Chugach Peaks Photography

m and our photos are unbelievable. I couldn't be happier with their service.

ority of our budget went here. As I would tell past clients when I was shooting weddings - it’s the only tangible thing you have after the day has past. I came across Chugach Peaks on wedding wire.com and after looking at the portfolios of all the shooters, we decided on Joe Connolly. His images were beautiful spontaneous moments that really captured the emotion of the day. Joe’s style of shooting was amazing - he captured moments - many without me even realizing he was there, and even the posed portraits were relaxed and spontaneous. We braved the winter temperatures and held our ceremony outside - (I highly recommend The Inn at Tern Lake) and I’m extremely pleased that we did so! Our wedding was a magical winter wonderland! My husband and I were so thrilled with the images that Joe was able to create for us, that we are also doing a helicopter wedding photo shoot this summer! I simply cannot wait as I know those images will be breathtaking!! Joe’s easy going demeanor made us immediately comfortable and he was very responsive to every text and email I sent. For someone who appreciates good photographs and is critical of quality, Joe Connolly of Chugach Peaks Photography does not disappoint! Thank you so much for giving us cherished memories of our wedding day!

cant other navigate our helicopter wedding planning at Knik Glacier. We really wanted to capture the fall colors since it is our favorite season and Joe took the time to not only explain the timeline for that but also spent over an hour chatting about various topics pertaining to the intricacies of having an adventure wedding. After chatting a few times, we decided to proceed with the booking and do not regret it at all! Our timeline was tight, about 6 weeks, and we spoke multiple times on the phone, texted and emailed. Joe not only is an amazing photographer but is also a great business owner who prides himself in quick responses, transparency and attention to detail. We booked Joe to take photos at the AirBnb for a first look, gift exchange, getting ready photos and for the helicopter wedding for 6 hours total. Joe recommended the 5 landings that we explored and each location was so amazing. He taught us about the geography of Chugach State Park, told us many fun stories, and helped us with posing which made us feel very comfortable and welcome. We just received 999 edited photos less than one month after our wedding which is an amazing turnaround timeline (we were expecting them back in 10-12 weeks). This will vary depending on wedding schedules but we were very pleased with the quick turnaround. The final photos are AMAZING and we are very happy with the final product! I would highly recommend Chugach Peaks Photography to capture your special day. Also, we ended up choosing Joe but all of the images from the team of photographers are amazing 😊 If you are doing a heli wedding, do not forget to tip and offer to buy the photographer and pilot a lunch! They really appreciated the kind gesture and went above and beyond with everything. It truly was a day to remember!

ts and captured photos of almost everyone. At the end of the night, he took some incredible photos of us in the rain. We couldn’t be happier with Joe. His photos are absolutely beautiful, and he’s an amazing photographer. Highly recommend!

p us out , local suggestions, just everything you could imagine! But the pictures and day of is what really mattered ! We had a blast!!! These pictures will keep our special day alive!

short period over the summer. We even got to do two locations, making all of my AK engagement photoshoot dreams come to life. At ease getting to know my photographer, Monica, ahead of time, knowing the photos will come out great for the wedding.

e, and excellent at what he does!! Our wedding day would not have been the same without him, and we are so grateful! We cannot imagine having our day any other way with the absolute amazing recommendations on where to have our ceremony, take pictures, and even where to dine later in the week! I highly recommend Chugach Peaks to anyone looking for someone to help make their own day both seamless and very special.

iately and provided detail about the wedding day and things to do in Alaska in general. He took his time and genuinely wanted us to experience the best of Alaska. We got married on the glacier, flew to the mountains and then the ice wall. He gave us background on the glacier by explaining the history and made it also feel like it was a tour. He captured every moment beautifully and gave us advice on how to pose. He was truly an amazing person to work with and I trust him with anyone’s wedding day.

I comfortable and made the whole experience fun. Joe is incredibly knowledgeable about the area, he knows all the best spots! Our helicopter pilot Savannah was incredibly kind and helpful! She helped me with my dress, carrying my bouquet, and ensuring I walked safely across the glaciers.

fun to work with and our pictures turned out amazing! She captured all of the special moments and delivered SO many beautiful pictures! Chugach Peaks Photography was a pleasure to work with! I highly recommend using them for all of your photography needs!

