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COVID-19 shutdown in Montana

Watching my little town come to somewhat of a screeching halt as businesses close their doors and people hunker down has been a quiet time in Livingston. The threat of illness brought by this virus has created a new reality, albeit temporary. For me, I’ve take the opportunity to get outside more and go for long walks on the weekends. During the week I walk to my studio by myself in the big empty Shane Lalani Center for the Arts.

Today I took a roundabout route to walk to work and carried my camera to see what I might see. The mountains were obscured and a haze was over the mighty Yellowstone River which added it’s mystery to the crystalline environment.

On my route, I met other’s that were out walking and joyously greeting others that were sharing the same experience. It is obvious that folks are hungry for the social interaction of our little rural community.

So I hope you enjoy the view of our small town Montana, USA during the last weeks of winter. Be safe, be kind and stay healthy!

I found that this sign had acquired a different meaning than was originally intended.

And finally my destination at this beautiful old school building that has seen a lot!

And then sighting my first Robin this year. There is hope!

Soon this will pass and a vibrant life will once again return to all of our towns and cities. I have had a few calls from couples that have had to cancel their wedding plans for the early spring weddings. Some of whom having successfully rescheduling with venues and service providers and some not. If this has happened to you and are looking for help with photography or connecting to other services for your wedding, I’m happy to help. Give me a call or hit the Contact Larry button!

snowy engagement session

25 degrees and blowing a little snow along the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley… makes for a quick and exciting engagement session! Joshua and Krista were up for it and since they drove all the way from Billings, all systems were go. My finger tips got a little numb but we shot quickly and kept the pace up! No lounging around by the river on this shoot! hahahha

Enjoy the brisk vibes of this photo session!

These two… Just so darn SWEET!

Yellowstone Park Proposal 2020

2020 is off to good start! Flying in the face of the threat of viral mayhem, this couple flew in from Texas to visit Montana, ski Big Sky and visit our nations first National Park. Unbeknownst to Jessica, Ben had much more in mind for their trip to Yellowstone Park. He contacted me about three weeks earlier to lay out the plan to propose and have it all photographed. This time of year visitors to the Park are few and far between, so it made it a little more difficult to pull it off without giving the secret away. In winter the majority of the visitors are fairly serious photographers hoping to photograph the wolves in the Lamar Valley, so I dressed the part! I got to the agreed upon location and post holed into the most scenic snowscape.
( I should have thought about my snow shoes!)

As they arrived and made their way across the snowy field, I photographed some of the scenic vistas and kept my eye on their progress to the place we had planned. It seemed that life stood still for a few minutes as they had private words and embraced. Then, the magic moment…

I’ll let my photos tell the rest of the story.

Couples portraits, Valentine’s day

Valentine’s day portraits are great fun, especially when it’s totally spontaneous! I was hired to shoot for a corporate annual report and I needed a good assistant that was good with people and lighting. So, I called my friend Camden Miller a few days in advance and he was happy to jump in. Camden is a fine young videographer and image maker that I had met a wedding over a year ago. I knew his skills would be a perfect fit and he could add some video content if my client so desired. His only condition was that he could be free at 4 pm to meet his sweetheart for a Valentine’s day date and evening dinner. I said, ‘fine, no problem’, knowing that we would most likely be done by then. If not, I would just be left with the lighting take down and toting the gear to the car. As it turned out that was not the case.

The shoot came off without a hitch and when we were all loaded up, Camden asked if I would stick around a bit and make some images for he and Jessie. So… sure thing! Hence the impromptu mini session in Bozeman, the results of which I absolutely adore. It was 20 minutes exactly and Jesse and Camden were amazing to shoot with. Then when we were done, Jesse asked to take a picture of Camden and I. Nice shot Jessie!

‘bada bing bada boom’ Enjoy the view!

Camden and I hanging out in his brother’s vintage VW Vanagon

photos for a Friday 2020

A brief look back.

Today is somewhat of a reflective day. I thought it would be a good time to share more images that are meaningful to me as a photographer and a human being. ‘Moments Found’ which touched me, each it’s own uniquely beautiful and poignant way. Moments of life and death, beginnings and endings, joy and sorrow, togetherness and being apart, first steps and last rights, all of these experiences we call LIFE! So here goes. I hope these images move you in some very special and personal way.

And to start off, this first photo which I did not take. Thanks, gratitude and Credit goes to my good friend David Clumpner who masterfully captured my daughter Lauren’s wedding day. Thank you David!!!

And lastly, a picture of me with my VERY VERY dear companion Yeshe Ahni who I will not see again in this life.
I can’t wait to see what insights 2020 will bring to my eyes and my camera! LIFE IS SO GRAND…

Yellowstone Park proposal

Harsh Vedant Kumar contacted me on short notice to see if I could meet he and his ‘wife to be’ unbeknownst to her, in the Lamar Valley. They were traveling here from Atlanta to see Yellowstone Park in the winter and Harsh was planning a GRAND SURPRISE! So I made a plan and pinpointed some scenic places we could potentially meet, then spoke with Harsh upon his arrival in Bozeman to coordinate our location and timing.

At this time of year many of the visitors to the park are photographers that are hoping to capture images of the wolfs and other wildlife. That made me a fairly normal person to see hanging around with cameras around my neck, and etc.

When I arrived they had gotten to the designated location a bit earlier than planned. So I grabbed my cameras and wondered out onto the snow covered boardwalk taking in the view and made some friendly ‘stranger’ small talk. Then Harsh pull the ring box out of his heavy coat and knelt before his lovely companion. Niru was overcome with tears of joy and then quick and repetitive “Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!” filled the air. ANOTHER GREAT SURPRISE IN YELLOWSONE PARK!

As the sun appeared and disappeared from behind the low lying clouds we drove to a few scenic places and captured some magical memories.

And one more detail, Harsh was so thoughtful that he secreted a few dresses from Niru’s bag at the hotel knowing that she might want some images in other than winter coats and snow pants. Good work Harsh!!!

Enjoy the view!