I met up with Levi for the first half of his downtown Missoula Montana senior photos on a hot 95º day, and props to him for not melting in the sun and heat! Levi graciously dealt with the temps like a pro, and we had a great time making images all over Missoula. That even included photos on a rooftop with some sweet views (and a fantastic sunset)!

As we meandered from location to location (or from shady spot to shady spot), we chatted a bit about his upcoming senior year at Loyola Sacred Heart High School. Levi really likes math and engineering and is very much anticipating his physics class. He’s also interested in majoring in aviation and becoming a pilot after graduation, after being inspired by his dad, who’s a FedEx pilot and really loves his job. Levi shared with me that he’s actually flown a bit already! (How cool is that?!) The farthest he’s gone has been to Flathead Lake and he just really loves it. He told me he’s been super busy this summer, but he’s hoping he’ll be able to fit in more flying time during the winter.

He’s also actively working on finishing up his Eagle Scout badge, and is wrapping up a project that he’s leading to help build a display at the aviation center at the smoke jumper center. I know that it’s a huge accomplishment to get an Eagle Scout badge in scouting, so big congrats to Levi on being dedicated to making that happen!

When Levi’s not busy with school, he’s also very big into golfing, and enjoys the University golf course because he’s got a buddy who works there. They get to take advantage of some perks, which is always a bonus. But a course he really loves is Canyon River. He also digs working on cars and driving them, and really loves his truck, so we had some fun making images of his rig in the evening light, too!

Levi! Thanks again for braving the heat and sun (and the camera, haha)! I’m really looking forward to the second half of our session (and hopefully some cooler temps!), and hearing more about how your senior year is starting out for you. :) You did such a great job, during your session, so let’s launch into your photos!

On the docket:

A plethora of portraits! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

It’s no secret that I love, love, LOVE photographing senior sessions. And Carson’s Missoula urban summer senior session definitely fit the bill! He, his mom, Kelli, and I all had a great time meandering around Missoula, finding the best little nooks and crannies, and enjoying quite a lot of laughter together as we made Carson’s photos. (Big shout out to Kelli for being a most excellent photo assistant and toting around Carson’s clothing changes!)

Carson is a senior at Sentinel High School this year and he’s been involved in track, football and soccer. Though as of right now he’s taking a break from sports to focus more on work.

Initially Carson told me that he prefers photos where he doesn’t smile since he doesn’t much care for his smile, but pretty quickly into his session I learned that Carson’s got a great grin! He just needs someone to capture him in the moment where his smile is real and not forced. Which we did in spades! That said, Carson’s got some serious “slay” down too, so he can easily bounce back and forth from a happy grin to a smoldering gaze.

When Carson’s not busy with school, he loves to be outside spending time with his friends. Along with many Missoulians, one of his favorite things to do during the summer is to go floating and fishing – gotta love time on the water when it’s warm enough to enjoy it! And, when he’s not doing those things, he’s busy learning the guitar! All sorts of aspirations – I love it!

As of right now Carson would like to go to college after graduating from high school, but he’s not entirely sure what he wants to do post-college. He’s got a goal to travel to Japan within the next four years because he digs the Japanese culture and is toying with the idea of looking for a job there too!

Carson! What a treat to get to meet you and your mom! You did such a great job, and it was such a pleasure to get to make these photos for you. Promise me you’ll smile more for photos because, as I’ve said before, you’ve got a great, natural grin and shouldn’t hide it! Here’s to you, your senior year and all the exciting things ahead for you!

On the Docket:

Weddings, elopements, portraits and more! Keep an eye out!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Meeting up with Jack the other day for his Missoula Montana downtown senior photos was a blast – but I kind of suspected it might be since my senior session with his older brother Sam was a great time too!

As we poked around downtown Missoula, Jack told me a little bit more about himself. He’s a senior at Sentinel High School, and he keeps pretty busy these days with soccer and track. He also has grand plans to attend the University of Montana’s business school for a focus in marketing, which I can tell will be a path he’ll excel in.

Jack is naturally easygoing, and was so fun to photograph – he smiles and laughs easily (even in spite of my occasional corniness – thanks for humoring me, Jack!), and he had some great stories to share with me as we walked around finding cool little spots in which to make his photos.

He had a request to visit one particular spot downtown, which, as he told me, was the corner he used to frequent as a street performer. “You were a street performer?!” I asked. Jack elaborated a bit more and said that as a kid he used to play the drums downtown on that corner during the summers while the Saturday markets were in full swing. Not only did he make some pretty sweet cash as a 12-year-old, he also met some of the characters that, as we both agreed, make Missoula pretty darn great and keep it interesting.

As we continued traipsing about, we regaled each other with some stories of our encounters with the interesting folk of Missoula, which had us both cracking up. Oh, Missoula!

Jack! It was so nice to meet you and make these images for you, and congrats again on entering your senior year! Keep up that positive, happy attitude and I know you’ll go all sorts of fantastic places. Cheers to you!

On the Docket:

Portraits, editorial work and weddings!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I always love Missoula in the autumn, and Katie and I were really able to make the most of this beautiful time in town during her autumn senior pictures in Missoula Montana. Not only that, we definitely had a blast making her images!

Katie’s a senior at Hellgate, and as I came to learn while we meandered about during her session, she’s got a super witty sense of humor, a great eye for locations, and isn’t afraid to just go for it in her photos – all of which I love!

We had a fantastic time finding the most colorful spots for her photos, randomly came across an old, bright blue bus (I love me some old, blue buses, yo!), and at one point, Katie got her climb on when she spied a spot she liked. Despite the fact that it looked like it could be challenging to get to, she scaled that concrete wall and braved some burrs all in the name of some seriously cool photos. (I give her big kudos for that – the wall wasn’t easy to get to and those burrs were tenacious little beasts!)

