AlaskaPhotoGraphics Blog

A WHOLE NEW BLOG !!

2009-04-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Time to move on from the tiny photos displayed here. I have a new blog, with much better presentation.

Stop on by : www.alaskaphotographyblog.com

Arrigetch Peaks, Brooks range, Gates of the Arctic National Park

2009-04-25T11:01:00.007-08:00

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 thorough session. It's a good 2 hours plus one way trip in a small plane north from Fairbanks, with plenty of weather and terrain to navigate along the way. For those who are not familiar with this wonderful sight, the Arrigetch Peaks are rugged granite spires in the central Brooks Range.

Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks range, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska

Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm IS L (28mm) 1/1250 sec @ f 8, ISO 400

The name means 'fingers of the outstretched hand' in the Inupiat (eskimo) language. I can only imagine that their appearance is under constant change with lighting and season, making them a truly dynamic subject. Hopefully this summer, I can make another attempt, and time it for optimal lighting. Lots of variables need to line up in order for that to happen.

Mountain views

2009-04-20T13:52:00.004-08:00

Lightplay on a mountain ridge in the Alaska range.
Canon 5 D Mark II, 24-105mm L IS, (102mm) 1/800 sec @ f4.5, ISO 400

I've been doing some aerial photography recently, thanks to a friend and willing pilot, Hugh Rose. Do to low light we elected to not land on a glacier in the Alaska range, even though we were all packed with winter gear, ready to spend the night and do some hopeful aurora borealis photography. It's amazing how much gear one needs just to spend one night in the mountains! So, we did get great vistas on the flight to and from Fairbanks. In particular, Mt. Deborah, Hess and Hayes, are stunning peaks that highlight the Alaska range--the most prominent ones visible from Fairbanks. I included a similar shot that I posted last year, taken in autumn. It shows the contrast of seasons well.

Alaska range mountains
Canon 5 D Mark II, 24-105mm L IS, (85mm) 1/640 sec @ f5.6, ISO 400

Mt. Hayes and the Alaska range mountains
Canon 5 D Mark II, 24-105mm L IS, (100mm) 1/320 sec @ f4.5, ISO 800

Mt. Hayes and the Alaska range mountains in autumn

The meltdown begins

2009-04-18T13:51:00.005-08:00

Stream in the Alaska range mountains
Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm f4.0L IS, 1/400 sec @ f13, ISO 200

The heat of the spring sun bears forcefully upon Alaska's winter landscape. Daylight increases at a rate of about 7 minutes per day, and while the snow is thick in many places, it can't resist the marching summer season. On a snow machine trek into the Alaska range a few days ago, the brilliance of a clear day not only revealed opening water in the mountain drainages, but a potent sunburn on the face as well. The grizzly bears that make their winter dens in the mountains are ending their long hibernation in accordance with natures amazing synchronicity.

Alaska range mountain ridges

Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm f4.0L IS, 1/640 sec @ f13, ISO 200

We did not see any bears however, save for one set of tracks that went on at length over the mountain slope. They will be waking soon however, slumberous and hungry. Breakup, which is the term used in Alaska for the transition from winter to summer--since the season called spring is ever so short if calculable at all--is a messy time with rapid melting and wetness everywhere. But most people, are anxious for the sun's warmth, and the increased pace of summer.

Caribou in the Brooks range mountains

2009-04-14T13:42:00.005-08:00

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. These are reportedly from the Porcupine caribou herd that migrates across the Brooks range and eventually reaches the calving grounds of Alaska's arctic north slope. Aggregations of 100 to 1000 animals could be seen feeding on the windswept mountain ridges where I presume access to food was a bit easier than the heavy snow-laden lowlands. The Brooks range is always an experience of immense wilderness. The mountains go on and on, with scarcely a node of human habitation. Conditions were far from optimal from almost every perspective but I grabbed a few photos that show how mobile and hardy this animal is, able to trek the high and low country and travel for miles. The vista of a large group of caribou migrating in a long line eluded us, although we saw many tracks revealing amazing photo ops if the timing was right.

