On the edge of the ice formation in the Beaufort Sea, these two polar bear cubs played in and out of the water. It’s amazing watching them jump directly into the icy water and be so sufficient in both land and sea environments. The photo was taken from some distance, in blowing wind, and if…
Dall Sheep Dall sheep are currently in the rut season, when the rams are mingling with the ewes. I’ve made a few attempts at photographing these animals in the snow, but the logistical sequences never worked out. It can be a challenge because it often requires hiking, some times high, in snowy mountain terrain. In…
Koyukuk River In general, mid October marks the time when the Koyukuk river, which flows out of the Brooks Range, freezes over. The ice formation on the river creates interesting patterns and shapes during its freeze-thaw-freeze phase. The crystal clear water seems about as pure as water can get. This picture was taken on Oct…
Mink Last week I photographed this mink along a stream in interior Alaska. It was my first series of photos of a mink in the wild, and they are animals that rarely stop moving. While hunting along the bank on the opposite side of the river, the mink suddenly ran on the ice across the…
Yesterday concluded our photo venture with Alaska’s polar bears and it was a great day of viewing and a challenging day of photography. Winds that gusted to 50mph were sweeping across the coast blowing snow and salt spray. This in conjunction with the lens shake caused by such force made shooting difficult. However, I think…
Today proved to be an amazing photographic venture. I woke at 5:00am to an amazing aurora display, and only had time to snap a few pictures before traveling north to the arctic coast for polar bear photography. Our group arrived just in time to catch some golden sunset light on a female polar bear with…
Before leaving for another 10 day venture in the arctic, here is one photo taken during my previous trip last week, late one evening when the aurora spilled across the sky. It was taken about 2:00am, in the Brooks Range, on a nearly new moon evening. In retrospect I would have shortened the exposure a…
Alaska polar bears While guiding a group of photographers on a recent tour for Alaska polar bears, aurora and other opportunistic arctic subjects, we had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with these playful polar bear cubs. Like many young animals, they are curious, playful and active, when the parents often sleep or rest.…
If you have followed this blog at all, you will see that the Brooks Range mountains that arc across Alaska’s arctic are a common subject. The range is massive and equally amazing visually, in its diversity of geography and geology. After a successful photo session with the polar bears along the coast, our current photo…
Cloudy skies, although not good for aurora, offered some good light for afternoon photography of this family of polar bears. The sow with two cubs take shelter from the winds common to the north coast of Alaska’s arctic. Shooting directly into the wind with lightly blowing snow at temperatures around freezing present some problems with…