MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – FASHION EDITORIAL FOR MONTANA BRIDE MAGAZINE

I am very pleased to announce the release of the latest issue of Montana Bride magazine!  This issue includes the fashion editorial that I photographed featuring an exclusive look at a few Spring/Summer 2015 wedding dresses from some of the top bridal fashion designers.  Major thanks to Katalin Green for her styling expertise and for getting us an early look at these beautiful dresses!  As usual, Sydney Ross created the perfect hair and makeup looks.  Thank you to everyone who helped pull off such an awesome shoot in Billings Montana!  I will be sharing more photos from this shoot soon, but for now go check out these two photos that are published in the magazine.  Follow Montana Bride on facebook to discover all of the places you can find a print copy of the magazine, or check out the online version here.

Photographer: Paul Bellinger

Styling: Katalin Green

Hair and makeup: Sydney Ross

Models: Arley Knerr and Braydon Sinclair

Dress: Top, ti adora by Alvina Valenta; Bottom, Theia

Hairpiece: Paris by Debra Moreland

Bowtie: Hitched Bowties

Suspenders: Jess Leather

Wedding band: Montague’s Jewelers 

Men’s Clothing: Jim’s Formal Wear

Stylist assistant: Brett Conner

Photo assistant: Zak Jokela

Location: Top, Billings Open Studio; Bottom, Paul Bellinger Studio

Tips for brides: Go follow Montana Bride on facebook and the publisher on instagram: @katalingreen.  You’ll find daily wedding inspiration from the best wedding vendors in Montana.  Be sure to find a print copy of the magazine too because besides all of the beautiful photos and ideas for your wedding, it also has helpful timeline and budgeting checklists to keep you organized. 

Tips for photographers: The top photo is lit with natural light from the window in the background and a 4x8’ white reflector in front of the models and out of frame to the camera right, bouncing the window light back onto the models.  You can see the catchlight from the reflector in their eyes.  The second photo is lit with a single beauty dish centered a few feet in front of the models and about a foot above their heads.  Again the catchlight in Braydon’s eyes gives away the placement of the light.  

I love being a Montana wedding photographer and doing shoots like these with the amazing level of talent that is available in Montana!  We’re going to keep raising the bar on what people can expect from Montana!  www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – TIPS FOR BRIDES: WHAT IS A SECOND SHOOTER AND WHY DO YOU NEED ONE?

If you’re in the market for a wedding photographer, you’re probably going to come across this term “second shooter.”  A second shooter is a second photographer that will be present on your wedding day to help cover the event and assist the main shooter you hire as your wedding photographer.  Most professional wedding photographers offer a second shooter and they are very popular among brides these days, but for brides on a budget there is always some temptation in cutting the second shooter from the wedding budget.  Hopefully this blog will dissuade the discerning bride from doing so.

What does a second shooter do?  When your wedding photographer brings a second photographer to your wedding, you will see the second shooter doing everything from carrying bags and getting coffee for the bridesmaids, to making family portraits and shooting candids on the dance floor.  Sometimes they will be backing up the main shooter during key moments such as the processional and recessional, sometimes they’ll be shooting the same thing as the main photographer but from a different angle, such as the ceremony and the kiss, and often second shooters will take on their own assignments throughout the day, such as shooting the cake or décor on their own or making a portrait of each person in the bridal party while the main photographer is shooting the bride and groom alone.

Why is a second shooter important?  A second shooter is integral to the way that I shoot weddings and I highly recommend that every bride hire a wedding photographer with a second shooter.  The second shooter provides backups and duplicates of the most crucial moments of the day, so you have peace of mind that nothing important will be lost due to an accident or bad memory card.  The second shooter also frees up a lot of time so that your main shooter can focus on getting the shots you want the most, such as the creative portraits of the bride and groom.  Your photographers can split up for bridesmaid and groomsmen portraits, and one can photograph the bride’s details such as the ring and dress, while the other shoots the cake and décor.  In doing so, you’ll be sure to have both on hand for the key moments and during the high pressure times such as family portraits and time sensitive times like the creative portraits of the bride and groom alone when all of the wedding guests are patiently waiting for the bride and groom to return and get the party started.  Lastly, second shooters bring their own creative eye to the day and brainstorm some amazing ideas on their own.  Put them with a good main shooter and you’ve got yourself a recipe for successful wedding photos on your big day.

