The Cooper Family

I'm pretty sure the middle of August until now has been one gigantic blur! Welcome to a family and senior portrait photographers busy season! I always know it's coming but yet somehow forget how crazy it can be! I took this weekend off of shoots to hang out with the family and try to do minimal editing. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for catching up on editing, so I feel a little better about doing so...
I haven't had time to keep up on my social media the way I should. But I just had to take a few minutes and blog about this session.
You may or may not know that I also work for the Lewis and Clark Journal, a monthly publication that Christina Kamps and I put together every month.  Last month, I sat down with Katie Cooper to talk about her blog, Pitchforks and Pomegranates. I won't go into too much detail here as you can read the full article here: www.lewisandclarkjournal.com. But Katie grew up just South of Willow Creek on her family's Hereford Ranch. Today Katie works on her ranch as well as pursues her love of fresh, healthy and real food and also incorporates fashion and her fantastic sense of style.
 She asked if I would do her family's portraits: her mom and dad, herself and three sisters and their families! "It should only take about an hour" she said to me. The setting at her family's ranch was perfect so I headed out on a  Friday evening and told my husband, "It's an extended family, it'll probably be awhile".
As each family member emerged from the house, I noted that it was not just Katie with a great sense of style! It was almost exactly one hour later that I was packing up the car and heading home! It's not often that a family session takes less than an hour, let alone an extended.  Everyone was great, kids were well behaved and they made it really easy!

I am very happy with the outcome and I wanted to share. Please check out Katie's blog at
www.pitchforksandpomegranates.com

The Obsession With Running

Running.  I'm often told I'm crazy. Maybe I am. It's hard to put into words what running is to me. 

I've always ran, but not like I do now.  I think it's safe to say that most of my hometown BG friends will remember the 8 min mile with Teri Geer for Volleyball. I remember running around the CA (Central Administration) building a stupid amount of times trying to get under an 8 min mile in order to be able to play volleyball in Jr High and then in High School. I only played Volleyball a couple years. Let's just be honest, I really wasn't very good at it...or basketball. I was a gymnast and even though I wasn't phenomenal at that, I still loved it. Running was always a part of my conditioning and my workout plan.  I didn't run far and I doubt I ran real fast, but I ran.  It wasn't until after I had my second daughter and she was about a year old that I decided to run my first race, a 5k and that was it,  I was hooked!   Since then running has become so much more than just a way to stay in shape. 

Running is my "me" time, it's my stress relief, it's a way to challenge myself.  I started running road races and pushing my mileage. I will never forget my first seven mile run with someone I looked up to as both a runner and a photographer, Amy Berg. We got done with  that early morning run and she said "you just ran seven miles"! 

In the last five years that I've run competitively (and by competitively I mean against myself...ok maybe I'm a little competitive with others!), things have changed.  For the first few years I ran road races and road races only. I hated trails, my time slowed down way down and I struggled more. 

But then a year and a half ago,  Tara asked me to run with her. I was always hesitant to run with others because 1, I didn't want to slow them down and 2, I didn't want them to slow me down. Plus it's my "me" time.  I had always tried to keep up with Tara at races and always failed miserably, so I was scared.  Today I am so thankful that for our friendship and our runs and I don't know what I'd do without them! Tara has pushed my running and made me challenge myself even more. Thanks to Tara I now LOVE trail runs. Conquering switchbacks and mountains is just as fulfilling as hitting a PR on asphalt!  Long Sunday runs are so much better with a friend as well! Tara definitely has pushed my running to a new place and I think she's become my therapist as well ;) 

I didn't really set out to write this blog about me and my running journey, but my running journey  is what made this shoot so special and fun for me. Had I done this shoot 8 years ago, it wouldn't have had the same meaning. Running is so beautiful to me, it allows me to explore places and roads and country that I normally wouldn't. It allows me to start my day feeling fulfilled. It allows me miles of time with just me and my own thoughts with no one interrupting them! It allows me to become a better person. The feeling of exhausting myself and pushing my body past where my brain says to stop. Running in the cold, the rain, the snow, the heat reminds me that I can get through any obstacle that comes to me in my life. Running is my drug. 

