I grew up on a commercial cattle ranch in Northern California but made my way to Kansas in 2018. What started as a move for graduate school turned into so much more—I fell in love with a boy, built my photography business from the ground up, and realized I never wanted to leave those Kansas sunsets (not necessarily in that order).
My husband and I recently tied the knot and I now call a small town in North Central Kansas home. He works full-time on the family farm, while I spend my days as a full-time Livestock Production Extension Agent for K-State (go cats!), part-time photographer, and part-time ranch wife helping take care of our own cattle operation!
We love backroad drives with our three fur babies, music festivals and concerts, wine nights watching Survivor, evenings out swing dancing, and just about anything that involves spending time with family.
The cowgirl with a camera bag.
Howdy, im justine!
The 'Open Triangle' brand originally belonged to my great-great-grandfather Charlie, who was one of the first brand inspectors in the state of Colorado in the late 1800’s. It is now one of the few brands that is registered for life in Colorado and has been passed down on my mothers side of the family for generations. The Open Triangle name and brand is something I hold near and dear to my heart and is accompanied by a legacy I plan to pass down to the generations that come after me.
I love being able to carry on tradition, and am beyond proud to represent agriculture as a 5th generation rancher. That is what the “Open Triangle” Photography name represents to me- agriculture, ranching, the western way of life, culture, tradition, hard work, cattle, cowponies, cow dogs, and the cowboys and cowgirls that keep it alive. All that has made me who I am and given me a life I wouldn’t trade for any other. So here I am, trying my best to tell its' story. I hope you like it as much as I love it.
The OTP Brand
I get a lot of questions about where the name Open Triangle Photography comes from. At first, my answer was short, and to the point. But as time goes on, my answer has become more of a story and frankly my favorite one to tell...
I am a 5th generation rancher on my mom's side of my family. I grew up living and breathing the 'traditional ranching' lifestyle and it's no doubt one of the things I am most proud of. I grew up on commercial cattle ranches in Northern California and Southern Oregon and wouldn't trade this way of life for anything.
There is a saying that goes around about ranchers cattleman/cattlewomen, and cowboys/cowgirls that says they are "the last of a dying breed". Which essentially trying to insinuate that we are the last of our kind, that our industry is dying, and that our culture and community will be no more some day. Now, if you ask me, I think a statement like that couldn't be more wrong. We are not dying, we are developing. We are not irrelevant, we are infinite. We are not losing, we are carrying on the legacy. We are all these things because each of us play our own part in it. I just use a camera to play mine.
The OTP Legacy
How did I end up with the title of Wedding Photographer?
Well, funny story—I swore up and down when I first picked up a camera that weddings were not in the cards for me. Nope. No way. But the western wedding world had other plans. Less than six months into my photography career, I was asked to shoot a wedding for a friend (my mom had photographed her wedding and now it was the next generations turn). One wedding led to another, and before I knew it, I was capturing love stories left and right, shooting 10-15 weddings a year, and loving every wild, beautiful minute of it.
