I recently photographed the Anchorage Alaska Kids Portrait Photography of Eric and Brandy’s family celebration.

With all the couples and family portraits I’ve been making this Spring, I got a break. I took the opportunity to spend a week with my family up in Anchorage, Alaska.

Their official Anchorage Alaska Family Kids Portrait Photographer was back for more.

It is so much fun being an uncle!

We were celebrating the one-year-old birthday of my nephew Paul. I wanted to see the look on his face as he bit into his first chocolate birthday cake.

Not having any kids of my own, it’s been such a fun experience for me to watch my younger brother Eric as a father and as a caring partner to his wife Brandy. Household laughter sums up the experience every time I visit. Eric and Brandy are so good at playing and engaging with their children. It doesn’t take much for them to get their kids to giggle.

There is a lot of love in this Alaska home.

I feel grateful that the flexibility of my work schedule allows me to travel up to see them a couple of times a year and be a part of these kids’ lives.

As a photographer uncle, I want my niece and nephews to be able to look back at their candid childhood selves in pictures years from now and see all the love that was and is all around them.

Photographing my family has become a fun, personal project for me. I get to observe how these little lovable humans process their world and continue developing their different and unique personalities.

It means something to be there on that lazy morning to capture the pure joy in the face of Molly, my niece, as she cruises down the hallway on her scooter with “Jones”, the family Labrador chasing in stride.

Laughing and watching smiling Paul, who is just months away from taking his first steps, currently opting to carry all sorts of items in his mouth and utilizing his new crawling habit.

The kid can move.

For me, the best gifts from these experiences are being present for the little things.

Watching them helps me receive the world in a whole new way. A glimpse into the perspective of all things a new.

Here are some favorite moments from my time making Anchorage Alaska Family Kids Portrait Photography of my Alaska tribe. I can’t wait to return. -M

groom-with-wedding-guests-in-Alaska-Wedding-Photo-Booth

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the Alaska Wedding Photo Booth at Eric & Brandy’s wedding reception in Hope, Alaska.

When my brother informed the family that he had proposed to his long-time girlfriend Brandy, we were just thrilled. Group effort wedding planning soon commenced. In celebration of the Greener/Hollenbeck wedding day in Hope, Alaska this past summer, I brought along my Greener Visuals Photo Booth for the reception.

The wedding venue was located two hours south of Anchorage, Alaska at the Discovery Cafe in Hope, Alaska.

Wedding photo booths just make wedding celebrations better.

They are interactive, creative, and often hilarious. Bringing your own props allows you to shape the photo booth interaction for the reception guests and invites them to play. Having one at this Greener wedding reception was a no-brainer.

As I mentioned in their wedding day photos blog post, this “do-it-yourself” wedding required frugal creativity on everyone’s part. Everyone aided in making for a really special weekend.

Tasked with final prep for the photo booth, my sister Katie and I drove around Anchorage and visited numerous thrift stores for inspiration. For last-minute affordable photo booth props, our efforts didn’t disappoint.

At Eric and Brandy’s wedding reception, we set up the photo booth against a rustic, weathered-looking cabin wall. It made for a clean backdrop. The photo booth was a huge hit with the wedding guests. Their wedding guests could trigger the camera and strobe via remote control, and make an epic, wonderfully weird self-portraits on their own. Without fail every time, those who enter it let loose in their creativity and leave with a grin on their face. The best part is you never know what you are going to get.

What a fantastic day! I could not be more excited for Eric and Brandy! I love you guys! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness! – Your brother Mike