Engagements

Yellowstone Park Proposal

June in Yellowstone National Park brings many surprises! Surprise wedding proposals!

Lenin contacted me about a month ago as he was planning his trip to Yellowstone with Andrea his girlfriend and ‘wife to be’! We planned an early arrival in the park to catch the sun’s first rays bathing the falls. I knew there might be gorgeous morning light pouring into the canyon at about 8 am, but I did not expect to get a naturally occurring rainbow when the sun hit the rising mist above 63,000 gallons of water per second falling and crashing into the rocks below. Glorious!

I arrived early and soon Lenin and Andy walked out onto that platform amidst some other early visitors. The rest was all joy and tears! Afterwards we visited other scenic areas for photos and enjoyed the morning.

Enjoy the view!

Yellowstone Park proposal at the Falls

I love surprises, and this one was a huge success. Seth contacted me in the spring of this year and he inquired regarding my secret photography of surprise wedding proposals in Yellowstone Park. A few back and forth emails and soon we’re on the phone scheming and planning Seth’s big surprise. He and Sarah had been a couple for 7 years, but with school and jobs and everything they had not yet got to that point. This year was the year and she did not know it! They a had a trip planned for hiking, fishing and camping in Yellowstone. So we exchanged pictures so we would recognize each other and set the time and place.

When I arrived early to the spot below the lower falls, true to form Mother nature was creating quite a display of spray and light causing this amazing rising mist in the background. Everything was in sync and the location cleared out. I had watched 20 and 30 people at a time come and go. Now it was empty and here came Seth and Sarah. Sarah didn’t even give me a second glance, I was just the funny tourist dude with a camera and bag like everyone else in the Park. But when he stood their facing her, ring box in hand waiting for her to raise her glance from her phone while making photos of the falls… I knew something very special was about to occur.

Here’s the rest of the story in moments from the afternoon.

Seth and Sarah, I so loved witnessing your proposal and engagement. It’s amazing how well met we were!

I thought ahead and took a bottle of bubbly with me in a cooler full of ice, and some ‘cool’ pint jars to sip from and celebrate! And celebrate they did!!!

Winter engagement sessions

Fast and Fun!

Kathleen and Charles are marrying on this beautiful Big Sky ranch in 5 short months. The 320 Guest Ranch is always beautiful, whether it is covered in the white of winter or the lush green of high altitude spring and summer!

This couple chose to come and visit in the winter to meet with vendors and make their final arrangements for their August wedding. And… they wanted outdoor engagement sessions regardless of temperatures and snow.

Kathleen was set on braving the weather in her gorgeous gown and the Charles donned a jacket for some of the shoot.

This was one of the quickest engagement sessions I have ever done. One of my early teachers always said ‘it doesn’t take time it takes attunement’! It always made me think of the fleeting and lightening fast passing of moments.

In the same vein, I’ve always repeated in my mind that it doesn’t take a lot of time to capture amazing images. Moments are fleeting by very quickly compared to minutes or hours! Well, this time I had the chance to prove out my thoughts and test my skills. Here are over a dozen captured moments that spanned only 17 minutes and at least 9 of those minutes my subjects were warming themselves in the car between the 3 quick sets.

Kathleen and Charles, I can’t wait to see the images we make together in August! Cheers, Larry

Off to Florida

Montana Wedding takes us East… way East!

Just got back from a hot week in Florida. After shooting Kelsea and Mike’s wedding here in Montana, Jennie Lynn and I were invited to fly to Florida to photograph the big hometown reception for the newly-weds. It was a barn party… and it was HOT! What a blast. Live music, great food, lots of laughs and heat like I haven’t seen for awhile!

We got the royal treatment at The Villages with golf on championship courses, a lesson for Jen, swimming, pedaling and…. our own golf cart to cruise around in. It’s really quite the thing in that town. Everyone drives around in their golf carts. Many thanks to Mark and his trusty side kick Doris (aka, executive assistant)… WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME! So much fun and so many really fine people. Thank you!

Here are a few fun portraits of the happy couple and the lightening that performed in the sky over the party.

Dancing in the field!

They made us feel like family. It was an honor.

two souls become as one

What I love!

I love it when my clients get so into being with one another that they forget about me snapping away. Chelsie and Vinny were in that place last year during their engagement shoot. In my mind, that’s what an engagement shoot should be ALL ABOUT! I walked away from this shoot thinking… ‘Oh My God that was crazy beautiful’ giddy and laughing to myself as if I was a little boy! I guess I am in some ways! hahahhabhahah. I knew I had just captured something extremely special!

I dubbed this little video “two souls – become as one”

If you are looking for authentically beautiful imagery for your engagement and wedding… I would love to be considered!

Enjoy the view!

flip’n cold engagement session!

Breckyn and Thomas were up for a snowy and cold engagement session and of course… I was all in! We headed down by the Yellowstone river and braved the storm that was blowing in. This was definitely a mini session. It was about 20 degrees with 20 mph gusts! I shot until my fingers got numb and I noticed that the camera was actually starting to slow down a bit. I think 10 minutes was plenty long before we hustled back to our cars! I am looking forward to their Rainbow Ranch Lodge wedding in July wedding in Big Sky, Montana

Enjoy the view!