Photos from Alaska arctic region
Polar bears embody a beautiful blend of power and elegance. This is one reason they are so interesting to observe and photograph. And there are few mammal species that move so fluidly both on land and in the water. This bear rested along the shore of an island in the Beaufort Sea, along Alaska’s eastern…
The polar bears are abundant along Alaska’s arctic coast as they wait for the ice to form on the Beaufort Sea. Warm weather has kept the snow at bay, at least at this point. This curious polar bear stood up for a better view and I’ve learned by their posture when this is about to…
Some of the first hints of color on the tundra are the wooly lousewort flowers. They are early bloomers, and the bright pink color really pops out along the brown tundra. For anyone who has hiked across this kind of terrain, you know what I’m talking about when I say it is difficult travel. It’s…
Muskox and baby Baby muskox rank up there with the cutest of all little creatures. There were four young ones in this herd of ancient and odd looking animals. Like many wild animals that I’ve spent time with, the younger the accompanying offspring, the more wary they behave – for obvious reasons when one considers…
Bull caribou in the midnight sun Photographing in Alaska’s high arctic in the summer is both wonderful and brutal. The infusion of light is energizing on the one hand, but the schedule it forces can be brutally tiring as well. Golden light is restricted to the midnight hour, give or take a few. So,…
The spring and summer wildflowers on Alaska’s tundra are nothing but spectacular. I’ve been documenting a few that I have for one reason or another, never photographed before. This is one of them, an early blooming arctic version of the common Jacobs ladder found in Alaska’s interior. The aperture of f/5.6 helps diffuse the background…
The first few weeks of June in Alaska is the time when the newborn animals of the year begin showing up. They are pure cuteness in most respects, and they are also very susceptible to hungry predators as the circle of life takes its course in the wilderness landscape. For the latter, it means that adults with…
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…
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…