published :: montana magazine :: glacier national park cabins

Last summer I shot an assignment for Montana Magazine about families who own private cabins inside the boundaries of Glacier National Park.  These homes have been in the ownership of the families for generations and are grandfathered in to remain in private ownership.  It is really remarkable to think that when many of the homes were built, people still took boats across Lake McDonald for groceries and supplies.  I'll post some outtakes from this shoot later but for now here are the pages -- you can see the full story in the current issue of the magazine.

Back in Town

Rome, Italy :: May 2012

We just got back from Italy this week and I'm trying to catch up on what I've missed while we were gone.  I'm back in my office and you can reach me by phone or email again.  It just might take me a little bit to come out of this gelato and travel induced coma.  Not a bad problem to have.

commercial photographer :: montana :: interior design

I shot some portraits recently for Tate Pastor Interiors two principal designers.  Based in Whitefish, Montana they provide creative solutions for residential and commercial clients.  They were looking for something simple that conveyed the warmth of the work they do and felt relaxed.  It's always fun to do shoots for them and this was no exception. Thanks for the fun shoot ladies!

Handmade in Montana :: Part Two

Handmade in Montana has been a great project to work on so far.  It's taken me to fun places around the state and put me in contact with people who really love what they do.  Like Andy, who works as a brewer at The Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitefish.  He loves his job, makes great beer, and was fun to shoot.  Or Melanie, who owns Camas Creek Yarn Shop in Kalispell.  Inspired to open her own store and refinish and old building downtown that is now beyond beautiful, she has started her own line of collegiate knitting patterns.  It used to be that industry in Montana mostly consisted of timber, farming, and the railroad.  Today people are creating their own ways to stay in Montana and enjoying themselves while they do it.

Handmade in Montana :: Part One

The last couple weeks I've been working on a new project focusing on handmade craft -- in food -- in clothing -- in everything across Montana.  These images are the result of a recent trip to Missoula.  The first images are of Taylor - the owner of Noteworthy in downtown Missoula.  Noteworthy offers handmade letterpress invitations and stationary.  The second set of images are of the owners of Selvedge Studio on the Hip Strip in Missoula.  The mother-daughter team own and operate this fabric store that offers patterns, fabrics, and classes in making your own clothing to the Missoula community.  More posts on this project to come soon.

miami beach view

That many birds around me would really freak me out but this lady was pretty pumped. From a trip earlier this month to Miami.

:: san francisco window :: montana editorial photographer

Window view from San Francisco in January. I loved these colors. So calm and pretty.

Montana Editorial Photographer :: Mountain Views

Logan's Pass/ Hike to Hidden Lake

View of Whitefish and Flathead Valley

Spring is coming to Montana. It's a little early this year and I'm thrilled. I am even going to to be able to go out for a run outside this afternoon which just about puts me over the edge on the happiness scale. I'm in the process of organizing some archives and so this post is a result of my "Montana Archive." You really can't beat some of the views here. Seriously. The thesis of this post is pretty much Montana is Awesome. I think it's a hard point to argue with really.

Missoula

Missoula

Last two of Glacier National Park

published :: western art and architecture :: shawna moore

The latest issue of Western Art and Architecture features an article on Whitefish artist Shawna Moore. I have had the privilege of shooting Shawna and her artwork over the last couple of years. I was happy to see this profile on her make it into print. Check out the latest issue.

Published :: Montana Magazine :: North Fork Road

I spent time last Summer and part of this Winter working on a story for Montana Magazine about the North Fork Road. The current issue has this story in print and I think it is a really interesting issue that goes beyond just this road. I always have a great time shooting for this publication and am glad they keep sending me on interesting assignments. Thanks guys.

Published :: Montana Magazine :: Buffalo Cafe

I shot this feature on The Buffalo Cafe last year for Montana Magazine. You can find it in the current issue on stands now. You can't go wrong with nice people, great food, and a location I can ride my bike to in the summer.

:: montana commerical editorial photographer:: napa valley beauty

In January I took a trip to California to primarily shoot this wonderful wedding. Afterwards a good friend and I drove out to Napa Valley. Saying we enjoyed ourselves is an understatement. Unseasonably warm weather plus the whole no snow thing made for a wonderful trip. One stop we made was at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. It was beautiful and the mustard flowers were in bloom. A great start to a new year full of possibilities -- and now a good reminder of how close we are to Spring here in Montana.

montana photographer :: portrait :: nick spear

Yesterday I did a shoot for friend and musician Nick Spear. I'll have a more inclusive post once he finishes the project he's working on but for now here are a couple shots for the day.

2011 End of the Year Wrap

Oh hey. I haven't been posting here much lately but it is more because I've been working and shooting and traveling and basically -- not blogging. I sat down to do an end of the year wrap up and I don't have much to post. I have several stories that people are sitting on till next year. Until they are published I don't have tons that I can post here....so...this will be a short wrap up.

