I am a professional photographer, have been in business for 15 years, and can shoot just about anything imaginable.  I am quite interested in Arts and Entertainment photography and possibly Montana’s preeminent photographer of such events and personalities.  I am used to shooting live events with difficult lighting conditions, where people are constantly on the move.  A wedding is like a well-staged theatrical production in which you constantly be need to be in the moment and aware of things spontaneously happening.  I have shot weddings for about 13 years now and know where to be, what to expect, and what to look for in capturing people’s interactions and emotions.  I tend to think of myself as a storyteller with my imagery.

I actually love all kinds of imagery and shoot in many different styles.  A wedding is a combination of all these styles and requires a mixture of them all.  I have a studio and love working to create formal portraits with great lighting and so I bring those skills to the portrait section of the wedding.  Yet hair & makeup and the preparatory process require a more photo journalistic approach.  I began as a black and white photographer in the darkroom developing film and manipulating the images from the process of shooting, through development to the final prints.  I became a master printer of Fine Art images so I learned photography at its basic elements of correct exposure.  Many of these tools have been beautifully duplicated in digital media.  Digital in many ways improves the photographer, allowing us to create things faster.  I do not tend to rely on these digital tools for the effect they create but rather to enhance what is already great from the original source material.

I always tend to shoot weddings by myself.  I like to get to know the people I am shooting with, build a rapport with them so that my presence is natural to them, and can take me for granted and relax and become themselves.  I can bring in a 2^nd shooter if someone needs it for an additional fee.  But I do tend to have pretty comprehensive coverage of all the weddings I have shot so that nothing is missed or overlooked.

I do not believe that any two weddings are alike.  Every experience is unique and it’s difficult to come up with predetermined packages.  I have created three that are typical and only serve as a jumping off point.  Most of this can be negotiated and tailored to your specific requirements.  Some weddings are quite extensive in massive churches with many guests while some are quite simple.  I will work within your plan or budget.  It is better for us to meet up for a no obligation consultation and then work together to create whatever you desire.  Those packages are listed here on this website so it can give you a general idea where to start and compare to other photographers.  Since shopping for a wedding photographer can be an overwhelming experience I try to give you as much information upfront as possible.

I am a full service photographer with an actual studio space and have been in business for 15 years.  I offer anything imaginable from shooting to printing fine art prints or the creation of personalized leather bound albums.  I am also open to suggestions if you see or find other sources that might better fit your needs.  I feel like I am very adaptable to the market and what is happening within the world of photography.  My studio was designed by me to shoot with natural light, hot studio lighting, or studio strobe.  I have almost every kind of light diffusion equipment imaginable.  I was a lighting designer in the theater for many years and bring those skills to all my work.

I mostly shoot theater, dance, and concerts and am used to shooting in low light conditions.  I like to shoot wedding ceremonies with the existing natural light of the church and/or windows.  If situations do become too dark I can power down my strobes to enhance the existing light and balance it to match the current light.

I do not have a time restriction on wedding days and will continue to shoot until everything is captured.  All ceremonies and receptions are completely different.  I always check out with the bride and groom to make sure they are completely satisfied with the work I have done before I leave.

I will travel within 60 miles of my home base of Missoula, Montana for free, then there is a charge for beyond.  Typically it is just the cost to cover travel and lodging expenses that may occur.

For a typical wedding I will shoot 3000 to 4000 images.  I then refine it down to a final collection of about 1200 that tell your story of the day vividly.  You of course can view all the images shot by scheduled appointment.

All and any sizes imaginable are available from wallet to 30”x 40” prints.  You can choose from several different types of finish from glossy to luster to metallic.  I will put them on my on-site gallery so you can either order them directly or I can put together orders for you.  I use a very high quality print service that turns images into works of art.  I have used this service to create satin metallic wraps that have been hung in museums.  They are breathtakingly stunning to look at framed or just free floating on the wall.  I think the pricing is very typical according what you get.  They are not bargain prints but are color corrected and balanced, then coated with special sprays that make them archival.

Yes I can touch up images as necessary.  I tend to clean up the portraits more than the documentary style images.  I have and use all the latest software to archive and touch up images.  Can work with you to create any style or feel you are looking for from the images though I tend to be very naturalistic in my approach.

Yes I have a direct connection to my on-line print service so you and your guests can see and order images directly.  I do like to have both the bride and the groom come in for the initial viewing before anything is released to the website.

There are no minimum order requirements for any kind of printing.  The originals are always kept in my archives and are stored in several forms of secure backups.  You can reorder at anytime.

It typically takes me about a month to work through a wedding before you can see the initial preview.  I work through the entire series of images by image and like to put them together as a series of slide shows with music.  The turn around on print orders beyond that are about a week.

I work on a first come first serve basis for booking wedding dates.  As long as I still have an opening it can be booked.  Many wedding dates are booked out months in advance.

The deposit is half the agreed upon package.  I am willing to work with you on interest free payment plans and can negotiate with you on what ever your budget is within reason.  It final balance is due on the wedding day.

I really do not have cancellation fees or penalties.  I know things can arise in life that are unavoidable or beyond our control.  I will only ask you to cover any cost incurred up to the point of the cancelation.