Alaska's Midnight Sunset / Sunrise

If you ever get the chance to go to Alaska during June and July, I highly recommend watching the beautiful sunset/sunrise. The sun doesn't fully set around the first day of summer so the sunrise and sunset happen at the same time. It's truly magnificent and something I hope I won't ever forget.

I was hired to photograph a wedding for some of mom's friends for their Alaska wedding. I was so excited, so of course we made it a family vacation and we went there a few days before the wedding and stayed a few days after the wedding.

The summer solstice was on June 21 and I got to enjoy the first sunset / sunrise on June 24th. It was our first night there in Alaska. We stayed in Talkeetna (which is where the wedding was taking place). For the first couple of nights we stayed in this wonderful cabin along the Susitna River. I knew before going that I wanted to make sure I got a photo of the sunset / sunrise.

Our plane landed in Anchorage Alaska, and we drove up to Talkeetna Alaska. We were exhausted from the 5 and half hour plane ride, and then the 2 and half hour drive. My mom was originally going to come out with me at midnight just so I'd have someone with me. She was so tired and we didn't get to bed til about 10pm so she decided not to go with me even though she didn't like the idea of me going by myself.

Being it was our first night there, and the cabin owners warned us about seeing some moose earlier that day, I didn't know what expect and was super nervous. Being by myself, I was afraid of not only the Moose (which can be really mean), but also bears which were also popular in this area especially along the river. The owners told me to be extra cautious, but, I wasn't going to let my fear stop me from enjoying this once in a lifetime moment and capturing it for the world to see.

About 30 mins before midnight I looked out the window and it was time to go. I got out there and my heart was racing! I walked down this little walkway to the river. At the time the river was low and there were areas of sand and rocks that I could walk further out into the middle of the river. I set up my equipment and started talking photos. The view was absolutely breathtaking!!

I was taking long exposures in order to capture the movement of the river, so every time I'd take the photo, I was constantly looking around for moose that wanted to come out for a drink while I was waiting on the camera. Anytime I heard a sound I would jump to look. The longer I was out there, the more nervous I got. I took various shot from different locations and angles. Beautiful storm clouds were rolling in (rained for the next 4 days flooding the river). I love how you can see the Denali Mountain Range just between the clouds and the river plus the reflections of the sunlight on the water. Even though I was so nervous about the wildlife, I wouldn't have had it any other way. The clouds were covering up the top of Mt McKinley, now called Mt Denali, but you can still see part of the 3rd tallest mountain in the world.

At one point I moved a little further up the side of the river and set my camera on the tripod. At this time I was starting to relax a little as I soaked in the moment, but I was still keeping my eyes on the move. I was so focused on watching out for moose, that it took me a minute before I discovered what I was standing in the middle of. I looked down and there was what looked like fresh bear prints and claw marks in the sand. The prints were large. Looked like they may have just enjoyed them a fish dinner in that very spot!

I thought I was nervous before!! Now I was so nervous I was shaking. I quickly got a few more shots in and worked my way back towards the little walkway path area. I wasn't done taking pictures but I wanted to be able to get away quickly if needed ha ha. My heart was racing so hard I felt like I ran a marathon!

I wanted to get a few more photos in and I did before returning back to the cabin. When I got back I told myself I should have taken photos of the prints. So I got up early in the morning and went back out to the river hoping the prints were still there but it had started raining and the river was already rising a little and had washed the prints away.

It was a wonderful but yet scary moment that has created a treasured memory and the photos turned out beautiful. They are my favorite of all the Alaska photos I took. If you'd like to check out my Alaska gallery, click here.

Do you have a story about your Alaska trip you'd like to share, have a comment or a question? Feel free to comment below.