The never ending mountain ridges of the Brooks range mountains.

Trucking on the Haul road

2009-04-06T09:42:00.009-08:00

Truckers travel the Haul road north of the Brooks range, arctic, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/500 sec @ f8, ISO 400

The James Dalton Highway was built as an access road to the Arctic ocean during the days of the of the Trans Alaska Pipeline construction. It still serves the main purpose of supplying the oil fields of the arctic north slope coast. Its a rugged road, and passes through some formidable country, particularly in winter. I often hear weather alerts of road closures due to wind and snow, and flash floods in the summer months. Before travel, checking current road conditions is essential.

The truckers that navigate this route routinely (500 miles between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay) do so in all types of weather. There is often a dramatic scene of a trucker cruising the road, which helps depict the emptiness and ruggedness of this region. The highway traverses the Brooks range via Atigun pass, the highest road pass in Alaska.

Nearly every trip north for me results in a cracked windshield, and my last trip was no exception. Heavy snow and high winds can quickly obscure and diminish the road to one lane, or simply impassable. Snow drifts, once plowed, can rebuild in a matter of minutes. This was the case recently but I could find no place to pull over to position myself for good photography, and it was too dangerous, with limited visibility to just stop in the road. So, you don't see any of those cool-could-have-been-photos. Plus, it was minus 20 degrees and ripping wind.

Oddly, ice is purposely put on the road during the winter to stabilize surface material, arctic, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 16-35mm f2.8L , 1/320 sec @ f18, ISO 200

Road markers help distinguish the shoulder during snowy conditions, arctic north slope, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400 (220mm) mm f5.6L , 1/500 sec @ f18, ISO 400

Caribou trek across the tundra as a trucker passes through Atigun canyon, arctic, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f5.6L (130mm) , 1/400 sec @ f7.1, ISO 200

Trucker climbs the road through Atigun Pass of the Brooks range, arctic, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f5.6L , 1/640 sec @ f10, ISO 200

Heavy winds create drifts in seconds on the Dalton Highway, arctic, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f5.6L , 1/640 sec @f9, ISO 200

Weathering the weather

2009-03-31T18:42:00.009-08:00

Bull Muskox in blowing snow
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4.0L IS, 1/500 sec @ f7.1, ISO 400

I just returned from a week of photography in Alaska's arctic. Surprisingly, late March and April still deliver significant sub zero temperatures in the far north, even as the sunlight rushes back at a rapid pace. I'm finding, as time goes by, that waiting out long periods of weather becomes increasingly more difficult. Mainly due to the boredom of waiting for light, which can be considerable in length of hours and days. This is when Podcasts on the IPhone become real valuable--no radio in that country.

I'm usually dressed in many layers, capped off with a big down parka and fur hat. On one excursion in very strong winds, I was hot from trudging around on snowshoes and pulled off my parka hood and hat for a second. That resulted in a light frost bite to my left ear. It only takes seconds in those conditions.

Below are a few photos from the venture. In 6 days, I took less than 1000 pictures, pretty slim shooting. But, I captured a few keepers, and actually photographed the aurora borealis, which has been an elusive subject this winter due to the absence of solar storms. This was also my first chance to test out Canon's new 24mm 1.4L II, which in quick summary, seems immensely improved over the previous version for sharpness. I'll explore that in a later post.

