Nathaniel Wilder Blography

Tonia & Justin wedding reception

2012-01-05T11:11:00.001-09:00

After getting engagement photos done in Paris, an intimate wedding in Mexico and a honeymoon in India and Bali, Tonia and Justin returned to Girdwood, Alaska to share a wedding reception with dear friends and family at home.

It was a beautiful evening at the Double Musky Inn--full of good cheer, warm conversation and dancing amidst mid-winter's chill. I can honestly say that Tonia and Justin provided the most lively, passionate dancing I've seen at a wedding reception. Cheers you two!

Below are a few of my favorite photos from the celebration but scroll down to the bottom and click play to see a slide show of the entire evening (and be sure to turn the music up)!

Rachael & Jim - Anchorage wedding

2011-12-18T15:06:00.000-09:00

Rachael and Jim's ceremony and reception was held in their hillside home in early December during that weekend Anchorage was visited by an unpleasant mix of rain and wind, slush and ice. This mal-weather (not a word, I know) outside created a coziness inside that housed the lovely mix of sincerity and emotion this gathering awakened among close family and friends.

I'm grateful for getting to be a part of the day. Here are some of my favorite images.

Sarah and Anthony--North Carolina wedding!

2011-12-02T16:56:00.001-09:00

Sorry for the silence! I've only had one wedding since the last one I blogged about so it's been a little bit quiet in that regard. In the meantime, I've been blogging about some of my fall outdoor activities over here.

I got to photograph this wedding when a friend of mine who runs Blue Bend Photography out of Asheville, North Carolina. He wasn't available to shoot the wedding so he flew me in to cover it with one of his other photographers. I'm not going to say too much more about it other than that this wedding was at the Biltmore Estate--the largest privately owned home in the U.S. So it was quite a treat to shoot there. Here's a selection of my images from the day.

Lisa & Tyler wedding!

2011-09-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

Lisa and Tyler's wedding was held in a sweet little park full of birch trees near Cook Inlet on a beautiful September day.

Lisa and Tyler hired me for my full day package which meant I spent a few hours with Lisa and her bridesmaids downtown at Salon Ivy while they had their hair and make up done. A few things that stood out to me were Lisa's laid back attitude leading up to the ceremony--something that every groom must appreciate. In the same manner, Tyler had a calm gracefulness he expressed--and I caught him just admiring Lisa a few times throughout the day. Also, as a photographer I appreciated how lively Lisa's bridesmaids were (see dance floor section of slide show) since this always equates to more interesting candid photos throughout the day!

Per usual, here are some of my own favorite images but if you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you can see a slide show of the whole day. Click play on the center and then pause it and allow it a minute to load.

Congratulations Tyler and Lisa!!

Outdoors work

2011-09-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting a lot of work/play/projects here--really anything that I've been doing beyond weddings. I've shared a lot of that on this blog in the past, so if you're still interested in seeing that kind of work. You can always go on over to my other blog to see fresh updates. I'll be doing a number of western/southwestern flavored trips in the near future and will be posting occasional updates/photos from that trip. You can also "like" my Nathaniel Wilder Photography page on Facebook to stay in touch as any updates I post to my blog will no doubt be shared on the Facebook page. Wheeeeeeee!

Alissa & Ryan wedding!

2011-09-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

I seem to have had quite good fortune this summer with getting to document weddings with epic dance floors. Alissa and Ryan's was one such celebration.
I love these two.
I've been enjoying getting to know them over the years at various weddings of their friends where Alissa has been a bridesmaid. There was Maricel and Wes' wedding celebration last summer and Emily and Elliott's celebration the summer before that. I'm still waiting to hear which of their friends is getting married next summer so we can do this again!

There are quite a few moments that stand out from this day. But above all of them, shining like a beacon to the weary wedding photographer, was one of the greatest performances I have ever seen in my life. And definitely the greatest I've seen at a wedding celebration. I'm referring to Ryan's childhood friend, Bill, and his outstanding rendition of a classic moment from the very 80's movie, The Lost Boys. Here's the original performance from the movie. I pay tribute to this unusual moment in the slide show with a series of images. You can scroll down to the bottom of this post to see that.

In the meantime, following are a series of my own favorite moments (as usual) from Alissa and Ryan's wedding day. Congratulations you two on a beautiful ceremony and exceptional reception celebration!!

Amanda & Nick wedding!

2011-09-06T11:10:00.004-08:00

Nick and Amanda!
I'm always interested to see how couples approach their wedding day--such a variety of attitudes going into the celebration. So I appreciated seeing Nick and Amanda's ultra-relaxed approach to the day. There wasn't a lot of fanfare or stagedmoments. Just an unfolding of celebration and love with family and friends. And a bouncy castle for the kids!!

Nick is an excellent musician so I've enjoyed seeing him in his various bands around Anchorage over the years (I think he's involved in at least 5 different musical projects at any given time) so music was an important part of the evening. Various friends and musical students of his graced the stage throughout the evening (including Nick himself). But my favorite part about the celebration came during the ceremony. Years ago, when first dating Amanda, Nick had come across an old canvas and thought he would give it to Amanda, who makes her living through her art. But first he decided (and we all do interesting things in our lovesick states) to paint a stick figure portrait of he and Amanda together, holding hands on the canvas, sure that she would paint over it later.
Well, she didn't.
So this canvas made a reappearance on their wedding day and, right during the ceremony, Nick and Amanda painted the newest addition to their union: their beautiful baby daughter, Marina. It was such a sweet moment in the ceremony, and I've never seen anything like it. I'm sure there weren't many dry eyes in the congregation.

Big love to Nick and Amanda and their new life!Here are some of my favorite images from the day... but scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch a slide show from the celebration.

Susie & Sherman--Talkeetna wedding!!

2011-08-18T11:25:00.001-08:00

I'm at a loss for words to properly portray the epic nature of the dance floor at Susie & Sherman's wedding reception in the Sheldon Community Arts Hanger last month. So it's a good thing I took some pictures. I know I keep saying this, but this was seriously the most energetic dance floor I've seen at a wedding. Susie is a musician and so is much of her family--so she had warned me in advance that the dance floor would be somewhat populated. Whatever she told me last winter when I passed through Bethel and photographed their engagement portraits was an understatement.

The band, Swan Court String Band, flew in from Bethel for the wedding and kept the guests on the floor all night playing mind-blowing covers of bands like Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, MGMT--even closing out the night with an amazing rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart"!!! The band was clearly as impressed as I was with the audience's zest as I was because at some point one of the band members inquired: "I just have to ask you guys for my own piece of mind--do you practice at being an amazing audience?"

Some of my favorite moments from the day:
At the end of the ceremony, some of Susie and Sherman's friends played a rendition of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's "Home" as the wedding party exited. But the song, alluring as it is, brought the entire wedding party back up the aisle to dance it out in front of the guests.
I have never seen a flash-mob dance at a wedding before but while the band was on break, a song came on over the loudspeakers and someone ushered Susie & Sherman to their seats while about 40-ish guests danced out an entire pre-choreographed number to a Backstreet Boy's song much to S & S's delight. It was pretty impressive!
Apparently, by the end of the night no one had had enough. So, as the newlyweds tried to make a somewhat fanfare-less escape out the back door, the guests followed them out into the dusk and, blocking their truck from escaping, proceeded with another impromptu flash mob dance--all while singing at the top of their lungs--before they'd let them leave. As the truck trailed off into the night one of the guests threw up his arms and declared "allright! now let's get this partaay staaarted!"

I'll cut out and let the photos do the rest of the talking here. As usual, the single frames posted below are my personal favorites from the day. Scroll down to the bottom of you want to see a full slide show from their celebration. Click play and then pause it for a few minutes and give it a chance to load. (And turn up the volume).

Megan and Skyler --Sutton wedding!

2011-08-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Megan and Skyler's wedding was up at the Majestic Valley Lodge--well past the town of Sutton, Alaska. What impressed me most about these two was that throughout the day they seemed so easy-going. Megan was very relaxed and it showed through in her clear lack of stress! :) I also appreciated Skyler's thoughtfulness, his attentiveness to Megan and the sincerity that came through in his expressions throughout the celebration. These are things that photographers love!

Here is a short series of some of my favorite frames but if you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you can see a slide show of the whole day. Click play on the center and then pause it and allow it a minute to load.

Congratulations you two!

Katie & Zach --engaged!

2011-08-16T15:17:00.002-08:00

Katie & Zach!
I really enjoyed getting to know these two on a shoot to commemorate their engagement up around Summit Lake at Hatcher's Pass recently. Turns out they're both from awesome Alaskan towns--Chickaloon and Fairbanks--and share a strong love and appreciation of Alaskan wild places. We had lots to talk about.

Congratulations Katie and Zach. Can't wait to photograph your wedding next summer!

Nathalia & Bo - Girdwood wedding!

2011-08-08T16:23:00.003-08:00

Nathalia and Bo!
They met while fishing wet flies on the Russian for sockeye salmon a few years back. First date, Alaska style! That sounds ideal.

Nathalia is one of the most organized brides I have ever worked with. She booked me a solid year and a half in advance instead of the typical year out. Their wedding was held at the beautiful, Raven Glacier Lodge in Girdwood--where tufts from the Cottonwood trees lining the stream out back floated through the northern, temperate rain forest, gracing the ceremony as it was underway.

That was one of my favorite moments of the day. Another was the piñata that Nathalia, Bo, and the children took turns beating to shreds at the reception. Nathalia brought this in to represent her Mexican heritage. Oh, that and about a dozen family members from Mexico who had never flown on a plane, much less been to Alaska!

Nathalia & Bo make a great pair--big smiles, lovey eyes for each other and a love for being outside in Alaska. What a perfect celebration day to honor their union!

Below are some of my favorite single images from the day. Local Anchorage photographer Loren Holmes shot part of the afternoon with me and some of his images can be seen in the slide show. Scroll down to the bottom to see that. Click play and then pause it to allow it a minute to load!

Julie & Dan - Seattle wedding!

2011-08-03T16:28:00.003-08:00

Julie and Dan!! Just good folks through and through. I may or may have not gotten all teary and smiley while editing through their wedding photos from a beautiful July day of celebration in Seattle.

Julie and Dan are literally some of the most joyful people I have ever met. In fact, so are their families! I touched down in Seattle the morning of the wedding after a short night due to covering a wedding the night before in Talkeetna, north of Anchorage. The energy of Julie's family as they geared up for the ceremony, and their welcoming nature brought me seamlessly into the day.

Although dozens of sweet moments stand out from the day, one of my favorites was seeing Julie and Dan thanking Julie's grandmother for her attendance and the sincerity and care they took with that gratitude. Another favorite moment was when the two of them honored their mothers during the ceremony with a flower and a hug.

The reception was full of these moments too! Family songs-and-dance on the dance floor and hilarious gifts for the bride and groom but one of my favorites was that Julie and Dan had asked each table at the reception to come up with a song to sing--so all throughout the reception whole tables got up and went over to wherever Julie and Dan were to serenade them with incredible enthusiasm.

Thanks you two for having me down for your celebration!

Scroll down to the bottom of the photo post to see the slide show. Click play and then pause it and allow it a few moments to load. I think it's worth it!

Mystie & Garret wedding!

2011-08-01T10:25:00.005-08:00

Man, what a day!

Mystie and Garret's wedding was held up past Sutton at the Majestic Valley Lodge on Tanabata day (a Japanese star festival). Mystie explained this to me excitedly when asked why they had chose a Thursday. The two are artists, and seem part creative, part magic, part fairy. There was so many visual goodies surrounding the wedding--things that photographers eat up! The two, with great help from friends, made 1000 paper cranes that were hung, placed, crammed in various corners of the venue. One of my favorite moments of the day came during the ceremony when Garret leaned over, speaking his vows, and whispered a promise in Mystie's ear--one of the times I got chills. Then Mystie promised something to him that only they would know.

Also Garret shaved, pre-wedding, old school style, forged the rings himself, split his pants (literally) right after the ceremony, hand picked and then brewed an entire jug of Dandelion wine for friends to drink at the reception. The two of them made an EPIC wedding video loosely telling the story of Tanabata day which aired on a hung sheet at the wedding reception. Upon the final image, the two broke through the sheet and entered the room at the cheers of all their friends. They're so loved! I could go on. It's all in the photos. Epic dance floor, etc. You'll just have to watch the slide show.

Per usual, these still images are just some of my favorites from the day. But if you scroll down to the bottom of this post you can see their slide show. Click play and then pause it and give it a few minutes to load (and turn up your volume).
Enjoy!

Rachel & Chris - Talkeetna wedding!

2011-07-30T23:50:00.003-08:00

I'm fortunate to have been the hired photographer for Rachel and Chris' wedding celebration in Talkeetna earlier in the month. Everything a photographer could hope for was present: a sweet couple, a beautiful, outdoor ceremony followed by butter and honey evening reception light, and a raging dance floor full of good humor and light heartedness. Amen.

I took a mental picture during the reception. I want to remember the fireweed, the substance of that late evening light, the music carrying from the tent, humming down the river valley. I'd like to think about it sometime in the darkness of late January.

As usual, the single images posted here are my own personal favorites moments of the day. For a more thorough visual story of Rachel and Chris' wedding day (including ceremony photos!), scroll down to the slide show at the bottom. Click play and then pause it to allow a few minutes to load.

Megan and Travis - Girdwood wedding!

2011-07-21T16:46:00.001-08:00

Megan and Travis got married in one of my favorite venues--Our Lady of the Snows chapel in Girdwood. As usual (for this summer), we had another day without rain. The clouds closed in around the top of Mt. Alyeska as we took the tram up, but then cleared just in time for us to get some photos of the bridal party before the backdrop of the Turnagain Arm closed up again into the gray.

The reception was outstanding. I love it when the wedding party and friends and family get down on the dance floor--clearly everyone was having the best time. A highlight for me, for sure, was the curly headed guy that caught the garter and proceeded to steadily boogie down the rest of the night--even riding atop Megan's lap at one point--to her shock and surprise! You'll have to watch the slide show to see what I'm talking about.

Posted here are a few of my personal favorite images from the big day. I hired Loren Holmes, photojournalist extraordinaire, to shoot this wedding with me since Megan and Travis requested a second photographer. His awesome photos are sprinkled through the slide show. Thanks Loren!

(Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the slide show. Click play in the center but then pause it and allow it a few moments to load).

Lydia & Jeremy - Michigan wedding!

2011-06-27T19:57:00.002-08:00

Lydia and Jeremy flew to Lydia's hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan from San Francisco to get married among local friends and family.

Lydia's been a dear friend since college and so I was so excited to be asked to photograph what turned into an absolutely epic wedding weekend. She is literally the smiliest person I know and together with Jeremy the two of them make quite the handsome couple! Add to that a gorgeous, humid southwest Michigan day, a bridal party that was anything but shy, and a group of wildly expressive friends and family in full party mode and you have the recipe for a beautiful wedding celebration.

I could say a whole lot more about all of my highlights from the day (like watching Lydia's entire--also smiley--family on the dance floor singing along to "Home") and the love that we were all feeling that day, but rather than getting wordy, I'm going to let the photographs do the talking.

Following are many of my favorite single images from that day--a lot more than I usually post, but it was a big, beautiful day! To see a whole round of the "best of" scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the slide show--then turn up your volume and take a few minutes to witness the love!
(note: you may need to click play, then pause and allow the slide show to load properly--it's not brief!)

Click center to play:

Emily & Nate wedding!

2011-06-24T12:32:00.002-08:00

These two are wonderful. I loved their quiet sincerity throughout the wedding day. They chose to get married in my favorite indoor ceremony venue--Our Lady of the Snows--a quiet, log cabin chapel on the edge of our northern rain forest (and close to the Alyeska Resort) in Girdwood. There's always great natural light to work with there!

After portraits around Girdwood we raced back to Anchorage for their reception at the top of one of the hotel Captain Cook's towers. A highlight from the reception, I thought, was the live performance of some of Emily and Nate's quite talented musician friends. The other was the rowdy "table 9" and that one guy who managed to get photographed with just about every lady in the house. Scroll down to the bottom and click on the slide show to see evidence of this.

Alissa & Ryan elopement!!

2011-06-20T09:40:00.002-08:00

I met Alissa & Ryan at Dark Horse Coffee in downtown Anchorage to photograph their elopement of sorts. They tied the knot right there in the coffee house with an officiant, two witnesses, the owner of Dark Horse, and some bystanders. We then wandered around downtown Anchorage, laughing and making portraits.

Relieved to be married, I guessed, and naturally animated, I found it particularly difficult to make a bad photograph of these two. Since this blog post constitutes a wedding coverage, I've included a more than usual array of images from around town that afternoon.

When you see Alissa or Ryan around Anchorage, be sure to congratulate them! And stay tuned for images from their full wedding celebration with family and friends in August!!

'

Jennifer & Vince - wedding!

2011-06-10T13:50:00.002-08:00

What a day at the Arctic Valley Alpenglow ski lodge outside of Anchorage this past weekend! Jennifer and Vince hired me for a full day package and took advantage of it! I photographed their wedding and subsequent celebration for almost 12 straight hours and they'll end up with a disc of photos nearing 3000 final images.

Aside from some seriously roisterous dance floor action during Jennifer & Vince's wedding celebration, one of my favorite things about their day was all the excitable children running around including the flower girl, who couldn't stop hanging off of Vince. As they always do, Woodrow --my favorite wedding band in Alaska rocked the lodge right up until the end. Any band that can flawlessly render Digital Underground's early 90's hit The Humpty Dance while recounting the entire lyrics accurately get's a gold star (and recommendation) from me.

Below are just a few of my favorite moments, but scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the slide show to see the full story of their wedding day from the preparation to the last moments of festivities on the dance floor.

Lisa & Tyler - engaged!

2011-05-31T21:20:00.003-08:00

These guys are pretty dang cute together.

Stephanie & Craig wedding!

2011-05-28T23:28:00.003-08:00

First wedding of the summer! What a beautiful friday ceremony we had yesterday--sunlight streaming in the second story windows onto the congregation gathered to see Stephanie & Craig wedded.

I love it when the groom is more emotional than the bride. Even though the two arranged to see each other (as is so common these days) for photographs before the ceremony, I could still see Craig's eyes mist up at the sight of Steph as she entered the aisle with her father.

I've posted a few images here from the celebration, but scroll down to the bottom to see a full slide show story of their day.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2011-05-22T21:21:00.002-08:00

Alex & Nate - California wedding!

2011-04-26T12:45:00.004-08:00

It didn't really come out until the wedding day toasts, but Alex and Nate put a lot of thought into choosing the most ideal weather day to hold their spring wedding in southern California. In the end, of course, we don't really have a choice about what the weather's going to do. And so, there we were on a spring solstice wedding day that dished out the worst weather I have ever seen in southern California (and I even lived there one winter). Winds were so strong they were blowing down power lines while a large stream carved through the center of the gravel parking lot of the beautiful wedding venue they'd chosen on a hillside in Malibu.

Of course none of this deterred the celebratory mood of the day, in fact I felt that it was enhanced. With a great fire in the fireplace of the ceremonial hall and steamed up windows from the heavy precipitation in the air, a cozy intimacy set the mood which played itself out in free flowing tears during the ceremony and some of the more energetic dancing I've seen at a reception! All in all, an unforgettable celebration of the union of Alex and Nate!

Scroll down to the bottom frame and click the center to see their wedding day slide show.

Kate & Jimmy (and Suzie and French Fry) -- engaged!

2011-04-13T01:30:00.003-08:00

Kate and Jimmy sure picked it! We had beautiful evening light to shoot in along Turnagain Arm at Bird Point and somewhere near Beluga. It's that really nice time of year where down low it's easy to get around for lack of snow, but there's still a nice snow-pack up high. All of this illuminated under some quality spring evening light, the sun edging further and further north along the horizon each day makes for a nice visual. I love the rich quality of summer light!

I enjoyed getting to know Kate and Jimmy a bit better after having met them a few times over the years through friends. The two of them are clearly way in love--almost as much as they love their dogs, Suzie and French Fry. I believe it was French Fry's idea to use the save-the-dates signs in one of the photos.

Alex & Nate portraits - California

2011-04-07T23:17:00.002-08:00

Back in the USA!

Alex and Nate were great. I'd never met them before, but they'd seen some of the wedding work I'd done for a friend of Alex's in Berkeley a couple years ago and hired me for their Malibu, California wedding in March. I was literally hanging out under a full moon in the desert in southern Jordan one night eating grilled lamb and veggies and, some 36-48 hours later was sitting in the dining hall of my Thousand Oakes hotel trying to decide between bagels or cereal.

That day before the wedding I met with Nate and Alex to do a pre-wedding portrait shoot in a park during which time they shared some personal promises (vows) with each other. It was a great opportunity to get to know them before their wedding ceremony. Here is a portfolio of imagery from that day's shoot.

Stay tuned for their wedding day blog post with slideshow...

Palestinian Wedding in the West Bank!

2011-02-02T12:11:00.001-09:00

Traveling in the West Bank in Israel I was given the opportunity to photograph a Palestinian Christian wedding in the town of Bethlehem last Sunday.

A new friend, Awad, another shining example of one of the many friendly people I've met in the Palestinian Territories connected me with the hired photographer for the wedding, Rami, who allowed me to shoot alongside him throughout the day. The six hours I could afford to spend photographing at this wedding were certainly the most exciting of my wedding career thus far. I'll let the photos speak to that.

We started with portraits at Bethlehem's only 5-star hotel: The Intercontinental. From there we drove straight to the church, just down the street from the local mosque. The priest met the couple at the door to bless their entry into the church as the wind blustered in through the open door of the sanctuary and a family member yodeled (Middle East style) at the top of her lungs in celebration. A perfect moment.

After a beautiful, energetic, and, at the finale, passionate ceremony in Arabic from the pulpit where the couple, the close family, and the photographers stood, there was a rest period before the big party. I went home to attend to some obligations before heading out to the reception a few hours later.

The guests wait around for at least an hour at the reception, it seems, smoking, eating, drinking and awaiting the arrival of the bride and groom. The excitement for this moment is pent up and released all at once upon their arrival. You'll see what I mean in the reception images. It was the first time I'd seen a groom hoisted up, standing on a table above the dance floor to a cheering group of guests. I'm told that 1000 guests is an average number of attendees at a wedding reception around here.

So grateful to have gotten to witness the love and the passion at this wedding in the little town of Bethlehem in this especially contentious region of the Middle East.

new website!

2011-01-18T12:28:00.004-09:00

This new website houses all of my work that is NOT weddings: outdoors, editorial, lifestyle photography, etc.

See it here.

The site has been a long time in the coming and I'm really excited about the
great design work by Nico Berry at Coin Creative.

Winner! Wedding Photojournalist Association competition

2011-01-15T17:04:00.001-09:00

17th place in the "great natural light" category :)

Rachel & Chris - engaged!

2011-01-10T00:17:00.003-09:00

Beautiful day engagement shoot with Rachel and Chris along Turnagain Arm and Potters Marsh recently. I keep getting connected with all these super genuine, sweet couples. The beauty of the lack of light this time of the year is that when it actually does appear, it is low on the horizon and, on clear days, has a warm glow because of its low angle. Glad to have found such a sweet couple to reflect that warm glow.

Here are some favorites from the day. I'm looking forward to Chris and Rachel's Talkeetna wedding next July!

Emily & Nate - engaged!

2011-01-09T23:11:00.002-09:00

These guys are the sweetest. Cold day up at the Eagle River Nature center but nature produced and we got some nice imagery among the hoar frost covered trees. I'm looking forward to Emily and Nate's wedding in June!

2011

2011-01-01T04:37:00.000-09:00

Happy New Year One and All!

only 174 days...

2010-12-29T15:08:00.002-09:00

...until summer solstice!

Can you feel it?

Susie and Sherman engaged!

2010-12-29T02:03:00.002-09:00

I got to hang out with Susie and Sherman in Bethel (west Alaska) last month while passing through en route to visit friends in a nearby village. Since they had booked me for their wedding next summer without having been able to meet me, the shoot/visit served as a great opportunity to get to know them a bit while getting their engagement shoot taken care of. Incidentally, weather kept me from ever getting further afield to my friends and so I ended up spending a little extra time getting to know Bethel. I'm grateful for Susie and Sherman's kindness!

Can't wait for their Talkeetna wedding next summer!

celebrating life

2010-12-28T13:00:00.000-09:00

Last summer I was asked to photograph the memorial service of a young gal that had apparently followed my blog. She had passed away the previous week and so a service was held to pay tribute to her joy-filled life and to say goodbye to her one last time. I usually wouldn't photograph something like this, but in this special circumstance, I was honored to be asked to document the celebration.

Originally, I didn't feel that a blog post about this occasion was necessary. But after sifting through these photographs, I figured that it would only be proper to give Brittni her own post here. If she could see this, I hope that she would admire the expressions displayed here of those that loved her just as she appreciated the expressions of love in the photographs of people that I make at weddings.

The beauty of the memorial service that late summer day was in the tangible expressions of love and joy (mixed, of course, with sorrow) present on everyones' faces. Brittni seemed to live a life filled with joy and, judging by the hundreds of mourners/celebrants that packed the church, the influence of that joy knew few boundaries. I have to admit that, despite not knowing her personally, I was moved by the great love she had for living and the inspiration it provided others. Here are a few of my favorites from that day. Note: a few of these were taken the previous evening at a family-only memorial that I was asked to photograph.

Lt. General Atkins for Portland Magazine

2010-12-26T14:56:00.002-09:00

A few of my favorites from a portrait shoot with the quite genial Lieutenant General Atkins for the University of Portland Magazine, the Lt. General's alma mater.

Colleen & Aaron engagement!

2010-12-24T19:03:00.002-09:00

This may have been the coldest engagement shoot I've done yet. Not for sure, but that wind was sure blowing down on the open beach across the water from Fire Island. I love this stretch of beach, with its open views across to the Aleutian Range, to Mt. Susitna, and up north towards Denali and Foraker in the Alaska Range. The sun provided its rich, mid-winter light for Colleen, Aaron and I. Glad we diverted from the cloudy Turnagain Arm area we'd been thinking of and headed down past the end of the huge cloud bank that was hovering over the Anchorage bowl. I had some fishing conversation with Aaron and Colleen--both huge fans of salmon fishing, having worked as guides on the Kenai. My kind of people!

Melissa & Derek engagement!

2010-12-24T18:25:00.005-09:00

Melissa & Derek met me up at Eklutna Lake in the Chugach Mountains for their engagement shoot. Fresh snow holding carefully to the tree branches is an aesthetic visual that made up for our lack of direct sunlight that day. Despite the both of them not being from Alaska, I was impressed how they just shrugged off the cold. Congratulations you two!

wait for it...

2010-12-22T10:48:00.003-09:00

There's a whole string of blog posts coming just around the corner.

In the meantime, happy winter solstice everybody. Now here's a chickadee!

Been busy...

2010-12-10T16:24:00.004-09:00

If there's anyone out there in the the b-sphere that's faithfully been checking in to see if I've posted a portrait-a-day then to you I say: thank you for your interest! And: sorry! Man, I've been dang busy with edits and haven't had a chance to shoot a portrait each day. I never made it out to that village upriver from Bethel. Low visibility ultimately kept planes that were headed that direction grounded so I bowed to the weather gods and changed my ticket to come home early to Anchorage.

In the interim before some more engagement photos go up on the blog (among other posts/activities), here's a portrait of a dear friend I've known from high school. I got a new light, and we had a fun moment with it.

Anne & Brett - Austin wedding!

2010-12-07T01:33:00.002-09:00

Brett is a wedding photographer based out of Austin, Texas so I was pretty sure he would know what he was doing when he and Anne put the details of their wedding day together. A last minute (wise) decision was made to hold the ceremony in the big, beautiful backyard of the Mercury Hall because the day was clearly made for it. What ensued, post-ceremony, had to be the best dance floor I have ever been fortunate enough to photograph (and be a part of)! Rarely do I get to actually get my groove on at a wedding but, being a friend, Brett and Anne had made sure to make me feel welcome at the celebration-- to eat and be merry on their wedding day. And so, assured that another photographer friend of Brett's was also on the job, I took breaks to socialize and dance!

Brett and Anne have sublime taste in music so the day was filled with it - from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. My greatest memory of Brett from college (besides working alongside him at the photo desk of our school newspaper) was his zeal for dance parties. The DJ went as far as to say that Anne and Brett were his best couple yet. Brett had set up a camera and light in a side room as a "photo booth" and, naturally, props he had placed there (such as feather boas and plastic guitars) made their way onto the dance floor as the night wore on and only the dedicated remained on the dance floor. You'll notice a healthy selection of dance photos in this slide show. This is purely documentary, indicative of the reality.

It was lovely getting to know Anne. She was grace and light and I can't wait to hang out w/these guys together more in the future. Perhaps for another round of karaoke. Thanks Brett and Anne!

Press play and then please give the slide show a minute to load.

stuck in Bethel...again

2010-12-03T13:23:00.002-09:00

Stuck in Bethel: day three. Planes weren't taking off for the town I was trying to visit--Tuluksak--thirty-five or so miles up the Kuskokwim River from Bethel.

So I borrowed a friend's car and explored the purportedly 16 miles of road that run around town. I found myself by the banks of the Kuskokwim River, the reason for this town's existence as transportation hub of the state's west. Here I found my portrait for the day:

North of town folks run their dogs.

Left over from the recent middle-of-the-night lamprey eel harvest.

My favorite bird.

Preparing the net to harvest whitefish.

Caroline jigging for lush fish.

A total of five holes were broken in the ice and the net was run beneath the ice from the first hole to the last one. The holes in between were used to house the floats attached to the net so the net would stay high and taut beneath the ice. They'd be back to check on it the next day.

The ends of the net were attached to logs that were stood upright to mark the net's location.

The north edge of town backing up to the tundra expanse.

Looking toward town from the dump.

So much spirit, these birds.

stuck in Bethel

2010-12-01T17:08:00.005-09:00

Well, I'm stuck in the western Alaskan hub of Bethel, (a largely Yup'ik town along the Kuskokwim River) with the cloud ceiling too low for small planes to land in most surrounding villages in the Delta. Getting lots of wedding edits done but I guess I'm also going to start with the portrait a day again.

Lucy in a Kuspuk she just made. I wish I could look as good in one of these.

engagement teaser

2010-11-30T19:21:00.002-09:00

Three engagement sessions in the last four days--at Eklutna Lake, Kincaid Park/Cook Inlet and, today, Bethel. I'll post a more thorough take of each but since that may not happen for awhile and I'm trying to get better about blogging as I go, here's a quick teaser.

!Bethel!

Eklutna Lake:

Kincaid Park:

a dear friend, an old soul

2010-11-29T14:59:00.000-09:00

Mary Beth and Eddie - Connecticut wedding!

2010-11-26T23:13:00.002-09:00

Eddie and Mary Beth held their wedding celebration on a beautiful autumn day in West Hartford, Connecticut last month. I have to say, they did a fine job of planning a celebration that would reflect who they are--playful, casual, caring, and full of love. Their fondness for the outdoors was represented in the ceremony location: on a point of land jutting out into a lake not far from where Mary Beth grew up.

I've known Eddie for almost a decade now. He remains one of the sweetest, most selfless people I have ever met. Back in college when I was involved in various photo media presentations in auditoriums around campus, he was usually on the tech crew. He has this big heart and willingness to help and would always just drop whatever he was doing, without a hint of annoyance, to help me overcome whatever technical glitch I had encountered.

Mary Beth is no different and perfectly complements Eddie. Her affection and her patience are an ocean and people are naturally drawn to her--exhibit Eddie or, as you'll see in the slide show, a dear former preschool student of hers. MB and Eddie are the kind of people that make you think hard about how you can be a better person and I'm quite grateful to be counted among their friends.

Below is a slide show from their wedding weekend. Please pause it and give it a moment to load after clicking play!

Whitney & Kris - California wedding!!

2010-11-21T08:41:00.007-09:00

"Grace" is a recurring theme in Whitney's life. When my dear friends Whitney and Kris got married in October at a retreat in the mountains outside of Ojai they made a weekend out of it. Friends came from all over the country to spend some days celebrating life and the union of these two. By the end of a weekend of surfing, late night conversations, community dinners, hot tubbing, yoga, and disc golf, friends and family were commenting on what a perfect weekend it had been--relaxed and celebratory. Connections had deepened and, above all, we had initiated the union of Whitney and Kris in a beautiful way. After it was all over, I reveled in the expression of grace that I had seen in Whitney throughout the weekend and in Kris' support of her a reflection of his own pure sense of grace.

These two have a lust for adventure, laughter, loving and community. I can't wait to see all that they do together!

Please enjoy their slide show below. I hope that I have even somewhat managed to capture the love that we all felt that weekend. (And stay tuned for future documentation of the continued adventures of Whitney and Kris).

*Hint* -you may need to press "play" in the center and then give the slide show a minute to load!

day 30

2010-11-20T00:37:00.001-09:00

Back in Alaska.

I may or may not continue with the daily portrait now that I'm home.

day 29 portrait

2010-11-19T04:29:00.002-09:00

Today's portrait: Mohan.

And various outtakes--portrait and images from the trail.

day 26,27,28

2010-11-18T09:44:00.001-09:00

Portraits from the last 3 days since I've been away from the internets.

Day 26:

"I don't know my way around computers all too well."

Day 27:

Old bud from college--Jessica--in the Rincon Mts east of Tucson.

Day 28:

Jess off the Turkey Creek Trail in some beautiful high desert ponderosa pines.

day 25

2010-11-14T21:41:00.001-09:00

Catlow.

Outtakes:

Steve.

Catlow 2.

day 24 portrait & desert scenes

2010-11-13T21:01:00.003-09:00

Well, I've gotten in this habit now of posting context or outtake photos for each day that I post my portrait of the day series. Today is no different. Especially since it was another desert hike in that butter and honey light. I also got caught up on some wedding edits today! Good times.

This first dude is a dude I found in a parking lot. But check out the next photo--the fruit from the prickly pear cactus! Red as beets but a juicy taste faintly reminiscent of pears.

day 23

2010-11-12T17:18:00.004-09:00

This kid!!

And desert lights outtakes:

Steve.

day 22

2010-11-11T22:12:00.002-09:00

Whew. This one almost didn't happen today. Busy day and never had the right chance to get a good portrait. I had to wake up and pull myself from the bed I'd fallen asleep on at midnight to go downstairs in this hotel and find someone to photograph. So here it is. Nothing special but I overcame the resistance!

day 21

2010-11-10T21:16:00.003-09:00

Not cheating here on my daily portrait. I put my friend, Whitney, in this light for this portrait--so it was intentional. I know I used her yesterday but this light was so butter and honey I just couldn't resist it.

And some outtakes from the desert landscape in which we spent the afternoon and evening shooting product:

day 20

2010-11-09T20:54:00.002-09:00

Today's portrait is of an inspirational friend, Whitney. She has also been blogging daily, challenging herself and the status quo. See her blog here.

(Stay tuned for a blog post here in the next few days from her wedding last month.)

And for Chaco in Tucson today:

day 19

2010-11-08T21:44:00.002-09:00

Today's portrait: Vince, creator of the Cathedral of Junk (an Austin icon) and self-proclaimed "junk king."

----------------------------- --------------------------------

And some outtakes from the day:

work for Chaco footwear

2010-11-07T23:59:00.000-09:00

Chaco asked me to compile a slide show of imagery I've shot for them for their annual sales meeting next week in Tucson. The below slide show represents all the work I've done for them this year--in Scandinavia, the Alaskan arctic, Illinois :) and south-central Alaska.

day 18

2010-11-07T00:22:00.002-08:00

Beautiful wedding day today. Here are some portraits I took during the day with my portrait-a-day diet in mind.

And some outtakes...

day 17

2010-11-07T00:07:00.003-08:00

Today's portrait - Mia: an Alaskan in Austin.

And an outtake: tomorrow's groom.

And a moment: rehearsal for tomorrow's wedding.

day 16

2010-11-05T22:46:00.003-08:00

Today's portrait: my first grade crush (now current Austinite) Lynda.

And some outtakes from around Austin...

"Winkey" --house photographer at "the Broken Spoke" dance hall.

Genevieve.

day 15 portrait

2010-11-04T20:04:00.003-08:00

I saw this reflection from the window of my cousin Genevieve's kitchen in Austin tonight.

Note: I have not manipulated this photo in any way. I asked my cousin to sit beneath the glow of the kitchen light and caught her reflection in it while the porch light illuminated a tree of berries outside the window.

And an outtake using car brake lights...

Austin's full of photo potential. Check back each day for the daily portrait over the next four days. Wedding day on Sunday!

day 14

2010-11-03T22:58:00.003-08:00

My favorite light today. Here's my sister-in-law for the chosen portrait.

Followed by some favored outtakes...
*Note* --this light and color has not been enhanced with editing software. It's all natural.

day 13

2010-11-02T23:17:00.002-08:00

Not my favorite portrait. I should have spent more time thinking about this one.

But it's what I have for today since I had to put my camera away for what turned out to be the best moments of the day.

day 12

2010-11-01T21:08:00.005-08:00

Today's portrait: Kristin Serafini--college art professor, children's books illustrator and accomplished artist.

Jennifer & Vince - engagement!

2010-11-01T07:42:00.002-08:00

Here are some favorites from an engagement shoot with Jennifer and Vince last month. I'm looking forward to photographing their wedding next June!

day 11

2010-10-31T21:10:00.003-08:00

Love.

an outtake below:

Megan and Kevin--Anchorage wedding

2010-10-31T00:02:00.001-08:00

Megan and Kevin were as sweet as can be. One of my favorite things about the day was that, aside from Kevin bawling as he watched Megan walk down the aisle towards him (like no other groom I'd seen--to his credit!), the two of them took the time during the reception to walk around and greet/thank every guest for coming to the wedding. They were so outside of themselves. Here are a few of my favorite photos from their Kincaid Park ceremony and reception.

Below is the slide show--->or scroll down through my favorite single images from the wedding.

day 10 portrait

2010-10-30T18:45:00.002-08:00

Happy halloween from the dead princesses.

Outtake:

day 9

2010-10-29T21:02:00.003-08:00

Today's chosen portrait: Michael Booth, Alaskaphile living in the midwest.

Also, see my little crush, Olivia, below...

And my family...

day 8

2010-10-28T21:21:00.003-08:00

Tabea: performance artist.

day 7

2010-10-27T22:07:00.002-08:00

One-fourth of Principia College's exclusive camera club.

day 6 portrait

2010-10-26T19:45:00.002-08:00

I made today's portrait while photographing my parents for Chaco footwear in southern Illinois (on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River). The light was butter and honey on this windy day and where they were standing in the tall bluff grasses was ideal. I stopped them and posed this portrait and made a series of frames. The above is the best portrait of the bunch but I like the candid outtake below the best.

day 5

2010-10-25T22:34:00.002-08:00

The first portrait I've posted here is my favorite of the day. It's of my big brother, Forrest.

I'm feeling like I cheated yesterday since all I posted was a photo that I took during full day wedding coverage. But I was tired and when 3am rolled around and I was posting, I just sort of went with what I had.

To make up for it, I took two portraits today of people I'd never met. Since part of the purpose of this exercise is to become more comfortable w/making portraits of folks I don't know on the fly, I need to be practicing that every chance I get. As soon as I arrived in the Lambert St. Louis airport tonight, I immediately found subjects to work with.

The first is a cadet that was lined up with 40 others near the airport's entry. Something struck me about this individual in particular. I think it was that, to me, he had the appearance of a young man that has been through some adversity and had enlisted to sort his life out. Who knows if that could be true but I liked that his appearance made me conjure up that story about him. And he just looked like a scared, young recruit. Something classic about his appearance.

This second lady, named Hope, was a hoot. I saw her near this sign and loved her hair. As soon as she finished up a call, I asked her if I could usher her back in front of the sign in order to capture the outline of her amazing hair against what I found to be a humorous backdrop.

Looking at these portraits later, I wish I could have shot them differently in order to better capture the personality of the people--and to capture what I thought the photo could be when I first saw the subjects. I'm going to work on this. I'm not going to feel as rushed when I make these portraits.

day 4

2010-10-24T22:38:00.003-08:00

Day four portrait. Beautiful, long wedding day.
I'm exhausted.

day 3

2010-10-23T20:16:00.002-08:00

I'm in Connecticut for a wedding weekend right now and was in the basement of the bride's house today before the wedding rehearsal (at a nearby beautiful park/lake area) and I noticed this shaft of light:

I about back flipped! What great light! Surrounded by darkness! My kind of light. So I went and grabbed someone to put in it. This first shot is today's portrait. The beauty of this light scenario is that I realized I could use my bare arms to reflect and bounce light back into my subject. That's why, in this first portrait and first outtake, the subject's face is lit slightly on the right side. That was light reflecting from my arms. Without that reflecting light, the only lit part of the face would have been around her right eye.

I've included some favorite outtakes. I grabbed the bride and groom for a few portraits and then a photographer friend to show her the light.

Tomorrow's a wedding. But I'll try not to take a bride and groom portrait for the daily installment. Stay tuned...

day 2

2010-10-22T17:40:00.004-08:00

Installment portrait for day 2. This is a friend at Dunkin' Donuts--the ubiquitous east coast donut mecca--near West Hartford, Connecticut. When I was a kid, we had a Dunkin' D's up in Anchorage (on Debarr near Muldoon for you Anchorites). Every time I drove by that place with my brother and dad there would be two guys sitting at the bar eating donuts. We could see them through the windows. "There's the two guys," we would affirm. There were always just two.

starting somewhere

2010-10-21T23:50:00.002-08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I'd like to grow as a photographer. One area I could really stand to progress is in the crafting of a portait. The idea of making a portrait (or any good photograph in a series) each day for a set amount of time is quite appealing and I've seen various photographers do this to date. Lately, Clark James Mishler, probably the most well-known photographer in Anchorage has been on a portrait-a-day diet that began January 1 of this year and runs out with 2010.

Flying out of Anchorage again today for a month in the lower 48 with these thoughts running around in my head, I decided there are a number of reasons that I should get going on my own portrait-a-day run for this next month:
~I need to learn to craft a good environmental portrait in any situation with any light.
~It's good practice to approach strangers and ask to take their photo.
~A photographer should really always have a personal project that they're working on--something they're constantly thinking about and contributing to (no matter how busy they are!!)
~It's good to make yourself do something like this once a day in an all out battle against "resistance."

So with that, I present to you a portrait from day one. Expect another--daily--for the next month. Also, expect them to get better. There is no reason why I would put the following portrait in my portfolio. But the fact is, I made myself take it tonight after sitting on planes all day from Alaska. So I won a small battle. And who cares if it's not noteworthy? You have to start somewhere...

Editor's note: this man responded to Shaquille O'Neal's tweet that he'd be hanging out in Harvard Square today, acting like a statue. Incidentally, my subject here went down to gawk at O'Neal and ended up in some photographer's image online. That makes two.

Meghan & Greg wedding portraits - Seattle!

2010-10-20T01:01:00.003-08:00

As promised, here are a selection of portraits taken the day after Meghan and Greg's Seattle wedding.

Scroll down two posts below this one on the blog to see pictures from their wedding day.

Dorothea & Ellis - Fairbanks wedding!

2010-10-15T12:02:00.001-08:00

I don't think that autumn couldn't have been more at its peak for Dorothea and Ellis' colorful wedding up on Birch Hill in Fairbanks in September. The afternoon was warm and the evening light was honey!

But what you really might be wondering is how the day played out leading up to the above image? Watch the slide show below to find out!

Meghan & Greg - Seattle wedding

2010-10-05T12:01:00.001-08:00

Whilst Megan and Greg were busy being way in love (he weeping throughout the day and she laughing and hugging) I was falling in love in a different kind of way...
with the color scheme of their wedding, their fashion sensibility and, you guessed it, that sweet, soft light (my own true love for life).

I stuck around Seattle an extra day to visit with college friends and do a portrait shoot of Meghan and Greg in wedding attire around the city. Check back in the coming days for an offering of favorites from that shoot.

In the meantime:
**photo blitz**
take a deep breath...

Of my favorite places in the world...

2010-10-01T15:49:00.003-08:00

Its good to be back on the island.

This visit is short. Weather kept me out for a couple days and I've got to leave on Saturday but for now, with my wedding edits in tow to work on while Ryan's busy, and a few hikes along the coast planned, my soul is grateful to have returned home.

There is almost nothing in the world better than arriving at a place you hold dear and being welcomed by its residents (or just one resident). Ann--see above photo--is one of my favorite people on St. George. She is just so dear. My buddy Ryan calls her his Aleut Grandmother. Looking at this photo, one could be inclined to call her the Spirit of Penair. Good ole' Ann.

Jackie & Glenn wedding

2010-09-29T04:09:00.003-08:00

Jackie and Glenn's wedding was fortuitously held on a sunny day at the end of August. I love the feeling of the Alaska Native Heritage Center - the tall ceilings over the hall where the ceremony and reception were held, the 2 stories of picture windows lining one side of the room allowing the ambient light to reflect onto the dance floor. Also, the grounds behind the building with their totem poles and the reconstructed cedar house are a great place to photograph portraits.

I think what I appreciated most about Jackie and Glenn's wedding was that they incorporated friends and family into the order of the day with the two flower girls each playing a violin piece during the ceremony, Glenn's sister playing a song she'd written on the guitar, and friends and family contributing readings. Later, during the reception, various guests sang karaoke to the delight of all in attendance. It was a really sweet evening!

Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see their slide show.

Genevieve & David - Seward wedding

2010-09-24T03:29:00.003-08:00

Genevieve and David are from Sacramento. But they chose to have an intimate wedding celebration at the Seward Windsong Lodge down in Seward with close family and friends (since Genevieve's father manages the facility). The rain cleared in the morning before the wedding so we had a nice "soft-box" of a sky to shoot under. I have to say, Genevieve put a ton of work into the details of the reception. She made the dinner table place settings using ferns from around the property. I'd never seen such a beautiful, thoughtfully designed reception setting!

Scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the center of the box to watch the slide show! (I'm a big fan of the first song that they chose to use).

Photo on Chaco Footwear homepage

2010-09-22T13:21:00.003-08:00

I've been doing a lot of shooting for Chaco Footwear - both in the US as well as a shoot for their Europe market. The images are just starting to show up around...

The above screen shot is taken from their webpage.
You can also "like" them on Facebook where they've used one of my photos as the profile pic.

Nathalia & Bo - engaged!

2010-09-21T01:56:00.002-08:00

Nathalia, Bo and I tried to get a sunny day to do their engagement portraits but our travel schedules and the weather never quite aligned. Not a worry. I'm happy with the images from their shoot; its fun to make interesting images out of whatever weather conditions are available. Sunshine is ideal, but not always realistic.

Nathalia and Bo met while fly fishing on the Russian River (does it get any better?) so we used their dry-fly set-ups as props for some of the imagery. Other than that, I just had fun photographing them being in love.

Check back in on the blog next July (and sooner if you like) for a post from their wedding!