BILLINGS MONTANA FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER – BEAUTY HEADSHOT

I promised on Instagram that I would show the color version of this photo on the blog so everyone can see Arley’s stunning blue eyes. She is really a Montana treasure, and such a joy to be around and work with. I can’t wait to work with her again soon on a fashion shoot that we are planning now. Thank you to Sydney Ross for hair, makeup and styling, as always, you are the best. We’re definitely trying to raise the bar for fashion photography in Montana. It’s not just flannel and cowboy boots in a field of grass. We’re inspired by the amazing fashion photography that is happening around the world right now, and we want to show that we can make high quality work in Billings Montana, or anywhere else in the world. Check back to for updates in early 2016! www.portraits.paulbellinger.com

Tips for photographers: This is one of my favorite window light setups. It’s a go to lighting technique to start the day with because it’s easy, starting with natural light always get’s your model relaxed, and this soft lighting is great for beauty shots, which you want to get out of the way right when the model comes out of hair and makeup. Arley is standing just in front of a large window, with a piece of white diffusion cloth over it. I am standing a few feet in front of her, and Sydney is holding a white styrofoam reflector in between Arley and I that you can clearly see in the catchlight in the bottom of her eye. Behind me is a pair of 4x8 foot white reflectors creating a beautiful soft fill light that is flattering for all skin types. I made this picture with the Sony A7 and Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 at f/2.8.

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – KALLI AND BRIDGER’S FAIRTYTALE WEDDING IN BILLINGS MONTANA

Kalli and Bridger’s big day went off like a fairytale complete with prince charming, a princess and a castle. It was a big wedding at St. Thomas and featured some of the best wedding vendors in the state of Montana under the helm of coordinator Patricia Clark. But like most fairytales, at the center of this big day was something incredibly simple: a true and passionate love. I have had the honor of being able to spend a couple of weeks with Kalli and Bridger, and I find their young love and positive outlook on life to be so refreshing and so simple. They’re in love and nothing is going to stop them! Thank you Kalli, Bridger and all of their family and friends for sharing your precious time with me!

Thank you to all of the vendors that made this amazing wedding into the fairytale that it was.

Designer/Coordinator – Patricia Clark (visit Pat’s website here for links to all vendors)

Floral – Mac’s Floral

Decorator – Moments in Time

Hair and Makeup – Sammie Semmler

Lighting – DiA Events

Wedding cake – Jayne’s Signature Sweets

Rentals – Party Time Plus

Venue – St. Thomas Catholic Church and Lonewolf Energy

Ceremony music – Stillwater Symphony

Reception band – Bucky Beaver Band

Carriage/Limo/Trolley – Total Transportation

Thank you also to my team of incredible photographers Jenna Masters, Trevan Hiersche for your hard work. For Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger please visit www.paulbellinger.com.

BILLINGS MONTANA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER – NINI AND ME

This is one of my favorite portraits of my wife and myself! I am such a lucky man, Nini is definitely my better half. I am also lucky to have so many great photos of my wife and I, and many of them are printed so that we will always have them. This is one that we are definitely going to print. It was taken at the Comedy BeCause event put on by the Center for Children and Families. I set up a portrait studio on location at the VIP party before the comedy show, and made portraits of the distinguished guests. Trevan Hiersche assisted me for the day and made one for us after the event was over. Thanks for all of your help, and mostly, for this photo Trevan!

This was a really cool event and making portraits on location was a fun way to give back to the VIP guests who helped make the show possible. I don’t think most people were used to seeing an actual portrait studio on location and the portraits turned out amazing. I’ve been doing this kind of VIP portrait studio on location a few times recently and it has really been a big hit with guests.

