A young polar bear walks along a barrier island in Alaska’s arctic. To the south is the Alaska mainland and to the north is the expansive Beaufort Sea and the north pole. This bear straddles those two environments and soon will head northward as soon as the sea ice freezes solid. I use a variety…
If you have spent any time on Alaska’s arctic coast, then you are familiar with wind, and usually lots of it. Standing on the edge of this cliff, looking out into the gray abyss of clouds, and the Beaufort Sea that extends northward as far as the open water exits, makes one feel pretty tiny.…
That photography as a career and business has seen revolutionary changes in the last ten years is an understatement riddled with a complex layer of influencing factors. Decades seem to be designed for moments of pause and reflection. And so it is that this year marks the 10th year of my Fairbanks and Interior Alaska…
As this red fox trotted across Alaska’s arctic coastal plain, I grabbed a quick burst of 5 frames. That it was a quick grab shot is revealed in my exposure, since I have no idea what I was doing at f/13. Not that it mattered much since the shutter speed was high enough thanks to…
The very last light of an October day in Alaska’s high arctic is like blazing amber on these blades of grass. While often windy in this land, the clouds move with rapid changes. The sun slid through an opening in the clouds and dashed across the tundra making for a fun few minutes of photography.…
During a recent photo tour the skies opened up to a magnificent and lengthy display of the aurora borealis. The group I was co-guiding with Hugh Rose started clicking frames about 9:00 p.m. and finally went to bed about 5:00 a.m. It was a great night of fun and fanciful color and light in the…
In contrast to the last picture shared of the frosted leaves, this is a micro landscape as well, but on a little larger scale. Fresh snow along with the morning light made the ingredients of contrast and shadow strong along a distant hillside. I put down my wide angle lens and grabbed my 500mm along…
If winter sends warnings, this is one of them. The frost-edged leaves signify chilly morning temperatures and the snowfall soon to come. Close-up photography is a micro landscape that requires thoughtful composition. I often wander a long time looking before deciding on a composition that seems to work within the tiny space. While waiting for others to…
I just concluded guiding two trips into Alaska’s arctic with groups of photo enthusiasts on the quest to capture images of Alaska’s magical landscape. As always, the big spaces reveal new and different opportunities every year. The great wet and cloudy season that hung over much of the state this latter autumn gave way to…
October is the month of ice in Alaska’s arctic. The season when the last remnants of heat leave the landscape as temperatures drop and the sun’s power fades away. Winds are also common in the far north and when combined with the right temperature, the plants surrounding small lakes and ponds become encased in ice…