-
Sep 02 2017 
Whittier Kingfisher Regatta // Alaska boat life // Lifestyle Photography
My friends over at Alaska Mining and Diving supply sell some pretty amazing boats. Top of their list are the Kingfishers. Every Summer, AMDS and Kingfisher sponsor a fishing tournament in Whittier, Alaska – for all the kingfisher owners. The tournament lets the fishermen compete in several categories – largest fish, largest shrimp, etc. It’s a great excuse to just get your family out and not only catch some fish – but add a little extra incentive to the competition with prizes. Who doesn’t love swag?
This year, I was invited to come and photograph the event! I came to capture some shots of what the Alaska boating life is all about. We could not have asked for a more amazing day. The morning started early (you gotta get up to catch those fish!!) with some boats pulling out of the harbor as early as 5 am. At a more reasonable hour (7 am) I met up with the AMDS crews to capture the rest of the boats leaving the dock, heading out in the morning fog.
It was magical.
The sun came out shortly after 8 am and it was a beautiful day to be in Prince William Sound. As the boats began to return, there were smiles everywhere. Families took their kids, their friends, their dogs – and you can see that there is this fantastic community and camaraderie with the captains.
This is the Alaska life – with boats. Seriously – do you have a boat yet? Maybe think about it 🙂
-
Aug 20 2017 
Alaska Life // Anchorage to Whittier // Photograph Summer Family Memories
This one is all about that Alaska life. I was born in Anchorage. Raised my whole life here, and before this summer I could count on one hand the number of times I had been to Whittier. On prior occasions, my draw to the town had been to explore and photograph the iconic Buckner building (which – spoiler alert – it totally gated off and inaccessible now)
The phrase “it’s always shittier in Whittier” is a common saying around these parts, but my husband has a deep love for Whittier in winter. It’s the closest place to Anchorage to go snow machining – and the snow fall there is usually epic. There have been so many years when they are still riding the mountains there at Memorial Day.
So when our good friends invited us to come camp (and help work on their boat – which sustained some major water damage over the winter) we thought – sure! And thus began a truly epic summer. We have been back almost every weekend since, and have just kept our camper there all summer.
For those of you who don’t know me well, “outdoorsy” is not a word people use to describe me. Alaska life? Just doesn’t seem like my style. Don’t get me wrong – i LOVE the scenery, and I enjoy hiking, fishing, etc – i just am not rugged. I do yoga and drink fancy cocktails, and make art people!
And yet – here I am falling in love with this tiny little town that has zero amenities (Although there is a bomb coffee shop – so that’s definitely helped!)
But the best part has truly been hanging out with the kids. And let’s be real here friends. It still rains in Whittier. Often. But kids just don’t care! Cover ’em up in rain gear and they’ll play for hours – riding their bikes, beach combing, making mud-pies…Â As long as they can pop in and warm up every now and again – they are happy as clams.
And yes-Â we do pop them in front of some screens every so often for a rest. Our camper has a rockin’ combo tv/vcr and we have exactly 3 VHS movies they will watch. I can seriously quote Winne the Pooh for you we’ve seen it so many times at this point… So if you guys have any good VHS tapes laying around your kids have outgrown – seriously – send them my way!!
But it’s been a magical summer – and when we have had sun? Oh man… it’s definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth.
So who’s in Whittier? Hit me up – let’s capture some of your family memories in the most beautiful place on earth.
