fall photography recap

I haven't posted about pictures I've taken for a long time so I thought I'd just recap the past couple months with a few of my favorite shots from a couple of my favorite fall sessions. It ended up being a busier season of pictures than I anticipated and I will see a total of ten senior portraits in my sister's yearbook this year that I took (!!!). I can't begin to explain how excited that makes me and I'm so gracious for the opportunity to have been able to take these wonderful people's portraits. I mean, I just can't believe someone would let me, let alone pay me, for something I still don't feel like I know anything about really. I can use my camera, know the buttons, but do I feel like I know what makes a good picture aside from just liking it? Nope. It's my secret little dream to take a class one of these days. To every single of one these great individuals, you made me happier than you know.

the first friend i ever made at college and his darling girlfriend. i have never
 laughed harder taking pictures of a couple and i couldn't love 
these two more. and i'm so, so happy for my best friend 
i've stayed close with for over two years now.

i think this photo wins photo of the fall. 

another one of my first friends at college, julia, asked

me to take her family portrait before her older brother moved 

out of montana. i was of course, overjoyed and felt honored to

take pictures of this incredibly good looking and incredibly

kind family. 

my sister tagged along on a shoot with one of her 

friends and it turned out to be perhaps my favorite shoot as a

whole all fall. the best shoots don't feel like a "job" 

and i think it was my most relaxed session of all time.

through mutual friends, i got to meet a fellow photographer

in missoula who even asked me to assist her as a second shooter

in a wedding next summer. she was nicer than i could have

anticipated and it was a blast to just take pictures and talk about

the good (and bad) of photography.
also, she could be a model herself.

DO ANY OF YOU WATCH EXTREME COUPONERS!?

my cousin, tammilee, was on an episode in season one located

in spokane, washington. i got to make a short

detour on the way home one day to take pictures

of her and her husband. if i'm being honest,

i have a soft spot for couples photography. 

seeing people in love is just unbeatable.

there are good shoots and then there are shoots where

the person is so photogenic they can't take a bad picture.

seriously, madi, do you even realize how hard it was to

narrow down your pictures!? she. does. not. take. a. bad. picture.

this picture wins personal
favorite for fall portrait of the season hands down.

i was so excited for one of my best friends at school to tag

along on this fun shoot with two of our friends. 

both are darling and they are one attractive couple to boot.

also, how excited was i to find birch trees!?! so excited.

after the best fall leaves were gone, elizabeth

and i had to drive six miles out of town to find any still left.

however, we found some, found our favorite portrait of 

the entire shoot in those leaves, and she was a smiling champ.

my own baby sister (!!) let me take her senior portraits and

it was both the best and worst experience i've had taking pictures.

on one hand, she was more comfortable around me than she would

have been around a stranger, but on another, we definitely both ended up

screaming at each other in fields and arguing over what locations/outfits

we should pick for her picture.

lesson learned: just let them make every choice and treat

them as any other client. in the end, she picked the perfect

outfit/location for herself and they ended up

being my favorite.

oh, my sister. 

"sports" pictures were new to my expertise 

as well as finding a soccer field in our hometown without a horrendous

background, but in the end, these two girls were gems

and i want to frame this picture in my own apartment because

they are my second family and i hate how grown up they look.

If you held out for that entire picture heavy post I thank you and apologize. I have a photography blog in the works and I hope you don't hate me too much for this unwarranted photo dump on my behalf.