Tag Archive for: couples portraits

Mount Ellis trailhead engagement portraits of Shannon and Liam

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Last summer I photographed the Mount Ellis trailhead engagement portraits of my wedding clients, Shannon and Liam.

It has been just lovely getting to know this couple and their five-year-old husky/shepherd, Iroh, over the past year.

This couple met in Monterey Bay, California in the Fall of 2014 and they have been exploring the world together ever since.

Now living in Bozeman, these two wanted their couples portrait experience to highlight one of their many outdoor activities together – walking trails with their dog, Iro. We explore the mountain landscape that was littered with yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers during their trailhead engagement portraits. In the spirit of celebrating, they carried up a bottle of champagne to watch the sunset over Bozeman from a great view at Mt. Ellis. It was a view that was pretty hard to beat. Here are some of their favorite moments from the day. 

Now on the eve of their wedding day, it’s time to pop the champagne once again! Shannon and Liam are about to get married!

Looking forward to celebrating and It promises to be a great time.

I could not be more excited for these two and for their wedding day tomorrow. Let the celebration begin!

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Montana Ruby Valley Engagement Photos of Taylor and Sean

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Winter Engagement Portrait Photography of Kate & Dylan

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  • Swingset Winter Engagement Portrait Photography

I recently photographed the winter engagement portrait photography of Kate & Dylan at their Bozeman family property overlooking the Bridger Mountains.

Kate knew right from the start after connecting online and on their first lunch date, that Dylan was a man unlike any she had met before.

The immediate comfort in their own skin around each other, matched with good conversation, inspired them to play hooky the rest of the day. They ended up spending the afternoon walking around, riding a carousel, and being complete goofballs.

For someone like Kate, who has dedicated her whole career to how humans learn through play, seeing Dylan’s forthright invitation to make a fool of himself sparked an immediate connection for her.

Dylan was a partner who had a willingness for silly, goofy fun. It’s a character trait that had been missed in Kate’s previous relationships.

As Kate recalled, “Dylan is the most earnest of people she had ever met. He is nerdy in the most wonderful ways.”

As their relationship grew, Dylan’s kind heart and inspiration around creativity solidified her love for him. It was a big deal. He was the first partner she ever invited to her family home for the holidays.

For Dylan, Kate is such a natural fit for him. She complimented him in every way.

“Kate’s smile is so genuine. It has an uncanny capacity to instantly get me excited and always lifts my spirit,” Dylan said, “It’s her ability to always find positivity in the world around them. Her willingness for adventure, good humor, and her sense of morality made him feel seen, recognized, and cared for.”

Kate gives him hope for a better future.

It has been a true pleasure getting to know this engaged couple over the last few months.

For their winter engagement portrait photography session, we wanted to celebrate all of those playful, creative traits that each one brought into their relationship.

We decided the perfect place to meet up for their photo session was at her parent’s house outside of Bozeman.

We had such a fun time exploring the Montana property of Kate’s youth. With the man of her dreams, we created fun portraits that reflect all that they cherish about one another.

Here are a few favorite photographs I made during their couples portrait session.

I am so looking forward to photographing these two on their wedding day later this year. Congrats on your engagement Kate & Dylan! July can’t come soon enough! -M

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Washoe Theatre Couples Portraits of Amanda and Harley

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A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing the Washoe Theatre Couples Portraits of Amanda and Harley in Anaconda Montana.

Amanda and Harley met ten years ago and were high school sweethearts.

I had an amazing time discovering all that they cherished in each other and their relationship.

It has been such a fun time getting to know these two high school sweethearts over the past year.

They met at the age of 16-year-old. From the get-go, they shared an easy-going sense of humor and appreciation of the little things in one another.

Harley, usually a shy kid, recalled how profound it was that she could always bring him out of his shell and how to completely be himself around others.

Thinking back on what was a difficult childhood, Amanda loved that meeting Harley showed her the possibility of a better life and how to be a kid again.

More often than not, this usually takes the form of dancing and singing to music while cooking together.

Over the next ten years, Amanda and Harley’s relationship flourished.

“We were able to develop around each other and made up for each other’s perceived “faults”, Amanda said.

It was a wonderful, mutual balance of support, love, and acceptance. Each knew they had found their person

For them, it was those times growing up together around Butte and Anaconda, Montana where the foundations of their relationship and support for one another really solidified.

As their relationship grew, some of their fondest memories were going on dates to the historic Washoe Theatre in downtown Anaconda and then dining at one of their favorite restaurants in Butte, the Pekin Noodle Parlor – the oldest Chinese restaurant in the country and housed in a formal brothel.

We wanted to highlight these two places that held a lot of wonderful memories for them.

We decided to recreate an ultimate date night for them!

Here are some favorites photographs from their Washoe Theatre Couples Portraits photographic experience.

This January, they will be getting married here in Bozeman and the Gallatin River Lodge. I can’t wait to celebrate with them. Congrats on your engagement you two! -M

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Morel Mushroom Hunting Couple Portraits of Brianna and Kyle

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  • Bozeman Morel Mushroom Hunting Couples Portrait Photography

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of photographing the Morel Mushroom Hunting Couple Portraits of Brianna and Kyle.

Brianna and Kyle are two foodies who are planning their September wedding celebration later this summer.

This engaged couple has made a life together fostering their shared love of the outdoors and wild foods. They work hard for that lifestyle. Both are on the talented staff at the Gallatin River Lodge. Kyle works as a sous chef and Brianna is the kitchen, garden, and reservations manager for events.

Working in the service industry often requires long hours, especially in the summer. It can make personal time challenging to harness especially when your partner might not have the same schedule as you.

Through our numerous conversations leading up to our photo session, we discovered that it’s the little things that they shared together that help make their relationship so strong and satisfying.

For their couples portrait photographic experience, our conversations focused on all the things they love about each other, their relationship together, and their 8-year-old English Pointer dog named Speck.

For this engaged couple, life doesn’t get much better than when they walk the banks of the Gallatin River near with their dog and find wild morel mushrooms to turn into fancy meals.

The more we talked, the clearer our theme became. Their Morel Mushroom Hunting Couple Portraits would be the perfect recipe for their couple portrait theme – highlighting their passion for the outdoors and cooking good food.

I traveled out to their home west of Bozeman where we explored the Gallatin River banks together. Within an hour, we found a heaping bowl full of blond morel mushrooms and made some really fun, personal photos of Brianna and Kyle in their happy place with their pup.

Being an aficionado of foraging and cooking wild game meat myself, I joined them for a riverside campfire dinner. I loved photographing them creating together in their outdoor, fireside kitchen with uncontrollable smiles on their faces. These two were in their creative culinary zone. Kyle sautéed our prized morel mushrooms with garlic, spices, and asparagus then artistically dished them onto a perfectly grilled moose backstrap (donated by yours truly) prepared by Kyle.

We ate like kings and queens that night.

With our bellies full of delicious food and a couple of microbrews, we savored the moment. To close out our time together, I had these two snuggle up into their hammock. Kyle is also a musician and he played blues riffs on his guitar for us as the sun set over the mountains. It was a perfect way to enjoy a relaxing Montana summer evening.

I love the energy and the life these two have created together. I think their bond really shines through these photographs.

Congrats again on your engagement Brianna and Kyle. Wishing you two a lifetime of happiness! -M

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