Part 3 of a Wedding Photographer’s time in Alaska

Here it is! The final section of my Alaska trip! I was finishing the new design for my website and realized I hadn’t posted about this final section yet! So here is the last section of my Alaska trip where we went to Denali National Park. I would love to go back here one day and backpack more around Denali, and even do some shoots or weddings anywhere in Alaska! It is such an incredible and beautiful place! Being a wedding photographer who loves to travel means I often dream I can go back and do a wedding or shoot there! I think of my travel as a time to get away, reconnect with my passion of creating, get refreshed, and also location scout for future shoots and weddings! I have traveled all over the world and I would happily go back to any of these locations with my wedding or engagement clients! But without further ado here is Denali National Park!

We were able to see this mom and baby moose right outside the visitor center in Denali National Park. They didn’t care (thankfully) about us hanging out at a distance to photograph them. Moose are actually one of the most dangerous animals in Alaska. There are more moose attacks than bear attacks every year in Alaska. There are 3x the number of moose to bears in Alaska; so, part of that statistic is due to the sheer number. But also moose can be territorial! They usually stay within the same 2 mile radius their entire lives. So if they perceive you as a threat they will try to chase you out of their territory. The best thing to do is to hide (they are not predators so they won’t try to find you) or just exit their area. Once they reach the boundary of their territory they will leave you alone. Just some helpful tips I learned for if you are ever around moose!

On the bus in Denali National Park to Wonder Lake, we saw an Alaskan Grizzly Bear! The key difference between a Grizzly and a Brown Bear is what they eat. Grizzly Bears mainly eat berries and other plants. The Alaskan Brown Bears are more coastal and eat a lot of fish. Loved seeing both here in this beautiful state!

This was our camping spot! If you look at the photo above, you can see our tent! And the photo below is where we would eat our meals. In Denali you need to set up camp in one spot, store your food in another, and cook/eat in another location. The most ideal situation is a triangular position so you have line of sight for everything! It was rather fun hiking a few hundred feet to our eating spot for breakfast and dinner every day! Thankfully we had quite the view!

On our trip, we were blessed with a clear view of Mount Denali! Only 33% of visitors to Denali National Park ever get to see the mountain. It is so tall that it creates its own weather! We saw it several times on our trip, and were one of the 10% who actually saw it without any clouds!! It was stunning and gorgeous! The photo above is the same location as the photo with me above that, but it is the next day with clear skies! We had no idea Denali was right there until we saw it peaking out later that evening. The photos below show off Mount Denali and the Alaskan Range, plus a few of the local wildlife we saw while exploring!

After Denali, we travelled back to Anchorage and flew home. It was an amazing 11 day trip with two dear friends of mine, Brad and Jessica! We went at the end of August into the first part of September which ended up being the perfect time for us to have fewer crowds, active animals, and experience the fall season in the tundra! I loved every moment, and I felt so blessed to be able to accomplish my Alaskan dream trip! There is still so much more I still want to explore in Alaska, and I hope to make it back again one day. But for now, I hope you enjoyed all the photos from the perspective of a wedding photographer traveling in the beautiful state of Alaska!