I was so honored to be asked to do a shoot for Bozeman Running Company this summer. My worlds collided and I love that feeling!  Bozeman Running Company is a great store downtown Bozeman. My feet are always so happy when I leave there :)! They put on fantastic races and every time I go in  the staff is so happy and helpful. I was nervous for this shoot for a couple reasons...1 it was something different and 2 I wanted to capture running and what it means to me and so many others! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do that.  I think that I managed to do just that. From the solitude of running in a beautiful place to the fun and camaraderie that runners have together, I feel as though I was able to capture it all.  Here's just a few shots, enjoy! 

Big hair, vintage dress, fake birds and flower headpieces

I've mentioned before that I want to take a little dive in to the conceptual world of photography, as well as modeling and fashion. It's outside my box but a way in which I can use more of my artsy/creative side. I want to throw out a lot of the rules for posing and perfect lighting and correct skin tones. Isn't that what art is about, breaking rules and creating something that is beautiful to you? If it is beautiful to others, than that is just a bonus.

I've met many people over the last few months who I've wanted to use for one of my concepts (because of course I have several running around in my head!). Unfortunately, between my regular schedule of clients and having three children these shoots just kept getting pushed aside. One evening a friend texted me and mentioned that her daughter was interested in modeling and I said "Oh I have all these ideas in my head, I'd love to use her for one! Set a date with me and then I have to execute it!" So we did just that.

For well over two years I've had a concept in my head that I've wanted to do.  This is what was in my head: A black dress, big hair, a birdcage and railroad tracks.  At first I wanted someone with long dark hair and and a dark and dreary day for this shoot. Hailey has short blonde hair, but I decided to go with it. I couldn't really control what the weather would do that day.  A few days before our shoot I  was inspired by one of my favorite photographers, Sue Bryce to create some headpieces. So off to Michaels I went and my girls and I sat at the kitchen table with a hot glue gun and created!

The day of the shoot came and it was a sunny, blue sky day. I was a little bummed but I thought "I can always overlay a dark sky in post". I also decided to abandon the railroad part. Railroads are used, a lot. I had recently taken a run on a road that I loved and thought...that's it!

Here a few of my favorite shots! And after writing this and posting I think I might just play with some dark cloud overlays in a few, just to see! For my portraits I want to be as natural as possible, just fix a few things here and there and done. So it's a little hard telling myself that in my concept photos, it's ok to use to photoshop as a tool and "paintbrush"!

This was actually the second part of our shoot. The first part I wanted to do a softer, flowery, hippie feel. You won't ever hear me say no to a hippie feel for a shoot :) I was on a bike ride one evening and took a dirt road I'd never been on and stumbled upon a small groove of trees that were amazing! So we went there first! Here's a few from that portion! 

I had such a blast with this shoot and I really cannot wait to do more. It's something I need to take the time to do. It's good for the soul. 

Mom & Me Sessions

Whoa, how is it the end of May already? School is over today and I will have a 5th grader, 2nd grader and only 3 more years til a Kindergartner!
This Spring was very busy!  The older two were both in Softball and that proved to be 5 weeks of craziness!  So my Social Media has really gone by the wayside! I have a to do list a mile long, but I really wanted to take some time to share what I have been up to over the last month!
I had decided at the beginning of the year that I wasn't going to offer mini sessions as much this year. The reasons for this are probably for another blog! But something I've really been mulling over is Quality vs. Quantity. I like Quality...and the rest I will save for another day.

But there was one mini session I couldn't give up, the Mom and Me sessions! I had so much fun with these last year, so I had to do them again. I think it's really common for mom to be behind the camera and not in pictures. There are so many reasons for this. Capturing the moments for our children, but forgetting to include ourselves in those moments. We shouldn't do that, we should hand the cameras over to others more often!
I also know way too many moms (and women for that matter) that don't want pictures of themselves because their hair isn't right, they're make up isn't done, they're too "fat". I'm guilty of this myself. Guess what?! Your kids don't care...and when they're looking at old pictures with their children someday they aren't going to say "oh I wish mom hadn't been in that picture because she didn't put on her mascara that day!" What they are going to say is "wow, I wish I had more pictures of my mom and I". Go back and read my blog entitled "Why you shouldn't wait"

So here's just a glimpse of the results of my mom and me sessions! Make sure to look for them next spring! Or if I happened to inspire you enough to want to do a session soon, we could make that work!
Enjoy.

