New commissioned works in kiln fused glass by Richard Parrish of Bozeman, Montana. See more at his website Fusio Studio.

The White Place 17″ x 48.75″

Untitled, 36″ x72″

John Cote’ and Ed Howe are Perpetual e-Motion, one of the most popular and in-demand contra dance bands touring the world today. Both are highly accomplished musicians who take traditional music and reinterpret it in a bold new way. Ed and John came through town a few months back for the Wintergreen Dance Weekend and dancing to them was pure joy.

A short documentary film about Perpetual e-Motion produced by John-Michael Seng-Wheeler of Epsilon Films

Images from TEDx Bozeman 2013. It was an outstanding event with speakers who challenged the audience to think differently about the world and our place within it. Complete HD videos will be available soon so you will be able to watch all the talks if you were not able to make it. Kudos to the entire TEDx crew who did an incredible job. It was an honor to work with you.  Presenters included: Courtney Yovich, Sabrina Lee, Eric Funk, Nico Yunes, William Culpepper, Amber Jean, Megan Parker, Casey Anderson, Robert Keith, David Quamman, Genevieve Chabot, Kristi Vance, John Priscu, Paul Schwennesen and Jon Floridis.

Here are some highlights of a recent week-long studio collaboration with photographers Josh and Kathy Lockie. Our goal was to have some fun, experiment with new lighting techniques and perfect old ones. The week was a complete success, not only because we produced work we are proud of but because we grew closer as friends and colleagues. You can see Josh and Kathy’s work from the week here.

Thanks to: Sara Daniels, Deeanne Hainsworth, Lucy Amsden, Nancy Rich, Cathy Rich, Melissa Dawn, Heather Puroll, Katherine Miller, Chris Heroux, Victoria Hale, Tony Junghans, Miriel Waldman, Nathaniel Magone, Ginger Nuria-Lee, Blu Cuelho and Allison Curry.

My friend Josh on the left. That’s me on the right. Thanks for a great week my friend.

Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Select images from the Montana Ballet Company performance on February 23, 2013 at the Emerson Center for Arts and Culture in Bozeman, Montana. Performances included Gratitudine, String Dance, Celebration and Carnival of the Animals.

View the complete image gallery and order prints.

A five minute video with more images.

This past December a call came in from Outdoor Life Magazine asking if I was available to create an editorial portrait of Bozeman writer and photographer Dusan Smetana.

“Sure, you bet.” I said.
“Great. Oh, and by the way, the photos can’t have any snow in them.”
“Hmmm… do you realize it’s December in Montana?”
“Yup”
“No problem, I’ll have them to you by Friday.”

I found a location that fit the bill. It was 20 degrees outside and blowing so hard I had to tie my lighting gear down with rope and tent stakes- and we shot the session.

Dusan has an impressive story. He left Czechoslovakia when it was still under Soviet control, made his way to the United States and now lives with his family near Bozeman working as a freelance writer and photographer. There is more to his story (a lot more) but you’ll just have to buy the March 2013 copy of the magazine and read it for yourself.

The original image and some out takes are below. Click the image for a larger version.

Note: The cover image of the bear, though nice, is not mine. I just included the cover of the issue for reference.

Final image delivered to the magazine. They had to crop the sky for obvious reasons. I like lots of sky.

Alternate image of Dusan in traditional Czech hunting clothing. Outdoor Life chose not to use this one.

When creating a body of images for a magazine article I always keep to a core theme while providing a variety of frames. This was a strong contender for the final image. I purposely created a very shallow depth of field to bring the focus onto Dusan. It’s hard to tell it was 20 degrees out with a gale wind. Dusan is a seriously tough guy.

It’s always a treat, and a bit daunting, when the phone rings and it’s a fellow photographer who needs their photo taken. Fortunately Josh and Kathy Lockie of Lockie Photography are great friends from here in Bozeman so we made an evening of it. These images will be used for their new website and upcoming promotion.

Known as “Team Lockie,” their specialty is photographing weddings and in a crowded market they stand out because of their outstanding photography, ethic of service and near-telepathic communication skills. Being married and in business together means one of them always knows what the other is thinking- this means that they are always in the right spot to get the shot. It’s no surprise they are in constant demand. Book them now for your upcoming wedding and tell them I sent you!

Lighting Assistant: Becca Helms

It’s the end of January. There’s a lot more winter go here in Bozeman (a lot more!) However, gardeners across the country are putting in their seed orders and cleaning out their greenhouses in preparation for spring. The smart ones will be ordering a new set of tools from Fisher Blacksmithing. Hand forged right here in Bozeman, Montana by Tuli Fisher, they are heirloom art built solid enough to pass down to your grandchildren. Available at select garden outlets around Bozeman or you can purchase them online and have them for the first thaw.

The layouts on the bottom show give an example of how my commercial photographs are presented in final advertising layouts, in this case, Fisher Blacksmithing tri-fold brochures.

New advertisement for the Montana Ballet Company. Watch for it in local publications.

I’m proud to have shot the images for the Museum of the Rockies 2013 promotional materials. The Museum is a division of the Montana State University in Bozeman, and an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. It houses one of the world’s premier collections of fossil dinosaur specimens and is a must-visit destination for anyone visiting Bozeman. Look for these brochures across Montana and beyond.

Click the images for larger sizes.