engaged: amanda and kyle!

Amanda and Kyle are friends of ours who have been together forevvvvvvvvverrrrr . . . and Kyle finally smartened up and popped the big question a few months ago. :) Amanda has been adorable in her excitement for having me be a part of their wedding, as a friend and photographer. We waited for a perfect-light kind of evening and met in Churchill to photograph among tall yellow weeds that I think are simply lovely, and on an old farm road that I know will be all too easy for me to return to over and over again . . .







Workin' it . . . :)



Amanda + a breeze + beautiful evening light = one of my favorite photos ever!

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!

Heather and Matt: June 4, 2011 . . . Auburn Hills, Michigan

Heather and Matt are a lovely couple who celebrated their wedding day at the beautiful Pine Knob Mansion and Carriage House in Auburn Hills, Michigan, early last month . . . I knew Heather from being friends with her sweet sister, Annie, throughout high school and was quite honored they asked me to come to Michigan. It was an absolutely beautiful weekend with an amazing family! Congratulations Heather and Matt :)



The bride got ready at her parents' home, and made sure there was lots of natural light for photos, which I think is incredibly important . . .



We have a beautiful bride!



Matt got the giggles during the portraits part of the session. Love this :)







I love this portrait of Heather and Matt. Lately I have been sticking with keeping this relaxed, beautiful and simple. Good light and a gorgeous couple . . .







This is darling . . . :)













There is lots, lots more to see in the slideshow . . . click here and enjoy!

Hannah Marie is ONE!

The beautiful Maxwell family, long-standing clients and just about some of the kindest people I have ever known, had me over for a beautiful little family session the week before the littlest Maxwell, Hannah, turned one - which is TODAY! So Happy Birthday, Hannah! You are the happiest little baby I have ever met and deserve the most special day ever!

I am actually off shortly to photograph Hannah's first birthday party at their home . . . praying for a nice afternoon, but either way, this babe gives beautiful smiles. Enjoy! :)



Before there was Hannah, there was just Ayden . . . now she is even more beautiful, and a wonderful older sister :)













I work with such beautiful families!



Happy Birthday, Hannah!

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.

Brooke and Brendan: May 15, 2011 . . . Lake Placid, NY

My beautiful, oldest friend in the world invited me to photograph her wedding this past May back east in upstate New York, where we were born n' raised . . . I couldn't have been more honored, and spending the day with her, her family and our friends was wonderful. Her handsome groom, Brendan, was equally as wonderful. He forgave me for all the times I called him "Brandon," and he cried during the first dance. He's a keeper :)

Brooke and Brendan's wedding was held at the beautiful Whiteface Club & Resort in Lake Placid, New York, one of my all time favorite upstate NY places to be. The views, the lake, the shopping, the restaurants. The rain. It downpoured the entire day, but it really didn't put a damper on anyone's spirits. It was a day filled with genuine emotion, love and beauty. Brooke and Brendan, thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be there with you.

I arrived to witness the first smartest decision a girl can make on her wedding day - getting ready in natural light.















Click here to see plenty more from the slideshow . . . Brooke and Brendan, I love you both and wish you all of the happiness you can imagine!