much more special in our eyes. Thank you for capturing all of the beautiful raw emotions of not only Cole and I, but our friends and family. We are in love with all of these photos! We are so thankful we'll be able to relive that day through these photos forever. Lets talk about that turn around, less than 4 weeks, I am stunned. I was fully anticipating 8 weeks minimum after that crazy summer. I was in disbelief when I got your email last night. You've gone above and beyond. We're going to look at the album options and turn in the questionnaire. We will definitely be booking with you again if we need any photography and recommending you highly to people we know. Thank you again for a spectacular experience and service. Sincerely, Sydney Kenney

ncluding transportation (helicopter), lodging, and even dining logistics. He even recommended some vendors for your typical wedding day needs (like flowers). Joe (and his team) made the entire process seamless. I can’t express how important this was to a stress free elopement. He’s not a wedding planner, but I’m confident that with just a few exchanges with him, you’ll have everything you need for a perfect wedding day if you’re not interested in getting into the nitty gritty of your wedding day details. As far as the quality of his company’s work, the photos speak for themselves. They’re going to come out spectacular. We were thrilled with the quality, quantity, and variety of photos. Joe is also an officiant (no need to take up an extra seat) and a commercially trained pilot. This made us feel a bit more safe knowing that between him and the pilot, there are two people onboard who can fly the aircraft. We also hired a videographer, and they worked really well together (like a team, not stepping on each other’s toes). We didn’t have our family around (we eloped), so it was nice that Joe was pleasant to hang out with for the day, as well!

o change plans a few different times because of the pandemic, and he worked with us through it all, finding a time finally in 2021 that would work out. Beyond that, he even gave us a lot of tips of things to do and see while in Alaska and even tips about moving there since we fell in love with the state! Wouldn't do photography with anyone else!

account, where his extraordinary talent as a photographer is on display. We called to inquire and, after just one telephone conversation with Joe, we booked a trip from New York to Anchorage for an impromptu wedding in the wilderness. What we couldn’t have anticipated from his photos alone is how incredibly warm, helpful and fun Joe would be during the days and weeks leading up to our trip. He had regular check-ins with us to make sure we’d done routine things like request a marriage license from Alaskan authorities, while also sitting on the phone with us to browse endless pictures and discuss our vision for the wedding. (Joe is a pilot, and even went flying the week before our arrival to scope out potential locations for our wedding photos, sending us iPhone pictures from the air.) We called and emailed regularly as our big day approached and Joe was never too busy to take our calls and answer our questions, big or small. Having never been to Alaska, we also relied on Joe to help us round out the rest of our vacation, and his recommendations for food, entertainment, activities and accommodations did not disappoint. On the day of the wedding, Joe went above and beyond to make everything as easy and comfortable as possible. Not only was he super attentive to all of our needs throughout the day, but, in addition to selecting the destinations we would visit—all of which were spectacular, off the grid, and expertly scouted by Joe, personally—he also served as our wedding officiant and read beautiful words during a private, mountainside ceremony that made us forget all about the plans we’d left behind on the East Coast. If you are considering eloping to Alaska or are simply seeking adventure, please consider giving Joe a call to see what he can offer. After our experience in Alaska, we certainly can’t imagine getting married any other way.

ation and knowledge of the ideal wedding photo spots in the Chugach Peaks along with his decisiveness maximized the time we spent collecting memories and photos at multiple locations. His relaxed manner kept the bride and I at ease and made for a relaxing day - we can see it in our photos. He also officiated our unforgettable ceremony on the glacier! Joe and his team worked diligently to process and deliver the photos in a timely manner. They are incredible and capture the emotions and scenery of the day. Joe deserves the five star rating and we recommend without fault his photography services for whatever event you may have.

enery we wanted in our photos and he knew exactly where to go. I wish we would have done the helicopter option, but, even without it, very happy with the results :)!!

those be real? So I started reading reviews. "Joe" kept being mentioned, so I knew I had to have this Joe guy as my photographer. I had no clue what I was doing, but I would figure everything else out later. Once I contacted Joe and talked with him, he jumped right in and gave me guidance on everything with the wedding day and with visiting Alaska in general. This is an all around guy. He is very easy to talk to and answer questions. We were able to book their Airbnb, Hemlock House, so the sleeping arrangements during our stay were covered. Check! I was getting married on a glacier, but how do you get on one? Joe was able to book the helicopter to get us there. Check! Who was going to marry us? Joe had that figured out and the witnesses. Check! The stress of the trip was just gone talking to him. Fast forward to our wedding day. The weather had not been so nice the days before, but he assured us we would get fabulous pictures. The day came and there was no rush in the morning. We booked the 7 hour package, and I would have been disappointed if we had done any less, wish it would have been longer! He gave us a great location to do our "first look" shots, then off we went to another location. He was constantly taking pictures, so he got the good and the funny. He was always aware of the surroundings and knew where to go or what angle to use. He gave us guidance if we were feeling silly from smiling so much haha! The helicopter company Joe booked us with was phenomenal and he picked out the perfect spot to get married by a glacier pool, which is what I wanted most. It was a bit of a trek to get there, but worth every second. I wanted to spend the entire time there but Joe assured me there was more beautiful Alaska to see so off we went! Each stop was different and we couldn't believe we were actually getting photographed where we were. Joe really knows the places to get the best spots. He was so much fun, talkative, and helpful. We loved our experience with him. He was taking pictures right up until the last possible moment. Once we got our pictures back I have been blurry eyed and so indecisive on which ones to order, I can't stop looking at them!! Remember the glacier, our 1st stop, I didn't want to leave and Joe saying let's go? I'm ashamed to admit to myself that our 3rd stop is my utmost all-time favorite pictures to look at. The color differences are just breathtaking. I'm so glad he told me there's more to see! I'm telling you, this guy knows his locations. Hands down, go with this company. It is worth everything and then some to have one of the most important days of your life be captured in a single shot, or multiple in a row... haha. And if you're still wondering if those pictures are real? Take it from me, I can now say from first hand experience, they are. Uriah and Ann Julin

