Spring in Montana is pretty much just an extension of winter with a little less snow and a few more sunny days.  So naturally a spring engagement session can have its challenges.  Ryan and Elizabeth made the trip out here from California so that they could finalize their wedding plans, which included meeting me for the first time and having their engagement photos taken.  I loved meeting both of them and we had a lot of fun hitting some of my favorite photo locations in and around Livingston.  It was cold and windy and there was a lot of snow still on the ground but they didn’t let that bother them – at least they didn’t let it show!  I am really looking forward to their wedding which is going to be a smaller, somewhat relaxed affair at Chico Hot Springs.

I just got this custom iPhone cover that I designed and then ordered from getuncommon.com and I love it!  The turn around time was incredible and it is so much fun to have a cover that I designed.  I didn’t think that I could love my iPhone any more than I already do but I was wrong.

Love is a wonderful thing. While I am not a big supporter of commercial holidays, I do believe that we should take whatever opportunity we can to show the special people in our lives how much they mean to us. I hope that we all take the time to do this more than just once a year in February, but if it doesn’t come easy to you and you need an excuse, Monday is your chance!  Happy Valentine’s Day.

A few nights ago I had a conversation with on old friend of mine who recently moved from Boston back to Minnesota about ways to fit exercise into our busy winter lives. Cross country skiing came up and as she was telling me about all of the wonderful options she has for skiing close by her home I started feeling sorry for myself.  I mean, I have to drive an entire 30 minutes to get to a beautiful skiing spot.  And it takes a whole hour to drive to Yellowstone National Park from my house!

Eric and I decided to take that drive yesterday and headed into the park for a couple of hours of skiing.  When we finally settled on a trail that took us out into the middle of  Yellowstone wilderness with bison in the distance and not a single person in sight I had to laugh at myself.  Who could possibly have all of this practically in their back yard and be silly enough to think the grass could be greener (or the snow whiter) anywhere else???

Okay, I realize that it is the middle of winter here in Montana and fall is long gone.  But I was looking through my stash of photos picking some out for my portfolio page and came across these.  I am not a big fan of guns and actually had never even held a gun until a couple of years ago.  Living in Montana, where it seems that most kids start hunting right around when they learn to walk, I am sure that I am in the minority in this respect.  However, I like to say that within reason I will try just about anything once.  Which has, in the past, led me to eat fried grasshoppers in Thailand (just once), sky dive (just once), shave my head (twice)…you get the picture.  And now I can say that I have shot a gun two times.  These photos are from the second time.  I don’t think that I could ever hunt but shooting at clay pigeons isn’t a bad way to spend a beautiful fall evening, except that most of my pigeons survived completely intact!  So, here’s to trying new things and the beauty of Montana.

Happy New Year everyone!  This upcoming year – 2011 will be my first full year in business for myself as a photographer.  To me that is an exciting prospect.  After working as an associate photographer for someone else for 3 1/2 years the decision to go out on my own was terrifying but I know that it will be immensely rewarding.  I am really looking forward to this next year and am excited to see where it takes me.  I have to say that at this time last year I would never have imagined being where I am right now!

My goals for 2011:  Continue to learn, grow and do more of what I love, personally and professionally.  What are your goals for the new year?