Lockie Photography

We are in a whirlwind of preparations for several (very cool) bridal events this month, but I wanted to take a minute to put up another blog for everyone! This post takes us back to fall, and the very last day of colorful leaves. We had such an awesome time hanging out with Ryan, (and dragging him all over the valley) for his photos. You don’t get much more laid back or “Montana” than this guy, as you can see from his easy smile and fishing pole…

Ryan, we wish you all the best in your senior year and in the many years to come! Enjoy!

Ok, this is amazingly last minute, but we just found out about an awesome opportunity to go to Seattle for a weekend workshop put on by a husband & wife photography team there (Zach & Jody Gray). In order to have a shot at this, we had to put together a short video explaining why we’d love to come for the weekend (among a small selection of people) to be in person for this workshop. So, all that to say, we’d be thrilled to get chosen for this…we’ll keep you all posted!

Not too bad for a 15 minute iPhone filming session, aye? Enjoy!

K+J

Zach & Jodi | Creative Live

As a photographer, it is so easy to get into a rut of shooting things the way that I always shoot things. For this reason, I love hanging out and shooting with other photogs, especially Chris & Jeremiah, (who both photographed at Kathy’s & my wedding). Jeremiah & I rode up together to Helena where Erin did Ashley’s makeup and then we were off to the woods where we just couldn’t get enough time before the sun went down (which was early being only 4 days from the shortest day of the year). We finally ended up in the studio shooting against a grey seamless backdrop using tricks learned from Zach Arias to turn the backdrop white. Thanks Chris for inviting me up for the day. You can see Chris’ images here and Jeremiah’s here.

Josh

As we are fast approaching Christmas, Josh and I have been thinking about how life just seems to propel forward, and very rarely slows down. No matter what your vocation or stage in life, I think relaxing and slowing down has to be intentional or it never happens. We are blessed to have our business and get to work together, and we love having the flexibility that we do, but many times I think it ends up adding to the busyness instead of taking away from it. However, no matter how busy things get, neither of us would trade our job in for anything else.

Even though we are full tilt into our Montana winter, we still have several beautiful weddings to finish up for the summer and fall. So take a break from the falling snow to look at this August wedding in West Yellowstone at the old Train Depot! Tyler and Shana did most of their decorating and planning themselves, and had some phenomenal ideas (so to our 2012 brides – listen up!). Their primary table decorations were freeze-dried hops, which turned out to be stunning against the red tablecloths and wooden accents. They went with the classic cupcake idea for dessert, but specifically made plenty of Gluten Free ones and tagged them with adorable little “gf” signs – something we thought to be very thoughtful as gluten free is becoming increasingly important these days. In true Montana style they made ample amounts of huckleberry vodka to use in drinks for their guests – a little extra work, but worth it! And last but not least, they laid out tables and chairs in such a way that they could use the same set up for both the wedding and reception. In many cases this is not possible, but if you choose a venue which will work for it, it can be a very cool touch! The lofty ceilings and striking central fireplace at the Train Depot made it a perfect spot for such a setup as you’ll see.

Tyler & Shana, we loved photographing with you two, and want to thank you again for hiring us for your wedding! Enjoy your post, and have a very merry first Christmas together.

Kathy & Josh

It’s amazing how quickly the summer season changes to fall in Bozeman. Just a few weeks ago it was sunny and warm, and now, overnight it seems, there is a chill to the air and we’re all pulling out our warm clothes. Along with the colder weather comes a whole new seasonal need for photography – high school senior portraits. Both Josh and I love photographing with seniors – getting to take time to individually capture a person at this stage in life is so fun.

All that to say, we met with Ben this past week for his senior session, and just had a blast. He is very laid back, quick to smile, and seems to be one of those people that just puts others at ease. We aimed for some more industrial style settings for Ben, but also got to take advantage of one of the few days we still had fall colors. Hope you enjoy them – let us know your favorites!

Ben, it was awesome photographing with you – good luck in the upcoming year!

Kathy & I each just got a new iPhone 4s this weekend, and it’s so exciting to finally have a phone with a camera that takes good pictures. And I mean good pictures.

We did come across something that potentially could wreak havoc on new iPhone 4s users, and that is where the awesome accessibility that’s worked into the phone meets Siri the new voice activation feature that’s even more awesome. If you double tap the home button, you potentially could get sent into the Siri voice activation feature  and you won’t easily be able to get out of it. This feature “speaks” everything that you touch on the screen, and changes the normal touch controls so that it can be hard to navigate out of. The fix is go into Settings, General, three finger scroll down to Accessibility, and to turn off both VoiceOver and Speak Hints. Hopefully this will be helpful for anyone in a similar predicament.

