Michael Risinger
Photography found me twice. The first time was in a high school darkroom, where I scraped by with a C and walked away thinking it wasn’t for me. The second time—the one that stuck—came in 2008, when I picked up a camera out of pure curiosity and couldn’t put it down. I devoured every book, magazine, and resource I could find, and within a few years I was shooting weddings professionally. Not long after that, I was teaching the next generation of photographers in the very type of classroom I once struggled in.
My formal training came through the Defense Information School, where I trained as a U.S. Army National Guard Mass Communication Specialist—learning to document real moments under real pressure, telling stories that matter.
That mission-driven mindset shapes everything I shoot today. Whether I’m blending into the emotion of a wedding ceremony, shooting from a helicopter over active firefighting efforts, capturing the joy of a fundraising walk, or giving a senior dog their moment in the spotlight, my goal is always the same: disappear into the moment so the moment can be real. People perform for cameras. I work hard to make sure they forget I’m there.
I’ve covered weddings, sporting events, academic decathlons, conferences, senior dog portraits, nonprofit fundraisers, and more. Every event is different, and I approach each one with a style tailored to what it deserves.
Based in Eagle River, Alaska, I’m available to travel anywhere the work takes me—across the state, across the country, or across the world.
I’m proud to offer customized packages for nonprofit organizations—because meaningful work deserves to be seen.