Crescent moon over the Brooks range
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4.0L IS, 1/10 sec @ f4.0, ISO 800

Boreal Chickadee
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4.0L IS, with 1.4x, 1/1250 sec @ f6.3, ISO 400

Male Pine Grosbeak
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4.0L IS, with 1.4x, 1/250 sec @ f6.3, ISO 400

Aurora borealis and star trails over the Brooks range mountains.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24mm f1.4L II, 15 min @ f8, ISO 800

Aurora borealis over the Brooks range mountains.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24mm f1.4L II, 20 sec @ f1.4, ISO 1000

Semi tractor travels the Haul road in high winds and blowing snow
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f5.6L, 1/640 @ f9, ISO 250

Wind blown snow and spruce trees
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 16-35mm f2.8L, 1/800 @ f11, ISO 400

Festival of Native Arts, Fairbanks

2009-03-24T07:36:00.004-08:00

Yup'ik Miracle Drummers and Dancers
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 300mm f2.8L IS, 1/250 sec @ f2.8, ISO 1250

The Yup'ik Miracle Drummers and Dancers perform at the Festival of Native Arts in Fairbanks, Alaska. The group are tradition bearers from the Yup'ik culture and have been performing together since 1994, promoting drug and alcohol free communities.

Festival of Native Arts, Fairbanks

2009-03-19T22:36:00.005-08:00

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200mm f2.8L, 1/160 sec @f2.8, ISO 1250 w/off camera flash
Inu-Yupiaq dancers at the 2009 Festival of Native Arts, Fairbanks, Alaska

The annual festival of native arts, which celebrates native culture, art and dance began last night in Fairbanks, and runs through Saturday evening. Each year, there is a representation of native groups from around the state that dance and sell artwork during the three day event. I'm partial to the Inupiaq and Yupik dancers, largely because of their facial interaction with the audience, their open body posture, and use of hand gestures. Their dances are story telling demonstrations with the body. The Inu-Yupiaq dance group is a blend of the Inupiaq and Yupik native dances. Photographing this event can be challenging because of the low light. I used an off camera fill flash triggered by an on camera signal, which let me add some light.

Website revisions

2009-03-18T08:00:00.001-08:00

After lots of tweaking and coding, a number of revisions to my website are now live. It's a never-ending process, and these tweaks are largely visual. A new home page now is more photo-heavy, with a rotating image environment for those that want to linger and watch. Next will be some revisions of the galleries, with new slide shows. That will have to wait for a bit however. You can check out the changes at www.alaskaphotographics.com

2009 Limited North American sled dog race

2009-03-16T12:53:00.004-08:00

Dogs race along the track at the Limited North American sprint dog race, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Canon 1D Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/800 sec @ f10, ISO 400

Sprint dog racing is in full swing in Fairbanks this time of year, even as the long distance mushers work their way towards Nome on the Iditarod. The Limited North American took place last weekend, with four, six and eight dog classes. These teams really move fast and it is no small challenge to attempt tight compositions while they speed by. Auto focus tracking tracking and a high burst rate are essential, and even then, there are many frames to throw away. I shot a few thousand pictures, mostly with the Canon 1D due to its 10fps speed. Generally, I selected 400 ISO and shot between 500-1000 shutter speeds, giving me an f-stop from f11-f13 or so. It was a sunny event, and a chilly one too. I'll probably throw away 90% of the photos, but captured a few good ones.

Winter shadows

2009-03-13T12:46:00.004-08:00

Mid day shadows across birch trees, Fairbanks, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 400mm f5.6L, 1/15 sec @ f32, 100 ISO

Fresh snow has cleansed the ground of the boreal forest surrounding my house, and the stark mid day shadows cast by the strengthening sun create a pattern of contrast. For some altitude, I took this frame from the deck of my house, using a 400mm lens. The long focal length allowed the restriction of unwanted stuff in the frame.

2009 Mulit-Block Ice Art Winner

2009-03-10T14:46:00.005-08:00

I've been photographing the World Ice Sculpting Championships in Fairbanks for 15 years. Throughout this time, many amazing sculptures have been created by artists from all over the world. One in particular stands out to me, and the numerous fist place medals to his name attest to his talents. Fairbanks sculptor Vladimir Zhikhartsev, originally from Russia, now living in the US, has quite a skill for working with ice. From a photographer's perspective, his work is always interesting, not just compositionally, but because he has perfected the use of texture on the ice, and this is critical when it comes time to lighting the sculpture. Below are a number of frames from this year's piece titled "Pandoras Box". "1st place in the abstract category of the 2009 World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska. Sculpted by Vladimir Zhikhartsev, Vitaly Lednev, Aaron Costic, Joshua Kang.