Tips for photographers:

This photo is lit with two large softboxes stacked on top of each other to the camera left and in front of the beautiful couple about 5 or 6 feet. There is a large 4x8 foot reflector camera right, also about 5 or 6 feet in front of the lovely couple that is isn’t really doing much in this photo. It is giving a very small amount of fill light on the shadow side of the faces. I’ve used this lighting technique before, click here for more information. On a non-lighting note, it was really crazy shooting a bunch of portraits on location at an on going event. This was not my first time doing this kind of studio on location, but it was the most busy and tightly packed event that I’ve done it at. Time and space were very limited. I had to keep it small and simple and having Trevan assisting me helped a lot too. I highly recommend trying this at some smaller events before attempting it at a big event. We pulled it off because we had a good team with my wife Nini helping out too, but it was not easy.

Billings Montana portrait photographer Paul Bellinger specializes in modern, stylish portraits classic tradition of the great masters of portrait photography. Please visit www.portraits.paulbellinger.com to schedule your sitting.

BILLINGS MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – BILLINGS FOR BILLINGS’ SAKE

I love Billings Montana. No it’s not my hometown, which will always be Omaha Nebraska, but Billings is my home now, and I couldn’t be more grateful to live in this beautiful place.  Billings doesn’t get enough credit.  It’s often overlooked as merely a place to fly into, or gear up before heading off to Western Montana where all of the mountains and beautiful national parks and forests are located. Even the city slogan “Montana’s Trailhead” implies that Billings is just a convenient starting point and not the final destination.  Granted, few places on earth can stand out from the long shadows cast by Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, and being relatively close to those places is what attracted my wife and I to Billings in the first place. But Billings is it’s own place, and has it’s own charm that goes beyond it’s proximity to beautiful places. 

Billings the biggest city in Montana and it’s the only city in Montana that really feels like a city and not a college town or resort community. It actually has a city culture, complete with all the hustle and bustle that Montana can offer. It has a real downtown, where business goes down, and not just shopping like some of the more touristy downtowns of Montana. It’s a beer town.  Downtown Billings has 6 micro-breweries and two distilleries, with more popping up across the city.  There is a great food culture to go with all of our beer too, with everything from artisan fine dining, to street food, and a massive seasonal farmer’s market.  There are several ethnic restaurants, including Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Thai and Montana’s only Indian restaurant.

Beyond food and commerce, the natural geography of Billings is quite pretty too.  In this photo you can see downtown Billings and the Yellowstone river valley behind it, followed by the Pryor Mountains even further in the distance.  To the West we have a view of the Beartooth Mountains, while the North and East are encircled by the cliffs of the Billings Rims.  The weather is mild, sitting in a bowl that borders on arid prairie and badlands to the East and the Rocky Mountains on the West, we’re sheltered from the extremes.  For all of these reasons and more, it’s no wonder that the population of Billings is growing fast, attracting over twice as many newcomers per year than any other city in Montana.  I was sold on Billings right away just because of the proximity to the Beartooth Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, and all of the mountain wilderness of the West.  But the city of Billings has grown on me too and I don’t think there’s any other place I’d rather live in Montana.  www.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – BEARTOOTH BEAUTY!

I’ve been sharing a lot of black and white photos lately so I thought I’d interrupt the flow of black and white with some colorful eye candy from the mountains. This is one of the many spectacular views from the scenic Beartooth Highway that cuts through the Beartooth Mountains between Red Lodge Montana and Cooke City Montana.  The pass is over 10,000 feet and puts you at eye level with the Absaroka mountain range in the distance.  It’s a fun drive, with lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns.  I’m sure it would be a blast on a motorcycle, although the weather is unpredictable.  I can’t wait to take my wife and dogs back to this spot again this summer!

We really love it here in Billings Montana!  It’s comforting to look out to the West and see those big beautiful mountains in the distance.  Every time I see them I wonder to myself why I’m not IN THEM, and I’m tempted to drop everything and head for the mountains.  It’s exciting to have that temptation every day!

If you need a wedding photographer please visit http://www.paulbellinger.com

If you need a portrait photographer in Billings Montana please visit http://www.portraits.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – TESTING A NEW CAMERA AT THE RANCH

I’m testing a new camera system, the Sony A7 and here are a few of my favorites from a recent day at the ranch.  The fall colors are so pretty out here in Montana.  I am very blessed to live in such a beautiful and inspiring place with great friends that invite us to their ranch!

