Orion's Den AK

Meet the Den

Welcome to Orion’s Den AK. A place where Alaska life, resilience, and beauty come together.

I’m Renae, an Alaska-based photographer, creator, and storyteller living life at forty below. Between hauling water, surviving deep winters, raising a complex family, and living with chronic illness, I’ve learned to slow down and truly see the world around me.

Seventeen years ago, I was told I likely wouldn’t live past another twelve years. By then I had already been sick for fifteen years. I’m still here – not because life became easy, but because I learned how to live within difficulty, and still find meaning, beauty and light.

Through photography, videos, and everyday moments, Orion’s Den AK Shares the raw beauty of Alaska, the quiet strength built over time, and the peace that comes from choosing presence over productivity. This space is about resilience earned slowly, light found in long winters, and creating beauty even when life is demanding.

This isn’t about images – it’s about endurance, wonder, and honoring a life that was supposed never supposed to last this long.