Blog | Chugach Peaks Photography | Alaska's Premier Wedding Photographers

Anchorage Engagement: Maddie & Taylor at Potter Marsh

0 Comments February 24, 2012|Josh Martinez|Potter Marsh

Here is an engagement shoot Josh did at Potter Marsh for Katrina & Travis… I don’t know much about it, but Josh will fill us in soon with some text!

Wasilla Wedding: Carri Ann & Kevin at a Private Residence

0 Comments February 20, 2012|Joe Connolly|Private Residence

On Monday I got to shoot one of my favorite types of weddings – super small. And by small, I mean.. I had to sign as witness with one other person, a friend of the bride’s. I get the pleasure of shooting a few of these each year, and they’re so nice! No crazy schedules, it’s usually very chill and quiet and relaxed, and they’re almost always in some really beautiful natural setting. This pretty much sums up the day for Carri Ann and Kevin – totally relaxed and happy, with a couple of their closest friends, along the quiet and peaceful Susitna River with views of the Talkeetna Mountains. After the ceremony, we headed up to Hatcher Pass and did photos along the road, with a final stop at the Lodge for hot chocolate.

It’s really nice that they appreciated good photos enough to have me come spend some time with them. There’s so many people who come to me at weddings and tell me how they had a small wedding and didn’t bother hiring a good photographer, and how they regretted that – so even if you’re planning a small wedding, give us a call!

Anchorage Wedding: Tara & Tom at the Bayshore Clubhouse

0 Comments February 18, 2012|Joe Connolly|Bayshore Clubhouse

On Saturday I was back where it all began – my very first Alaska Wedding was actually at Bayshore – January of 2006. Tara & Tom were super nice and easy to work with – we did their engagement shoot back in the fall and they were really excited about that, so I knew they’d be excited for photos on the wedding day as well. Despite being a little cold, they were game for going over to Carr-Gottstein Park where there’s a nice spot to do group photos with the mountains and inlet in the background. They were married in front of the fire place, with a fire that was helped along by a generous amount of lighter fluid applied by one of their guests, followed by dinner and dancing. You’ll see in one of those ceremony shots 3 of the ladies in the front were all crying – mom and aunts… it was a great moment!

Kauai, HI – Escaping the Snow and Wind

3 Comments February 11, 2012|Joe Connolly|News

After blowing snow for over 80 hours this winter just to maintain access to our house (our snowblower has a chronometer), we decided that it was imperative for our sanity to escape Alaska and recharge our souls. We called up our good friends Nick and Madeleine from North Carolina and convinced them to make the 15 hour flight to meet us there. Alaskan’s are spoiled – with airfare in the $400 range and only a 6 hour flight, we’ve got it easy compared to those on the east coast.

Joe and Nick have a long history of photography together. For those of you who don’t know, Joe photographed Nick and Maddy’s wedding 10 years ago in Austria. Since spending 2 weeks together in Austria and Germany for the wedding, Joe and Nick have been best friends. They ended up shooting for the same wedding photography company in Detroit and then, after both moving to Anchorage, Nick shot for Chugach Peaks. Along the way, Nick ended up shooting Brook and Joe’s wedding in Homer.

The four of us love outdoors stuff and decided to tackle the Kalalau Trail in Kauai. It traverses the North Shore (Nepali Coast) of Kauai 12 miles from the end of the nearest road. It’s pretty rough terrain, but totally worth it. Because it’s only accessible by foot and is a long hike, the beach is pretty much your own when you get there. In one of the photos you can see our camp site in the bottom of the photo.

All these photos are either Joe’s or Nick’s. Some of them we’re not sure who’s is who’s… so we’re throwing them all in together and posting them on both our blogs. Hope you enjoy!

Anchorage Engagement: Katrina & Travis at Potter Marsh

0 Comments February 7, 2012|Joe Connolly|Potter Marsh

Here is an engagement shoot Josh did at Potter Marsh for Katrina & Travis… I don’t know much about it, but Josh will fill us in soon with some text!

Girdwood Wedding: Mary & Justin at a Private Residence and Jack Sprat

0 Comments February 3, 2012|Joe Connolly|Jack Sprat Restaurant, Walkabout: Girdwood, Winner Creek Lodge

On Friday I was down in Girdwood for Mary & Justin’s wedding at a private residence, followed by an amazing dinner (as always) at the Jack Sprat restaurant. I have eaten here many times and have never been disappointed! Great atmosphere and Beer steins that would make a German proud. We started off the day by playing in the snow – which there was a lot of. I don’t know exactly how much fell over the few days before and after, but I believe it was in the neighborhood of 3-5 feet up at the top of Chair 6. We left for Hawaii the next day and I was actually quite bummed to leave! After playing in the snow down low, we took a tram ride to the top. As expected, it was a full on whiteout and we couldn’t see anything but still did a few shots in the cafeteria and in front of the roundhouse. Back down and around town a little and then back to the house for the ceremony on the deck outside. It was a great spot and I was happy to see them get married there despite the snowfall. Then on to Jack Sprat for some good food and laughs, with a grand finale photo session with illuminated snowflakes! Love those pics.. check them out at the end.

