MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - SHINY NEW SELF PORTRAIT

People who know me know that I am always shooting, always trying to improve my skills and learn new things.  I love photography and I can never get enough.  I stay busy during the winter months, when weddings are slow, by putting in a lot of work in the studio.  I study lighting and posing, test new gear, and brainstorm new ways to shoot weddings.  It keeps me fresh and in game shape for wedding season so I am ready to hit the ground running in May with a whole new bag of tricks.  That’s how I stay innovative and constantly raise the bar each and every year.

Making self portraits is one of my favorite ways to practice.  It turns out, I have a ton of patience for myself!  I don’t mind if I tinker with lights for hours, or feel bad when I make fun of my poses.  It helps me understand what it’s like to be photographed by me, and how I can make every aspect of the experience better.  But it’s also a lot of fun and quite powerful to have your portrait made, even if you have to make it yourself.

Photographers click "read more" for the lighting setup for this photo.

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - ANNIVERSARY FLOWERS

Just a lovely little flower photo for your Friday!  I hope everyone received flowers on Valentine's day!  These are our anniversary flowers from Katie Bennett at Mac's Floral in Billings Montana.  Katie saved the day for me by putting this arrangement together and delivering it in a matter of hours!  Now that is customer service!

Montana wedding photography by Billings Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger.  An artistic vision for dramatic fine art photography as unique as your love story.  How do you dream of being photographed?  Contact Billings Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger for any wedding destination.  www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - MONTANA BRIDE 2014

My beautiful wife and I were honored to attend the 2014 launch party for Montana Bride Magazine.  This is the 13th year of Montana Bride Magazine!  Montana Bride is a Montana lifestyle magazine for Montana brides and anyone looking for style inspiration from "the real West."  The 2014 launch party was styled by Katalin Green, the Editor in Chief of the magazine, who has an astonishing eye for light and design and a team of skilled artisans to help make any event come to life.  Nisha and I arrived early and I simply could not resist taking few photos of the beautiful space Katalin designed.  See the photos, meet the vendors, and read Katalin's "Behind the Design" blog here.

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - HAPPY ENGAGEMENT SEASON!

Congrats to all of the newly engaged couples out there!  I hope you had a very special Valentine's day! My wife and I celebrated our 6th year together last weekend on Feb. 8, and our 4th anniversary in marriage.  It took a four years, but I finally took a few photos of our rings.  I hope you like them and that you'll have as beautiful of a marriage as I do!  I love you Nini!

MONTANA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER - FASHION PORTRAIT

Haley is never afraid of a little snow.  The snow is afraid of her!  Thank you Haley!

Photographers click read more for a tip!

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - TIP 3: SKILLS YOU NEED

3.  Skills you need

Problem: What skills does my wedding photographer need to have?

Solution: This is a tough one!  Your best bet is to hire a professional wedding photographer that has all of the skills detailed below.

Photography is about so much more than simply having a good camera.  In fact, a good photographer can make amazing photos with pretty much any camera (just follow a few pros on instagram and you’ll see what I mean).  A skilled photographer can make a beautiful photo in almost any circumstance, and your wedding day is no exception.

But a wedding day presents a unique set of challenges.  It’s a grueling 12+ hour day, working in difficult and multiple lighting conditions that are constantly changing throughout the day and often in a matter of moments (think exit from dark church into full sunlight).  And then there is the challenge of posing real people to make them look their absolute best for the entire day, something even professional models can struggle at.  Add in the time constraints and the stress of having only one chance to get it right, and it’s easy to see why most photographers don’t even want to shoot weddings!  Wedding photography is very difficult and requires a combination of skills that many professional photographers do not have, and that an amateur photographer almost certainly does not have.  For instance, a good wedding photographer will be able to pose and light like a portrait artist or fashion photographer; have the speed, anticipation and endurance of a photojournalist; be able to make venues come to life like a landscape or architectural photographer; capture all of your precious details like a still life or commercial product photographer; and finally, must have their own cultivated sense of style.  You can spend an entire career mastering just one of these genres of photography, but your wedding photographer needs all of these skills and more to ensure they get everything right. 

So, how do you know if your potential wedding photographer has what it takes?  I’ll give you some idea of what to look for and a few questions to ask.

MONTANA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER - BOTTEGA LEATHER HOODIE SERIES!

Katie sporting a leather hoodie from Bottega Clothing, with wardrobe styling by Janine Mix of Wildflower Gardens.  This wardrobe is available at Bottega Clothing in downtown Billings Montana.  Thank you ladies for making my job so awesome!

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - THE BLACK ALBUM

Your wedding album is your first family heirloom, and it should be nothing short of heirloom quality.  At Paul Bellinger Photography we offer our clients the finest quality, handmade wedding albums.  The Black Album is one of my favorites.  There is nothing more timeless than a black leather album.  Add a modern touch with the black alligator accent and you have a work of art that is uniquely yours.