Christina & Jon | Alaska
Engagement Photographer

June 11, 2017

Oh, how I LOVED photographing Christina & Jon while in Alaska.  They had also flown in for the wedding I photographed, and they reached out about a doing a photo shoot during their trip.  After all, it’s not every day that you’re in front of such gorgeous backdrops!  I think travel sessions might be my new favorite thing.

We began taking pictures in the mountains of Arctic Valley, where we were greeted by a million yellow dandelions and a gorgeous sunset overlooking Mount Susitna (The Sleeping Lady).  We then drove to Beluga Point to capture some images amongst the rocky cliffs that overlooked the ocean.  It was 9:30pm when we got to Beluga Point, but there was still plenty of daylight left (it’s crazy how late the sun sets in Alaska in the summer!).  We enjoyed the overcast and moody lighting there, along with strong winds that brought Christina’s dress to life.  You can’t tell based on the photos, but it was COLD.  Props to Christina & Jon for toughing it out to get some beautiful images!

As a lover of emotion & connection, I tend to gravitate toward close-ups when photographing people… I want to see their faces and feel as if I’m in the moment with them.  However, one of my goals when traveling to Alaska this summer was to master the “wide shot.”  I always love viewing images from other photographers where the focus is on the epic scene/landscape, and then you find a tiny couple almost unnoticeable against the huge backdrop.  As much as I admire those photos though, it’s SO difficult for me to take a photo like that — just feels so against my nature!  Fortunately Christina & Jon let me practice on them, and I actually really love the shots we captured (you’ll know the ones I’m talking about when you scroll down!).  I think these wide shots would make incredible large 32×48+ canvases!!

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Claire Diana