This winter I got to visit one of the top premier resorts in Montana called Paws Up Luxury Ranch just outside Missoula Montana. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be asked my the media team at Paws Up to do a commercial shoot during spring photo shoot. I really enjoyed my time on the ranch and hoped I would get the chance again to photograph the location but in winter time. This winter I was fortunate enough to be asked again to photograph the property to highlight the stunning winter landscapes of the ranch. They were looking for images that showcased the facilities at its best including the stunning dining area, the warm lit cabins at night, and the many winter activities available. While on location they were generous enough to set myself up in one of their luxurious cabins as well as a SUV for transportation to get around in. From the client, I had a list of things they expected from me. It was laid out from most important to least and clearly what they expected from me. There main objective from me, was to photograph the ranch in the best available light. We had established a contract beforehand of things they expected and a fee that would be appropriate for the job. It is critical that when dealing with commissioned jobs that you have a well laid out contract that clearly establishes what each party is responsible for. Things always can go sideways when employed to do a job and thus, a contract is there to protect both parties involved.
My contract stated I would be photographing at the ranch from Thursday to Sunday with an extra day to increase my odds of getting at least one morning or evening of light. Upon arrival I wrote down a game plan of how I wanted to do things and make sure I was at the right place at the right time. Looking to photograph the locations at the top of the list and work my way down. The first night I choose to photograph the main buildings at night under the warmth of the lights at night with the fresh snow. My adjective when shooting areas with a lot of foot traffic in winter snow is to avoid signs of human presence. To be more specific I want to avoid footprints in the snow and signs of cars. So I had to carefully compose the images to avoid these elements and yet capture the essence of each place. The clients specific instructions was to do my best to avoid human footprints in the snow. I always try to tell a story with my images and this includes when shooting architecture. My job as a photographer is to create a mood and present a story to the viewer. So when shooting buildings or cabins in winter I want to express a feeling of cozy, warm, shelters to escape the cold winter nights. I try to include smoke coming from chimneys, lights turned on in all areas of the building, and visual opening to the door. This is essential to my objective and will ask management to make sure as many of these things settings are present when photographing. I also like to do most of shooting just after sunset during what I call the blue hour when the sky is going dark but has a cooler blue cast and really complements the warmer colors coming from the buildings and cabins. At the end of the night I managed to capture most of the ambiance I was trying to achieve.
The next day my objective was to photograph clients enjoying the resorts activities. The first objective is to photograph the guests being escorted around by horses and sleds in the fresh snow. Here is it vital to capture the smiles on the guests’ faces as well as the horses. I take both intimate and wide-angle shots to make sure I capture the moment. I make sure when photographing activities to capture as much as I can. In the afternoon I setup a photo shoot where I shoot some of the employees on the horses making there way through the winter forests. Here I am looking to focus on the relationship between the cowboy and the horse. As many riders know a bond between a horse and a cowboy is special so I really want that to show in my images. Once I was satisfied with my cowboy images I turned my attention to the sunset and being at the best places I could. I also wanted to photograph it from as many places as I could in the small window I would be provided. With a list of places to shoot I shot as from as many places I could in the time given until dark settled in for the night.
On my last day, I woke up early for a spectacular sunrise with the fresh snow that fall over night. I was able to get to all the places I needed and when the weekend was over I had achieved most of the goals I had set out to get.
By the end of the trip I had jotted down a list of things I learned over the weekend that would make my next adventure better. Most importantly, I realized how vital it is do have a plan from most important to least; this also includes having a backup plan if the weather does not cooperate. Also whenever doing a job that has been commissioned make sure that you and your employer have a clear understanding of what their objective is. In my particular circumstance it was to capture the ranch in a way that was inviting to viewers especially in wintertime where it would colder conditions would make this a harder job. After I finished processing the images and the client was able to see the images they picked out a set amount of images that had been agreed upon beforehand. They used this images for there brochures, website, and everything that was used for their marketing. Lastly, I made sure that I honored everything that was set out in the agreement to achieve and on their part they did the same. In the end, the ranch and I were both happy with the results.
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Kevin McNeal is a landscape photographer who resides in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. He focuses on grand colorful landscapes that reflect the most unique places on earth. Capturing moments of magic light and transferring this on print, images behold a combination of perseverance, patience, and dedication to capture the images in ways unseen before. The stories of how these images are rendered come across in the feelings the images convey.
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