I entered eight photos in the Amateur division of the Photography Institute of the Yellowstone’s (PIY) Photo Expo a couple of weekends ago. Whew. 
I couldn’t stand the suspense of not knowing my photos’ fates, so I headed down to the expo as soon as I got off of work.
I didn’t get first place; nor did I get second, or even third place.

But, I did receive this…

…an “Honorable Mention” award for my photo Latitudes! (see full photo here)

And this little number accompanied it:

I am sure some PIY members who were hosting the expo thought I looked like a deranged woman, since I was staring & smiling profusely at my photo for about ten, uninterrupted minutes.
But I didn’t care-I received honorable mention for one of my photos! It was a good day for this girl.

Fast forward to two Saturday nights ago: I am just getting home from Missoula, after sadly losing our roller derby bout, (only our second loss EVER. I was sadly weeping inside, trying to contain myself on the 5+ hour drive home…but that’s another completely unrelated story) and I see that I have received an envelope from PIY. My first thought is “Oh, maybe I received a thank you card for participating. How sweet.” Then I thought, “Maybe they changed their minds & declared one of my photos FIRST place!” I knew that was wishful thinking, but a girl can dream. I open the envelope, and lo’ and behold: another ribbon! This time, the ribbon was for third place in the People’s Choice Award for my photo Sans. This voting took place throughout the weekend, in which any spectator could vote for any photo within ALL categories: High School, Amateur, Advanced Amateur & Professional. After seeing this glorious, white ribbon, I wanted to cry, “you like me, you really like me!” (Name that actress!) 

And here they are together (sorry to boast…but I only get once chance!)

Although receiving a ribbon or two from a small photo expo is not a huge feat, I have to say that it definitely makes me smile. After returning to photography much more seriously after five years of being a “lazy” photographer, I must say I was pleased.

Thanks to my weirdly genius sister who helped me name the photos such glorious names as “Sans” and “Latitudes.” She is a writer, so I knew just who to bug for help with that!
And thank you to my dad & our good friend Matt for spending hours helping me permanently mount my photos for this expo; without you guys, the prints would have been ridiculously crooked. Which is why I probably won-they are perfectly straight!
(And thanks to you for reading this!)

You can check out the Photography Institute of the Yellowstone’s website here. They currently still have photos up from the 2010 expo winners, however I will let you know when they update their site with the 2011 photo award winners.

Peace & love,
Chrissy

Since Montana has been nothing but a bit snowy & gloomy lately, I have not been outside to take any photos. But…who am I kidding? It’s not like the snow has stopped me before. To be perfectly honest, I have been a bit lazy in the photography field.

So, I ask you to please excuse my laziness & enjoy these photos I took about a year ago in North & South Carolina.

And I promise I will get back to posting some deliciously wonderful photos of good ol’ Montana here soon, as the sun is beginning to shine!

Love,
Chris 

Rose & Larry live on the outskirts of Billings & have some animals on their land. Upon hearing this, I immediately perked up, especially after discovering they had calves! One word came to mind: photos!

So please enjoy these shots, taken with my beautiful, sturdy 35mm Pentax K1000 and true black & white film (no editing these photos!).

And, by the way…these were taken in the absolutely freezing Montana weather. That’s how bad I wanted to see the cows!

(Special thanks to my friends Matt, Colleen, Rose & Larry—you guys rock!)

I do not claim to be an amazing photographer. In fact, I haven’t picked up my camera in the hopes of turning an image into something unforgettable, in quite some time. However, after recently moving from the fast-paced life of Arizona back to my hometown in Montana (both a huge & hasty decision) I felt myself feeling a little…put out to pasture. Let’s just say some things in life do not turn out the way we originally hoped (which can either be a blessing or a curse…or even a blessing or a curse in disguise).

Being back home has made me realize how much I miss seeing Montana (and the world) through a lens. I did, after all, begin the evolution of my photography identity at the ripe age of sixteen in my high school photo lab (well, it was more of a long forgotten & abandoned small room that hadn’t been used in years, but…I digress). I am rediscovering my love for nature, colors, textures & new experiences in this nostalgic land I find myself in once again.

So if, at times, you may feel like you have been put out to pasture…I say, embrace it. And begin your grazing.