Woolly lousewort on the tussocks along the shore of Etivluk lake, National Petroleum Reserve, Brooks Range mountains, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mm 2.8L, 1/50 sec @ f22, ISO 200.
If there is one splash of color that marks the advance of spring in the arctic, it is the lousewort, a dapple of plant color that appears across the tundra before the blast of green unfolds. As one moves farther north in Alaska’s arctic, things get flatter and flatter, which introduces some composition challenges. I start looking to the sky for some art in these moments, and there was abundant cloud formations to give some interesting lines to the image. Etivluk lake is still frozen over in this view to the southeast, looking at the distant Brooks mountain range in the National Petroleum Reserve.
Etivluk lake, National Petroleum Reserve, Brooks Range mountains, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mm 2.8L, 1/40 sec @ f16, ISO 100.