Why am I testing a new camera system?  I’m a very active photographer and I’m always trying to make better images, so it’s important for me to constantly test new technology that might give me even the slightest edge.  Whether it’s on a wedding day, or on a train across India, I always have my camera with me everywhere I go and never stop making photos.  This new Sony A7 camera is smaller and lighter than my current system.  I am hopeful that the A7 will become my primary travel, landscape and portrait camera, while making a nice backup for my heavier duty wedding photography gear.  Maybe one day I'll go entirely with Sony and drop all my Canon gear.

At Paul Bellinger Photography we specialize in Montana wedding photography, but we also do a lot of portrait photography, including corporate headshots, fashion portraits and editorial, senior portraits, glamour portraits, and boudoir portraits. www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – KRISTEN AND JAKE'S EPIC WEDDING ARTWORK!

Kristen and Jake have an epic love and they are two of my favorite people, so we had to go big with their wedding photos!  On the wedding day we took full advantage of the lake at Wildflower Gardens and the uniquely Red Lodge Montana view in the background.  Two days later we went even bigger, as in nearly 11,000 feet high up on the Beartooth Highway and made some beautiful wedding artwork.  It was a fun filled day, but we did have to go to battle with some massive mountain mosquitos on the other side of the Beartooth Pass that sent us scurrying back up to higher elevation.  In the end, we had the last laugh and were blessed with a stunning sunset on top of the world.  All told, Kristen and Jake had an amazing wedding week in Red Lodge Montana that was a fitting start to the next chapter of their epic romance!  I’m grateful for the honor of being able to add some of my artwork to their story.

Stay tuned to the blog for more from this Red Lodge Montana wedding at Wildflower Gardens: http://blog.paulbellinger.com

At Paul Bellinger Photography we specialize in dramatic fine art wedding photography that is as epic as your love story.  We photograph all types of weddings, large and small, from the beaches to the mountains and every destination in between.  We would be honored to photograph your wedding.  www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – ENGAGEMENT ADVENTURES

Montana is a beautiful wedding destination that attracts couples from all around the country.  I feel so lucky to live here with my amazing wife and work in a profession that enables us to explore this beautiful area.  All of these photos are from a recent engagement session adventure to Tofino, British Columbia.  Naturally, my wife and I took the scenic route, exploring Idaho, Washington, the Palouse, the Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Rim National Park Canada, Sea to Sky Highway Canada, Banff National Park Canada, Glacier National Park USA, and we drove up and down Western Montana on two different routes.  We saw bears, bald and golden eagles, elk, mountain goats, a coyote, a fox and birds galore.  We spent some time with our awesome clients, Jenny and Daniel, who took us to some beautiful beaches, canoeing to a tiny lake island, and to two amazing seafood restaurants (and an equally impressive food truck that serves poutine).  I can’t wait for the wedding adventure we’ll have in Big Sky Montana this summer.  We made some beautiful engagement photos right on the Pacific Ocean.  It was a dream week with my wife, who had never been West of Bozeman Montana, had never seen the Pacific Ocean and had never been to Idaho, Washington, or Canada.  I’m so lucky to have a partner like her to explore with!  She’s also the navigator and she watches to make sure bears and mountain lions don’t sneak up behind me while I’m making photos!  So here’s a few photos I’m grateful to have made with her.

We found these snowy foggy trees and pristine pond in Kootenay National Park Canada.  We stopped to read a sign about a mother grizzly and two cubs that were in the area, and that we found soon after. 

It was very refreshing to spend some time in the magnificent Canadian Rockies, but my favorite mountain photo of the trip was this black and white of the Howe Ridge from Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park Montana. 

After being in the mountains for days, it was nice to return to the prairie of Western Montana and be greeted with a beautiful prairie sunset near Judith Gap Montana.

