Tag Archive for: photographing loved ones

Bozeman Montana Engagement Photo Session on the Madison River of Candace and Andy

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I can not think of a better way to start my 2013 wedding season. A couple weeks ago, I went out for a fun, wedding engagement shoot float with Candace and Andy on the Madison River. The two found me through a recommendation from a friend here in Bozeman, Montana and reached out to me in a bit of a panic. The two were disappointed with a previous photographer’s engagement photos and they called me looking for a last minute remedy. I was happy to help. The two wanted photos that conveyed their relationship while mixing in their mutual love of floating Montana rivers. For those of you that haven’t met me personally yet, flyfishing and floating a river are two of my favorite past time activities. Mix in a great photogenic couple, some great Montana evening sunlight with a photographer in his ultimate happy place…well, you have yourself a recipe for some awesome and unique engagement photos. I had a lot of fun with these two. We set out west from Bozeman (boat trailer in tow) towards our river put in. Candace and Andy brought along their English Springer Spaniel puppy “Bobo” for his first floating experience. Sometimes it’s those little added ingredients like a curious, young dog that can help set the stage for some fun moments. Upon casting off shore, two things were quickly revealed to me: first, Bobo had never in water before (let alone floated on top of it) and secondly, this dog had never seen a trout before. Hilarity ensued as Candace and Andy reacted to their pup’s new experiences in between each portrait set up and I was there to document it with my camera. The end result was some uniquely Montana-style engagement photos that they were really happy with. The two will be tying the knot later this summer. I wish them all the best. -M

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Photographing Grandparent Portraits – Greener Visuals Photography

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Finding a window of opportunity with two extra days off from the newspaper this week, I packed up my gear and headed over to Missoula, Montana to visit my family yesterday afternoon. My parents had informed me that my Grandma Jean was being honored for 50 years of volunteering for a PEO (which is womens philanthropy sorority) and they wanted a nice portrait of her. Enter photographer grandson. I wanted to show people the grandma I know and love. The one who giggles at her own stories, the one who cooked our amazing family meals and a the formatable opponent who dominated the countless family boardgames growing up. It was a chance to photograph my second mother. I was excited about this photo shoot. I began by looking over her wardrobe. When making portraits of people, I always want them to wear clothing that is simple and not distracting. Remember it’s about the faces and not the clothing. I choose a solid navy color, non-pattern sweater for her (that also happened to make her blue eyes pop, bonus!) and choose similar color palette for Aca (my grandpa). He is a man that appreciates his flannel. A good trait by any other circumstances except for portraits with other people. I want the viewers eye to go right to the person’s face. not the pattern of their shirt. Different patterns on shirts can clash too easily with each other. Tip – This can be a good thing to remember when photographing your own family. I chose the most simple pattern I could find and set them against a blue piece of sewing material borrowed from my mom. I liked the effect of blue on blue. From there it was all about capturing the interaction between the two of them. They will have been married for 58 years this June. One of the immediate benefits to photographing a family member is that you know just the right way how to make them laugh. It didn’t take long. The end result are photographs I think really captured their personalities. Looking over these again, realized I am really going to cherish these for the rest of my days. So glad I was able to finally do it. Hope you like them as much as I do. -M

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