WOWZA…that word describes my time/session with Sierra – a 2014 senior who will graduate from Simms High School, in Simms Montana. Now, where is that, you might ask…well, it’s about 30 miles west of Great Falls, MT and it’s a lovely little community filled with acres and acres of grain and hay…lots of cattle and horses! How, you may ask, did I end up shooting a senior in Montana…well, I met this gal a few years back when she was visiting her family in Washington and knew that when the day came, I wanted to shoot her senior photos. That was a few years off, but time flew by and here she is starting her senior year on Monday (tomorrow!)…and I was lucky enough to get to visit her in her home, her comfort zone and see all that she loves and lives by! A warning…there are TONS of photos (and there will be a second part!)…it was just too hard to not show so many photos of this beautiful (and OH, so much more!) young woman! One of my conditions when scheduling her session was that it had to be two days long…if I was going out there, somewhere I’d not visited before (but will again!!!), I wanted to see all we could and to shoot in as many locations as she could come up with…so needless to say, there are LOTS of photos and I fell in love with the Sun River Valley, as the area is called! Sierra actually lives in Vaughn, on a ranch with her dad and has many horses that she cares for, rides, trains and more. Living on a ranch brings many responsibilities and jobs…and although she’s a teenager, she is a hardworking and dependable one, who is dedicated to her passion…horses, and doing all that is needed to take care of them and their surroundings! I SO enjoyed seeing what her life was all about and just watching her with the horses…not to mention seeing all the incredible places she took us to…wowza (again)…it was amazing!
Sierra’s last year in Montana is one that she wants to make great memories…not only with her friends and classmates, but also her family out there and the community…a place she has lived for a good part of her life and loves. I’d imagine that Sierra has a connection with everyone in her graduating class…given that it’s a small community, the school is small, with approximately 150 students in the whole high school and I don’t recall exactly what the number of seniors is, but it’s around 30 this year…so when I say she has a connection with all of them, this is why! What a great bond these young people have and the life in Montana is really simple…not in a bad way, but in the way that the basics are what they focus on…school, family, work and helping out one another! I think that some of the larger communities around our country could learn a lot from focusing on just the basics in life…these are what are really important and sometimes I think our young people either forget or don’t learn that…but not Sierra! She’s an amazing young woman who I can’t say enough about…more about her in “part II” of her blog, coming up later this week! For now…here’s…. S I E R R A
We had a little visitor while at Birdtale Ranch…this kitty seemed to think we were there for her (him?) and loved any attention she got from us, so how could I leave her out of the shoot! LOL
We ventured up into the fields…creating our out path (to the left)…and then walked further up where there were some great rock formations and some amazing views…dare I say it again… WOWZA!
I quickly learned that the next two days would be filled with lots of laughter and giggles and OH, how I loved it when Sierra laughed…and then we would often get the “tongue” which was hysterical…and was often directed at her mom (all in jest), or even me a few times…loved it!
Now these boots…these are her “working” boots that I think she pretty much lives in…and you can see they are well broken in and worn with lots of love…the shoes in the photo above…new for Sierra, not something she normally wears and I told her NO breaking an ankle during our shoot…LOL
See what I mean about the views…stunning!
We figured a shot to show just where were really did park for this stop would be appropriate…and maybe even for a Subaru commercial…believe me, I learned these cars will go ANYWHERE!!
These cattle were not sure about me, or my camera and maybe when I said something about “shooting” down there, they got a bit nervous…can’t say that I blame them!!
This was an old (obviously!) stone house and the remains were amazing to see…to think about how it was built so many years ago..truly incredible what they could do without all the tools and supplies we have today! The only part that made me nervous…the fact that Sierra said beware of snakes…YIKES…not what I wanted to hear, but best to be warned and thankfully, we didn’t see any!! Phew!!
Did I not tell you now beautiful this gal is…{here I go again) WOWZA!!
This was a beautiful location…Giant Springs State Park and it has an amazing sight…where the largest (Missouri) and smallest (Roe) rivers in the US meet up! The Roe River runs between Giant Springs and the Missouri River. The Roe River is only 201 feet (61 m) at its longest constant point. Towards its end, the Roe becomes surprisingly deep, at least 6–8 feet. What a beautiful park and the waters were gorgeous…so happy we stopped here!
And now…we are at the Missouri River…and Sierra didn’t hesitate to get in it (which was remarkably warm – at least compared to the Pacific Northwest Rivers which tend to be colder)…I even got in a bit…
As I said…loved the giggles and the way she crinkled up her nose…adorable and so sweet!!
We found some fun and unique things in downtown Great Falls…it was fun to see the area and explore a bit…all brand new to me!
Sunset across the river…let me tell you, sunsets in Montana are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G I’m not sure why, but the sun and skies are incredibly brilliant and I just melted with the colors….{okay, again} WOWZA!
Such a wonderful day and so great to spend it with a beautiful mother and her daughter!!
Let me tell you, I loved this girl…she would do anything (and I mean anything!) for the shoot/photos…like go waist deep in the river with her clothes on…oh, the fun we had…and this was just day one, wait until the next part!
Sierra TOTALLY ROCKED day one of her session and just going back through the photos for her blog, makes me miss Montana and want to go back right away! Sierra and her mom, Sue, were a blast to hang out with and not only did we see some great sights, get some wonderful photos of Sierra (and the surroundings), but we also had a great time together, just talking, laughing and sharing…it really was a blast! 🙂
Mom, with her “little” boys, who aren’t so little anymore…amazing how that happens!!
A super family, with the newest addition, a four legged child, who is a perfect addition to the family!
Michelle with her “baby!” 
Ahhh, and this is what Alex lives for right now and from what I hear…he’s good…REALLY good!!!
It was wonderful to see the Mininger’s again and catch up…I wish the very best for Alex and know that with as much passion has he has for racing, it will carry over into his future, with whatever he choose for his next chapter in live
Ahh, the raindrops are beginning to appear, but Zamyia didn’t hesitate at all with the rain and we had a great time in the trees!!
Mom (Viveca) and Zamyia are two gorgeous woman who have a wonderful relationship and I could see how proud mom is of her amazing daughter!!
You can see the raindrops…they certainly didn’t hinder us, maybe spurred us on to more!
Didn’t I say B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!!!!!!!!
Plenty of rain…the umbrella didn’t really keep the rain off, but was a fun prop
And, then, at the very end…a break in the rain and a chance to step “out” and I was so happy…can you see how incredibly beautiful and confident Zamyia is here!!