Do the anniversary photoshoot. You’ll love it. Don’t ever stop photography your love story. Amanda + Shayne started the tradition of coming back to the place where they got married last year, which just so happens to be the same place they vacationed to celebrate their engagement the year before. The rugged mountainscape and fresh air of big sky country bring these two Texans right back to moments of so much love and how lucky am I to have gotten to capture those moments for them?!
Springtime in Glacier National Park is always an interesting time for an anniversary shoot or any couples photoshoot for that matter. The weather is still unpredictable, thawing from our long cold winters. The Going to the Sun Road isn’t open just yet, eliminating some of the most infamous corners of the park. To add to it, in recent years construction has even caused havoc near Lake McDonald.
But there’s calmness that comes in the shoulder season. The tourists haven’t arrived yet and a cool chill sting lingers in the air. The light is softer for longer, not quite as harsh as the summer sun. The lake is larger and the shoreline smaller because of runoff from the snowy mountains above. Each season brings its own type of magic and there are always beautiful places to explore. Amanda + Shayne’s anniversary session is perfect proof of that!
Without access to the Going to the Sun Road, we were limited on where we could venture to on the west side. But that didn’t stop us from exploring every bit of forest and shoreline we could find. We were weaving through the trees, chasing that soft sunlight, winding along the creek trail, and eventually landed on the docks of the lake in Apgar Village. When I tell you I hadn’t seen light like that in this region forever, I mean it. It was a Montana photographer’s dream land.
It’s crazy to think that these two lovers met over four years ago at jury duty. Freakin’ civic duty brought to life a sweet story of love between two people which led to an intentional wedding in a place they love most, and now year after year, they’ll come back to this place to relive it all. I’d photograph these babes and their anniversary photos until the end of time if they’d let me!
So if you don’t take anything else from this blog post, remember these two things!
- DO THE ANNIVERSARY PHOTOSHOOT! Or the engagement photos. Or the couples photos. Or the vacation photos. Just do ‘em! You’ll share these moments with each other for the rest of forever and that’s seriously something special. Preserve it.
- Don’t let shoulder season scare you. Glacier National Park is full of stunning spots, not just the ones with a million Tripadvisor reviews! Especially when you hire a local Montana photographer (oh hey, hi, hello, let’s chat about your photos!). I can lead you to secret spots and unknown corners so that we can always capture something special.
If you’re a big mountain person or a national park lover or just someone crazy in love that wants photos in some otherworldly beauty – let’s do it bb! The world is waiting. Where do you wanna go?!
