Photos from Alaska arctic region
If you are not familiar with a tussock, this is probably a good thing. Especially in the context of hiking. However, if you plan to travel across the tundra in Alaska’s arctic, you will indeed become quickly familiar with the term. A tussock is a large knob of soil with tufts of grass or sedges…
This handsome little bird has a melodious song and in early June it sings it heart out on the tundra landscape. The little bird has an extensive range, spending its summers breeding in the arctic regions of Alaska and Canada. The “longspur” refers to an elongated claw on the hind toe, not quite visible in…
While paddling down the Nigu river on a sunny day, a small herd of bull caribou stepped into the water a little bit down river. I had my camera in a dry bag with the 24-105mm lens on, so I quickly grabbed it for a few shots. Steering the boat did not go well with…
If there is one splash of color that marks the advance of spring in the arctic, it is the lousewort, a dapple of plant color that appears across the tundra before the blast of green unfolds. As one moves farther north in Alaska’s arctic, things get flatter and flatter, which introduces some composition challenges. I…
Landscape photography in Alaska poses some interesting “angle of light” dynamics. Because the location of the setting sun is continually changing, seeking a photographic angle perpendicular to the sun becomes restrictive to a certain orientation, and time of year. For example, midnight golden light in the arctic shines out of the north, rather than the…
The season of spring is distinctly noted in the images, as the color phase of the Rock ptarmigan in conjunction with the new green shoots on the plants are telling signs. This bird staked out a territory near our camp along the Nigu river, and made his calls frequently in quest of a mate. We…
I spent 10 days on a river trip in Alaska’s arctic, beginning on the Nigu river, which means “rainbow” in Inupiaq. The Nigu flows north out of the Brooks Range, with its headwaters located in the Gates of the Arctic National Park. It then flows through the National Petroleum Reserve, where it joins the Etivluk…
FINALLY! A continual source of frustration with my previous blog platform was the very small photos afforded in their presentation. As a photographer, who appreciates big images, it drove me nuts. So welcome to a new blog, a new space, with much better customization and options for larger photos, that one can truly enjoy. I…
Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks range, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm IS L (35mm) 1/1250 sec @ f 8, ISO 400 I’ve long wanted to see and photograph the Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks range, and a recent visit only increased my desire to return for a more…
Caribou on the mountain ridges of the Brooks range–all the little brown dots in the foreground, I’m guessing perhaps 1000 in this group.Click on the image to see it larger. Thanks to a generous friend, colleague, pilot, Hugh Rose, I spent an afternoon flying over the Brooks range looking at caribou along the mountain ridges.…