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Cody | High School Senior Portraits | Helena, MT Portrait Photographer

I've known Cody and his family for a few years now. It is hard to believe that he's a senior at Capital High School this year.  He has grown to become a very respectful young man. His love for his family shines through anytime you are around him. Like most teenagers, he loves hanging with his friends, music, cars and football. Here's a few shots from his session.

 

 

Supermoon | Helena, MT | Crystal Nance Photography

You've probably heard about it in the news recently but what is a "Supermoon"?

A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach it makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit. This results in a full moon that can appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than it appears on a typical night. The name supermoon was coined by an astrologer, Richard Nolle, over 30 years ago. It was popularized and came to be the accepted term for most people only in the past few years.
 

By Nolle’s definition, the new moon or full moon has to come within 224,851 miles of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, in order to be considered a supermoon.

By that definition, the year 2014 has a total of five supermoons. The first supermoon, for 2014, came on New Year’s Day, with the January 1 new moon. The second came with the new moon of January 30, 2014. Next was July 12, 2014 and then last nights (August 10th).

The next supermoon will be on September 9th.

Phew! I just felt like I was back in my old Astronomy class! Now you might wonder how I learned all that...well, I "googled" it. 

Really that info came from: http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-supermoon

Somewhere where they are a lot smarter than me on that subject. I just enjoyed photographing the Supermoon!

Here are a couple photos I took when just my kit zoom lens. 

Crystal Nance Photography | Helena Portrait Photographer | Helena, MT

Andrea | High School Senior Portraits | Helena, MT Photographer

I really enjoyed my time with the beautiful Miss Andrea. Check out those heels she is wearing. We joked about how I would definitely hurt myself walking in those! Two inches is about the max height I can wear and still be somewhat graceful. But not, Andrea strutted her stuff and never missed a beat!

She was a natural in front of the camera. I asked Andrea if she had any advice to offer other seniors who were getting ready to have their senior portraits done. This is what she had to say: 

"Just relax and have fun with it! Be yourself and don't do anything crazy drastic with your hair right before."

Andrea was gracious enough to allow me to use her photo on the cover of my new Senior Client Guide! 

 

After high school Andrea is planning to attend Rocky Mountain College to study Sports Medicine.  

I wish you all the best Andrea, and know that you will have much success in your future!

Kaitlin | High School Senior Portraits | Helena, Montana

Kaitlin, Kaitlin, Kaitlin...what can I say?

Kaitlin is one of the most gorgeous girls I've ever had the privilege of photographing and we had so much fun together.  Kaitlin is 16 years old, home-schooled and will actually start college in January! Though she is not a traditional high school senior student, her mom didn’t want her to miss out on this important milestone of getting senior portraits done! I’m sure glad she felt that way!

When I asked Kaitlin about her favorite past time, her reply was laughing. And what a great sense of humor this girl has! She had her mom, sister and I all laughing so hard, our sides hurt by the end of it! I love when people are comfortable enough to be themselves and act goofy. I'd ask for a serious "Blue Steel" look (for those that don't know, that is a movie reference from Zoolander) and she'd say how about a "Pink Aluminum" instead! She could never hold that look for very long though. I don’t think her face knows how to not smile! 

Congrats Kaitlin! I wish you all the best in your upcoming journey!!

Dowling Family | Family Portrait Photographer | Helena, Montana

Let me stop for a second to tell you that I am seriously the luckiest photographer in the world. My clients are always so wonderful to work with. That's true of my recent session with the Dowling family, too!

I met with them last month in my backyard and the weather was great for photo-taking. And while it was a beautiful warm,sunny day, it was the Dowling family that made this shoot such a blast! 

When it comes to photographing kids, I've learned that the session may not always be rainbows and unicorns. There are times when kids just aren't happy to have their pictures taken.  This was not one of those times (although Baby Jake was teething so we had a couple of tears). I've learned that when that sort of thing happens, you just have to roll with it. I always capture those moments too. And inevitably, mom and dad always buy at least one copy of that photo. Luckily, I was still able to get many wonderful shots of them without Jake crying. Our session consisted of lots of laughing, teasing, tickling, a little crying and even a photo bomb! 

As you can see from the photos, this family is not only photogenic, but also a very close-knit group who clearly love spending time together. They are lucky to have each other. Enjoy!

 

Erskine Family | Family Portrait Photographer | Helena, Montana

I recently had a quick session with the Erskine family. I've said it before and I'll say it again – I truly have the best clients ever! This family was no exception, either. They are fun and don't mind being silly,

I love to capture moments that aren't necessarily posed and definitely candid. I always try to capture moments between mom & kids or dad & kids or dad & mom when they're not looking. You can really see the love in those moments, like the one below with mom & son.  

 The three kids all had tattoos and were happy to show them off (don't worry, they're not all real!!)

