Kelly is passionate about photography.

And I have been for half of my life. I first picked up an SLR at 17 and was quickly taken by the process of film development in my college darkroom. There’s nothing in my adult life that has been quite as magical as capturing a scene in the wild, then observing as an agitated bath of developer metamorphoses the scene from a ghostly, faded impression into a richly detailed rendering. I savored the times when campus security forgot about me and I could process negatives well beyond closing time. That darkroom provided an awesome opportunity to learn this fading art, which was even then an aged practice in the industry. Learning film first has informed my current style and was a critical chapter in my journey as a photographer, lending to an aesthetic that favors a truth told with bold style and that smacks of rich flavor.

I graduated at the top of my university class with a degree in psychology, and went on to mentor at-risk youth in Missoula and Alaska. Long days of darkness camped out on the gravel beaches of SE Alaska for months on end led to an appreciation for the (mostly) dry seasons of Montana. A longtime seasonal worker, I love to travel and once spent 4 1/2 months on a backpacking tour of SE Asia. I’ve spent winters producing content as a ski photographer in NW Montana, will be coming into my twelfth summer as a river guide and landscape photographer/videographer in the Upper Missouri River National Breaks Monument of Central Montana. I am a sixth-grade school teacher by day.

I swapped out wet photo paper for a playful exploration of the creative possibilities of modern programs, only to get wet again with a renewed passion for film. I now shoot vintage and contemporary 35mm film bodies as well as celebrate the slow process of 6x6 TLR medium format, which complements my digital workflow. I’ve pursued my passion for photography in Cambodia, Canada, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, and most of the Western United States (I want to get to know you, New Mexico).

I was proud to have my photo be the headlining image by the Montana Wilderness Association in a campaign to preserve the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument during the effort to reduce our National Monuments. You can find my work in national and regional publications and hanging in businesses across Montana. I am a proud resident of Missoula and love to serve my community! (My wife and I will bake you pizza at Free Cycles concerts!)

I am happy to work with couples from all walks of life, especially those who walk on the wild side.

View recent commercial clients here.