlamare.com. This website is my new blogsite, so it will be the only site I manage. I am so excited for it's simplicity and the ways it will encourage me to consistently post my work, and give you glimpses into my personal story, too. This blog is filled to the brim, so enjoy perusing it if you are a potential client wanting to research more weddings. My new blog is a work-in-progress, and it will of course take time to get a variety of posts up. Thank you to my readers for your constant love and support! I hope you enjoy the new site!

blog update!

Frantic set in recently when I realized my website was down, and my blog has not been updated in how long?! Please know I am putting the finishing touches on my brand spankin' new blogsite, and hope to publish it by the end of next week. If you want to inquire about a wedding or boudoir shoot, please email me at morganlamare@gmail.com, or call/text me at 406.570.7162. If you want to view my most recent work, please visit my Facebook page at Morgan LaMare Photography. I am alive and kicking, and have so many wonderful shoots to share with you! Happy Tuesday!

moving to a new site!

Good morning and happy day to all who still believe I'm out there in blogging world and take the time to come by and see . . . ;) I thought I'd use this post as one last conversation on this template, as I'm moving towards a bigger and better blogsite very, very shortly! It's very exciting, because I truly do love blogging, but my relationship with Blogger, who I've used for the past however-many years, is failing, and a breakup is imminent. There are some quirks and irritancies that interfere with my ability to blog the way I want to - one of them being that I can't even begin a new paragraph anymore in my conversation. So please, please, please stay tuned for the next post coming from a brand new site. I may have to do a redirect post from this blog, but my new site will be beautiful, filled with posts of all sorts (I know you are just dying to hear more about all of my little shorties, aren't you?!), and weddings and boudoir photographs galore. I can't wait to share it with you! Happy Wednesday!

a change is gonna come . . .

Ah, I just love, love, love this time of year for so many wonderful reasons. It is not only my favorite season, but it always feels like such a fresh start for me, as this is my quiet time of year . . . lots of reflection takes place on the past wedding season, marketing ideas come to life and are made real, new communications begin with excited brides-to-be, and our Halloween candy bowl remains overflowing with the joys and highs of chocolate, peanut butter, nuts and caramel. In the next few weeks, I will be wrapping up the final post-production on my September and October weddings, hanging Christmas lights, and listening to Bing Crosby every chance I get. It's a beautiful life . . . :) We have lots of changes coming our way in the next couple of months, so stay tuned for 1) a new baby! We will find out boy or girl on November 12th!! and 2) a new logo! This means big things for me, even though that phrase doesn't make a lick of grammatical sense. In a sense, a new logo is kind of a new baby for my business (right?!) Some of these big things include a more simple, organic look. It includes the ability to stamp my images that go on Facebook and my blog with my logo (tastefully). It means dividing two new redesigned logos for both wedding and boudoir photography, so that I can better market that ever-growing part of my business. It means the ability to customize flash drives, DVD cases, print boxes and other marketing materials with ease and elegance. And it means a ton more things that help me to better brand my business. 2013 will be a reinventing year for me . . . so many blessings, both personally and in business, are coming my way . . . and a heartfelt thank you to the amazing clients, vendors, friends and families who help me make it all happen!

the engagement session

A good amount of clients these days are foregoing an engagement session, and everyone has their own reasons whether it be financial, they don't feel the need, their wedding portraits will suffice, they don't have the time, or they live out of town . . . but for those that want one, here is some good information, feedback and thoughts on the shoot for y'all on this lovely Wednesday!

1. To the photographer, the most important reason to have an engagement shoot is for the opportunity to work together prior to your wedding day. It gives me a sense of how my couples are in front of the camera, and makes me all the more prepared on your wedding day with direction, prompt, or having the knowledge that you two are relaxed, flirtatious, and create a more candid feel to your portraits.

2. To the client, I think it is a fabulous start to your wedding adventure! It is quite different to have a few dozen photographs of the couple in their everyday clothes, whether casual or dressed up, than it is to have your actual wedding photographs in traditional wedding attire. Enjoy having these two different sets of photographs that document you in the blissful engaged stage, as well as the incredible day of your wedding.

3. Casual or dressed up? Both, please! I encourage my clients to bring a change of clothes and nothing makes me happier than an excited bride-to-be wearing a fabulous dress and beautiful heels for this part of the shoot. :) Celebrate being a woman and enjoy! There is something magical that a pair of heels can do for us, isn't there?

4. An engagement photo is perfect to customize your Save-the-Dates if you choose to send those along to your guests!

5. Engagement photos can be incorporated into your wedding style and decor whether it be an engagement photo guest book, a canvas print, or displayed in beautiful frames. Everyone loves to look at pictures, right? :)

6. I love, love, love to watch my couples interact with one another during these shoots because it just makes my heart so happy to see two people in love, and making this commitment . . . what a better way to start off the celebration than to spend an hour or two kissing, canoodling, laughing, hugging and running around together with big, beautiful smiles?

