Little Miss Reese is ONE!

These photos were taken about a month ago, for Reese's 1st birthday!  She is such a doll, and even though she wasn't a huge fan of the outfit changes, she still is quite the little model when the camera is on her.  

Now that it seems to be officially spring, I will have lots more shoots to share on the blog!  Yay for warm weather, and getting back into the swing of things! 

Big weekend at the Bird's!

I can't believe it is already March!  I am loving this mild winter we have had, and I am hoping for an early spring.  Yesterday it was 65 here in Miles City!  Even though it was a little breezy it was nice to take Penny for a walk, and get a little sun.  I spent most of January and February doing boudoir shoots which are not shoots that I typically share on the blog.  I did do Harper's one year photos not too long ago, and wanted to share this Birthday present collage of the cutie.  She is such a doll! 

On a another note....My sister got ENGAGED this weekend!  I felt so honored to be part of it, and to share in James's and her excitement!  James is such a wonderful addition to the family, and I could not be happier for the both of them.  The engagement took place at our home, and since I had an idea it was coming, I made sure to have my camera handy. (I am an awesome secret keeper!)  I am so glad that I did because the photos are such a wonderful depiction of Carley's shock, and pure happiness in that moment.  Have I mentioned how happy I am for her?  I also snapped a quick ring photo for her to share on facebook as well.

 The ring is stunning!  Congrats again you two!  I can't wait to start planning your wedding as your Maid of Honor (I am shunning the title Matron of Honor because it sounds too old)

Sacajawea Hotel Shoot {Montana Wedding Photographer}

It is definitely that time of year where I am missing shooting weddings big time.  I LOVE weddings, and I especially love photographing weddings.  In some way or another I work on something wedding related most days.  Whether it be visiting with 2012 brides, booking weddings, updating wedding collections, updating my website wedding gallery, (on my list) or preparing for the Miles City Bridal Fair.  There is just always something wedding related to do, but none of that is the reason I became a photographer.  Sure I do like doing all that stuff, but I really love to shoot which is why I was really excited for this shoot.  

Miss Hillary Folkvord is a dear friend of mine, actually that is an understatement.  I have known Hillary all her life, and most of mine.  She is the definition of a best friend, and I love that she is now working in the wedding industry.  She is the General Manager of the Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks, and we first started brainstorming this shoot over wine in December.  Eskay Bridal who is owned by another friend, kindly lent us the dress, and another friend, Stephanie agreed to be our bride.  The Sac, as I and so many others often refer to it, is such a perfect place for a wedding.  The outside is gorgeous, and there are so many locations for wedding photos.  The inside is just as lovely, and offers so many wonderful wedding amenities.  If you haven't been inside the Sacajawea Hotel you must check it out.  The restaurant is amazing, and I highly recommend making a weekend out of it, and spending the night in one of their luxury rooms.  For more information you can visit their website HERE.

If you are in the market for a beautiful, one of a kind wedding dress visit Eskay Bridal in Bozeman.  You can start by visiting their website HERE.

Also check out both Eskay Bridal and the Sacajawea Hotel on facebook.

 Thanks Steph for being such a good sport, and going along with the crazy bathtub idea.  You are stunning! 

Random...

So this has not been my best blogging month.  Honestly I have just gotten a little burnt out.  I was feeling guilty about my terrible blogging, but my mom informed me that this is a good time to take a break since this is my slow part of the year.  She is a firm believer that I blog every one of my sessions, and that my clients appreciate the sneak peeks.  I absolutely agree with her, but it is important for me to blog for myself too, and that is why stepping away from the blog for a bit gives me the chance to miss it, and to come back with new blogging ideas.  I also don't want this blog to be all about "sneak peeks."  I want it to be a place for clients to get to know me before their session, and to stay in touch with me long after their session. 

Anyways....today's post is really random.  I will be sharing what I was working on this weekend soon, (I am really excited to finish editing those) but until then here is what I have been up to lately.  The below photos are all iphone photos.  I am obsessed with this phone!  My hubby completely surprised me with what I think is the best gift ever for Christmas.  I am still trying to master the camera, but I love using it to document my everyday life.  (For more iphone photos follow me on instagram at whitneylinphoto)

I always feel the need to freshen up my branding at the start of a new year, and below are my new folded  wedding business cards.  I feel like I  still need my basic card to hand out all the time, but these are great for potential wedding clients.  On another note, I am almost completely booked for Summer 2012 weddings.  It is a great feeling, and I even set aside a few weekends just for fun.  However, I always have a tough time turning couples away, and I find myself wanting to overextend myself.  One day I am set on not booking anymore summer weddings, and the next day, I am wondering if I could squeeze in a few more.  I will happily squeeze in weekday weddings, but my available weekends are very limited.  