Girdwood Wedding: Brittanie & David at Our Lady of the Snows and the Turnagain House

0 Comments February 1, 2012|Joe Connolly|Our Lady of the Snow's Chapel, Turnagain House

On Wednesday I was down in Girdwood for Brittanie and David’s wedding. I wasn’t sure if I, or anyone for that matter, would make it. There was a full on blizzard warning and avalanches and wind and heavy sleety snow threatened the whole trip from Anchorage to Girdwood. It was bad enough that the ceremony was delayed by more than 30 minutes to accomodate late guests, and we ended up doing no photos outside, which is pretty rare – Brittanie and and David are not wimps or anything, but it was bad enough that doing photos would result in complete wetness and ruined hair in just a couple minutes. Despite all that, everything we did inside was great and them and their crew were fun to work with. Brittanie in peticular had quite an assortment of faces she liked to make, so you’ll see a nice representation of that here. It turned out that Brittanie and I had been talking for years, and not even knowing that our paths would actually cross in person – she used to work in the control tower at Merrill Field, and as a pilot who flies out of there a lot, I ended up taking instructions and clearances from her a lot. Now she’s handling big jets and its back to talking to the same ‘ol guys at Merrill. The reception was at the Turnagain House, which I had never been to but thoroughly enjoyed. Good food and good atmosphere. The lodge-nature of the place was really nice and I ended up with a lot of natural light portraits of all the guests. You’ll see a lot of those represented below. Enjoy!

Girdwood Wedding: Susan & Bill at Alyeska Resort

0 Comments January 28, 2012|Joe Connolly|Alyeska Resort

Man! What a great winter wedding we had on saturday.. some of the prettiest and most epic lighting I’ve ever seen up on top of the mountain. Yes, there we fog and clouds down below, but being on top for just a little bit was so worth it! Susan was a little unsure if going up would be a good idea, because it was so cold – but we talker her into it and now she’s really glad we did! Got one of my all-time coolest shots with the fog and the sunset and the colors.. First we started off at the hair salon in Girdwood for getting ready photos, then went over to the hotel and tracked down Bill, who was quietly getting ready and getting into the wedding-zone with his ipod. The ceremony was in the Khiltna Ballroom on the dance floor, which I hadn’t seen before, but went really well. Family photos followed along with a lot of pretty rowdy dancing and a series of heart-felt toasts and thoughts from friends and family. Here’s a nice sampling of some of the photos…

Anchorage Wedding: Sarah & Shaun at Elmendorf 611th Chalet

0 Comments January 28, 2012|Josh Martinez|Elmendorf Chalet

On Saturday Josh was at the Elmendorf 611th Chalet to photograph Sarah & Shaun’s wedding. It was cold but they still managed t oget outside and get some great photos! Josh will add more text soon, but in the meantime, here are some pics!

Chena Hot Springs Wedding: Monica & Dustin

0 Comments January 20, 2012|Joe Connolly|Chena Hot Springs Resort

On Friday Josh and I flew up to Fairbanks for Monica & Dustin’s wedding. Monica and Dustin are relatively new to Fairbanks, having been stationed there by the military. Dustin’s parents flew up for the wedding from Colorado, a pretty snowy place in it’s own right, but I don’t think they had ever experienced anything quite as cold as Fairbanks in the winter. When we landed in the morning it was -36! For anyone who doesn’t know what that feels like – don’t worry about it, it’s too cold to explain. Unless you’re there, it doesn’t matter.. the fact is though, it’s really not that bad if you dress for it and keep outside activity limited to 3-6 seconds at a time. Getting this gig was tough – one of the local Fairbanks photogs told the groom’s parents that hiring a Anchorage photographer would be a bad idea because we wouldn’t know how to deal with the cold and dark conditions of Fairbanks, and that our gear would fog up and none of the photos would come out. Fortunately, through a combination of massive amounts of luck (we brought a suitcase full of rabbits feet and 4-leaf clovers) and having photographed over 600 weddings over 12 year’s, we managed to avoid any problems and do what some might call a good job.. it’s true, we were pretty scared going to Fairbanks in the winter and brought our own firewood, wood stove, and propane heaters, but that Chena Hot Springs place is pretty nice and provided us with a amenities such as Electricity and heat – which comes in handy when your igloo gets cold at night.

Anyway.. The wedding itself was really nice and they picked a cool spot in the ice hotel at Chena. The lighting was super fun to work with because of all the colors and textures. After the ceremony we went inside for a dinner reception and some toasts. It was a small group and we weren’t there long, but we had a great time!

