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