Here is one of my favorite photographs from a beautiful couple I photographed over the weekend . . . stay tuned for the full blog post on this shoot, as well as details and photos of an engagement album that will be offered to all of my past and future couples!

holiday cards!

Tis the season for sending out holiday cards, and if you're anything like me, you have the best of intentions . . . but nada happens. Boo! This week I will be featuring some new letterpress card designs that will be offered to showcase anything from a baby announcement to a save-the-date to a thank you card to a . . . Holiday Card! If you have a photograph that I've taken this year, last year, any old time, and you want to implement it into this design, please email me at morganlamare@gmail.com . . . we will plug in a photo of your choice, customize your text and signature, and voila! Holiday cards are finished! Please reach out to me by Saturday, December 10th so I can get your order placed in time. Season's Greetings!

This is the front:



And the back:



They are just my style . . . simple, yet elegant, and the gold is a fun step away from reds and greens. I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Cheers!

boudoir special! . . . just in time for the holidays ;)

Don't you love a good deal? : )

Starting TODAY, all boudoir sessions scheduled for the months of September and October are $75.00 OFF . . .

The gift of confidence and sex appeal might just be the very best gift to give a man . . . cook him a good meal before you deliver the book and you'll live happily ever after ;)

WHAT: A 1-hour boudoir session with an 8 x 8 album of 25 images (and a DVD of the digital negatives delivered with the album)

WHERE: Usually in my home - trust me, it's a wonderful setting. Music, champagne and snacks are provided!

COST: $225

And on a side note, boudoir images are never, ever, ever published on my blog without permission of my client, so please don't avoid a shoot with the fear that anyone else would see your images except you, me and the gift recipient, if there is one.

I was given gracious permission by this lovely client to re-post some of my favorite boudoir images . . . enjoy and schedule today!

get inspired!

For my 100th blog post on this lovely little blog of mine, I wanted to share some of my favorite bouquets and ideas . . . go get inspired in planning for 2012!



The beautiful designers behind these ideas, color palettes and flowers:

(From left to right, top row first)
Photos 1, 4 and 7: Icing on the Cake Events
Photos 2, 5 and 9: Fresh Designs
Photos 3, 6, 11, 12, 14 and 15: Leslie Lukas Weddings & Events
Photos 8 and 10: Bloom

what's your style?

A very famous What-To-Ask-Your-Photographer question during an initial potential client meeting is always an interesting one for me to answer . . . Describe your style. Well, I talk a lot. And I think out loud, so I say a lot of stuff that no one else really needs to hear, and I say things that don't even contribute to the conversation whatsoever . . . and then I laugh, and say I'm probably talking too much!, and the potential clients say politely, no, you're fine. But, really, what's your style?

And just to get even wordier, I explain that my style is a good mix of photojournalistic - a phrase most of us know now, and even seek out when searching for a photographer - and editorial. We are searching not just for someone who can give us beautiful portraits to hang on the walls, but also beautiful candids that make our hearts flutter a bit, because such a wonderful, personal moment was captured, when no one was looking.

As an example (I'm getting too wordy again!), here are a few images I would consider photojournalistic. And a very important thing here is that these were all taken during the portrait session of the day. Even when I pose people, I always tell them that some of the best photos are of what is happening in between poses, and it happens when they have their natural reaction to what I am asking them to do. In other words, here are some of my clients laughing at me. : )

Chad and Michelle at Rainbow Ranch:



Leanne and Brian at The Woodlands:



Jennie and Randy at The Story Mansion:



And Nicole and Alex at Chico Hot Springs:



Editorial always needs a bit more explanation. I'm not sure where I decided to start using that term to describe these types of photos, but this style, to me, is about making my couple look and feel - dare I say it? - sexy. It was one of my most memorable comments ever from a couple . . . that no one else can give them images of them that way. They are beautiful, posed images that engage my couples with one another for just a moody, romantic look that reminds you how much you love one another.

Jennifer and Eric at Grassy Mountain Cabins:



Brooke and Brendan at Whiteface Club & Resort:



And Jamie and Bud on the Mayan Riviera, Mexico:



I try and give equal amounts of both styles unless a client requests a different preference - and there are always plenty of posed, traditional portraits as well, as those are just as important (but not as fun to post on my blog ;)

Happy Friday!

collage boards featuring Meghan and Scott!

I finally got my hands on these collage boards that the amazing Design Aglow team created . . . if you are a photographer or love to just dabble in photography and have Photoshop, head over to their site and see all the goods they have for people like us!