What questions do I need to ask about a second shooter?  First, make sure that any wedding photographer you consider offers a second shooter.  A small handful do not, and if you are considering them you’ll want to be extra careful in reviewing full weddings from them so that you can make sure they aren’t missing key moments, or running out of time for creative portraits.  Second, ask a potential wedding photographer who they use as their second shooter.  I personally use only professional experienced wedding photographers who regularly shoot weddings on their own so that I know they can handle the pressure of a wedding day should something happen to me.  Third, ask how the photographer utilizes a second shooter on the wedding day.  Do they split up throughout the day?  Is the second shooter more of an assistant or a full time shooter?  You want to make sure your potential wedding photographer knows how to make the most of their second shooter if it’s something you’re going to invest in.  In my business second shooters are hired primarily to shoot; they are professional photographers and I want them shooting all day.  I hire a separate assistant to assist the second shooter and myself so that the second shooter is doing minimal assistance work and both of us can be focused on photography all day long.

This blog is part of my on-going series on how to choose a wedding photographer.  I wanted to provide brides with a serious educational resource they can consult before jumping into the wedding photography market.  Last year I wrote 5 tips for hiring your wedding photographer, with the first tip here.  There are lots of other tips for brides scattered throughout my blog and if you scroll down you can search for “tips for brides” or click the “tips for brides” link in the word cloud below, or simply click here.

I am a Montana wedding photographer located in Billings MT.  I’m in love with Montana but available for any wedding destination in the world.  www.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MT PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER – A PORTRAIT FROM INDIA

This is one of the most powerful portraits I’ve ever made and it happened in less than a minute.  Rashid is a driver in my wife’s hometown of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand India.  Rashid has taught three generations of my wife’s family how to drive and he’s still driving for the family after all these years.  My wife’s family is Hindu and Rashid is Muslim, but I would have never known Rashid is Muslim until I tried to touch his feet, a common Hindu sign of respect for elders.  But Muslims don’t touch feet, they hug, so Rashid stopped me and gave me a big hug instead. 

All of this came after the previous night when I gifted Rashid an 8x12” print of this portrait that I made a few days before.  I knew I wanted to make a portrait of Rashid the moment I saw him again (we met on my two previous trips as well).  But the laziness of Hazaribagh set in on me and I almost didn’t make his portrait at all.  I was lazing around the front porch reading magazines and drinking tea, as I did most days in Hazaribagh, and like most days, Rashid was there to drive us anywhere we’d like to go.  He was excited about driving us, but we were more interested in soaking up the sun on the front porch.  Each day after he’d do everything he possibly could to keep from being bored crazy, he’d find me and point to the car and signal with his thumbs “let’s go.”  Most of the time we had nowhere to go and everyone was content to sit in the sun and drink tea instead.  But one of those times I said I’d rather make his portrait instead and signaled for Rashid to pose for me in front of a white wall in the direct sunlight.  He went along, gave me his standing blank facial expression and we made this photo in less than a minute.  That was it.  A few days later I converted the photo to black and white and made the print for Rashid.  He was very happy to have it, as I don’t think he ever expected to see himself in that big of a print.  He drove us all around Hazaribagh and Jharkhand and he was always happy on the road.  Thank you Rashid, I really enjoyed rolling with you!   

