About Denali Photo Guides
Terry Boyd started running tours out of his Falcon Van in 2010 and since then has grown the business to what it is now; Premier instructional photography excursions along the boundary of Denali National Park.
Our excursions are designed for photographers, by photographers and you’ll feel it immediately. We don’t waste time shuttling you around or filling time with fluff content. From the moment we pick you up, we hit the ground running and are immediately diving into how we can best personalize your experience and support your photography goals. We are passionate about chasing the light and sharing our knowledge. Being out with us is like the movie ‘Twister,’ but for photography (did we just age ourselves? 😉 ) We are a scrappy bunch and absolutely love what we do.
Every guide on our team is an accomplished photographer and top rated photography guide. We will be your location scout, driver and instructor – seeking out the best locations and the most dramatic lighting.
With a maximum of 4 participants per tour, our excursions are designed to benefit all skill levels with any type of camera (smart-phones are welcome). We have plenty of room in the covered bed of the Toyota Tundra, so bring all the gear you want (we provide professional tripods and filters) and enjoy the luxury of being able to capture photos at a pace that is comfortable to you while having a truly immersive experience with one-on-one instruction and support.
Beginners will learn techniques to get more out of their equipment (no matter the make or model – we work with it all!) and how to photograph Alaska’s stunning scenery and wildlife in a way that “does it justice.”
Advanced photographers will enjoy the luxury of being driven to the best locations without having to rent a car or trying to scout the vast and unfamiliar landscape.
Meet the Team
We all have lived in Alaska for many years. Some of us migrate like the birds when it gets too cold, and some of us stay through winter, but all of us call Alaska home. And we’re thrilled to share a little bit of it and a little bit of ourselves with you. Meet the creative individuals behind our Denali photo tours.
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I grew up in Arkansas and spent my younger years mountain biking and fishing as if my life depended on it. But, in my early 20s, I decided that I might not make it to “the pros” in either of those fields, so I walked into a pawn shop and bought a used 35mm camera. I knew absolutely nothing about photography and had never even touched a camera with more than one button before – all we had growing up was an old Polaroid. The first time I photographed a sunset from a bluff over the Arkansas River, I knew this was the path for me. Since then, I have dedicated my life to the light, doing my best to be in the right place at the right time. I first traveled to Alaska in 2003 and have returned every summer since, working in a variety of positions until I started offering photography tours in 2010. I am truly living my dream, sharing my passions with others, all while in a setting I consider to be one of the most captivating places on Earth.
View Terry’s work
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Unlike most people who visit Alaska during the summer, I first arrived in late fall – planning to visit my cousin in Anchorage for a month and heading back south to the lower 48, but I ended up staying through winter and the following summer. I fell head over heels for Alaska and I have returned every summer since 2009 guiding hikes in Denali National Park. There was one year when I thought I was not going to return – not that I didn’t want to, but it just wasn’t going to work out. My friend Terry caught wind of my plans and changed them, for which I am forever grateful because we are now married and I get to spend half of my life in the most wonderful place on Earth. I help with all the behind-the-scenes stuff here, so you likely won’t meet me, but you might talk to me on the phone or through email. I look forward to sharing my knowledge of this special place with you and helping you make the most of your Denali visit.
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I developed a deep appreciation for light early on as my father was a photographer for Sports Illustrated for 30 years. He taught me the language of f.stops and shutter speeds and opened the world of photojournalism and action sports photography to me when I was very young. I combined my love of photography with a passion for social justice and spent 8 years in South Asia and East Africa working in International human rights and food security. I returned to the USA in 2014 and as fate would have it, I made my way up to Alaska the following year. I knew immediately this was a place I would need more time in. The lifestyle, culture, and landscape of Alaska enabled me to combine my love for photojournalism and action sport photography through documenting landscape, wildlife and backcountry expeditions; skiing, climbing and mountaineering and the Alaskan lifestyle. After living in Alaska year-round for 4 years, I am now based in Golden, British Columbia, Canada. I help out behind the scenes with marketing and image asset management and come up for parts of the summer to guide. You may talk to me on the phone or through email and if you sign up for a private online class, I’m your gal! I am grateful to be able to continue exploring my passion of photography and hone this craft in such magnificent parts of the world while sharing my passion with others. I look forward to helping you prepare for your Alaska adventure and exploring Denali with you!
