Denali and cottongrass, Denali National Park, by Patrick J Endres After nearly a year of lockdowns, social restrictions, business closures, and other weird drama from the COVID pandemic, I know many are ready to revive postponed travel plans to Alaska. If this is you, and you plan to either drive directly or rent a car…
Details
DIGITAL COMPOSITE IMAGE: Herd of caribou walks along the tundra by Wonder Lake with alpenglow on Mt Denali in the distance, Denali National Park, Alaska (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) This photo was shared on social media recently and received some attention so I thought I’d explain it beyond the short caption. I created…
Details
Bush plane on floats is transported through the streets of Fairbanks on a flatbed truck, Fairbanks, Alaska. (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Alaska is a huge land with very little road development. Access to many remote roadless locations is done via small bush planes. I have several friends who are pilots, and there is…
Details
Snowshoe hare feeds on fresh spring grass in Fairbanks, Alaska. (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Late May in Fairbanks, Alaska is an infusion in fresh lime green. The boreal forest explodes with shiny new leaves and new grass is growing under the increasing light and sunshine. In particular, this year there is an abundance…
Details
Pink fireweed blossoms and Denali, North America’s tallest mountain. Denali National Park (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) It is likely true for most Alaskan’s, that after 8 months of white, the urge to both see and feel color and heat ramps to an all-time high at the beginning of May. At least in Fairbanks, the…
Details
Aerial of waves rolling on the long the sandy shores of Softuk bar, Gulf of Alaska, southcentral. (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Alaska’s southern shores vary from lush temperate rainforests to rocky cliffs, giant boulder beaches, and broad, flat sandy bars. In the Gulf of Alaska, huge beaches receive the fury of the mighty Pacific Ocean…
Details
Flocks of shorebirds, dominated by Western sandpipers gather along the shores of Hartney Bay, Copper River Delta, Prince William Sound, Alaska, to refuel during their migration to summer nesting grounds. (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The small community of Cordova, Alaska hosts a shorebird festival in early May to commemorate the epic bird migration through…
Details
(Exploring a glacier ice cave in the Alaska Range mountains. Ice caves are formed as the meltwater from glaciers creates a stream or river that flows and shapes the ice under the glacier. (© Patrick J Endres / www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Alaska has an abundance of glaciers, although most of them are receding at a rapid rate due…
Details
The aurora borealis arcs over my rustic log cabin in the boreal forest of the Alaska Range mountains in Interior, Alaska. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The rustic log cabins found throughout Alaska are a diverse demonstration of how many Alaskans still stay connected to a more “simple” life. Some log cabins have historic significance,…
Details
In late March, fisherman travel to the waters of Sitka Sound in Southeast Alaska for the Sitka Sac Roe Herring Commercial Fishery. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Every March Pacific Herring migrate to their spawning grounds in the calm waters of Sitka Sound, off Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. This draws not only the whales, sea…
Details
An adult muskox cow and newly born calf rest on the spring tundra of Alaska’s Arctic North Slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Muskox are one of the most prehistoric looking animals I’ve ever photographed. They populated Alaska during the close of the Pleistocene era but went extinct sometime in the mid-1800’s. Thanks to a…
Details
Sea otters in Harriman Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Sea otters inhabit Alaska’s southern waters from the eastern Inside Passage to the western Aleutian Islands. They are well loved because of their cute, furry bodies and dextrous little hands. They can often be seen grooming their fur (the densest fur in…
Details
An Arctic fox in its pure white winter coat licks its fur after waking up from a nap in a snowdrift along Colleen Lake in Alaska’s Arctic North Slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The Arctic fox is a small animal that inhabits the northern coast and offshore icepack in Alaska. It has a cryptic…
Details
The colorful aurora borealis arcs over the White Mountains National Recreation Area just 35 miles north of Fairbanks in Alaska’s Interior. Because of Fairbanks Alaska’s unique combination of a northern latitude and often clear skies, it is becoming the preferred destination for aurora viewing and photography. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) March is not the only…
Details
Festival of Native Arts, Aleutian Region School District Unangax Dancers, Native dance and art celebration in Fairbanks, Alaska (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The Festival of Native Arts provides cultural education and sharing through traditional Native dance, music, and arts. The Festival continues the University of Alaska Fairbanks student-led tradition that began in 1973 of…
Details
Snow covered spruce trees in the boreal forest of Fairbanks, Alaska. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The boreal forest or “northern forest” is the world’s largest land-based biome and represents approximately 30% of the world’s forest. In Alaska, the boreal forest or “taiga” exits between the northern Brooks Range down to the southern Coast Range mountains,…
Details
My blog posts have been very slim in 2017, as I’ve been busy with many projects, including lots of travel in Alaska. In keeping a tradition alive, I’ve picked 100 pictures from my travels and photo adventures in 2017. It was a great year of sights and sounds, and the new destinations in Alaska seem…
Details
On June 10th I crossed Ernie Pass (the continental divide) of the Brooks Range on foot, during a 110 mile hike/packraft trip with a friend. Yesterday, I was near Isabel Pass in the Alaska Range. Mountain travel has one common feature, and that is dramatically changing weather. It is one aspect I like about traveling…
Details
Summer is here in Alaska! In just a few weeks, the solstice will mark the longest day of the year, and believe it or not, we start losing daylight following that. To really see the beauty of the “evening” light, it will require a late night indeed. I was traveling through the Alaska Range last…
Details
The Calypso Orchid May of 2016 in Fairbanks has been a big leap into the Spring season, with early green up and a few days of record temperatures. All of this wonderful weather has no doubt influenced the early blossoms of a beautiful orchid that I spotted while on a trail in the Fairbanks area.…
Details
I took a photo a few days ago in Broad Pass, which is the high point through the Alaska Range mountains along the George Parks Highway that connects Fairbanks to Anchorage. A few inches of fresh snow had fallen early that morning and decorated the tundra in a beautiful white blanket. The small spruce trees…
Details
Rustic Cabin and the Aurora I have a cabin in the Alaska Range mountains, which is nestled amongst spruce trees and beautifully flanked by snow covered mountains. I made my first trip to this area when I was 18 years old and am so grateful to still make such ventures 34 years later! Abundant snow…
Details
In keeping with a year-in-review tradition, I’ve selected 100 photos that reflect favorite sights and experiences in 2016. I’m really looking forward to some great experiences and photo opportunities in 2017.
Thank you 2015 for a great year of travel and adventure. Here are some pics that reflect favorite sights and experiences this past year. All the best for 2016!
If you have been on a venture to photograph the northern lights, then you have encountered the challenge of photographing in the dark while still being able to control your camera settings. A headlamp with a red filter can help provide the necessary light to assist with camera adjustments. However, that light can easily find its way into the picture if you are not careful. In order to avoid headlamp light pollution in your aurora photos, see headlamp etiquette practices on my blog article here.
Details