Email: edeekulper@gmail.com
Instagram galleries: Life on Orcas Island and Edee Kulper
Hi! I’m Edee…
During my senior year of high school, surveys were passed out to all of us. One of the questions asked where we would be in 20 years. The answers were typed up and compiled in a packet, which is in my memorabilia box. The page with my answer says,
“Edee’s most wonderful fantasy is to find an island to live on; she’d pick berries and spear fish, and he’d build their hut.”
The power of words… We moved to Orcas Island in 2012, almost exactly 20 years to the day of my saying that. I realized it about a month after we moved here. He didn’t have to build our “hut,” but I’ve sure picked a lot of blackberries through the years! (Though when I was 18, I was imagining a tropical island!)
Simple things I love… Love, pondering life in bed when I wake up each morning, thoroughly enjoying each present moment, walking long distances, learning about other people, walking steep trails between Italian towns, floating in warm clear-blue Mediterranean water, and enjoying each fascinating day on Orcas Island.
Background
I graduated with honors from UC Santa Barbara in 1996 with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. After being a Backroads bike tour leader and a Kern River rafting guide, then traveling to rivers in South America and photographing Big 5 resorts in Africa (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and buffalo), I returned to Santa Barbara and freelanced for almost every local newspaper and magazine while working as a research editor at Islands Media (Islands magazine and Spa magazine). After assisting a professional product photographer and two professional wedding photographers, I began a small wedding photography business in 2002. We moved to Orcas Island, Washington, in 2012 and I put photography aside in order to be completely present for our two children.
I started this blog in 2018 and began taking on a limited number of photography jobs again. In March of 2022, I self-published Life on Orcas Island, the book. In 2023, I helped artist and writer, Frank Loudin, self-publish two books of his stories and accompanying paintings called Yarns and Christmas Yarns. In 2025, I helped Bob Nutt (owner of Warm Valley Orchard with wife, Maria) self-publish a book written by his long-time friend and deceased neighbor, Barbara Humes (owner of Warm Valley Farm with her husband Bill for over 50 years), called Mush, You Huskies, Mush!. Hot off the press this year is my new Life on Orcas Island Coloring Book, featuring places around the island that everyone will recognize. I am also an elementary school level math and reading tutor, an exercise companion for senior citizens, an organizer for people needing order with their belongings, and an occasional senior portrait photographer intentionally using only my iPhone now.
My newest endeavor is being the only Uber driver on Orcas Island, which I so enjoy.
My favorite project over the past year is being a twice-weekly interviewer on the local radio station, 102.3 FM KIXP, learning the fascinating life stories of Orcas Islanders. My weekly show is called Life on Orcas Island with Edee Kulper and you can listen to 60+ interviews so far on my podcast here or on any major listening platform like Spotify, ApplePodcasts, Amazon Music, or PodBean. Listener statistics were recently erased when I had to re-upload 47 interviews because they were not loading to Spotify as m4a files, so I had to convert them to mp3s. BUT… overall statistics were preserved and there have been over 4,500 downloads of the interviews combined.
I was just featured in YouTuber Peter Santenello’s video about Orcas Island, which was posted on November 7, 2026.
My life in a nutshell
- Mother of two boys (16 and 20)
- Walker, often while reading a book
- Paddleboarder (a mellow one)
- Writer and photographer of this blog since November 2017
- Author and photographer of Life on Orcas Island Coloring Book
- Author and photographer of Life on Orcas Island book
- Radio show interviewer on Life on Orcas Island with Edee Kulper on local Eastsound station KIXP 102.3 FM
- Podcaster on Amazon Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Podchaser, BoomPlay, PodBean, and soon on Apple Podcasts
- Uber Driver ~ the only one on Orcas Island
- Escort and exercise companion for seniors and people with disabilities
- Reading tutor 2024-2026
- Facilitator of craft and tea groups for people with disabilities 2025
- Substitute teacher at Orcas Christian School since 2021-2024
- Math tutor 2021-2024
- Compiler, editor, and self-publisher of other people’s books
- Helped Bob Nutt compile, edit, and self-publish a book written by his deceased neighbor Barbara Humes – Mush, You Huskies, Mush!