My wife and I just returned from an amazing trip to India, with my parents and little sister joining us for the adventure.  It was my third trip to India, so I thought I knew what I was in for, but there is really nothing that can prepare you for 17 days in India.  India is so much different than the US!  I don’t think it will ever become “normal” for me, and that’s a good thing.  It helps that India is huge and on each trip we visit at least one new area.  I will probably never have the pleasure of visiting every corner of the country, but I’ll try!  I’m going to post a few more blogs about my experiences in India over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for more.

Tips for photographers:

Learn to see the light on your own.  You do not need someone to show you a lighting diagram or detail their lighting technique if you can see the light on your own.  So as usual, I’ll tell you how this photo was lit and how you can see the light for yourself.  This photo is lit with direct sunlight and you can see that the sunlight was coming from behind me and camera left based on the shadow under Rashid’s nose, and behind his head on the wall.  How would you know this is direct sunlight?  Well you can’t be sure it’s sunlight, but you do know from the shadow under Rashid’s nose that it’s a small light source due to the hard edge (clearly defined shadow line) and the sun is the most popular hard light source we have around, so it’s a good guess.  Lastly, you can see some reflected sunlight bouncing off of the wall highlighting the left edge of Rashid’s face.  It would be very easy to replicate this lighting in the studio with a single bare strobe on a white wall, perhaps adding in a silver reflector on the shadow side of the face to create the edge highlight we see on Rashid.  The most difficult part of this type of lighting is making sure you get the exposure right by using the spot meter in the camera.  Working in the sunny outdoors with white walls around you can make it very hard to see the screen on your camera, so chimping the screen isn’t going to help you. 

Photographed with the Sony A7 and Zeiss 55mm f/1.8, at f/4, 1/125 of a second, ISO 50.

It is during moments like the one in which this photo was made, that the true power of portrait photography becomes clear to me.  It is very difficult to describe the power of the portrait if you’ve never wielded it.  Consider that in just a brief moment I was able to entertain Rashid, show him a sign of respect, give him the rare privilege of having his portrait made, something that traditionally only the very well off would be accustomed to, and have an overall enjoyable experience getting to know each other.  That’s a powerful moment!  But it would not be enough if it ended there.  I had to make the print for him and deliver it to him in person for the power to be fully revealed.  Chances are good that Rashid has very few, if any photos of himself.  And because it is so rare, chances are good that he’s going to cherish the print I gave him, share it with his family so that they can all enjoy it, and one day pass it on to future generations in his remembrance.  Wow, that is powerful.  That’s why I love being a portrait photographer.  This time when I was in Hazaribagh I got to see a few of the non-family members that I made portraits of the last time I was there, and they all still had their prints I gave them and remembered the experience with me.  I know I’ll never forget the experiences they gave me and I’ll be forever honored.  www.paulbellinger.com www.portraits.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – HAPPY ENGAGEMENT SEASON!

Happy holidays and congrats to everyone out there getting engaged during the holiday season!  Before you know it you’ll be featured in wedding artwork such as this beautiful photo of Anne and Brian at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky Montana.  Now is the time when there is a huge rush on wedding vendors of all types, from venues and photographers to designers and florists.  Many of the best vendors are almost finished booking for 2015 already.  If you’re newly engaged and plan to marry in 2015, it’s time to book your wedding photographer and your venue before it’s too late to secure your dream wedding.  I know the process can be overwhelming, so I took the time last season to write up a five part blog series on how to choose your wedding photographer.  Tip 1 is here: http://blog.paulbellinger.com/2014/03/how-to-choose-your-wedding-photographer_25.html and there are links within to the rest of the tips.  I hope you find them helpful for choosing your wedding photographer and all of your wedding vendors!

I am Billings Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger.  I photograph weddings of all shapes and sizes, from the beaches to the mountains, and every wedding destination in between.  It would be my honor to photograph your wedding.  www.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MONTANA PHOTOGRAPHER – BIG HOMIE FROM THE BLOCK

This is one of my favorite photos of the year, taken while I was on set with Kenneth Jarecke during a corporate shoot in fall 2014.  It is a real honor to be able to spend time with a legendary photographer and learn from his 30+ years of experience at the highest levels of the profession.  Ken has become a great friend and mentor for me over the last year.  He has thoroughly schooled me on a range of photography and non-photography topics and I am eternally grateful for his friendship.  Thanks for everything Ken!