Michael & Tammy | Engagement Session | Helena, Montana

When I first talked with Michael & Tammy about their engagement session, I had tons of ideas on how to pose them to especially show off the ginormous rock on her finger. Well, they had a whole different idea on how they wanted their session to go. They are not ones to be flashy (with the exception of the engagement ring of course!). They like things simple, to the point. Tammy wanted a session that was truly about them and NOT the ring. What? I know, right? I've never had a girl tell me I don't want a lot of shots of the ring! Every couple is unique though and what was most important is that I think I captured the love the two of them share.  It was obvious in everything they did; the way they looked at each other, the way they touched each other, they way the smiled at each other.

Tony | Children Portraits | Helena, Montana | Christmas

Meet Tony! This is my second time photographing him. Isn't he a cutie?

His parents came to me because they wanted some portraits done to use for their Christmas cards. They weren't sure what they wanted or what he should be wearing.

One of the things I always tell my clients is that it is very important to keep in mind where and what the photos will be used for. If you are going to be hanging a portrait in your home, its important to look at your decor. Is your home decorated in bright colors or more neutral colors? If its neutral colors and you choose to wear neon colors in your family portraits, they will look out of place hanging in your home and you won't be nearly as pleased with them. So try to make sure the colors of your clothes go with the color scheme of your home.

If you'll be using a portrait strictly for greeting cards, holiday cards or announcements, keep the colors and outfits as simple as possible. Think of the design and colors they'll be used with. If you choose a pink Christmas card design but you are wearing a blue dress with yellow polka dots, it's not going to look as nice as say a white dress with a smaller pink pattern will.

Tony's parents had already looked at my Christmas card designs and had picked a design that I knew using a simple white background would look best with. I suggested that Tony dress in Red, Green or Black.  His mom found this outfit at a local store and knew it would be perfect!

  

Tom Melissa Gabriella Jorge | Family Portraits | Bozeman, Montana | Adoption

I love photographing families...capturing the love and interactions between parents and children and even siblings.

Awhile back, I photographed a family that I couldn't help but fall in love with.  The love felt in this family can be seen in every photo I took. Meet Tom, Melissa, Gabriella & Jorge.  This family was brought together by adoption. Gabriella and Jorge were adopted about three years ago from Guatemala.

 

Adoption is very near and dear to me because my son is also adopted from Guatemala and I think thats why it was so easy to fall in love with this family. To know the struggles of the adoption process and knowing the feeling you get when you bring your adopted child home for the first time, we instantly clicked.  Gabriella and Jorge are obviously very happy kids. They were a joy to photograph and I hope that we can get those two and my son together soon for a playdate!

Did you know that November is National Adoption Month? Check out http://national-adoption-month.adoption.com if you'd like more information.

Fall | Children Portraits | Helena, Montana

Fall is my favorite season of the year. The morning air is crisp and the days are still warm. There's pumpkin carving, corn mazes, hay rides, the smell of baked goods wafting in the air. I can wear hoodies and jeans and boots. College football starts. Go UM Grizzlies! But most of all, I love the colors of season! They are gorgeous!

Robert & Jenna | Family Portraits | Missoula, Montana

Last week, I got to spend a beautiful afternoon near Missoula, Montana with one of the nicest people I know, Robert and his daughter, Jenna.

It’s been so wonderful to watch Jenna grow from a chubby wide-eyed baby girl, to a energetic gap-toothed little girl. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone.  Every time I am with them, I am amazed at how much love they show each other. She is definitely Daddy's little girl. I’m so happy they asked me to shoot these moments for them.

Baby J | Children Portraits | Helena, Montana

I've known baby J's mom since high school which is another way of saying "a long time". When she found out she was pregnant with J, I warned her I was going to be like the paparazzi around that baby! Before she gave birth though, she and her husband moved out of state. It broke my heart that I wouldn't be around to see her grow up on a daily basis. I'd still see them, just not as often as I'd like.

They made trip back to Montana right before J's first birthday! I had already purchased her gift: a pink tutu with a ruffled diaper cover and a ruffled shirt to match because lets face it, a girl can never have enough pink (or ruffles) in her wardrobe! When they stopped by my home to visit, I couldn't wait for Mandy (aka Mom) to see it! We put it on her and she looked adorable so of course, I grabbed my camera! But like most babies, J liked to be without clothing. So we ended up removing the shirt but J was fine with the tutu! I grabbed the pearls from my stash of props and the feathered headband and BAM! The opportunity for a photo shoot presented itself! I love when that happens...isn't she beautiful!

Caleb | Children Portraits | Helena, Montana | Cake Smash

Caleb, Caleb, Caleb...what can I say? Can he be any cuter?  He celebrated his first birthday recently and I talked mom into doing a cake smash. So after making sure everything that could possibly get dirty was covered, we began.  Mom placed Caleb in his spot and turned around to grab the cake. Caleb stood and waddled away. Mom grabbed him, put him back in his spot, turned to get the cake and Caleb giggled and headed right for the toys. Mom wrangled him in again, only this time, I was ready with the cake. As soon as he saw that cake, he sat still, his eyes lit up and a little squeal of excitement came from his tiny mouth. I put the cake in front of him, mom handed me my camera, I brought it up to my eye and he had already started eating it.

This only took about 30 seconds or so to shoot. But boy was it fun and obviously, Caleb likes chocolate cake!