Freeze up on the coast of the Beaufort Sea, Arctic north coast, Barter Island, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mm, (17mm) 1.3 sec @ f/11, ISO 400
According to my GPS coordinates for Barter Island, Alaska on Oct 12, 2009, the maximum high angle of the sun is a mere 9 degrees. This is part of the magic of the arctic at this time of year, having a low angle of light for the entire day of shooting. However, photos can continue to be made after the sun has set, as exemplified by this picture. With a relatively flat landscape like the arctic coast, a photographer turns to the sky and foreground patterns for compositional strength. Slush was thickly congealing on the surface of the Beaufort Sea and the shore contained convoluted ridges of frozen snow/ice, providing some linear drama. The shot was taken after sunset which offered two elements necessary for the effect. One was a relatively even degree of lighting which allowed one single frame to contain the scene’s full dynamic rage, and two was low enough light for a long exposure and thus the blurred water. Movement in a static landscape invokes a certain feeling, and when possible to include, rarely dissappoints. I experimented with many different shutter speeds and found that between one and two seconds was best, and from there I shot many frames until I found one with the wave shape and blur to be of my liking. Interestingly, the following day, all of the beautiful sculpted ice and snow edges of the shore were gone.
