I grew up in the Adirondacks. Lake George, Lake Placid, the High Peaks — these places are not just beautiful backdrops to me. They are home. And when I drive north on I-87, past the foothills and into the mountains, past the signs for Keene and into the High Peaks region, past the moment the road curves and suddenly the view opens up over the valley and the peaks — I feel it every time. Something that does not have a good English word. Relief, maybe. Recognition. The feeling of being exactly where you are supposed to be.
I say all of this because I want you to understand that when I photograph a wedding at Whiteface Club & Resort in Lake Placid, I am not a hired professional doing a job in a beautiful place. I am a person who genuinely loves this corner of the world, and that love shows up in every image I make here.
Whiteface Club & Resort
Situated on the western shore of Lake Placid, with Whiteface Mountain rising in the northeast and the mirror-still lake extending in every direction, Whiteface Club is one of the most classically Adirondack wedding venues in existence. The resort’s architecture — warm wood, stone, the hallmarks of the great camp tradition — feels completely authentic to this landscape, because it is.
The grounds are extraordinary. A long, manicured lawn runs to the water’s edge, where the dock extends over the lake and the mountain views are the kind that make first-time visitors physically stop and stare. The clubhouse interior has the warm, handsome quality of a place that has been well-loved for a very long time. In every season, Whiteface Club looks as though it was designed specifically to be photographed.
The Light at Lake Placid
There is something particular about the light in the High Peaks that I have tried to explain to people and never quite managed. It has to do with the altitude and the clean air and the way the mountains catch the afternoon sun and hold it. The golden hour here is longer and softer than almost anywhere else I photograph. By the time the sun drops behind Whiteface and the last of the warm light spreads across the lake, the photographs I am making feel like paintings.
If you are planning a Lake Placid wedding, I cannot urge you strongly enough to protect that sunset window. Build it into your timeline. It will produce images you will look at for the rest of your lives.
What Couples Love About Whiteface Club
Beyond the landscape, couples who choose Whiteface Club consistently tell me two things: they love the quality of the service, and they love the feeling of being genuinely away. Lake Placid has the rare quality of feeling like a destination — somewhere special that you travel to — while still being accessible for guests from across New York and New England. There is a sense of occasion that begins the moment your guests arrive in the village.
The resort’s indoor spaces are beautiful and versatile, making it a wonderful four-season venue. I have photographed Whiteface Club weddings in deep winter, when the snow transforms the property into something from a dream, and in the fullness of a July weekend when the lake is warm and the sky is an impossible blue. Every season produces something extraordinary.
If You Are Planning a Lake Placid Wedding
Start thinking about your timeline early, and build in time for the landscape. Lake Placid offers so much photographic variety — the lake, the mountain, the village, the resort grounds — that you want enough time to experience all of it. A first look at least 90 minutes before your ceremony is my strong recommendation here. And if you can manage it, a short walk from the resort to the village dock during golden hour is one of my favorite portrait sessions anywhere.
I am a Lake Placid wedding photographer who grew up in this region and photographs here regularly. If you are planning a wedding at Whiteface Club or anywhere in the Lake Placid area, I would be honored to talk about your day.
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