View Eva’s work
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Photography is a hobby that had forever piqued my interest, but my day job had always been pipefitting & plumbing. It wasn’t until late 2007 that an impulse-buy led me down a path I could never have imagined. My camera has opened many doors for me and I’m thankful for everything it has blessed me with. Shortly after my impulsive buy, the economy tanked and the company I worked for had a massive layoff. I spent my unemployed time learning about photography and hiking the Ozarks. I soaked up all I could about photography and could see improvement every day. At the end of 2008, I won Photographer of the Year for an Arkansas Photography Club, and shortly after that I landed a job as an outdoor photojournalist and became a freelance photographer. It has long been a dream of mine to not only make it to Alaska but also to explore the Denali region. After meeting Terry Boyd and seeing one of his slideshows, a fire was lit under me that has never gone out. When Terry called me to join his team, I promptly quit my union pipefitting job. My boss said I was crazy to quit and asked what I was going to get paid. I didn’t care. It’s not about the money. I guess I’m still crazy because I’m even more excited about returning each year.
View Todd’s work
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Originally from Utah, I’ve had a love for the outdoors since childhood. Growing up my grandfather would always say, “Get to Alaska as soon as possible…” and when I would ask him why he would simply say, “that way you have more time to go back.” So when the opportunity to take a summer job in Alaska popped up I jumped on the chance but little did I know Alaska would completely change my life. I have been back every summer since my early 20’s and a few years ago I put down some roots and built a cabin just outside Denali. With years in Alaska it’s only natural to want to do it justice which led me to buying my first camera 12 years ago. Since that time I’ve spent countless hours waiting for light to change or animals to appear and through trial and error and lots of studying I began to get the shots I wanted. With the time invested I look back fondly as I believe time invested yields the reward and any time in Alaska is time well spent.
View Dallin’s work
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I grew up on the Kenai, South of Anchorage. My dad was a moose biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game who worked with moose in a huge enclosed facility encompassing several miles. When I was a kid National Geographic sent Joel Sartore to photograph the semi-tame moose my dad worked with and I started to see the place I took for granted growing up as someplace other people only read about. I started taking pictures and classes. I never considered doing it for work till I took a turn in college and ended up in Photojournalism. For several years I did work for magazines that needed pictures from the Iron Dog snow machine race or various sled dog races. I made content for websites and did a fair amount of video work. Then I went to the lower 48, went back to school and tried some other things. Now I’m back in Alaska, spending more time with a camera in my hand again.
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Hi, I’m Rees
Videographer/Filmmaker & Photographer. Above all else, I’m a lover of life and a seeker of adventure. Born wild in Colorado and classically trained in Paris, I combine these two in my passion for the outdoors and beautiful places. I’ve spent the last five years traveling the world, photographing and filming everything from graffiti artists in Paris to Olympic bikers in California. If someone were to ask me what i did for a living, it would be first; storyteller, Second: cameraman. That’s the beauty in photography. It’s about the image’s story, mise en scène, and the story you get to tell people through your work.
See more of Rees’s work here.
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Hi, I’m Maddie
I grew up in Ohio along Lake Erie always dreaming of the mountains. As a child I was constantly taking photos with my mom and learned to use Photoshop and Lightroom with her when she started digital scrapbooking. Then, in high school, I got my first DSLR camera when I started borrowing my mom’s camera a bit too often. I took my camera everywhere- hanging out with friends, any trip, on hikes, to the lake, to sporting events, even on a walk around the neighborhood. I started photographing events regularly at 16 then photographed weddings throughout college while studying sustainable ecosystems and environmental photography. During my studies, I was able to travel around the lower 48 photographing weddings while doing nature photography projects and sustainability research about the amazing environments I was visiting.
I had studied Alaska frequently so when both my cousin and my best friend moved to Alaska I had to visit. I spent 2 weeks in this beautiful state and a few days after returning to Ohio my best friend told me about this job. Not even 2 weeks passed before I was back in Alaska ready to work. I couldn’t be happier to be doing what I love here while getting to share that passion and this amazing place with everyone!
See more of Maddie’s work here.