- Helped Frank Loudin compile, edit, and self-publish his short stories into two books – Yarns: Stories From the Way We Were, Based on a Few Actual Facts, and Christmas Yarns: Stories From the Way We Were, Based on a Few Actual Facts
- Wrote Sun Days column for theOrcasonian.com
- Created NavigatingChristianity.com blog in January 2020 (now defunct)
- Traveled as a family to Italy (Lucca, Sestri Levante, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino, San Fruttuoso, Riomaggiore, Lerici, and Florence)
- Traveled with our younger son to Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara, and Cappadocia)
- Traveled as a family to Italy (Monopoli, Bari, Ravello, and Florence)
- Traveled as a family to Fiji’s Yasawa Islands
- Traveled as a family to Italy (Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Riomaggiore & Cinque Terre, Lake Como & Bellagio, Rome)
- Traveled as a family to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands
- Homeschooled our boys (they alternated years – 5th and 7th grade with the older and 1st and 3rd grade with the younger)
- Contributed articles and photos to The Islands’ Sounder newspaper
- Traveled to Kenya with our kids and photographed an orphanage called Heroes of the Nation
- Led/taught weekly youth groups and children’s programs for over a decade – Bible Study Fellowship, AWANA, Big Wednesday, Kids’ Club, Pioneer Club, Middle School Youth Group, and VBS
- Sold photo calendars, cards, and books at Orcas Island Farmers’ Market
- Co-created, directed, interviewed, and hosted a weekly one-hour interview show called Fishers of Men of local and international missionaries at a local television studio in Santa Barbara, CA
- Assistant interviewer on a business and technology radio show in Santa Barbara
- Made quilts for kids going to Royal Family Kids’ Camp (made two quilts with our 4-year-old to give to foster children who have no home and no family)
- Wedding photographer in Santa Barbara
- Attended Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) women’s courses in Santa Barbara for 3 years (the 9-month courses I took were The Book of Genesis, The Life of Moses, and The Gospel of Matthew)
- Assistant to a food critic and chocolate & bottled water expert (Arthur von Wiesenberger) as a researcher, writer, and website editor
- Ran dozens of 5Ks, several 10Ks, and Santa Barbara’s Pier-to-Peak Half Marathon
- Freelance photographer for The Santa Barbara Independent, The South Coast Beacon, Healing Retreats & Spas, and Coastal Woman Magazine (people, homes, fashion, lifestyles, portraits, etc.)
- Nighttime caretaker for two elderly people
- Wedding photographer’s assistant in Santa Barbara (Melissa Musgrove)
- Customer service representative for title company
- Wildlife filmmaker’s editing assistant (Bruce Reitherman – Mowgli’s voice in the original Jungle Book movie)
- Chosen as a finalist for Jeopardy! Clue Crew (clue presenter) – competed in final audition at Jeopardy! stage in Los Angeles
- Created, directed, and hosted a prototype of a television show called The Job Shop
- Drove through most of South Africa, photographing upscale resorts, wildlife, a Jeffreys Bay Billabong surf competition, 8 national botanical gardens, and a private Robben Island tour while staying with a friend of Mandela’s
- Research editor for Islands Media in Santa Barbara (Islands magazine and Spa magazine)
- Maker of unusual cakes
- T-shirt-design artist for personal line of nature-oriented shirts (river, mountain, and tree designs) printed on colored, blank, Patagonia-brand shirts
- My T-shirt designs were repeatedly rejected by Patagonia founder and owner, Yvon Chouinard
- Wedding photographer’s assistant in Truckee, CA (Lisa Dearing)
- Photo assistant to high-tech product photographer, mostly with Photoshop (Keith Sutter)
- Pillow designer (applique) for boutique in Nevada City, CA, with reused fabrics, clothing, sheets, etc. (They sold like hotcakes! I called a sleeping bag company asking for leftover stuffing to put inside of pillows. They sent me a room full of it and all I paid was $50 for shipping.)
- Kayaked Kauai’s Na Pali coast and slept on the isolated Kalalau Beach for a week
- Researcher, writer, and editor for Alternative Energy Institute, Inc. (AEI); a significant portion of material in a book called Turning the Corner: Energy Solutions for the 21st Century came from articles that I researched and wrote
- Casino barista
- Snowboard rental assistant and ski lift instructor
- River guide and chef on the Kern River in California
- River guide school manual writer (in exchange for two free one-week guide schools on the American and Kern Rivers in order to document every single detail via pen, paper, and recorder)
- T-shirt-design artist for river guide shirts
- Sent audition tapes to two wildlife shows advertising TV host positions
- Backpacked & bussed the length of Chile, backpacked 8-day Torres del Paine circuit in Patagonia, rafted the Bio Bio and Futaleufu Rivers, crossed the Salar de Uyuni from Chile to Bolivia
- Backroads bike tour leader and chef in Glacier National Park; Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon; and California Wine Country
- Class B driver comfortable with van and bike trailer, school bus with raft trailer, and raft-stacked 4WD truck with no brakes left except the emergency brake (well, that one wasn’t so comfortable)
- Graduated with honors from University of California at Santa Barbara in Cultural Anthropology
- Climbed almost to the summit of Mt Whitney in Tevas in spring (accidentally left my boots on my porch 9 hours away)
- UCSB Adventure Programs kayaking leader, backpacking leader, and kayak rolling instructor
- Kayak tour leader and surfing instructor for Santa Barbara outfit
- Door-to-door salesperson of condensed encyclopedias in various New Jersey towns (earned $10,000 in two-and-a-half months one summer in college; rated 32nd of 1,000 first-year dealers; earned free trip to Cancun)
- Movie extra in Los Angeles (Dish Dogs and Exposé, both terrible movies)
- Camp counselor on Catalina Island (Catalina Island Marine Institute – CIMI)
- Chosen for two-week, all-expenses-paid experiential education program at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachussetts
- Played varsity volleyball, basketball, softball, and (men’s) soccer (there was no women’s team)
- Hostess and busser
- Smoothie maker
- Grocery store bagger
- Hamburger and french fry bagger
- Motel maid at 12
- Own business at 11, washing windows and cleaning houses (one family often paid me only $10 each time I spent 5-8 hours cleaning their house)
Favorite movies
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller version) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
(My favorite themes will always be adventure and love.)
