Maxwell Family Portraits

Marian and Matt are some of my favorite people. They ask me to photograph their family every year so I get to enjoy watching their girls grow up and get to spend a little bit of time with them.
It was a bright sunny fall morning and I asked the girls to gather some leaves for me. When it was all over Avery found a leaf, wrapped some dirt in it, tied in a knot and gave it to me. I LOVE when kids find things in nature and create something out of whatever they find. Many years ago, before my husband and I were married, we decided to exchange found items. He found a ring box, put some dirt in and wrote the note "I love you more than anything on earth." It sits in my bedside table as one of my favorite gifts. Avery's leaf sits on the dashboard of my car. It reminds me of one of my favorite artists Andy Goldsworthy

Towards the end of the photo shoot I brought out a lollipop for the girls to share. They LOVED it.
I LOVE this photo of the girls laughing together....

and of Matt and the girls climbing on him.

At the very end Eden and Matt raced each other over the bridge.
Marian and Matt thank you for being such wonderful friends.

Drop It Modern

WOW! This is the second time that I have ever used a backdrop with my photography. I always believed it was hard to bring life into photos in such a staid atmosphere. But I was wrong, again! I asked some of my friends if I could photograph their children and had my kids model for me to experiment with the backdrops. I LOVE Drop It Modern backdrops.

I LOVE this collage of Keegan in this great wedding dress from After 5

Just for fun she grabbed Cole's skate board and brought it into the shoot!

Then there are the photos of Charlie and Cole. I decided to ask Cindy to convert these to BW because I thought it would look a bit more 'bad boy' like. I LOVED the contrast between their 'bad boy' personalities and the elegant backdrop.
Then there was Maddy. I love the subtlety of the black backdrop. I can't wait to use it with this great black dress that Keegan just bought. I love the subtle and rich texture of this backdrop. The women at Drop It Modern really know how to create textiles that are elegant, photographic and photograph beautifully.



I LOVE the skateboard in this photo.


I LOVE the black and white conversions of these backdrops too!



I LOVE the shallow depth of field that I used while photographing Maisy. I wanted to change it up a bit and get some depth in an otherwise flat atmosphere. Maisy is able to bring her personality out while in front of the camera. Finally, I have an office in downtown Livingston but not a studio. I sold my studio lights years ago and honestly don't like using them for portraits. So when it was time to do this photo shoot I set it up in the shade in the ALLEY right outside of my office. It was a perfect location. I will be using these more often in my on location photo shoots and at weddings.

Chelsea's Senior Portraits

I just had the privilege of photographing Chelsea Lloyd's senior portraits while she was visiting Montana with her family. Our families have been great friends for years, although we are not often afforded the chance to spend time together since they live in Minnesota. I had a fantastic time photographing Chelsea -- she has become such a beautiful young woman!




What gorgeous hair!


Thank you to the Lloyds for choosing me to take her portraits!