Once again working with my friends at Whitefish Theatre Company, I had the pleasure of photographing the delightful farce "Suite Surrender." And what a classic farce this particular play is. Mistaken identities, missed connections, and misunderstandings abound. If you're in the Flathead Valley this weekend or next—June 1–4th and 8–10th—you should really check it out.
Over the span of a couple of months, 50 plus middle and high school students throughout the Flathead Valley rehearsed and performed "Les Misérables," one of—if not the most—famous theatre shows in the world. It's a difficult show about love and loss set amidst the backdrop of the French Revolution.
If you've followed my work for any amount of time, you're likely already aware of how impressive Alpine Theatre Project's productions are. Their student productions in particular never fail to just blow me away. The amount of care and commitment ATP puts into each production, and the dedication the kids display is so evident when seen on stage, it is nothing short of inspiring.
Another fun project documenting a rehearsal of Whitefish Theatre Co.'s production of the play "Evelyn in Purgatory" written by Topher Payne. depicting teachers on a probation of sort in the New York Department of Education. Admittedly less frenetic than my last two projects with them. More talky, some humor, but more serious. The cast did an incredible job and includes 7 actors from around the Flathead Valley. Joy James plays Evelyn Reid, Andy Wilton plays Candace Metzger, Merannda Button plays Lila Wadkins, Dawn Watland plays Roberta Burke, Mikey Winn plays Toby Fleming, Malcolm Sharbutt plays Fred DiSalvo, and Laura Abernethy plays Ms. Atwood.
The preview performance is today, and it runs this weekend and next.
Those in the Flathead may recognize the Cowart name from local musician Todd Cowart. I've had the pleasure of photographing him as a performer a number of times in his work with The Alpine Theatre Project productions.
Needless to say when I got the call that his family would be visiting from out of town and he was hoping to grab some family photos with them I jumped at the opportunity to make it happen! We had an exquisite bluebird afternoon at—and on—Whitefish City Beach as our setting, and there were lots of laughs to be had.
This Fall we have been blessed with the most absurdly nice weather. Normally by early October, we'd be expecting much cooler temps but we've been enjoying highs in the upper 60s. Maybe not the best thing in the grand scheme of everything, but it sure is awesome for portrait sessions. Jena booked a simple one-hour portrait session before dinner while they were visiting the Flathead Valley, so we hit up Whitefish City Beach and Riverside Park, two of my favorite locations right here in Whitefish.
I bet you're getting a sense of Deja Vu, thinking "Didn't I just see a couple named Natasha and Aaron on this blog? Didn't they look an awful lot like this couple? And you would be correct!
After their possibly unorthodox—but totally awesome—"day before" portrait session, we met up all over again at Whitefish Mountain Resort for their actual wedding day. I met them all at a vacation rental there on the mountain where they were all getting ready. We then made a quick trip to the Hellroaring Saloon to drop off items for the reception, and then we made our way up to Chair one to the summit for the ceremony.
I'd been wanting to try a particular photo here that I'd not had the opportunity to do yet, where I have the couple embracing while mountain bikers bomb down the mountain right behind them. Natasha and Aaron were game for trying it, but bikers were getting few and far between as it was nearing the last chair. Thankfully, a large group came up about 15 minutes prior to the ceremony starting so we made a mad dash a little ways away and they obliged us perfectly. So much fun coming up with silly/crazy ideas and having a couple down to try them.
Venue: Whitefish Mountain Resort & Hellroaring Saloon & Eatery / Catering: Hellroaring Saloon & Eatery / Officiant: Sarah Harding, Celebrant / Bakery: Montana Wildflour / Hair & Makeup: Elegance by Joy Rene
While I myself did not take the plunge, from the look on the faces of everyone who did, there is no better way to end a hot summer wedding with tons of dancing than ending the night in a lake. Wedding attire and all.
This has been a theme this summer, but with the majority of my couples this summer they themselves, and so many of their guests are what I would call "my people." The "people" I'm referring to are art school graduates. Illustrators, Photographers, Dancers, Musicians, you name it. And it just feels like the people I spent so much time with in college when I was pursuing a BFA in graphic design. And it just feels right.
This wedding had everything from the requisite copious amounts of love to interpretive dance, to songs written specifically for the couple. And the aforementioned plunge into Whitefish Lake to cap it all off.
Venue & Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake / DJ: Sidecar Audio / Couture: Wtoo by Watters & Indochino / Florist: Elevate Amenities / Bakery: Miss Patti Cakes / Jewelry: Armbruster & Princess Jewelry / Rentals & Decor: Celebrate Event & Party Rental
Another beautiful—if hot—summer day at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake for an intimate wedding. Natalia & Ben were having a lovely small wedding with their families and closest friends and enjoyed an absolutely amazing evening on the shore of Whitefish Lake. I didn't stay too far into the dance party however as they opted to spend their budgeted time on an adventure portrait session in Glacier a couple of days after the wedding. The results of which you'll see in the next blog post.
Oftentimes at The Lodge, the couple can take a quick ride around the lake in a vintage 'woody' boat The Lodge keeps. Unfortunately, it had stopped functioning literally minutes before we were to hop on for some photos. Natalia and Ben took it in stride, however, and we simply took photos in it there at the dock. Serving as a reminder of one of my best tips for enjoying your wedding day plans. Things are unlikely to go exactly as planned, just roll with it as best as you can, and everything will turn out.
Venue & Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake / Bakery: Fleur Bakeshop / Florist: Mum's Flowers / DJ: V-Team DJs / Couture: David's Bridal
This family was so special if even just a bit bittersweet for me. I was supposed to photograph Anna and Lex's wedding in the early summer of 2020. As you can imagine, those plans didn't exactly move forward as planned because of... things... going on in the world at the time.
They ultimately tied the knot back home in Canada, and have since added a two-legged baby to go along with the four-legged child to make a family. Much to my excitement they came down to Whitefish shortly after the border between the U.S. and Canada reopened for non-essential travel and I got to see and photograph them for the first time since their engagement photos in 2019!
The Anderson family have been regular visitors to the Whitefish area for years, but a global pandemic and a closed Northern border between the U.S. and Canada had prevented them from making the visit for the last several years. Hailing from Canada and points beyond, this was the first time the whole family has been together in over two years and it was such a pleasure to document the occasion with some portraits at Whitefish City Beach and Riverside Park.
