Tag Archive for: labrador

Rocky Creek Farm Styled Wedding Shoot

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Rocky Creek Farm Styled Wedding Photo Session of Tara and Sky
  • Rocky Creek Farm Styled Wedding Photo Session of Tara and Sky

With the help of fellow wedding vendors, I photographed a Rocky Creek Farm Styled Wedding Shoot in under 24 hours’ time.

The idea for a Rocky Creek Farm Styled Wedding Shoot sprouted last Tuesday as I was talking on the phone with my friends Jacy and Matt, owners of Gallatin Valley Botanical. For the last couple of years,  I’ve been photographing and supporting their local Bozeman organic farm here in Gallatin Valley.

They mentioned that they would soon be taking over management of the popular Rocky Creek Farm just down the road from theirs. In addition to farming the increased acreage of land, they would also be pushing to make Rocky Creek Farm a successful new farm wedding venue. While gathering material together for their wedding advertisement for this past weekend’s Bozeman Bridal Walk, they realized they would need some wedding photography to showcase their new venue to prospective wedding clients. They didn’t have much time.

I told them I could help. The answer…

We decided to have a Rocky Creek Farm Styled Wedding Session. The next day.

Our time was short. We set our photo shoot time for 2 pm the following afternoon and let them know I would take care of everything. After hanging up the phone, I sprung into action. First and foremost, we would need models. I decided to get in touch with my engaged friends Sky and Tara and invited them to be my models for the afternoon. Thankfully, they agreed.

If we were going to have a properly styled wedding photo shoot, we would need to make our volunteer wedding models look amazing.

We were in need of a fine suit and beautiful wedding dress for my models to flaunt. I called upon the talents of Persnickety Formal Wear owner Anne Porter. In between all of her fittings for the busy prom season, she happily agreed to help. Sky and Tara were outfitted with some classy wedding attire that looked incredible.

For Tara’s hair and makeup, I stopped into Indulgence. My friend, the lovely owner Deirdre Quinn, saw to it that Tara looked radiant as a bride for our Rocky Creek Farm Styled shoot

It all came together so well. In all, we organized our impromptu wedding photo shoot in under 24 hours.

Our styled wedding photography shoot turned out awesome.

The Wednesday morning rain clouds had subsided by the time our two-hour afternoon photo shoot commenced. We were given a nice, calm weather window to utilize and we made the most of it.

It turns out Rocky Creek Farms has a lot to offer both in capacity and scenery.

I photographed Sky and Tara against various canvases found on the farm. We made good use of Rocky Creek Farm’s old barn wood backdrops, apple orchards, and open farmland under the views of the nearby Bridger Mountains. We even took photo opportunities along the on-property spring creek.

I could have photographed there for hours.

We even utilized a few baby lambs and my new labrador puppy, Tippet, to be featured in our photo shoot.

It was a perfect way to spend a Montana afternoon. The styled wedding shoot could not have happened without the hustle and team effort of my fellow vendors. At a moment’s notice, everyone worked together to make something special happen on such short notice. I’m so grateful for their willingness, enthusiasm, and professionalism.

Congrats to Sky and Tara on their engagement! Well wishes to Matt and Jacy as they grow their new wedding venue out at Rocky Creek Farms! -M

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Introducing my New Photography Studio Labrador Puppy “Tippet”

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Introducing my New Photography Studio Labrador Puppy “Tippet”.

My new best friend has arrived!

My family grew up raising labrador retriever puppies and every Spring, during my junior and high school years, we would have a litter of labrador puppies in our house.

It was so much fun to come home from school and yell “Hey kids!” from the front door and suddenly a wave of wagging labrador would welcome me at the door. Having labs growing up was such a wonderful part of my childhood.

My folks have since moved from my childhood Chicago suburb home and have settled into their new life in Missoula, Montana. As I grow older, those familiar childhood memories and nostalgia grow more distant and seem harder to hold onto. I don’t get to go home to my old room or old stomping grounds which makes tapping into those old childhood memories a little harder.

Besides having the new companionship, I felt getting my own labrador companion would be one way to have some of those positive childhood experiences enter back into my life. And it would also just be a ton of fun.

Since leaving home to pursue a degree in Photojournalism at the University of Montana seventeen years ago, not having a dog has been a hole in my life that I’ve been waiting patiently to fill. So, two years ago when I made the decision that I would get my first pet and put a deposit down with Lori’s Labradors in Whitehall, Montana, my excitement could barely be contained. It turned out to be almost a two-year wait to get a black female labrador. Turns out it was worth it. Last Monday, I finally got to go pick her up.

It seems I’ve suddenly leveled up in adulthood. Now, my days are filled with puppy training, praising and dodging those puppy needle teeth.

I think Tippet is going to be a fun addition to my life. Keeping me company in my photo studio, accompanying me on my adventures and bringing lots of laughter daily. I’m excited to share our future adventures with you all on here. -M

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Gallatin Valley Botanical Labrador Puppy Family Portrait Session – Bozeman, Montana

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I recently photographed the Gallatin Valley Botanical Labrador Puppy Family Portrait of Matt and Jacy!

For the past 7 weeks, I’ve been making a weekly trek to the outskirts of Bozeman to the Gallatin Valley Botanical farm with my girlfriend Lora to scope out her new puppy and best friend. Ten labrador puppies equal awesome. Our Wednesday visits quickly became the best day of the week for us to play with the kids.

Matt and Jacy, the owners of the local Bozeman farm, had a litter of ten puppies and one of which would soon come bouncing into my life. During my youth growing up in Illinois, my family bred labs on our five-acre wooded property. I have some good family memories growing up around Labradors. Now by association, I would get to be around once again. Awesome indeed.

Before the puppies all went to new homes, I ventured one evening over to the Bozeman organic farm with my camera and made some fun Gallatin Valley Botanical Labrador Puppy Family Portrait photos of Matt and Jacy along with their kids and an army of labrador puppies. After all, it’s not often an opportunity like this happens. We had a great time. In the end, Lora got a yellow male and is calling him “Timber”. This will be fun. The dog adventure begins. -M

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