"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 

"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.  

"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.