Lolo Pass Sunset Couples Photos

These two drove all the way from down in the valley, up a long dirt road, to hang out with me for the evening and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. B is a friend’s sister, so we’ve met and hung out a few times before! J & B both brought such great energy to the night. We listened to some music, frolicked through the grass, played games, had some iced tea, joked around, and watched one of the most gorgeous sunsets any of us have ever seen!

Best Locations For Engagement & Couples Photos in Missoula, MT

There are so many incredible locations within an hour or so of Missoula, Montana! It’s a beautiful destination for family photos, engagements, proposals, and even small weddings or elopements, especially if you want to avoid the crowds up north near Glacier Park. Here are a few broad and specific locations that we recommend near Missoula!

Lolo National Forest

Lolo National Forest makes up about 2.3 million acres in western Montana. There are some really fantastic recreation areas that have tons of different trails and are 100% worth exploring! We really enjoy Blue Mountain Recreation Area and the Maclay Flat Nature Trail. Blue Mountain has lots of trails, great fields, pretty wildflowers in early summer, and is a very accessible location from Missoula. Maclay Flat is a loop trail along the Bitterroot River, right next to Blue Mountain! It can be pretty popular, but has great river access and views. Both are awesome options!

For this session, we found a forest service road outside of Lolo to explore. Even just Highway 12 going over Lolo Pass from Montana to Idaho is a great drive with gorgeous views! And while there are so many forest service roads, pull-outs, and awesome trails, here are a couple of our top recs:

Bitterroot National Forest

The Bitterroot Valley is absolutely stunning and 100% worth exploring! This might be our favorite national forest to hike and adventure at year-round. Not only are most trails within 1-2 hours from Missoula, but the Bitterroot and Sapphire Ranges are stunning. There’s so much to see and do! Our personal favorites include Lake Como Rec Area, Trapper Peak, Painted Rocks State Park, and Blodgett Canyon.

Truly, a photo session or small wedding in the Bitterroots would be an absolute dream with way less people than Glacier! Don’t believe us? Check out this Bitterroot Micro Wedding from a couple of years ago! It had everything from gorgeous mountain views to much more privacy than a national park wedding.

Tips For Planning A Fun Couples Session

Planning a session for you and your partner can sometimes be intimidating! Maybe you feel awkward in front of the camera, have never had photos taken of you two before, or aren’t really sure what to expect. That’s totally okay! When working with us, we typically recommend and help you plan some sort of “thing to do.” Good vibes at your session can really make all the difference between photos that look good and photos that FEEL good.

Pick an activity

Our first recommendation is to plan an activity. We don’t love to have your session feel like a photoshoot because that can lead to awkwardness, stiff imagery, and photos that don’t necessarily have any emotions attached to them. But if you plan something to do, this can help create an experience outside of just having your photos taken. In turn, you’ll feel more relaxed because you and your partner have something to do together.

There are so many things that you can do during your photo session! For J & B, they love playing games together, so we created a fun space in the bed of J’s truck with pillows and blankets, and had them play a few rounds of a fav card game. Other activities include: swimming, fishing, lounging in a hammock, picnicking, hiking, visiting your fav local coffeeshop or brewery, playing an instrument, skiing, etc. The options are endless!

Have good music

Twirls, swing dancing, or boogeying together can be SO fun during your session! Music is just an all around great way to change the vibe from a photoshoot to a more relaxed experience. We always recommend creating an awesome playlist with some of your favorite songs, and we’ll bring our speaker!