In more ways than one this was a growth year for my business as a photographer. I'm still growing in my shooting but if I could show images of how much more organized my business life is it would be boring but accurate. Oh -- and the whole getting married thing was kind of a major part of things -- but I didn't take photos of that. So instead I'll just show you neat locations ... does that even out?



View of Glacier National Park from a helicopter ride in June.

Bikers -- East Glacier, Montana.

View from St. Mary's -- East Glacier, Montana



Two images from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.

Those were some of the more memorable locations I visited this year that I can show without spoiling publications for next year. As things move forward there should be more work on the blog but till then Happy New Year!!

September 11, 2011

On September 11th 2001 I was living in the Oglethorpe dorm on The University of Georgia campus. My friend Katie and I had gone to breakfast at Espresso Royale in downtown Athens. While we were drinking our coffee a random person ran into the coffee shop and shouted to everyone that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and then ran out. We all kind of looked around, commented that it was strange, and assumed he was just a crazy person. It wasn't until we got into the car where NPR was reporting the attack and playing live audio from Ground Zero that we realized the man who ran into the coffee shop wasn't crazy.

My friends and I watched the news together on the TV in our dorm later that morning. We ate lunch together in the O-House dining hall where they were playing the news over the radio so we all would know what was happening. Everyone ate in silence as we listened to the news. Class was canceled the next day and I have a distinct memory of going to sit out on the quad, sun shining, to take some time away from the radios and T.V.s that were continually giving us the news. I remember thinking how strange it was for everything where I was sitting to feel just like every other day but knowing that it wasn't the same at all.

I wasn't a photojournalism major yet, but I did take a point and shoot disposable camera around town in the following days. A group of us took candles to light at The Arch and I took a photo of the memorial set up there by students, teachers, and community members. I took the second photo of The Georgia Theater a couple days later. I'm grateful for these photos now. They represent a time of unity in a place I love. That time of unity seemed to dissolve so quickly to the divisive place our country is today.

As I step back to reflect on September 11th today, I hope we can remember a time when we came together as people despite our differences. It is one of the strongest impressions I was left with from this time.

Published :: Rick Bass for Smithsonian Magazine ::

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of shooting author Rick Bass for Smithsonian Magazine. It was late spring in Montana which means it's still a hell of a lot colder here than most other places in the country. Mr. Bass had written a piece on why he loves living in Missoula, Montana for the Smithsonian. I spent a couple of days in Missoula shooting places he particularly liked before our time together for portraits.

Bass is known for being an author particularly enamored with place. Originally from the South he has been out West for the majority of his career. His most recent book focuses on the controversial movement of oil from Canada into the U.S. on highways running through rural Idaho and Montana. He was a pleasure to talk to and we discovered he takes yoga classes at the same spot as my assistant. Always a good way to start off a session. Despite the freezing temps and gusty wind Mr. Bass was more than happy to spend some time with us on the banks of the Clark Fork River. The fish were just starting to rise as we left.

You can see more of the images from this shoot and read the accompanying story on the Smithsonian website here.

Echo Lake Cafe - Extra Serving

Earlier this week I posted about a shoot I did for Montana Magazine about Echo Lake Cafe. Echo Lake Cafe sources local organic food and is a favorite among locals. These were some outtakes that didn't get used. Makes me want a cup of coffee right now.

Shooting food is something I've been doing more of over the last couple years and I really enjoy it. Here's to hoping there's more shoots like this one in the future.

Casket Maker for Montana Magazine

Its been almost a year since I drove backwood, dirt roads to Willy von Bracht's studio outside of Kalispell, Montana. Such a nice guy and what he creates makes for interesting converstion for sure: caskets. Willy has been been handcrafting caskets since 1972 and he is happy to take your order if you're so inclined. He's committed to crafting caskets at affordable prices for folks. If you've been thru the funeral process before you know how expensive caskets can be -- and Willy wants to provide an option outside of that. He also makes caskets that can be stored in your home as a functional bookshelf until you need it. Not something I would have thought of -- but I must say that's pretty smart.

Montana Magazine has sent me on some memorable assignments and Willy definitely falls into that category. This article ran last year in the June/July issue of the magazine. I'm just now catching up with categorizing some of my clips so look for more updates throughout the month.

Echo Lake Cafe for Montana Magazine

It's been a little while since I update here. More because I've been working lots and having to sit on the shoots than anything else. I shot this feature on Echo Lake Cafe here in the Flathead Valley back in January and you can find it in the current issue of Montana Magazine. I love doing shoots like this and while only a couple of images were used for the article I took oh-so-many more. I'll post more of the outtakes later this week but for now I just wanted to get on the blog updating train.