MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – SPRING IN THE BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS

We’ve had a lovely cool and rainy streak this mid-May and it’s created some beautiful conditions in the mountains. Snow is possible pretty much all year around in the Beartooth Mountains, especially at higher elevations, so I wasn’t surprised to see a light dusting of snow and frost on the foothills of the Beartooths outside of Red Lodge Montana.  It made for a magical scene with cold and foggy conditions in the mountains, obscured by clouds, while the lower meadows are a lush green, complete with grazing cattle.  Montana is sure beautiful!  We can’t get enough of it!

Tips for photographers: This photo was made next to Highway 78 North of Red Lodge with a 135mm lens on a full frame Sony A7ii body. Montana makes for easy pickings sometimes, you just have to pull over and that’s about it. I prefer a longer lens for my “side of the road” landscape photography because it allows you to isolate a more narrow scene and eliminate distracting foreground elements that you otherwise can’t control because you’re stuck on the road and can’t hike up closer to search for the perfect foreground.  So I tend to compress the foreground with a longer lens, either my 135mm or 70-200mm.  The 135mm is lighter and smaller so it’s almost always in my bag.

I am Billings Montana wedding and portrait photographer Paul Bellinger.  Please visit www.paulbellinger.com for wedding and portrait bookings.

BILLINGS MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – GOODBYE SWEET SKI SEASON!

It’s that sad time of year when we bid farewell to the snow and the slopes and put the skis away for the year.  This winter was too short and not cold and snowy enough for me!  Now we’ve hit a warm spell and the snow is pretty much ruined at Red Lodge, and there doesn’t appear to be any more snow on the way.  The powder is long gone.  It was a fun season for me, even though we didn’t get great snow until February.  I was lucky to get in a few powder days with my friend Ryan, who didn’t mind posing for a few photos in mid air.  I’m already dreaming of the fresh powder next winter will offer!  Until then I’ll just have to suffer through another beautiful cycle of spring, summer and fall in Montana and all it has to offer.  Let the next adventure begin!

Ryan was kind enough to hit this huge rock jump for me and when we saw this image on the back of the camera it was so cool that he had to do it again so I could try for something a little more “in focus.”  But the landing on the hard pack was rough so we thought he could squeeze into the powder right next to me.  He ended up landing partially on me!  And to add insult to injury, I still liked this out of focus shot better!  Oh well, I wasn’t hurt at all and it was worth the try!

I love being a photographer in Montana.  It’s such a beautiful place and the more I get to know it, the more I am grateful for living here.   I take my camera everywhere and I never stop shooting.  I am obsessed with photography and honing my skills.  I do something photographic everyday, usually most of every day, and my passion only seems to get stronger over time.  I look forward to facing each day as a photographer and getting better with every challenge while I explore this beautiful land.  I'm a lucky man and I won’t take it for granted.

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