I am Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger.  I love photography and I specialize in dramatic fine art wedding photography that is as epic as your love story.  From the mountains to the beaches, I photograph weddings of all shapes and sizes, and in any wedding destination in Montana or beyond.  I would be honored to be your wedding photographer.  Please contact me through my Montana wedding photographer website www.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MONTANA SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER – BADASS SANNER

Sanner is a badass.  He crushes everything from the weight room to the classroom.  He’s a valedictorian, an all-American athlete, and a loving son with too many accolades to list here.  So when it came time for his senior portraits, I wanted to make sure he looked as badass in his senior photos as he is in real life.  Mission accomplished.

Billings Montana senior portrait photographer Paul Bellinger specializes in badass senior portraits for senior men.  Modern and stylish, Paul Bellinger senior portraits combine fashion and sports photography lighting techniques with Montana’s most badass dudes.  The result is a Montana senior portrait experience unlike anything you’ve seen before.  Contact Billings Montana senior portrait photographer Paul Bellinger for your badass senior portrait session today.  www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - MR. BADASS

Yes, we can make guys look good too!  Well in this case Hector was already looking good, I just made him look like a badass!  I set up the lights for an end of the night cigar smoking celebration, and a few of the groomsmen wanted individual portraits.  Guys always like the look of this lighting because it’s what’s in all of the sports magazines.  I had a blast with these groomsmen, they really know how to have a good time!  Thank you Hector, Randy, Raul and the groom Jonovan, for letting me hang with you!

BILLINGS MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - CIRCLED IN LIGHT

Julie and Carsen made their fantasy engagement session come true!  It was an airy, sun filled, bohemian dreamlike fantasy.  They came all the way to the country for a sunset.  They had props, including a bohemian tent and a book to read in the sun.  Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and it was 95 degrees with insane humidity in the jungle of East Texas, but Julie and Carsen toughed it out and we made their fantasy come true anyway!

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY - VINTAGE BUG LOVE

Justin is a bug man, right down to his cuff links!  Lindsey puts up with him and let us do a mini photoshoot with the bug.  It was a nice change of pace from the winery, but boy it was so hot!

MONTANA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER - A MOTHER'S LOVE

My beautiful Aunt Meghna and her pride and joy Samarveer.  I love this photo!  I got to hang out with two awesome moms last weekend and it’s always inspiring to see a mother's love up close.  Emotion can be difficult to convey with a photograph, or words, but it’s easy when love is overflowing.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of photographing moments like these.

How do you dream of being photographed?  Billings Montana portrait photographer Paul Bellinger specializes in dramatic fine art portrait photography that is as unique as you are.  Paul has cultivated an artistic vision for portrait photography that is both modern and timeless, ensuring your precious memories will be preserved for generations to come.  Contact Paul Bellinger for all of your Billings Montana portrait photography needs, from maternity to seniors, to glamorous beauty portraits that will make any woman feel as special as she is.  www.paulbellinger.com  

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! - BILLINGS MONTANA WEDDING AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

It's July 4th and I'm on vacation back in Omaha Nebraska hanging with my awesome family for the holiday.  Last year Nini and I were sitting on the dock of the bay watching the fireworks with my family in Bayview Texas.  We made the trip from Columbia Missouri down to Texas to find a place to live in Nacogdoches Texas, where we were hired at Stephen F. Austin State University.  One year later and I'm in Omaha while Nini stays at home with our injured and recovering pup Sala.  I'll be in Omaha for a few days before heading up to Billings Montana to once again find a place to live!  We're moving to Billings Montana and plan to stay for a long long time.  I've always wanted to live in Montana, my favorite place for summer adventures ever since I was a young kid standing in awe of Glacier National Park.  So when Nini got an offer at Montana State University Billings, we jumped.  And I jumped at the opportunity to leave academia behind to follow my passion as a fine art wedding and portrait photographer.  Now we couldn't be more excited to be moving in just a few weeks, and Paul Bellinger Montana wedding photographer is about to hit the ground running!