Girdwood Wedding: Svetlana & Phillip at Alyeska Resort

0 Comments January 15, 2012|Joe Connolly|Alyeska Resort

On Sunday Josh and I teamed up to shoot Svetlana and Phillips wedding at Alyeska Resort. The ceremony was in the Columbia Ballroom, followed by the reception in the Kahiltna Ballroom. After the ceremony we bolted to the top to capture the last of the fading dayight. We made it just in time to get some beautiful blues and pinks. I think Svetlana and Phillip were pretty cold, and honestly we were too.. so we limited our outdoor time and did a few shots in the cafeteria and by the tram before heading back down to the reception. At the reception, they had a number of fun games to play – including dressing Phillip up like a little man and making him do a bunch of silly stuff. He played the part well and was a good sport.

Moose Pass Wedding: Heather & Leif at the Inn at Tern Lake

0 Comments January 7, 2012|Joe Connolly|The Inn at Tern Lake

On Saturday I was at the Inn at Tern Lake in Moose Pass shooting Heather & Leif’s wedding. The forecast included a Blizzard Warning, temps below zero, high winds, and heavy snow. All of that was pretty much delivered right on cue. I gave myself 2 extra hours to drive down the Seward Highway, just in case, but despite the snow and wind I made it there in normal time, so had plenty of time to sit and relax and kill some time. I was also fully prepared to spend the night on the side of the road on the way home if need be – stories the week before of people getting stranded in Turnagain Pass necessitated a full survival kit beyond the normal one I carry.

But none of it was needed.. and Heather and Leif’s wedding went as planned, outside. Snow was accumulating on the guests by the end of the ceremony and luckily the wind died down a bit so it didn’t feel quite as cold as it could have. There was a big fire raging that allowed people to warm up, and of course the Inn was toasty warm and full of good food as soon as everyone came back in. Heather and Leif were total troopers despite the snow and their shared love of skiing and Nordic bloodlines meant they were right where they wanted to be! I gotta say… it was one of my more challenging shoots lately, with all the snow and wind and cold temps – I was able to keep all the gear going, but had to keep the lens-cloth handy to wipe the snow off the lens every few shots. Hand warmers do the trick to keep flashes warm so that wasn’t an issue, fortunately. Check out Leif’s little Groom cake – it’s an exact replica of his rig that he likes to take Muddin’

Anchorage Wedding: Christine & Benjamin at St. John United Methodist and O’Malley’s on the Green

0 Comments January 7, 2012|Joe Connolly|O'Malley's On The Green, St. John's Methodist

On Saturday Ralph and Chris teamed up to shoot Christine and Benjamin’s wedding at St. John United Methodist church and O’Malley’s on the green, in Anchorage. They were with them for a long time and got so many good pics! I even stopped in on the way home and walked into quite the party scene.. I don’t know much about the wedding, and hopefully Ralph and Chris will give us some detailed text soon, but I do know that it looks like it was a lot of fun! Enjoy…

Anchorage Wedding: Kerri & Eric at O’Malley’s on the Green

0 Comments January 7, 2012|Josh Martinez|O'Malley's On The Green

Let it snow! It was a white wedding indeed for Kerri & Eric. Their ceremony and reception was held at O’Malley’s on the Green in South Anchorage. We shot most of the formals indoors, and then headed outside for some snowy bride and groom portraits! Back inside, the large windows of the banquet room created an amazing backdrop of swirling snow throughout the afternoon and evening. Five Star Entertainment did a great job keeping things lively throughout the reception. Be sure to check out some of the dancing, Eric was out there showing off some skills! Congratulations to to Kerri & Eric! Here’s a few of my favorite photos from the day.

Girdwood Wedding: Summer & Stephen at Our Lady of the Snows and Alyeska Resort

0 Comments January 6, 2012|Josh Martinez|Alyeska Resort, Our Lady of the Snow's Chapel

After having such a great time shooting their engagement photos a few months back, I was excited to spend some time shooting for Summer and Stephen in Girdwood! The Our Lady of the Snows Chapel was a beautiful ceremony venue, as usual. The reception was held in the Kahiltna Court room at Alyeska Resort. Summer and her bridal party were so much fun to work with during the getting ready photos. So many fun and beautiful moments. The evening twilight worked out great for my portrait session of the couple outside the chapel. It was so cold out, but the photos were worth it! The reception was outstanding, and did I mention Alyeska’s catering? I think they are bringing things up a notch for 2012! (The Kachemak Bay oysters stole the show. Perfection!) The room was filled with this awesome blend of Texans and Alaskans, home states for some of the most consistently cool people I’ve ever met. Great times and I felt honored to be a part of this wedding. On that note, I am so exited for this new year of wedding photography! It’s experiences like these that make this job such a blast. Thank you Summer & Stephen, truly. Congrats!