Want some free advice from Ken?  Check out one of my favorite articles that Ken published a couple of years ago.  The first step to getting better is admitting you suck in the first place!  Read the article here.

Tips for photographers:  Find a mentor!  If you want to be great, you have to learn from the greats, plain and simple.  You cannot become great all by yourself, and more than likely, a go it alone attitude will be a detriment to realizing your potential.  Admit that there are people out there who have a lot more wisdom than you do, and get hungry for that wisdom.  Once you find a mentor, listen to them!  I had a difficult experience recently with a corporate client and Ken predicted their every move and gave me perfect advice at every turn.  If I would have listened to him 100% instead of 90% I could have avoided some major headaches right from the start.  Trust me, investing in a mentor is worth so much more than any gear or online tutorial you can buy.  So stop browsing for gear and start looking for a mentor who can help you reach the next level.

I am Billings MT photographer Paul Bellinger and I make pictures.  I specialize in Montana weddings and contemporary portraiture.  My portrait studio is located in downtown Billings MT and I am available for any wedding destination or portrait commission worldwide.  www.paulbellinger.com  www.portraits.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MT CORPORATE HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER

I love making my bros look good in their corporate headshots and professional portraits.  In the world of photography it seems like guys get the short end of the stick, and are rarely treated to a professional portrait session unless their wife or mom is dragging them along.  But dudes need great portraits too!  I’m glad Jerimiah came to me for his corporate headshot and we also made a nice fashion style portrait as well because he’s always looking stylish.  Thanks for coming to Paul Bellinger Photography Jerimiah!

Why get a professional portrait or corporate headshot?  A good portrait is something that is becoming rare in the age of the cell phone selfie.  But the corporate world still understands that there is no substitute for a professional corporate headshot to help you stand out from the crowd.  The right portrait can convey the exact message you want to send to your potential clients, before they ever meet you in person.  A portrait can make you look powerful, confident, nice, vulnerable, approachable, trustworthy, etc.  What type of message do you want to send your future clients?

Tips for photographers:

Wow, these are two dramatically different photos.  The first photo is lit with natural light from a single source, a window that Jeremiah is facing, while standing in front of 4’x8’ piece of Styrofoam painted green.  I have black curtains on my windows and I can control the size and height of the window light with the help of a clamp or two.  In this case I’ve opened the curtains about a two feet or so and clamped at the bottom creating a V-shaped light that is wider at the top.  I am standing just to the right of the window so the light has a slight direction to it.  I wouldn’t really call this first photo a corporate headshot, it’s a portrait and not very corporate, but I really like it and it would be suitable as a corporate professional photo for someone that is looking to stand out from the crowd.

The second photo is a much more traditional corporate headshot lit with four strobes, although a nearly identical look can be achieved with three strobes.  The main light is from two light sources, a beauty dish and a four-foot softbox about a foot or two above head height and a few feet camera left (you can see them clearly in the catchlights in his eyes), creating the lighting pattern on his face.  I wanted what is known as “short lighting” with the strong shadow to create the slimming and chiseling effect that you get from side lighting (read about broad and short lighting here).  The beauty dish gives great directionality but can be a little harsh, so I often like to soften it up with a big softbox or umbrella.  The other two lights are very straightforward, a smaller 12 inch beauty dish behind him and camera right above head height creates the kicker highlight you see on his hair, ear and neck.  Lastly there is a bare strobe with circular reflector behind Jerimiah lighting up the background.  This is a very traditional corporate headshot lighting technique although I made it a little edgier with the directional main light and “short lighting” on his face.

