Two seasons. One wild heart. A photographer captures Alaska’s beauty in both winter’s stillness and autumn’s glow.

As a photographer, I’ve chased beauty across countless landscapes, but Alaska has captured my heart like no other place.
I first visited in the dead of winter, when snow blanketed the mountains and silence filled the air. Months later, I returned in the
fall to find a completely different world—one bursting with color and life. Experiencing both seasons was like seeing two sides of the
same soul, each wild and breathtaking in its own way. 

My first trip began in Anchorage, where the cold hit sharp and clean the moment I stepped off the plane. With my camera gear packed, I hit the road for an unforgettable drive to Valdez. The three- hundred-mile journey was a visual masterpiece. The Matanuska Glacier came into view like a frozen river of time, stretching for miles between jagged peaks. I pulled over, stunned by the scale and silence. Just before the intersection of the Glenn and Richardson Highways, Mt. Drum rose from the tundra—its snow-capped peak framed perfectly by the road ahead. It felt like a glimpse into the wild heart of Alaska.

Winding through Thompson Pass was like entering another world. Snowfields shimmered beneath the pale winter sun, and waterfalls froze mid-cascade, caught in a moment of stillness. In Valdez, I joined a group heading deep into the backcountry
by snowmobile. The ride was an adrenaline rush—ice crystals whipping through the air as we climbed into the mountains.
Photographing skiers carving through untouched powder, surrounded by jagged peaks and endless white, became one of
the most thrilling experiences of my career.

When I returned in the fall, the entire landscape had transformed. The snow had retreated to the mountaintops, revealing deep green valleys and forests painted in gold and crimson. Horsetail and Bridal Veil Falls thundered again, cascading down the cliffs that flanked the road. The air was crisp with rain and pine, and every bend revealed something new and impossibly beautiful.

Arriving in Valdez felt like reuniting with an old friend. The harbor shimmered under a soft, golden light, reflecting the fiery hues of the mountains that surrounded it. I spent my days photographing fishermen, sea otters floating lazily in the water, and bald eagles circling overhead. Evenings were spent sharing stories with locals who spoke of winter’s quick return and the rhythm of life that
follows the changing seasons. Wildlife seemed to greet me at every turn—a moose wandering through the brush, a bear lumbering in the distance, eagles soaring above. Each sighting reminded me that this place belongs to the wild, and we are only guests here.

Valdez is a treasure—a town that glows with color in the fall and shines with stillness in the winter. Both trips left me changed. I drove away with a full heart, a camera full of memories, and a quiet promise to return. Because once Alaska calls your name, you can’t help but answer—and when you do, you’ll Discover Valdez: One Destination – Alaska’s Best.

By Amber Deery, Trondheim Studios