The formation of ice called “pancake ice” develops during freeze up when circular ice conglomerations bang into each other creating little raised edges around their perimeter. The windy conditions blew all the ice towards shore creating an interesting pattern for a landscape. Photographing in heavy wind requires a strong and stable tripod, a piece of…
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The dog mushing season is about to unfold in Alaska’s interior. The Yukon Quest, a 1000 mile race between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Canada, begins on Saturday Feb 8th. Following that will be many sprint races at the Dog musher’s race grounds and the North American Limited and Open series in March. More daylight and…
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Prince William Sound is home to abundant marine life. And one of the favorites is the sea otter. Once decimated to near extinction for their prized fur, the US west coast population has come back, thanks to protective measures. They are ravenous eaters, and they appear cute and cuddly. In fact they are quite large,…
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I took a trip with a friend to the White Mountians last April to do some aurora borealis photography. It was a little late in the season for ideal snow conditions, but the skies cleared for a few nights of shooting. It is a challenge to include people in aurora photos due to the lengthy…
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Red-necked grebes nest in many ponds across Alaska. It is also common to see the young riding on the back of the parents for protection. Adults take turns caring for the young and collecting food. Grebes dive for small aquatic animals and fish, and the little ones eat an amazing amount of food. Hours were…
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Each year the World Eskimo Indian Olympics are held in Alaska. They were first held in Fairbanks in 1961, and now alternate annually between Fairbanks and Anchorage. A little summary from their website gives background: For time immemorial, Native peoples of the circumpolar areas of the world have gathered in small villages to participate in…
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In 2007 I had a few images selected for publication in a souvenir stamp set commemorating the International Polar Year, which extends from March 2007 to March 2009. The two photos selected represent the people and wildlife of the arctic region, and were taken here in Alaska. The IPY is a large scientific program that…
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Photographing wolves in a wild, natural setting, requires patience and persistence. In this case however, I can claim neither of those virtues, should they be ascribed as such. Sometimes, just the sheer amount of time spent in the field delivers its respective dose of serendipity. While photographing bears in Katmai, this wolf occasioned the Brooks…
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I’ve been getting many questions regarding when and where to go to see the northern lights in Alaska. I’ve addressed these questions briefly in an aurora article on line, but will reiterate some of that here. The aurora can be viewed frequently in Fairbanks and interior Alaska, and often in the Southern latitudes of the…
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September in Alaska is one of my favorite times of the year for photography. This is so because the sunrise and sunset events comes back into a little more harmonious schedule. Any nature photographer is linked to these two events (save the night sky photographer), since the quality and angle of light is most conducive…
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Spruce grouse in Alaska are known to be rather tame, and approaching them is often easy. They inhabit the dense spruce woods and feed on berries and spruce needles. The varied color and pattern in their feathers make them an attractive bird. Males have the distinct red band around the eye. A population distinction between…
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On the theme of frost, which visits Fairbanks generously during a given winter, this image reveals a brilliant pattern which sparkles under a low-angle sun. Hoar frost, or sometimes called radiator frost exhibits itself well in the Fairbanks winter conditions, partly because it is both cold and not very windy. Surface hoar frost, Fairbanks, Alaska.Canon…
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Yesterday morning was minus 23 degrees at my office, and about noon, when the sun rose over the distant mountains and cast its glow, I was struck by the light on the window frost formations. The near perpendicular angle of the sun is the cause for the amazing separation and differentiation between the crystal shapes.…
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I spent some time in Barrow, Alaska this summer, which is located in northern Alaska, along the Arctic ocean. Its an Inupiaq (Eskimo) community with a rich culture, and like many of Alaska’s native communities faces a host of challenges due to changing lifestyles, economics, and climate. If you find yourself miffed at the price…
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One of the most elusive animals that travels the Alaska landscape is the lynx. In my experience, the only other animal that I’ve encountered less is the wolverine. So, any opportunity to photograph one of these cats in the wild, in a natural settings, is a delight. This summer, I had one chance, although fleeting.…
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This image illustrates one main advantage of fast wide angle lenses–they offer shorter shutter speeds. Shorter exposure times mean more detail. A five second shutter speed in this case captures more distinctive shapes commonly found during the coronal display. These shapes tend to get all blurred together with long exposures. To achieve this however, you…
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The natural elements contribute an edge both to a photograph and the experience of its capture. I photographed this Common loon for about 20 minutes before the rain began, and during this time, it drifted near me on the shore for an almost full frame view. Unfortunately, by the time the rain fell, the bird…
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Photographic perspective is often a process. Many times, the initial approach to a particular scene requires a little study, some idea generation, and close observation of light direction. I chose these two images to illustrate this process on a shoot this summer. The first image is environmentally interesting, and is sort of “o.k.” but the…
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The Brooks mountain range, which crosses Alaska’s arctic region, is the farthest north mountain range in the United States. Just north of Atigun Pass–the highest road pass in the state– is Atigun canyon, the location where this photo was taken. The northern lights were not that bright to the naked eye, but timed exposures are…
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While over/under photography is nothing new, I wanted to experiment with a few ideas last summer. Both returned usable results, but not without plenty of experimentation, and trial and error. The equipment to do this right, i.e., the underwater housing for a Canon 1D series camera costs between 5-10K! There are cheaper methods, for example,…
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Canon’s 1Ds Mark III offers a means to customize the factory specified four-digit camera name that precedes the four digit file name. In the process of implementing this option, I encountered a problem which had no answer in the documentation—at least not that I could find. Under the Tools 1 menu, I set the custom…
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100 favorite images from 2007. It was a good year to be venturing outside in Alaska.
Today while taking a break from processing photos taken months ago, I glanced out the office window and saw this Willow Ptarmigan feeding on the grasses sticking through the snow. The office is situated on a south facing slope surrounded by a boreal forest, with plenty of habitat protection for birds and animals. I decided…
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Photographing in Alaska’s summers introduces a problem for sleep-lovers. The quality of light that delivers color, warmth, and pleasing shadows happens when most are sleeping. The late hour of both the setting and rising sun blows any sort of normal working schedule. Some time ago I adopted a little guideline when in the field photographing:…
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Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge is an oasis for birds and wildlife in the Fairbanks area. The refuge offers habitat protection and public use for nature viewing, education and research. You can learn more about it here. It has taken me a few years to get the timing down to capture a Savannah Sparrow perched…
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