Billings MT portrait photographer Paul Bellinger makes modern, stylish portraits at his studio in downtown Billings Montana and on location anywhere in the world.  Paul specializes in making magazine quality fashion and corporate portraits.  For a portrait or corporate headshot in Billings Montana, please visit www.portraits.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – MONTANA BRIDE FASHION SNEAK PEEK!

Montana, get ready for some wedding fashion!  I recently photographed an amazing fashion editorial with Montana Bride magazine, featuring an exclusive look at some jaw dropping S/S 2015 wedding dresses that are straight off of the fall runways.  Check out the delicate details on this elegant bohemian wedding dress, Ti Adora by Alvina Valenta. We brought together an outstanding team, with styling by Katalin Green, who hooked us up with the most stunning wedding dresses that aren’t even available until spring 2015, hair and makeup by the wonderful Sydney Ross, a gifted pair of models and assistants, and so much more.  Look for the spread in Montana Bride’s 2015 issue.

Photographer: Paul Bellinger

Styling: Katalin Green

Hair and makeup: Sydney Ross

Models: Arley Knerr and Braydon Sinclair

Dress: ti adora by Alvina Valenta

Bowtie: Hitched Bowties

Suspenders: Jess Leather

Wedding band: Montague’s Jewelers 

Men’s Clothing: Jim’s Formal Wear

Stylist assistant: Brett Conner

Photo assistant: Zak Jokela
Location: Billings Open Studio

It is awesome to be a Billings Montana Wedding photographer and make amazing work with talented people such as those listed above and so many more each year.  Their talents have rubbed off on me and have made me a better photographer in the process.  I will bring those talents with me forever and that is a wonderful gift.  Thank you to everyone who has rubbed off on me this year!  www.paulbellinger.com

MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - ROMANCE ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Love makes you feel like you are on top of the world, but trust me, there is nothing like actually being on top of the world with your love.  The high elevation can literally take your breath away and to enjoy the view with your loved ones is something special.  This is the view from nearly 11,000 feet, on the Beartooth Highway in the Beartooth mountain range looking out over the Absaroka mountain range just across the Montana border in Wyoming.  Fitting for a wedding, the wedding cake shaped peak on the right is Pilot Peak, which sits at 11,699 feet (see more about Pilot peak here).  See more from Kristen and Jake’s epic wedding here.

It is almost magical to sit on the top of one mountain range and see another mountain range at eye level.  Most people rarely, if ever, get to look a mountain in the eye, but that’s one of the perks of living so close to the national treasure that is the Beartooth Highway 212 in Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming.  This location is only about a two hour drive from downtown Billings Montana and only about 30 minutes from Red Lodge Montana.  And this is the view right on the highway at one of the many scenic pullouts.  It makes for an outstanding afternoon drive for engagement photos, honeymoon photos, or even just a joy ride with the dogs, as my wife and I often do.  In this case, Kristen and Jake were taking a mini-honeymoon in the Red Lodge area after their wedding, and decided to go exploring the Beartooth Pass with their wedding photographer. 

Tips for brides: The day after session

This type of session is called a “day after” session, or a “honeymoon” session and it is included in my most popular wedding collection.  This session includes worldwide travel so that my clients can make the most of their honeymoon travel by having an exclusive shoot with their wedding photographer in an exotic destination.  So far this year we’ve been to Vancouver, Maui, Yellowstone, Glacier, the Beartooth mountains, and many more places around Montana.  This upcoming year we already have trips on the calendar for Western Europe, Fiji, Disney World and Phoenix.  I love to travel and photograph weddings in any destination worldwide. 

