Where are you based? Where do you photograph the most?
Kaitlyn with Skyewater Photo and Film is based in Washington and photographs mostly in Olympic National Park and other national/state parks and national forest lands in Washington state.
Why did join Public Lands?
Over the last few years, it seems like every park has become more strict with requiring permits, and several of them can be pretty expensive. I once paid $300 to operate on national forest land in Colorado for a two-person elopement, and the following year I checked back in for the same location and was told a permit no longer was necessary. I love being able to see departments become more understanding of the work we do and less restrictive!
I also love having a resource like Public Land Creatives to go to if/when issues arise with park rangers having incorrect or out of date information on the permits we may or may not need to work there, or even conflicting information from other photographers who don’t bother to research permit procedures in advance. All of that makes it much harder for people who do want to follow the rules, and can significantly make it harder for us to continue having access to beautiful areas for elopements.
I love that extra reassurance PLC offers that there are people in our industry working collaboratively with those in our government to continue giving us the same rights to access public lands as the general public. It’s super important for all of us with small businesses!
Why do you think others should support the PLC?
I think any creative business that utilizes public lands as a core location for their business services should be a member. It’s a supportive and informative resource for me to stay up to date on all the latest requirements or proposed laws/amendments that significantly impact how and where we can operate our businesses.
What has been your experience with permits as a photographer?
Staying up to date on our impact in helping the EXPLORE Act pass was really helpful, which included the Federal Interior Lands Media (FILM) Act, enabling more people to have access to the outdoors and making it easier for photographers/videographers to get permits based on the impact it would have on the environment, rather than the vague and inconsistent definitions of “commercial” versus “non-commercial” use.
I really am looking forward to seeing more consistency with what’s considered commercial vs. non-commercial use across multiple parks and lands, from federal, state, and local levels. If we can continue to push for permits based on the impact it would have, it would provide more people the ability to get married outdoors in a safe, respectful way for the natural landscapes we all love.
Outside of photography how important is public land access to you?
Having access to local greenspaces is extremely important to me. I studied nature writing during grad school, and my minor in undergrad was Environmental Science & Policy, so learning about nature and how it influences our lives has been a core part of my adult life for many years. Hiking and kayaking are one of the only ways I can truly decompress and disconnect and reduce my anxiety tenfold in just a matter of minutes. Without access to clean, well-maintained, and easy-to-access public lands, all of us would be living far unhappier and unhealthier lives.
How important is public land access to your couples?
Many couples I work with seek a place of meaning, either by forming a new memory in a place they’re experiencing for the very first time together, or by opting to elope in a place that already holds so much meaning to them already through past trips.
I’m a firm believer that where people choose to get married is one of the most important parts of any wedding or elopement day. If public land access is reduced or limited, we’d be taking away a key part of what makes their wedding day so special. By protecting access for all of us, this also allows anyone who gets married on public land to be able to come back and revisit these same places years or decades from now.
Do you have a favorite memory from working with you couples on Public Lands?
It’s truly hard to pick just one, but probably my top three are from a helicopter elopement in Alaska, an elopement in Olympic National Park, and another in Colorado.
The vastness of Alaska’s landscape and the ability to say vows on an empty mountainside gave one of my couples the freedom to feel completely connected to each other, reading very emotional vows without anyone else present.
My couple last fall in Olympic National Park asked another couple while out on a trail to sign their marriage license as witnesses, and it felt like kismet, because this other couple had just eloped recently in a forest out in Tennessee and felt so connected through their shared experiences of eloping in the outdoors.
And a few years ago, another one of my couples was eloping in the Rocky Mountains and as we were passing by some other hikers, this older couple mentioned they eloped on that same day 15+ years ago, and they loved seeing someone else eloping in such a stunning location on their wedding anniversary.
These moments continue to remind me that the outdoors isn’t just a place we’re each individually connected to, but also a beautiful way that connects all of us to each other.
See more of Skyewater Photo + Film
Website: www.skyewater.com
IG Handle: www.instagram.com/skyewater_