Continuing our trend of finding cool stuff, we followed the beautiful light the evening was treating us to and came across some lovely, gnarly driftwood (can things be both lovely and gnarly? I think yes), pockets of greenery that highlighted Katie’s colorful outfits, dark spots that really made those bright yellow leaves just pop, and twinkle lights that went especially well with the autumn tones of the evening.

But we didn’t stop there! We had a great time making images in an old phone booth, catching the last rays of sun over the river, and generally just had a fabulous time all around exploring and making images – and, of course, joking the entire way.

Katie! Thank you again for such a fun session! You really did such a wonderful job, and I love how gung-ho you were to explore and find some really cool spots to make your photos. Here’s to you and your senior year, and the future ahead of you! I can tell it’s going to be a bright one. :)

On the Docket:

Portraits, weddings and editorial assignments! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I’m always stoked to get to work with people who love color and texture as much as I do, and Logan is definitely one of them! For her urban senior photos in Missoula Montana we especially had a great time seeking out various shades of blue since blue is Logan’s favorite color. (Check out her rad blue converse!)

Logan even brought her dog, Pond (named after Doctor Who’s Amelia Pond), and she had a great time too, and was especially interested in the ducks we encountered as we traipsed about town.

It was so much fun making these images for Logan – I love how she’s confidently got her own style going on, and her easy, genuine smile is the cherry on top! We had a blast laughing together, and finding great little pockets of good light and fun colors.

As we wandered from spot to spot, Logan told me a bit more about herself. She’s a senior at Sentinel High School, and has been in Missoula about a year. She moved here from Olympia, and especially enjoyed that urban vibe while she was there, so she wanted to capture that in her senior photos in Missoula, too.

Logan also loves reading and is into the fantasy genre but likes many different styles. She’s also got some awesome goals she’d like to pursue after she graduates from high school. She told me that she had initially been interested in psychology but really found neurology to be fascinating since there’s still so much to be learned about the brain. She’s planning on attending Montana State University for her undergraduate degree and then would like to head to the University of Washington for medical school. How awesome!

Logan – it was such a pleasure to make these photos for you, and I can tell you’re going to do some awesome things post-high school! Here’s to you and your dreams and goals! And congrats again on entering your senior year!

On the Docket:

Portraits, elopements and weddings! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Meeting up with Nick for his short and sweet downtown urban senior photos in Missoula Montana was such a pleasure – Nick’s one nice young man and is a senior at Big Sky this year, dedicating much of his time to his pursuits of football, basketball and track.

As we wandered around downtown Missoula, he told me a little more about his ideal plans after graduation from Big Sky. He’s excited to be graduating and is thinking about attending a school either on the east or west coasts (since he really loves both) and is considering studying business, finance or marketing.

Nick – it was so nice to meet you and make these photos of you for your senior year. Here’s to a wonderful remainder of it and a bright future for you on either coast! :)

On the docket: portraits and weddings – stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Westin’s senior photos in downtown Missoula Montana were such a pleasure to make. We had a great time wandering all over town, making sure to highlight some of Westin’s favorite things, including his love of football and tennis.

Westin’s a senior at Sentinel and is such a nice young man with great ambitions. Currently he’s taking quite a few AP classes, and really loves math and science. He also enjoys writing.

When I asked Westin about his plans for after high school, he told me that he’s got great goals to pursue a degree in bio engineering with the ultimate goal of attending medical school and subsequently focusing on sports medicine. Currently he’s hoping to attend Stanford, but is applying to a variety of schools.

Westin, it was so nice to meet you and your family and make these photos for you! I loved hearing about your goals and dreams, and I’m certain you’ll achieve them! Here’s to a fabulous senior year and an exciting start to your future!

On the docket: weddings and portraits! Stay posted!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Meeting up with Mia for her Missoula downtown senior pictures was so nice – and a reminder of just how quickly time flies! It only seems like yesterday that I was making photos of her for her cheerleading squad, which is now several years ago!

We had a great time wandering around some of downtown’s fun and funky little nooks and crannies, and as we did so she told me that she’s really liking her classes, and is especially enjoying her drawing class. Mia also mentioned to me that she’s thinking about pursuing a career in medicine, and at the moment is leaning strongly towards nursing since she really loves people. Mia’s got a natural grace and genuine friendliness about her, and I can see why she gravitates towards people – I’m sure she’d be a talented nurse.

Thanks again, Mia, for a great little session! You did such a fabulous job, and it was so nice to see you and your mom again. Here’s to a fun senior year for you and an exciting launch into pursuing your dreams in medicine!

On the docket: weddings and portraits! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

Emilee and I initially attempted to make her senior pictures in August – however, we were thwarted by the massive amounts of forest fire smoke that decided to hang out in the Missoula valley. Fast forward a bit, and we decided to go for autumn senior pictures in Missoula Montana. And I’m so glad we did – even though it rained (kind of a lot), we stuck it out and it resulted in some seriously awesome, unique photos – can we say DOUBLE RAINBOW?? :) Ohhhhh yeahhhhh.

Emilee was so wonderful to work with – she’s got a beautiful smile and can rock a more serious look as well. She wasn’t afraid to dance in the rain and humor me by having fun playing in the interesting light that we found downtown, too.

Emilee’s also got some great goals after she graduates from high school. She told me that she will likely attend college in Missoula and pursue a degree in elementary education. She said she’d really love to teach second graders (such a great age!).

Emilee! Thank you again for such a fabulous session – you knocked it out of the park, and I’m so glad we put up with a little rain – because, there’s always that silver lining, right? :) Cheers to you and your senior year, and here’s to going after those goals!

On the docket: weddings and portraits – stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine