Somehow I am lucky enough to call these two my friends. I officially met Melissa and James during a New Years Eve party a few years ago. Low key Juneau style, I already knew who they were and I think I just knew I wanted to be friends with them. I knew Melissa because she had begun working at Frenchies Floral Studio and designed all the floral pieces at the NYE event, and James had been recently made social media famous by the One Hot Mess Blog. Jump forward to the point in our friendship where Melissa and James were unable to say no to my “so I have this idea for a photoshoot” texts, that is how these photos happen. Being almost October at sundown, this shoot took all of 11 minutes. Cheers to great friends, willing to go the extra mile for the photos. I probably owe them a stiff drink after this shoot!
Adlersheim Wedding by the Sea
Over the years I have photographed so many amazing moments at the Adlersheim Lodge in Juneau. The beach is full of large jagged rock cliffs, and depending on the day, the waves may be rolling in and crashing behind you. It really is a magical spot to have an intimate wedding, in the wilderness and without cell phone reception. This particular day the weather was gray, the water was turquoise, and the rain held off for a beautiful ceremony!
A Halloween Elopement
Halloween is without a doubt my favorite holiday, so when Rosie asked me to photograph her and Logan’s elopement during Halloween week, you bet I was there! Rosie arrived to the Narrows bar, and made her aisle- the very narrow (hence the name of the bar) walk to the back of the bar. On that walk down the aisle, Rosie was greeted by everyone from friends and family, to Alaska governor candidate, Mark Begich (he didn’t win :( but he also prank called Rosie on her way to the bar). I think the photos speak for themselves on the fun and loving character of Rosie, Logan, and their tribe who were present that night.
Bouquet and Hairpiece by Frenchies Floral
Location the Narrows Bar
A quick game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who says their vows first.
Wildwood Dinner Gathering
Florals: Frenchies Floral Studio
Outfits: Resolute Boutique
Table Design: Bauer and Clifton Interiors
Event Planning: Dana Herndon
Table: Aleph Designs
Food: Cate Ross and Abe Wylie
Dirty Laundry
On the beach where the children play,
White-capped waves dash and roar all day,
Bringing and tossing foam so white-
Really it is a lovely sight.
Do you know what the ferries tell,
Makes the white foam on every swell?
“Mermaids are washing clothes today,
And that’s fairy soap suds,” they say.
In the caves of the deep blue sea,
Dwell the mermaids, happy and free;
Their wash-tub is a big sea-shell,
(At least that’s what the Fairies tell.)
They hang their clothes on a sea-weed rope,
And always wash them with fairy-soap;
The suds float up from the deep sea-caves,
And that’s the foam on top of the waves.
Outfits from Resolute Boutique located
in Juneau, Alaska
Juneau Ice Caves Engagement
Ice caves, no ice caves. Frozen lake, thawed lake. Cold winter, warm winter. Conditions and maybe a little bit of luck are everything when making the trip to the famous ice caves at the Mendenhall Glacier!
On this particular morning, Shalyn, Derek, Kevin (aka boyfriend/bag + coat holding assistant), and I made the 2 mile hike over the frozen Mendenhall lake to the ice caves, because the conditions were, just right!
Every year the caves are a little different. Which means for us, the exploring never ends. The ice melts, new caves open up, sometimes a river off the mountain will carve out a new path into the glacier. It’s all so magical.
Our trip to the face of the glacier for these photos came right before the big Juneau frenzy started! There was a stint of 3 weeks of freezing sunny weather, the path was just slightly packed across the lake making it easier for walking, and we really weren’t sure what backdrops we were going to find! We never ended up taking engagement photos inside of the cave. However, the last photo in this post is one of Shalyn from inside! One entrance was literally a military crawl, not ideal for most, by the slight claustrophobic freak out and thought of being crushed by the ice might have been worth that view!
Heli Flyfishing Trip
Most epic flyfishing trip ever? Yes, quite possibly!
This trip was sponsored by: Alaska Flyfishing Goods Temsco Helicopters and FisheWear
Kelsey + Mike
Pack Creek
Pack Creek Bear Tours (click link for excursions)
It had always been on my ‘local’ bucket list to eventually make it to this famous bear viewing area. I had the chance to experience Pack Creek in 2017 when Pack Creek Bear Tours asked me to tag along and photograph on one of their trips, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!
Pack Creek (Fortress of the Bears) is located about 30 miles south of Juneau on Admiralty Island, accessible by float plane or watercraft only. If you don’t already know, Admiralty Island is well known for having the highest concentration of brown bears in the world, about one every square mile, that’s an estimated 1,600 brown bears!
Between 1956-1989, bear man Stan Price resided amongst the bears at Pack Creek. His kind nature and presence at Pack Creek was embodied into its core population of bears, creating a co-habitation, and allowing for the bears to tolerate and live among the presence of the visiting human population. In 1989 Stan Price passed away, and Alaska honored him by making Pack Creek a state wildlife sanctuary. Now about a thousand visitors enjoy the long standing work of Stan Price every summer.
What you take away from this trip is so much more than some photos and stories. You find that bears have been greatly misunderstood and sensationalized. I myself as a young child in Alaska had a great fear and misunderstanding of bears, and was guilty of this into my late teenage years.
If you are interested in making this trip out to Pack Creek, I highly suggest booking a tour with Pack Creek Bear Tours. Their staff is amazing, and a wealth of information. Before you head out, know that the trip is about 5 hours long, there are no bathrooms (so you’ll be going as the bears do), and no cell phone service (hallelujah!). If you wanted to venture here on your own, please make sure you do your research first, especially if you do not feel comfortable around bears. I’d suggest contacting the US Forest Services and getting briefed on how to conduct yourself while in the area. There are Forest Service employees on site at all times during the opening of July 5-August 25th. Please note that you are required to have a permit.
Here you can see the outflow of Pack Creek.
Our float plane arriving to pick us up after our amazing day at Pack Creek!
