Owen + Marissa

I first got to meet Marissa over the phone earlier this summer when we hopped on a consultation call. After I hopped off the call, I went to Alex and told him immediately how much I loved how we vibed together and how fun she sounded. I told him I knew we’d be a great fit and I was thrilled with the opportunity to work with her and Owen. Alex and I got to meet up with Owen and Marissa in person while we were in Montana shooting a wedding last August. We decided to meet at Avalanche Lake trail head (Trail of the Cedars) to start their engagement photoshoot off! We learned a valuable lesson…even though it’s August…you should probably pack a jacket for your Glacier National Park trip lol. It was rainy and chilly but as soon as we started shooting, we had the best time. We didn’t venture very far onto the Trail of the Cedars, in fact, we chose to walk across the street and go down to the river that was flowing by the trail head. We were basically alone, we had the whole space to ourselves to run around, get creative, and skip rocks. The rain cleared away and we had a beautiful blue sky to hang out under and it was perfection. We finished the session down by Lake McDonald and again, we were all alone! These two locations were PERFECT for the session. We drove past the lodge and pulled off on one of the little pull outs to park and walk down to the lake. At the beginning, I figured we wouldn’t have much of a golden hour due to the rain, but the sun proved me wrong by finishing up the session with the prettiest glow you could imagine. I’m SO excited for Marissa and Owen to get to join the married club and I’m SO grateful they chose us to document such a fun and amazing stage of life for them.

I only got to hang out with Owen and Marissa for a couple of hours but it didn’t take long to realize these two are best friends. I loved watching how they interacted with each other, teasing and playing around. My favorite part was how they could immediately go from skipping rocks and running and laughing, to serious and intimate. Something else we got to do in the middle of the session, was have a little outfit change and hang out by the road (still near the Trail of the Cedars). It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon with a fun couple like them.

Give me some mountains, a camera, and a couple in love and I'm a happy girl :)

I (Anna) actually grew up in Montana and spent many happy days in Glacier National Park. In my opinion, it’s one of the prettiest, if not the prettiest, National Parks in the world. To be here as an adult, taking pictures of people in love in one of the prettiest places in the world, is an honor and a thrill. You could hike for miles and miles inside the park and never see the same view twice. The wildlife alone is remarkable and amazing to see. Near the top of the park, on the Going To The Sun Road, you can see the mountain goats, big horn sheep in the parking lot. The hike we started at for Owen and Marissa’s session wasn’t even that far into the park! In fact, I would say it’s the easiest place in the park to have a session. I love the variety the views give you without even having to hike a single mile. I also was surprised to find the locations we chose to be nearly empty! August is a BUSY month for the park and yet we had these huge, wide-open spaces, all to ourselves.

With that being said, whether you are a fellow photographer or someone excited to have their pictures taken in Glacier, here are a few tips for your engagement session in Glacier National Park:

1. Be prepared to spend some time hunting down parking. That’s probably the hardest and most annoying part of shooting near Lake McDonald. The parking can be a nightmare but it’s totally doable. Just be prepared to come 30 minutes early to your session to find it, and walk to the meet up place.

2. You probably won’t have any cell service. Learn from our mistake and drop a pin EXACTLY where you plan on meeting. We spent a few panic-filled minutes wondering if we’d be able to find each other in the crowds of people hopping on the trail since we had no way to contact each other inside the park. Come prepared with a dropped pin on Google Maps!

3. Bring a rain jacket/sweater. I know I said this earlier, but it CAN get chilly up in the park even in the late summer months! I believe it was in the 50s when we were up there and wet with the rain! The rain did clear up but the weather can be very temperamental in Montana, very unpredictable. You’ll thank yourself later if you come prepared to be warm in between photos!

I truly hope these few tips help you feel prepared for your session “The Last Best Place”. Montana is a stunning state and Glacier National Park is the crown of the state. Back when Alex and I were engaged, we got our engagement photos done in the park and I have NEVER regretted that. Your stories are beautiful and deserve to be documented through photo and video. Add to your beautiful story a stunning backdrop that adds a whole new element of art to your photos and you’ll have images that will drop jaws.