 Earlier this month a bunch of my family met in Billings to watch the Fairbanks Nanooks play MSUB.  My uncle coaches in Fairbanks, and since I was in Eastern Montana for Christmas, it was nice to see the Alaska crew as well as my parents, grandma, sister, cousins, and some other friends.   

Kev and I in Billings.

Miles City finally got some snow last week.  This is our home covered in fresh snow on a very grey day.

I have so many photos of miss penny it is ridiculous. 

Penny and Kevin reunited after a week apart.  Kevin was gone for work then Penny and I were in Three Forks for the weekend so the second we got out of the car she was on the 4-wheeler plowing our drive-way with him. 

The End of the Year, The Start of a Marriage! {Miles City, MT Wedding Photographer}

I could not have ended the year on a better note.  Finishing up an amazing year of weddings by shooting one final wedding was just perfect.  This wedding had all my favorites-a beautiful couple who are crazy about each other, kind and warm families, a touching ceremony that was a bit funny too,  emotional toasts, and a full dance floor.  For a December wedding however, we were missing one thing...snow.  That was fine by me however, because we had a unseasonably warm sunny day, and we were able to do a lot of the photos outdoor.  Another big plus since I really prefer shooting with natural light.  

Congrats Christina and Tyler and thank you so much for asking me to be part of you big day.  You two are perfect together, and so easy to photograph.  I feel honored to have ended my year in the company of you both as well in the company of all your family and friends.  

Sexy Resolution Time

Ok ladies, it is time to make one awesome resolution that benefits not only you, but also your significant other.  Why not resolve to make this the year you do something seriously sexy?  This is the perfect time of year to book a boudoir session with Whitney Lin Photography.  Not only will you do something that makes you feel incredible, you will also have the an amazing gift for your loved one this Valentine's day.  It's a WIN/WIN!  Plus, I have added a special package to my boudoir collections that is available until the end of February.  

In order to ensure delivery by Valentine's Day, book your session before February 2nd.   Sessions last around an hour, and can take place in my home studio in Miles City or on location.  If you are in the Bozeman area, and would like to book a session, there is availability on the weekend of the 21st of January.  Group discounts are available-just ask me!  Email me at whitneylinphotography@yahoo.com to book a session or if you have any questions!

Click HERE to view a sampling from last year's sessions.  

Happy Holidays!

So you might have noticed that I haven't blogged much this month, and that is because I am completely caught up on editing and shooting for the year.  I actually have been for about a week, and it has been so nice to have a few days away from my computer.  Last weekend we headed to Three Forks for an early Christmas with our family there, and this weekend we will be out at the ranch for Christmas Eve, and then back in Miles City for Christmas day.  This is the first Christmas that I will not be in Three Forks, and although I will miss my parents, sister, cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles a ton, I am also very excited to be spending the holiday with Kevin's side of the family.  I know how incredibly blessed we are to have such amazing families, and we are very lucky to live close enough to our families that we can rotate where we spend Christmas every year.  There is never a shortage of love regardless of where we go, and that is something I am very thankful for.

So what else have I been up to? Hmmm....  Well I haven't had much of chance to share what is new with me since most of my recent posts have been client sneak peeks.  I love being able to share personal part of my life on my blog, but honestly, so many sneak peeks means I have been really busy, and that just makes me so grateful.  December has been such a wonderful month.  I had a lot of print orders to fill, holiday cards to design, and I even took Santa photos.  The Santa photo experience was a first, and I LOVED it.  Some little kids screamed SANTA in excitement while others bawled.  Either way, it was such a fun time, and the girls at Studio Ten (where the photos where taken) and I where thrilled to be doing it for the Mile City Foster Care Project.  It is such a great cause, and I was so honored to be part of the fundraising.  

Anyways...now that you are caught up I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!  I will be working on marketing stuff next week, and am shooting a New Year's Eve wedding so I will be starting the new year off with a fun winter wedding to share! 

 These photos were taken in October.  I didn't want to share them until after our Christmas cards went out.  My sister and parents were in town so I had Carley take the photos, and then we passed the camera around and did a few other fun ones as well.

 I'm pretty lucky that my husband is such a trooper.  He thought I was a little crazy at the time, but I really wanted our cards done before the ordering rush, and I thought we had to take advantage of the fall weather so he went along with it.  Plus we didn't have any photos of the both of us with miss Penny so it was a must :)  (and yes I will always be the person who has her pup in the family photos)

 Love you my beautiful sis!

 This was not a planned family photo but we were together and there was a camera.  Reason enough to take a family photo.  Kev couldn't be in it because he actually took this photo and it is the first time he has ever used my camera.  Not bad babe.  

 And here is the Christmas card we sent out.  It was a 5x7 front and back and I actually had them printed in an ornate shape.