Landscape and concert photographer Mark Gvazdinskas was admittedly "hesitant" when asked by friends Lindsay Langer and John Derosa to photograph their Springfield, Illinois wedding last month.
The photographer had shot some weddings before on the Central California coast where he lives, but never in his hometown. Langer and Derosa made him an offer he couldn't refuse: if Gvazdinskas shot their wedding, they would take him on a post-wedding shoot in Alaska.
"The decision was easy to make," Gvazdinskas wrote in a blog post on Resource Travel. "I couldn’t turn this offer down. Plus I knew the three of us would just have a total blast traveling together."
Lindsay Langer and John Derosa in Denali National Park.
The bride and groom -- who continued their honeymoon sans photographer after six days in Alaska -- took along their wedding outfits for the shoot. The resulting photos, shot in Trapper Creek, Talkeetna and Denali National Park atop Ruth Glacier, were far different than those shot in the Sherman, Illinois church where they married.
Lindsay and John pose on Ruth Glacier in Alaska.
"A shot list naturally comes with a traditional ceremony and reception, and that's certainly different from how we treated Alaska," Gvazdinskas told The Huffington Post in an e-mail. "Being that my focus has primarily been on landscape photography, I was able to bring in many of those compositional and creative disciplines. Mix the spectacular Denali scenery with the handsome couple and we had a combination that couldn't miss. "
On the way to Ruth Glacier via Talkeetna Air Taxi.
The group had about 30 minutes to take photos atop the glacier, which they accessed via Talkeetna Air Taxi.
"The moment took over and none of us could stop smiling, Lindsay and John out of pure marital bliss and all three of us because of the unbelievably gorgeous and remote location in which we found ourselves," Gvazdinskas said.
They then continued the shoot in Talkeetna, which he described as the "neatest little town we've ever visited."
Scroll down for more photos from the incredible shoot.
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