Alaska’s fascinating wild creatures
Place your vote (right) for the top 7 Alaska Natural Wonders. This is my fourth pick out of seven, more to follow. Copper River Red Salmon (Sockeye) Alaska has five species of Salmon, and they all are harvested for commercial, personal, or subsistence use. The King and the Red salmon however, are the most favored…
Red Salmon, Brooks River, Katmai National Park, AlaskaCanon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/640 sec @f/8, ISO 1000 In reviewing some files from a trip to Katmai, I came across this image, which is the only one I kept out of many taken. It’s a much more difficult acquisition than it may appear. This…
I was recently asked why many of the photographs in the recent posts were shot at 400 or 800 ISO. Do they hold up well at that ISO or was I shooting them for web resolution in mind? To answer this question appropriately involves addressing a few issues. First of all, I want to make…
Polar bear tracks on wind-blown snow, Barter Island, Alaska.Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105mm f4L IS, 1/50 sec @ f20, ISO 400 The strong winds of the arctic blow the snow vigorously across the tundra creating patterns on the hardened surface. The pressure of a polar bear foot upon the fresh snow remains as the snow…
<!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –Willow ptarmigan in Atigun Pass, Brooks range, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm 4L IS, 1/500 sec at f7.1, ISO 800 Willow ptarmigan turn a cryptic pure white in the winter to blend in with the snowy landscapes. Their black beak,…
Photography in Alaska’s arctic, particularly in the snowy months, presents many subjects and scenes filled with white, and often a white subject on a white background. While traveling with a photo tour group, one of the sharp-eyed guests (thank you Skip) spotted this arctic fox curled up in a snow drift on a frozen lake.…
Caribou in taiga, arctic, Alaska Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/500 sec @ 6.3, ISO 500, vertical crop Most of my winter photography of caribou has been in the treeless arctic. The snow covered spruce trees make this image a little unique to my experience. This year on the north side of the…
Polar bear on the sea ice, Beaufort Sea, arctic Alaska.Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm 4.0L IS, 1/500 sec @ f5.6, ISO 800 Earlier in my photography career I guided a variety of photo tours throughout Alaska. I’ve recently scaled back to just one trip, which I co-guide with friend and colleague Hugh Rose. Hugh is…
From my observations, young bears exhibit a mischievous behavior more often than adult bears. Chalk it up for play, curiosity, or too much energy–who knows why. This second year bear took a liking to the wood slats on the walkway to the bear viewing platform in Katmai National Park. Each year the park maintenance crew…
Brown bear and sunrise, Katmai National Park, AlaskaCanon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105mm 4.0L (32mm), 1/250 sec @ f/11, ISO 100 The versatility of zoom lenses is so appealing that I use prime lenses less often these days. However, they are notorious for lens flare and controlling that can be difficult. On this trip, I did…