Beyond allowing us to go to amazing locations with the beautiful bride and her wedding dress, the honeymoon session is also great for a couple of practical reasons.  First, it gives us more time to make creative portraits of the bride and groom alone.  Having extra time is nice because these are usually the most important portraits that will be printed and hanging as artwork in your home, so the extra time and lack of wedding day chaos enables us to make something amazing.  Second, it frees up the wedding day so that the timeline is more flexible and you can spend more time with your guests.  This is huge!  Some of your wedding guests have traveled far to spend time with you, and you don’t want your photographer to take up too much time on your wedding day.  At the same time, these are going to be your favorite portraits and you want to give your photographer enough time to work their magic.  The honeymoon session solves both problems, relieving a source of stress on the wedding day, and ensuring you receive family heirloom quality images that will be printed and hang as artwork in your home.  I highly recommend asking about a day after session before booking your wedding photographer.

I am Billings Montana wedding photographer Paul Bellinger, one of Montana’s most exclusive wedding photographers.  I specialize in making the wedding photos of your dreams, in any wedding destination from the beaches to the mountains.  My wedding gallery and portrait studio is located in downtown Billings Montana.   www.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS MONTANA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – HYALITE ENGAGEMENT ARTWORK

One of the best parts of my career as a wedding photographer is exploring the places that are special for my couples.  Thanks to my awesome couples I’ve been lucky to see all kinds of beautiful places across Montana and beyond.  I’ve been hearing about Hyalite Canyon (just outside of Bozeman Montana), since I moved to Montana, and Carrie and Jake were nice enough to show me their favorite parts of the park.  Hyalite Canyon has something for everyone, from rugged peaks and canyons, to streams, waterfalls, and a huge reservoir.  It’s a special place for Carrie and Jake, who visited often while in school at Montana State.  We spent the better part of an afternoon shooting in the area and admiring the beautiful scenery.  Thank you for showing me a wonderful afternoon Carrie and Jake!

Tip for brides: Engagement sessions are included with every wedding collection, along with a wedding album.  Most clients receive complimentary worldwide travel for engagement sessions, wedding days, and honeymoon sessions, and travel is always free inside of Montana.  Engagement sessions are a lot of fun, but they also play a crucial role in letting you get to know your wedding photographer and get comfortable with how your photographer works in the field.  For these reasons, I highly recommend doing your engagement session with the same photographer you'll have shooting your wedding.   

Paul Bellinger is one of Montana's most exclusive wedding photographers.  Paul specializes in making the wedding photos you’ve dreamed about.  A master of photographing any scene, Paul can go anywhere and do anything for our exclusive clientele.  There is no adventure too big or wedding too small, from the beaches to the mountains, it's our honor to photograph your wedding.  www.paulbellinger.com

BILLINGS SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER – DAVID IN BLACK AND WHITE

Every now and then I make a portrait that stops me in my tracks and reminds me of the raw power of the portrait.  This portrait of David does that for me.  David himself is a raw power hidden behind a polite, soft-spoken exterior.  But in this portrait you can see the raw power of ambition and a not so quiet confidence that lies under the surface.  That’s David.  Focused and determined, he’s an inspiration.  Congratulations on all of your accomplishments David, and thank you for spending the afternoon with me and inspiring me.

Tips for photographers: This photo is lit with window light coming through a wired window creating a unique shadow pattern.  The light source is the sun bouncing off a highly reflective glass building, so it’s very similar to direct sunlight diffused only by the window slightly.  The light pattern on David’s face is called “broad lighting” because the light is coming from the broad side of his face.  How can you tell which is the broad or short side of a face?  It has nothing to do with the actual size of the subjects face in reality, but how their face appears in the two dimensional space of a photograph.  In the photo, the camera left side of his face is the broad side because the distance between his right ear and his nose appears larger than the distance between his nose and his left ear.  The light is coming from the broad side of his face, hence “broad lighting.”  Broad lighting highlights the width of the face so it is often used to convey power, but it should not be used when the subject prefers the slimming effect of short lighting.

Billings Montana portrait photographer Paul Bellinger makes modern, stylish portraits.  Paul is available for any type of portrait session, from corporate headshots to senior portraits.  For a portrait session in Billings Montana or anywhere in the world, please visit www.portraits.paulbellinger.com