ess level a lot! Monica was willing to take pictures outside on a 6 degree day, and did a wonderful job of capturing our day. We got great pictures, and during the ceremony and reception we barely even noticed that she was there capturing the moments. Thank you

said we were ‘making it awkward’ by kissing too much. This felt odd to us, as this was our wedding day. We also did not feel like Joe gave us adequate posing guidance. We are not models and, based on past experience with professional photographers, we anticipated that Joe would be able to give us directions. At a few points, I asked Joe for specific guidance on how to position ourselves to get a better picture and he would just shrug and impatiently say “I don’t know.” At one point, he told my husband ‘you don’t know how to pose your body,’ and then said he was putting my husband in “time out,” sending him to stand off to the side while he continued taking solo pictures of myself. Joe made this ‘time out’ announcement while taking a video to share on his public Instagram page. This sort of criticism, especially shared on a public forum, made us feel even less at ease. Another issue was that we felt Joe did not take our picture requests into consideration. We took a helicopter to Knik Glacier in order to take a dip in a glacial pool. Joe had mentioned that his goal was to get some sexy, steamy shots to submit to an online site, however, we were not interested in sexy, steamy photos. We said we wanted fun, goofy photos of us, but Joe seemed more focused on his vision. This was frustrating for us, as what we wanted felt unheard and unimportant. Once we had stripped down into our underwear, Joe told my husband to put his pants back on because his (plain black) underwear were “lame.” At several points throughout both days we shot with him, Joe chose to multitask by taking our photos while also taking videos for his Instagram at the same time. We felt it was unprofessional that Joe juggled the time we paid for with posting on his social media page. Joe’s lack of focused attention also resulted in several photos that are awkwardly framed and feature unsightly details. We do not have any shots facing directly down the center of the aisle, as Joe was standing slightly off to the side as he took photos throughout the ceremony and afterwards for our portraits and group photos. In our group photos, Joe neglected to tell us we were not centered under our arch. On the glacier, Joe left my veil in a messy bunch by my feet rather than asking us to take the time to fan it out. These are details we feel are par for the course for any wedding photographer, but seemed to either go unnoticed or were purposely overlooked by Joe. Lastly, our package included a $250 print credit for photos. During the two week period between receiving our photos and receiving the print credit code, we used an online service to have several photos printed at a very low cost. When we received the prints from Joe, we were surprised to see that they were indistinguishable from the prints we received from the online service - same photo quality, same photo paper, even shipped in the exact same packaging - despite the fact that Joe charged over 12 times as much as the online service. Also, the online service delivered our photos within three days of ordering them, whereas Joe’s photos took 7-10 business days to be delivered.

onfess I keep watching his stories because everything is so beautiful and I get to relive that magical day. He is a wonderful photographer.

lown away by their work. My husband and I knew we had to make this a priority in our wedding budget. Joe, the owner, made it simple for us to choose the photographer we felt best aligned with our vision. Our photographer was so natural! We didn't even notice she was there and she captured amazing candid moments. Everybody constantly asks us for their contact info. Our pictures were out of this world. Way to capture the beauty of Alaska and us! Forever grateful.

and non stop questions. Life happens and my husband and I didn't order prints right away and were about to miss our deadline and Joe extended our photos countless times. Joe responds immediately when I am panicking about wedding photos and needing assistance on his site or concerns. The day of my wedding, Joe and his staff were completely professional, calm, and improvised on a location due to the rain. I was nervous how the pictures would turn out with the rain but they came out BEAUTIFUL! Don't ever stress if it starts to rain at your wedding because Chugach Peaks Photography will do an amazing job capturing your photos. My husband and I both agree the rain really added to our pictures. Who would of thought? I HIGHLY recommend Joe Connolly and everyone at Chugach Peaks Photography as they're one of the bests photographers in Alaska. Also, comparing to other photographers in town, you get the best quality without putting a damper in your wallet. Chugach Peaks was one of the best deals we had for our wedding. I look forward to working with Joe and Chugach Peaks Photography in the future! Natalie Wolgemuth Kenai Wedding 2018