Parks, refuges, preserves & special places.
It is springtime in Denali National Park, and the remnant covering of snow still remains in the high country and mountain passes. But in typical June fashion, that big and ever present sun has lured many flowering plant into profusion of blossom. This cluster of wind flowers, or narcissus flowered anemones, caught my attention while looking…
I’ll be in Denali National park in a few days on a photography permit and it was disheartening to learn of the recent trapping death of the alpha female from the Grant Creek wolf pack. She was snared by a trapper just outside the park boundary. I, like many photographers and visitors to Denali have…
I’ve been photographing regions of Alaska’s arctic for a book project that came to completion recently. On Arctic Ground is authored by Debbie Miller, a long time Alaskan author, and published by the Mountaineers Books. During two specific trips over the past few years, I photographed regions within the National Petroleum Reserve, a giant section…
I license a number of photographs that artist use in reference for paintings. One particular artist, who does excellent work, made a painting from a picture I took in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, along the Marsh Fork of the Canning river. Michele Usibelli, is an occopmplshed artist and here is her representation of the…
The tide of light has shifted in Fairbanks, Alaska and darkness is getting hard to find in the night sky. More specifically, I heard a sandhill crane yesterday morning, the first of the year. To me, that is the official, inaugurating tune of springtime. While it is still possible to get a snowfall or two,…
Backpacking in the Arrigetch Peaks, Gates of the Arctic National Park If you have been following my blog, you may remember a trip I did last summer, where I spent 10 days backpacking in the Arrigetch Peaks, located in the Gates of the Arctic National Park, in Alaska’s Arctic. This region is well known among climbers and…
Windy Gap, White Mountains National Recreation Area It might not be surprising to find the wind blustery on the eve of this shoot, considering the cabin is probably named Windy Gap for a good reason. It is situated along fossil creek in the White Mountains National Recreation Area, and during this time of year, the…
Canon 5D Mark III and the Northern Lights Alaska has had a great winter season of aurora photography opportunities. Due to much of my travel, I have not participated in that winfall. Last week however, I eeked out one last chance to shoot the northern lights before daylight consumes our night skies making that option…
Polar bear cub, late evening light. While it can be easily argued that most of the best photos have defined and dramatic light, the new high ISO performance of today’s digital SLR’s have produced a whole new genre of low-light images that simply could not be captured previously. Certainly not in the same quality league.…
Polar bear symmetry While her cubs were off playing, this female polar bear curled up on the snow and dozed off occasionally. The posture makes a beautiful, symmetrical pose. It is a cropped version of an image taken with a Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm + 1.4x extender, which translates into a focal length of…