OUR WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN - BILLINGS MONTANA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Well this is a sad story, but it’s yet another that reaffirms the power of photography for me.  I’ll start at the end and let you know that Sala (our nine month old crazy mixed breed dog) is okay.  He’s going into surgery this morning to repair a broken leg and should make a complete recovery within 6 to 8 weeks.

BILLINGS MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL BELLINGER - SPARKS WERE FLYING!

Sparks Were Flying!  This is one of my favorites from Lindsey and Justin’s College Station wedding!  Sparks were flying all day for these lovebirds, but the reception was electric!  I had a great time at this wedding, I’m very thankful to Sarah Williams for letting me tag along.

Paul Bellinger fine art wedding photographer.  Billings Montana wedding photography by Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger.  Paul Bellinger wedding photography available for any wedding destination.  www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING AND PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER - MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE

My beautiful wife Nini in downtown Nacogdoches.  For our anniversary she received a massage, hair and makeup at Julia’s salon, while I was given this photo shoot!  It was fun, my wife is awesome!  If you're an awesome wife you deserve a Paul Bellinger portrait commission too!

In this photo Nini is lit with one light, a beauty dish just out of the frame to the camera left.  I like how the beauty dish looks on Nini, but I also like how it creates a natural vignette on the brick wall.

Paul Bellinger Montana wedding photographer is available for Billings Montana portrait commissions.  Paul Bellinger Montana wedding photography is available for any wedding destination in Montana or around the world.

MONTANA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER - CHEECH'S PORTRAIT SESSION

I made this Cheech portrait when my wife Nini was out of town.  Cheecher is lonesome without Nini, and I think this photo captures his emotion beautifully.  He is really her dog more than he is mine.  We’re both missing her and she’s missing us.  But at least she’ll have a new Cheech portrait to enjoy.

I grabbed my 135mm lens and a piece of white carboard for a reflector and set out to make some dog portraits.  I propped the cardboard up on a rubbermade tub and coaxed Cheech into position so that he was facing the reflector, and you can see a little bit of it in the top of his eye.  I made all three dogs pose, but Cheech was the best behaved, so he got better looking portraits.  I processed the photo in LR4, then Photoshop, and then LR4 again.  I used LR4 for the black and white conversion and exposure, and then used Photoshop to remove some unwanted things and to fine-tune the exposure, then back in LR4 I increased the clarity and the highlights just a touch before exporting to jpg.

Montana Portrait Photo by Billings Montana Wedding Photographer Paul Bellinger www.paulbellinger.com

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Dad on the banks of the Missouri overlooking our hometown Omaha Nebraska!  It was probably 0 degrees fahrenheit plus a cool breeze coming off the river.  Hence dad's snow suit!   Happy father's day dad!  I can't wait to shoot some landscapes together again soon!

My stepdad Bruce posing with my beautiful wife Nini in front of Bruce's huge smoker at our Husker tailgate party!  We had the smoker up and running before sunrise!  I wish father's day was during Husker season, so we could celebrate appropriately.  Happy father's day Brucey!


Paul Bellinger Montana wedding photographer Billings Montana wedding photography www.paulbellinger.com

PAUL BELLINGER MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, BILLINGS MONTANA

It's time for this blog to take off like Sala leaping for the Frisbee!  My new Montana wedding photography business is launching and I can't wait to get to Montana and start photographing weddings!  I specialize in fine art wedding photography a perfect fit for nature's fine art landscape in Montana.  My unique wedding artwork is dramatic, romantic, fantastical and dream like.  Visit my site www.paulbellinger.com to begin making your Montana wedding dreams into artwork that will be cherished for generations.

This is our youngest pup, Sala is just about a year old.  He's our favorite part of Texas we'll be taking with us when we move to Montana.  His breed is a crazy mix, but he is ripped to the bone!  Mr. Muscles has been learning to catch the frisbee and, birds be warned, he can fly!