Chico Hot Springs Family Portraits of Annie and Erik

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Late this summer, I had the pleasure of photographing the Chico Hot Springs family portraits of Annie and Erik in Paradise Valley.

Annie and Erik have been married for seven years and have made a comfortable life together in Louisville, Kentucky. They both love an excuse to travel. Frequently they take advantage of the summer months to road trip across the country. Over the past three years, Erik and Annie have found solace and joy in vacationing with their two dogs, Wallace and Davis, in Southwest Montana. They also make an annual stop to stay at the historic Chico Hot Springs in Pray, Montana.

In Erik’s eyes, Annie makes everything in his life better.

He admires how she intuitively reacts to help others in a time of struggle. He loves how positive a person she is. At times when his attitude can be “a stick in the mud,” Annie is there to bring him back to a place of calmness with a smile on his face – especially when she has baked one of her trademark pies.

Annie loves how taken care of she feels in her life with Erik. As an engineer, his intelligence and handy ability to fix all the things around the house is a gift she does not take lightly. His affection and dependability make her feel loved every day. Sharing family-orientated mindsets, both feel supported, strengthened, and grateful for the love they share.

After a recent family tragedy, this year’s trip to Paradise Valley in southwest Montana held a special need to heal. It would be a time to decompress and be present with one another after the past year of grief.

To mark the occasion, they decided to hire me to document their family portrait experience. Annie and Erik wanted family photographs that highlighted their love of each other and their dogs in a place that has meant so much to them.

Joined by her father and stepmother, Tom and Sherri, we hiked and explored the mountainous hillsides around the Yellowstone River during the “golden hour” of the setting sun. It made for quite a beautiful backdrop for their family photographs. From there we headed to Chico Hot Springs to catch the remaining sunlight and then into the bar for some cocktails and family storytelling.

This family has been through so much and it was wonderful to connect with them, create some lovely family portraits, and bring out their smiles. These are some of my favorite photos from our time together. I look forward to seeing this family in Montana soon, -M

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Missouri Headwaters Sacajawea Hotel Couples Portraits of Jackie and Mike

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It was such a pleasure to photograph the Missouri Headwaters Sacajawea Hotel engagement portraits of Jackie and Mike.

Jackie and Mike are travelers at heart. So when the time came for the engagement portrait session, we traveled to two of their favorite local spots, the Missouri Headwaters State Park and the Sacajawea Hotel.

Each of their professions has them traveling all over the state in roles that cater to their love of new places and their curiosity to meet new people. Mike is a sales rep for Kettlehouse Brewery and Jackie is a producer at Montana PBS.

The more they got to know one another, the more their commonalities started stacking up. Mike and Jackie soon discovered they shared a love for the history of national parks. Even more, as their relationship grew, they discovered the shared value of deep conversations and intellect. So when the pandemic quarantine came to Montana, these two decided to keep the conversation going and moved in together. Jackie and Mike both agree the experience made them grow even stronger.

For Jackie, she loves the extroverted, loving, and loyal energy Mike brings not only to their relationship but also to everyone around him. “He’s in awe of his people,” said Jackie. “With heart and soul, he is very thoughtful in planning new experiences for us that I might like. His energy and passion for life is so magnetic. I feel so lucky.”

Tuck, Jackie’s pitbull-Labrador mix (who has now claimed Mike as his, too), agrees. Jackie smiles as she mentions that Mike and Tuck have become soulmates.

Mike loves Jackie’s desire for adventure, whether that be their frequent small-town dates, visiting hot springs, breweries, or canoe racing on the Missouri River. She’s steady and always there for him. They love to play outside together, often adorned in Chacos and Carhartts. Mike would have it no other way.

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