Josh

In October of 2000, I purchased my first Mac at the urging of a good friend, and for a year I thought I had made the biggest $2000 mistake of my life. Having grown up on a PC, it was extremely different to learn, and no one else that I knew had a Mac so I had to teach myself how to use it. Learning how to use OS 8 was probably the best thing though, and when OSX Jaguar came out I mad the switch and never looked back. As a photographer, I really must master the tools in front of me whether it’s a camera, a lens, or the computer with which I manage and edit a huge library of photos. The Mac has been one of the most important tools for me as a photographer.

Yesterday when I learned from John Gruber that Steve Jobs had Died, I was dumbfounded. I have followed Steve and Apple very closely for over ten years, watching every Keynote that Steve has done since 2001. I’ve prayed for Steve’s health on numerous occasions as he went through pancreatic cancer treatment in 2004, took a leave of absence around 2007, and most recently resigned as CEO of Apple not more than 4 weeks ago. The news of his passing truly saddens me. Once again our prayers go out for the amazing company that he founded, revitalized, and grew into the company that year after year seems to create ground breaking, must have products. Laurene & family, Apple and company, Kathy & my prayers go out to you. Steve, thank you for the years of hard work you put into making our lives better. We will miss you.

I can safely say this couple has been one of our best surprises of 2011. They approached us just a few weeks ago about photographing their October wedding, and the minute we met it seemed that things just clicked. Scott went to school through MSU’s film department (where Josh went) and currently is working there with Montana PBS. Stevee is a photographer with a love for nighttime shots of buildings, and seeing the beauty in life – her work can be found on Etsy. What made it so great though was they knew exactly what they wanted and pretty much hired us on the spot from seeing our pictures online & seeing how Josh & I work together (yay!).

Because their wedding was so quickly approaching, we cleared a day from our hectic summer schedule, took them down to Livingston, and had the most incredible shoot! Livingston has so much history, culture, and amazing texture, which is why S&S requested it. If you go back and look at old maps, you won’t find Bozeman but you will see Livingston because it was the major switching station for the railway. We loved photographing by the old train depot – Livingston is just full of creative inspiration, so needless to say we were thrilled with how this shoot turned out.

Scott + Stevee, we are so excited to photograph for you. You have such a spark for life, and love for each other, it is wonderful to see. Enjoy!

We met with Ian & Caitlin at 10am on the morning of their wedding for an hour of first look pictures at Carroll College. The day was beautiful and sunny, and those two were just beaming and so excited for their wedding day (while simultaneously being completely chill and laid back). As we’ve gotten to know Ian + Caitlin over the past few months, Josh and I have both just really gotten excited for them and for their married life together. It’s a beautiful thing to see a couple who are such close friends.

I+C were married at the Mountain Meadow Inn in Helena. The Inn is a wonderfully old mansion on the outskirts of Helena, and proved to be an ideal setting for their 1920′s era styled wedding. Their colors were turquoise and light green with peacock feathers and handmade flowers. Ian designed their invitations, programs, and favor boxes, so make sure to check those out below. Hats off to Chili O’Brien’s Catering for a wonderful meal as well!

Ian & Caitlin, we had such a wonderful time working with you, and hope your first few weeks of marriage have been far and away the best of your life together so far. All the best to you in your many years to come!

This post holds a special significance for me, as Caroline is one of my long-time closest friends. It has been so exciting to see how her and Dave were brought together through seemingly insurmountable circumstances (the biggest of these is that they got to know each other while she was living in China and he in Africa). It has been quite a journey for them so far, and we were so honored to be involved in their beautiful, intimate ceremony last month. The lion’s share of the photographing fell to Josh, as I was in the wedding, and he did a masterful job of tirelessly running around and documenting everything (have I mentioned yet how amazing a photographer Josh is?).

Dave + Caroline decided to have a small, but very meaningful few days to celebrate their marriage. The event took place at the beautiful Holland Lake Lodge, and included incredible meals, bonfires, hikes, canoes…they really made it a priority to spend some quality time with their small group of guests.

Dave + Caroline, it is so exciting to see you together and to know that you’re finally married and starting the next phase of adventures together. We can’t tell you how much we love you guys, and we’re so honored to have been a part of your special day.