While browsing through my photos from 2015, I pulled a few to share from some memorable trips. In typical Alaska form, the weather varied greatly, ranging from blowing snow to blazing sunshine. Access points were made with a car or bush plane and travel methods included skis, hiking, biking, backpacking and packrafting.
Details
Reflections on Stock Photography I’ve recently been reflecting on the changes to the photography industry over the years, in particular, the stock photo industry–the one I’m engaged in. To say that the digital revolution has shaken things up is a monumental understatement. Combine the former with the advent of the world wide web and electronic…
Details
New Blog Theme After many months of multi-tasking between travel and website reviews and edits, my new site is now live. I purposely went with a color scheme that was bright and easier to read. After years with a dark color scheme, I either got tired of it, or felt that images should be presented…
Details
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may be aware that every October I co-guide photo tours to Alaska’s Arctic in search of all things “Alaska Special,” with a focus on the northern lights, polar bears and Arctic wildlife. I just returned from the first trip and leave tomorrow for the next one.…
Details
On September 8, I returned to one of the Nation’s least visited areas of its Parks system, the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. (see a post from last year’s visit) Located on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula, the Preserve’s coastal boundary lies along the Bering Sea, just 55 miles from Siberia. Many years ago, during the Pleistocene Ice…
Details
I spent the fourth of July weekend trekking across one of Alaska’s, and the Nation’s least visited National Parks. Gates of the Arctic is situated in Alaska’s Arctic, and is not accessible by road, making for light visitation. I accessed the park on a float plane and then hiked the region with a pretty hefty…
Details
I just returned from an 8 day trip into Alaska’s Brooks Range with Heath Sandall, Jay Cable and Tom Moran. We spent most of the time in the Arrigetch Peaks in the Gates of the Arctic National Park. In due time, I’ll write a little more about that trip and the place. But since it is…
Details
This time of year in the mountain regions of the Alaska Range, there are huge fields of blossoming wild sweet pea. They cover the gravel areas of river drainages, and hit their peak bloom about summer solstice. I took this photo last week while driving to Anchorage. The wild sweet pea is very fragrant, and…
Details
Human powered adventures in Alaska’s Brooks Range are always just that…an adventure of sorts. I mean “adventure” in a wilderness context, i.e., a human powered travel mode that takes you across trail-less country, up and over mountains, while route-finding, problem solving and embracing the discovery of new sights all the way along. I shared a few photos in my…
Details
There is a window of time in Alaska’s early summer where one can get out and explore after the snow has melted, but before the waves of mosquitoes emerge. It is a narrow time frame, and in the Southern Brooks Range mountains, it is usually before June 15. But the change in seasons is still in…
Details
After my return from Zion National Park, I’ve already rescheduled a trip to the Brooks Range twice due to weather. At this point, I’m hesitant to say what I’m “going” to do, and it may be best to tell it after the fact. But for the record, I am leaving for a week in the…
Details
In the field with the Canon 11-24mm f/4L My preference for landscape photography may suggest that acquiring the Canon 11-24mm f/4L would be an easy question for me to answer. The price tag of $3000 slowed me down a bit but I finally bought the lens and had a chance to test it when recently photographing in Utah (Zion National Park) and Arizona…
Details
If you live in Alaska, or have visited this March in pursuit of photographing the northern lights, then your opportunities have been abundant. With record warm temperatures, combined with clear skies and tons of electromagnetic activity in the atmosphere, it has been a banger month for aurora photography. And for anyone who has spent time…
Details
Due to lack of snow in southcentral Alaska, the 2015 Iditarod started in Fairbanks this year for the second time in history. The last time this happened was 2003, and I remember photographing it with the real first professional model of Canon’s digital camera line-up, the 1D (4mp). Digital cameras have come a long way since…
Details
I’ve been working away on some updates for the eBook I wrote on How to Photograph the Northern Lights. I just released the third version, which jumped from 280 to 319 pages. It is no small task keeping up to date on all the latest models and versions of cameras and lenses, and quite frankly,…
Details
I’m often asked what the correct camera exposure is for the northern lights. And, like many answers to broad questions, the answer could be equally broad due to the many variables involved. However, there are some basic starting points, and I’m including an excerpt here from my eBook on How to Photograph the Northern Lights,…
Details
Being somewhat given to the metrics behind our lives, I usually do a quick analysis of the lenses that I used in the course of a year. 2014 showed quite a change over 2013, as I favored the 24-105mm lens considerably. This was in a large part due to all of the human powered trips…
Details
Picking 10 top photos from any year is an impossible task. But the process does provoke some fun reminiscence and thought. My last post included 100 favorites, but drilling that down to 10 led me on a path which resulted in all vertical images, and those that had a particular experience attached to them. Unfortunately, much of…
Details
2014 delivered some fantastic photographic journeys. I browsed through the year’s photos and relived some of the good memories. I selected 100 images that were notable to me in some way, for a variety of reasons. My favorite trips were the self-powered adventures in Alaska’s Arctic, where the raw and rugged wilderness landscape of Alaska is as…
Details
As the year comes to a close, I’m selling a few lenses that I no longer use. Instead of going to Ebay, I thought I’d post them here first. Both lenses are suitable for aurora photography, so if you are looking for a lens to capture the northern lights, these may work for you. Both…
Details
During an October photo tour that I guide in Alaska’s Arctic, one of my type II flash cards got corrupted during a Lightroom import. I recently received it in the mail from www.datarecovery.com and had a chance to look at the pictures contained within. However, that process did not turn out to be a simple one. When attempting to…
Details
If you follow this blog, you may recall that I had a corrupted flash card from my recent trip in Alaska’s Arctic, and none of the images were accessible. After making a few inquiries upon my return, (thanks to Don Tredennick’s recommendation, one of the guests on the photo tour) I settled on www.datarecovery.com to…
Details
The two Arctic Alaska photo tours that I co-guide with Hugh Rose were full of weather adventure and logistical challenges this year. They were also filled with some fantastic photo opportunities. We always proclaim that the trips are different every year, and this held true once again. The first October, trip was slammed with a blizzard for three…
Details
I recently returned from guiding two photo adventures in Alaska’s Arctic, seeking the northern lights, polar bears and all the other magic that the great north delivers. The trips were wonderful adventures, full of the drama that Alaska is known for, including weather, wind, snow and wild sights. I’ll have a gallery of images to…
Details
I recently did an interview with Foregroundweb about my experiences running a business in photography. If you are interested in any of the backstory, you can can read more at Alexandru Vita’s blog www.foregroundweb.com There are a few sample screenshots below.