Darren reached out to me the beginning of July, asking if I would be up for shooting an Alaska proposal. He didn’t have a solid plan, he just knew he wanted it private, unique, in nature, and to make it happen within the month. I asked him if he was open to hiking and if he wanted me to help find a location and figure out the logistics. The answer was a very enthusiastic yes. The only request was that I make it mistake proof so he couldn’t mess it up if he got nervous and his brain shut down. Smart man!
Hatcher Pass is super popular with portrait, wedding, and elopement photographers, and for good reason. It’s absolutely gorgeous, probably my favorite place to explore and photograph. I try to photograph places that are off the beaten path whenever possible, so when he gave me free range and asked for unique, I choose a spot that I had driven by and knew would give us an epic mountain view with minimal climbing and no crowd. I showed up an hour early to scout and found a spot that would work. Then I went up a little higher and found *the* spot. We had made a sneaky plan for the logistics that would hopefully make it seem natural and not tip her off (which I wont give away in case I end up photographing someones proposal who reads this!). When the moment came she burst into tears, their dog came running over to join them, and it was a perfect little family moment.
Thank you Darren and Jie for letting me be a part of this special day. Cheers to the beginning of your next adventure!