Meghan and Scott's wedding was held at the Rockin' TJ Ranch here in Bozeman last month . . . I only spent three hours with them to photograph the portraits and the ceremony, so I thought they would be perfect candidates to feature . . . plan on seeing these a lot in the weddings I'm blogging, and as inspiration boards for future brides.



Happy Thursday!

coming soon!

Here is a little sneak peek at what's coming next on the blog . . . now that wedding season has officially shown up and taken over my entire summer, there is definitely not a lack of photos to share and pictures to talk about :) I hope everybody had a wonderful, safe and Happy 4th of July!

My beautiful Rockin TJ Ranch couple, Scott and Meghan . . .



Jennie and Randy wed on the lawn at the Story Mansion . . .



I adore this picture of Kama and Mike at the Story Mill District :) They are getting married next month at Chico Hot Springs . . .



Michelle and Chad had a very intimate wedding (18 guests!) at Rainbow Ranch Lodge in Big Sky - it was an absolutely beautiful day!



Kyle and Amanda pranced around Churchill in another evening of beautiful light . . . they are having a fall wedding at the Rockin TJ Ranch.



And this past weekend's ventures took me to Meadowlark Country Club to photograph the adorable Tedi and Danny . . .



In between all of these wonderful shoots, I have met with some amazing potential clients, and am enjoying lots of fun times with the shorties and Joe. :) Happy Tuesday!

shooting wiiiiddddddde open . . .

Lately I have been feeling the need to challenge myself . . . whether it is shooting at different angles, working with composition, or wanting simply a different feel to my images, I have been seeking a new creativity. And of course, it brought me right back to where I began, which is to shoot wide open, as much of the time as I possibly can.

To the non-photog, this means shooting so that you have the strongest depth of field possible that your lens allows. To the photog, this might be making you cringe. :)

It is not something I do with every single image, but excluding family and wedding party photos, it is something I am doing as often as I can. To me, it creates an etheral look about my images. It turns a simple portrait into something with depth. It is equally as beautiful to me as shooting a couple in love with the sun setting behind them . . .

Lately I have been involved in some casual discussions about why people book me, why they book others, what makes them decide on a photographer . . . and my response is always, because photography is an art like any other. You are either drawn to a person's work, or you aren't. So while we need to provide a certain consistency among the images we take, and ensure we are capturing the most important events of a wedding celebration, we also need to photograph in a way that reminds us why we do this for a living. In a way that brings us happiness and excitement for the next project. And in the end, I am honored and thrilled to book the clients I do, and I am extremely happy for couples who choose a different photographer, because I respect the need to feel someone's work out, and go with their gut. I really am. For me, this is my style, and it is how I love to shoot.

november portrait special!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

It's that time of year . . . holiday portraits! You know you want one to send out in a beautiful Christmas card, right?

What:
November Portrait Special! A mini-shoot of you and yours! The shoot is a 1/2 hour to an hour long (sometimes the littlest shorties need more time to find their big, cheesy grins :). You receive 25 edited images on disc within ten days of the shoot.

Where:
A location of your choice. Lots of room to roam around and let the little ones run around is perfect, and the sunny evening light is even better :)

What's it gonna cost me?:
$125 bucks.

It's that simple :) Please email me at morganlamare@gmail.com to set up an appointment! Albums and gift certificates are also available.

Here is a darling mom-and-daughter duo who I photographed in New York earlier this month. Stay tuned for full posts on these wonderful families!

food + photography = love

Unless you have been living under a rock since you began reading this blog, you probably are well aware that I absolutely love, love, love food. I love to cook it, and then I love to eat it, and I love to do it with good friends. Well, today I get to embark on the most magical culinary experience as I head to the Double T Ranch in Clyde Park with ALL of the Assets to taste the amazing food of Sarah Knecht, sip wine, and network . . . and I get to photograph it all.

This will be blogged about in much further detail next week, but the details are that Sarah will be preparing amazing meals for us throughout the day while Lauren Brown and I photograph the food, Sarah in action, and of course the rest of the Assets being fabulous. Elsa, Angela and Leslie are styling the shoot with their amazing linens and fresh flowers, so it will of course be nothing short of beautiful. Stay tuned for a complete, photo-filled post. :)

'tis the season to wed on fridays and sundays!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I promise to throw some more entertaining blogging in your direction later today or tomorrow, but wanted to first let you know that if you are still in the market for a wedding photographer for 2010, I still have the following Saturdays available:

June 5
June 12
July 3
August 7
August 29
September 11

Many of my couples are choosing a Friday or Sunday date this year . . . I love a new trend! I'm hoping to fill these Saturdays, but if I don't, you can find me on the Madison :)

found: old blog!

In a very boring story I will spare you, I was able to find my original blog, thank god! Please, please, please, if you are here for the first time, scroll its pages, read my stories, browse my photographs, and keep coming back here for all new things. Click here to view. :) Happy Sunday!