In another life I'll be a musician!

If I wasn't a photographer, I'd be a musician.

Actually that's a lie, I have no musical abilities whatsoever.  But I love music and secretly wish I had more musical talent!

So when Michael Myers, a local musician, called looking to set up a shoot to get some promo shots for himself and his daughter, I was stoked! I love doing new things and musicians are creative which means I can get a little more creative!

We headed out to Willow Creek where they had lived for many years. It was a gorgeous day and Michael and Cierra were naturals. I love how the same shot can look so different by smiling or not or turning it to black and white.

I listened to their CD while I edited this session, Cierra has an amazing voice and Michael compliments her very well. And that's all I have to say because my knowledge of music is pathetic other than I know what I like and I liked their sound!

Liberating

If ten years ago, you told me “you will be a portrait photographer” I would have laughed and said, “no way!” I loved (and still do) landscape, wildlife, and fine art photography. (In fact, I’ve been craving some of those shoots so I will have to plan some road trips this spring !) Since I started this journey of becoming a professional photographer it’s been interesting to me to see how I have evolved and continue grow. In the last few years I have been focusing on families, children, and high school Seniors and I didn’t really expect to start venturing into the world of fashion, glamour and Boudoir photography; yet, here I sit and that is exactly what I am doing!

This post is about my experience venturing into Boudoir photography! It’s something that I’ve been interested in for about a year, but due to my commitments for families, kids and seniors it just wasn’t something I was ready to pursue. However, in September I had the honor of photographing a friend and fellow photographer’s maternity portraits. A boudoir photographer herself, we spent some time at her house playing with lighting and doing some light boudoir maternity shots. I loved how they turned out and decided then that I would make the time to pursue this niche.

Venturing into something new is always exciting as well as nerve wracking. In preparation I did lots of research, studied countless boudoir images, and attended an online workshop. I knew what I wanted my Boudoir shoots to be like. I wanted the images to be classy, tasteful and timeless. Most importantly, I want my clients to feel comfortable and walk away having had a good experience. I expected my clients to be nervous, who wouldn’t be, letting themselves be completely vulnerable, often times in front of a complete stranger?  I expected clients’ confidence in themselves and their trust in me to grow as each session went on. What I didn’t expect was how liberating the shoots would be for not only the client but for me as well.

To watch someone, who absolutely doesn’t want an area of their body to be photographed, by the end of the shoot posing for full body shots and wearing less clothing than they originally intended, is inspiring and rewarding. To watch someone begin to embrace their body, flaws and all, and to see them walk out as a more confident person is why I am doing this. It may not be why I started doing it, but it is why I will continue to do it. I want women to feel comfortable with themselves and to embrace their bodies the way they are and to feel beautiful! We all deserve that.

I’ve had several women say to me, “I’d love to do one of your boudoir sessions, but I need to lose 10lbs.” I can relate. After my first shoot, I texted Sam (my above photographer friend) and said “I want you to do my Boudoir portraits, but I want to lose 5lbs”.  Now, after doing several shots, I say screw the 5lbs, screw the extra skin around the belly, screw the stretch marks. There’s so much my body can do, and has done, and let’s embrace that.

Part of my job as a professional photographer is to understand the human body and the angles and poses that most flatter a person; how the bend of the knee or a slight change in angle makes the legs look longer or the waist narrower. I believe on the power of posing and lighting instead of adjustments in Photoshop. I do, of course, edit my images, but I do not believe in altering a person completely

A few of my beautiful and courageous clients have approved images that I can share.  Enjoy!

Contact me to schedule your own liberating experience of a Boudoir Shoot.