Rocky Mountain Highway

Fall 2015, near Augusta, Montana

Our holiday sale starts today!

I am thankful everyday that I get to do what I love to do.  To say thank you to all of you who support me and my work throughout the year, I am hosting a 40% off sale for the rest of 2015!  The website is stocked with new work, including photos on canvas and wood photo blocks, all of which you can use the discount code. Visit www.montanaphotojournal.com to see what's new and shop for some gifts!  

"Fade"

An old Cottonwood tree stands in a quiet meadow, surrounded by fog. 

Taking in the Fall scenery...

I took a drive over MacDonald Pass a couple of days ago.  A few friends had mentioned the colors through there were spectacular, so I decided to go before I missed it.  Fall is my favorite time of year for so many reasons.  The air is crisp, but not biting like in Winter, and the forest is dotted with the vibrant colors of Aspen trees, making everything look like an impressionist painting.  It's hard not to smile when you're driving through the mountains and everything looks like this.

"Taking Shelter"

Finding an old barn, no matter how small or dilapidated,  is pure joy to me.  This one is tucked out of the way, almost unnoticeable, under the shadow of the tall red grain elevators in Clyde Park, Montana.   I was focused on taking pictures of the grain elevators when I saw the red of this barn through the thick trees.  This turned out to be my favorite shot of that day, so you just never know.  I love Montana because there are so many of these old buildings to find.  I love them in their rough, weathered state, but it's also bittersweet as I know this means they are slowly decaying and will soon be gone.  I hope we can save some of the authentic character that makes me so proud of Montana.

"Sacred Heart"

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church, near Harlem, Montana.  As a lover of pastels, this little country church just gets me.  Pink and an aqua blue sky made the very hot day worth it.  It was about 103 degrees when this was taken, at the end of a beautiful June day.  

"Endless Days and Skies"

I got some great shots last weekend while out and about.  The sun came out and there were some great clouds in the sky when I woke up, so I grabbed the camera and went to see what I could find.  If you live in Montana year-round, you know how to appreciate the warm weather and vibrant colors of the summer because it doesn't last long.  Being someone who doesn't exactly love winter,  I really feel the cabin fever wearing off when I can get out in a green field and soak up the Vitamin D I've been lacking all winter.  This landscape is my idea of what heaven probably looks like - open, sunny, and warm.  I hear the cap popping off a bottle of beer...

Prints of this photo are available in my Etsy Shop 

We've got a new website!

I have been a devoted Etsy user since 2007, but I feel the need for an official website to showcase our products.  With the addition of greeting cards, wood blocks, and photos on canvas to our line, it seemed like a good time to create a website to have a beautiful on-line shop.  Big Cartel provides great pre-made templates that are fully customizable.  We are in the process of getting our domain name changed, but for now here is the site:    http://montanaphotojournal.bigcartel.com

"Harvest Shadow"

It seems that the chances of finding a good shot improve once my tires leave the pavement.  This day was extremely warm, at the end of August, just as everyone is starting to harvest their wheat.  While the tourists pack into Glacier Park and Yellowstone, both just a few hours from where I live, I have always loved finding myself alone in one of these wide open fields, as a storm rolls in and the wind picks up, swaying the wheat around me.  The air is magical and energized by storms.  The colors are incredible in the summer and I love to find the combinations that I haven't seen before.  

Getting a new identity...

I love to design business cards.  They say so much about a company or individual.  It is very hard to design them for yourself, but after many trials and errors,  I have landed on the two designs above.  My logo is one that I've been using for a couple of years (the part with the wings only) and it needed...something else.  I have always admired seeing a company advertise the year they began their business, it's a badge of pride.  Considering this, I added the "est. 2007" to my logo, and the tagline, which helps people know what it is I'm selling and who I am.  The back of the cards are much less interesting, but I did add my instagram/facebook/website info that wasn't there before.  I've gotten good feedback so far! 

"Rusted Edges"

I'm warming up to winter.  I used to take almost no photographs during the winter.  It's just not my style.  The gray skies, the lack of color.  Lately, in the last few years, I've kind of embraced this as a way to look at things differently.  The landscape is so quiet in the winter.  Even the towns are quieter, and the snow is so bright, even on a gray day.  I think this comes across in winter landscapes.  A feeling that you're the last person for miles and miles.  In Montana, you can feel that way on any day, but in the winter when the snow obscures most buildings and noise surrounding you, it can feel very isolating, but in a good way.  This little sheep barn, so beautifully weathered, is an example of some of the moods I've been enjoying capturing lately.  

"Happy Accidents"

My best seller for 2014.  I am so excited to get back out on the road this Spring!  It is just absolutely breathtaking in Big Sky Country when the grass is green and the blue skies are filled with puffy clouds.  There's no place I'd rather be, and bringing a camera with me is such an added bonus.  Sometimes when I'm out taking my photographs, I see people drive by and wonder how they can drive on by when there's something this spectacular happening.  These moments are fleeting, but even so nature is my favorite subject to photograph.  Taking landscape photographs is so relaxing.  There's no need to hurry, no need to worry that it won't hold still.  For the most part, it will change slowly enough to really get a good shot.  I suppose I prefer the solitude of landscape photography because it does allow me to slow down and really focus on what I want to capture.  When working with people, it sometimes is so hectic and unpredictable that I find it stressful most of the time.  I do enjoy photographing kids and families, but I find weddings and events to be far too fast paced.  Being surrounded by miles of open space is where I feel most at home.  

"Little Pink Houses"