A sampling of my photography through the years
Weddings ~ See photos below
Nature Verticals and Horizontals
Portrait Verticals and Horizontals
Magazine and Newspaper Photography
Some of my favorite wedding photos from Santa Barbara and Orcas Island…
All Images are Copyright © Edee Kulper
Kind Words from some Past Clients
We were both so thrilled with not only the photos that you took, but also with you! I always feel that things happen for a reason. I just happened to run into Kelly Carpenter, who referred me to you when I asked if she knew of any photographers (and someone that would consider working at an ‘outdoor’ midwinter wedding), and from the moment I met you I knew that you would be the perfect match to work with Kelli and Oak. Have a great weekend, and thank you for all that you did to make our wedding very special!
Adele Kraft
I think what you have going is perfect for the price. I didn’t want any crazy elaborate editing or posing or time consuming nonsense. I really just wanted someone who knew their way around a camera and took good photos to document that it happened, but I didn’t need some wild multi thousand dollar package that included things I didn’t need or want. I thought the photos were great and you were easy to work with and the price was perfect for us being young and broke and having planned the entire thing in about a day. I would definitely recommend you. Perfect balance between fly on the wall and involved. Excellent price, very nice photos.
Mk Charnley
I wanted to thank you for popping by in the middle of your Friday evening to drop off our pictures. We were just so anxious to see them. You did a phenomenal job. We love them! You really captured our day just perfectly and we loved all the casual shots and the funny family shots. Thank you for taking the time and putting so much energy into those. You even captured so much that we can’t even remember and I guess that’s the purpose of getting a great photographer. So we will absolutely pass on the good word. You did an incredible job.
Mary Greco-Tapling & Mark Tapling
We just wanted to thank you for being such a wonderful photographer for our wedding. We love our photos and have gotten so many compliments on how beautiful they are. You were such a pleasure and so genuine to be around, it really helped us to be relaxed and open on our wedding day. We are so grateful that you stayed as things ran a little late, and that just shows even more what a great person you are…Thank you so much for your excellent work and your great attitude…All the best to you and your family!
Erin & Tim Nordholm
We loved the pictures and are extremely happy with the outcome. Everyone thought you did a wonderful job and went out of their way to tell us that after the wedding. Thank you so much.
Alicia & John Roessler
Thank you again for helping make our big day run so smoothly! You captured everything perfectly, and we couldn’t have asked for more!
Lucille & Daniel Ramirez
We got the photos in the mail today…Wow – how beautiful they are! We are so happy with them, you really captured our day. Thank you for doing such a great job. Everyone loved working with you, you were so calm and easy going. Take care and thank you so much.
Amanda & Jeff
Thanks for dropping off the pictures so quickly! They look awesome. Charis and I are very pleased with your work, the quality of the pictures was great, the professional nature with which you worked was pleasant, and the way in which you fill the market niche for people who want a good photographer and don’t want to take out a loan to do so is something well worth remembering and passing on to friends and family. So thank you again!
Maarten & Charis van der Heide
That is the very first time I have felt so comfortable having my picture taken. I typically hate it…I can honestly say this is the first time I have liked seeing pictures that I am in. My father was practically in tears and my mother loved them. There were so many compliments! Thanks for helping make it something so special and memorable. I am really looking forward to the wedding and now I’m even looking forward to the pictures. … The wedding photos are fantastic!! We love them. That day was perfect and you did a fabulous job recording it for us. I am forever grateful!!
Silvia Bordin
We want to thank you for being our wedding photographer! The pictures were great! You were able to get a lot of beautiful pictures and some very special moments for us to remember. You made our day very special and we really appreciate all your work. We look forward to working with you in the future for family pictures (I hope!).
Carina & David Rich
The pictures arrived and they turned out great – wonderful job by you! We love, love, love them! Thank you, thank you…We’ve received tons of compliments. After your terrific (and fun!) engagement photos, we are so happy that you will be with us on our wedding day!
Allison & Paul
Thank you for doing such a wonderful job at our wedding. You put us so at ease.
Adria & Stephen Moffett
The pictures are beautiful and you were a delight to work with. Thank you so much! You and the photos exceeded my expectations.
Kelly Thomas
We love the pictures…You were incognito – loved that!
Jen & Andy Manalis
Thank you so much for all the fantastic pics for our engagement. We had a lot of fun and you really captured our spirit.
Tina Sicre Miller
Thanks Edee, you were exactly what we were looking for in a wedding photographer…Professional but also friendly and no-nonsense…Great value and so easy to work with.
Rebekah & Edward
We just want you to know how much we appreciate you and all of the time and talent that you put into our parents’ anniversary celebration! The photos are wonderful and you recorded that day so beautifully!
Gina & Mark
The pictures look fantastic! Lulu and I are very pleased indeed. Thanks again!
Jeff & Lulu Hicks
