I’ve been looking at this lens on my desk for a couple years now. I’ve long wondered what the mechanics inside looked like and how they operated. Curiosity got the best of me so I grabbed a little screwdriver kit and started dismantling the lens. I don’t really have engineer inclinations, just curiosity, especially since this…
On my recent aurora photo tours, I captured a few panoramas of the northern lights. They are relatively easy to make but a few considerations should be employed in preparation and in post production. I’m going to add a section on this in version #3 of my eBook on How to Photograph the Northern Lights,…
The aurora danced in the night sky repeatedly over the past two weeks during the photo tours I co guided with Hugh Rose in Alaska’s Arctic. We guided two groups of happy aurora photographers who left much more experienced in this technical endeavor than when they arrived. The photos captured by all on both trips…
To stand under a sky filled with twisting and turning bands of green and purple aurora, amidst pure white snow covered mountains and chilly minus degree temperatures is a most invigorating and spellbinding experience. Those who encounter it, won’t easily forget it. I’ve been there many times, and the latest always seems the best, perhaps…
I head out tomorrow to guide a few weeks of aurora photography tours in Alaska’s Arctic. The skies have been colorful over the past month, and I hope that continues. I’ll share some photos when opportunity rises. There are 16 excited guests all geared up and ready to make some great pictures. Let’s hope the…
I first experienced Prince William Sound, in Southcentral Alaska, when working for the State of Alaska Department of Conservation Oil Spill Response Division, following the Exxon Oil spill in 1989. Since then, I’ve been back almost ever year, and usually, a number of times a year. It is a magnificent place of both scenic beauty…
Muskox shed their amazing qiviut (hair) in the spring and it can be found in small clusters in the branches of tundra vegetation. I’ve got a big bag full that I’ve gathered over the years and someone graciously offered to spin a few balls of yarn from which I plan to have a warm hat…
As daylight hours begin to increase in Alaska, the month of March is often rich with winter photography opportunities. One can now feel the warmth of the sun on the face, which throws thoughts forward to summer. But before that big melt comes, I’m looking forward to some great photo trips coming soon. I took…
I’ve been doing a lot of database work over the past few weeks, executing a huge review and clean up of the 100,000 files in my Lightroom Database. This has included doing a spell check on all metadata, properly tagging images, doing a complete cloud-based backup of my RAW files, and overall file organization. It…
11 seconds of aurora action On Wednesday night (2/19/2014) the northern lights were pouring over the night skies in Fairbanks, Alaska. I was not as active as they were, at least not in a serious photographic sense. I had sleep on my mind as following day schedule had its demands. And that is what I…