More Ice Sculptor portraits

2009-03-05T20:30:00.006-09:00

The Multi-block ice sculpting event is in full swing, and will end on Friday, March, 6. During a few visits, I've attempted to capture some portraits of the sculptors at work. While it is not challenging to grab a few token shots, it is difficult to create light, spontaneously, as the sculptors are working.

Medium size softbox set up to light the scene, triggered by Canon's infrared signal

The additional light allows a more balanced look between the foreground subject and the bright sky, without looking like a harshly lit, on camera flash.

Without flash

With off camera flash and Soft box

The infrared, remote flash system makes the use of off-camera flash possible, but still I encountered many mis-firings due to orientation and line of sight blockage between master on-camera flash and off-camera slave. However, until that wireless flash system shows up, this will have to do. I use one 580EX flash on my camera, which fires a blast of light which triggers the other off camera flash. This is all done with ETTL metering, and enables me to move around quickly and change positions/distances without worrying about the exposure. A very critical step however is using the FEL (Flash Exposure Lock) button on the Canon 1Ds Mark III, which associates the flash light output with the camera's meter, providing an exposure based on a tonal value dtermined by you-preferably a medium toned subject in the scene (for example, in the case above, it might be the face of the sculptor instead of the bright ice itself).

These frames show the benefit of created light, which helps considerably when dealing with scenes of high dynamic range often encountered at this event.

2009 Single Block Ice Art

2009-03-03T13:47:00.003-09:00

Single block ice sculptures at the World Ice Art Championships, Fairbanks, Alaska.

These are comparison shots of the same ice sculpture. The first frame shows the work in progress and the second frame shows the detail enhanced when lit at night with colored lights. The multi-block competition, which will conclude on Friday, March 6th, will reveal some spectacular, large sculptures this year. I'll post some of those upon completion.

2009 Ice Art

2009-03-01T14:51:00.004-09:00

Mongolian sculptors Rashaanjav Tuvshintur and Tserendash Batmunkh created an abstract single block sculpture titled "Evolution" for the 2009 World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska. With the single block competition complete, the Multi-block competition begins March 1 and concludes on March 6, 2009. Four person teams will carve and sculpt massive ice sculptures to be judged at the end of the week.

Off Camera ETTL flash

2009-02-26T11:11:00.004-09:00

I left the world of direct, on-camera flash some years ago, and its a needed step to take for creative and interesting lighting of subjects. In the past, I've used Canon's ST-E2 Infrared Transmitter (Or a Canon 580 serves the same function when set as master), which would trigger off camera flashes through a infrared signal. While this has proved wonderful in many cases, it is also frustrating, and I've long desired a wireless trigger instead of Infrared. Infrared requires line of site and an open view between the flash receiver port and the on camera transmitter. Misfiring is common and frustrating when this pathways is broken, which is easily done when working with wide angle lenses close to your subject, flipping the camera to vertical, or quickly altering the orientation of your off camera flash. Soon to come however is the Pocket Wizards new transmitter and receiver (MiniTT1 transmitter and FlexTT5 transceiver) which allows for wireless firing of ETTL flashes! You can read about it on RobGalbraith.com Due to ship in March, I'll be happy to have more reliability, flexibilty, and quicker working times using this system.

Below is a sample of images taken recently at the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. I used a Canon 580 flash behind a soft box, triggered via infrared signal from the Canon 1Ds Mark III. The side-lighting offers a pleasant attention drawing focus and quality of light on the face of the sculptor while keeping the overall exposure low enough to still provide detail in the ice.

No flash on subject

Infrared-triggered off camera flash as sidelighting source

Note location of soft box on the right

Canon 5D Mark II videos

2009-02-20T12:47:00.011-09:00

Here are some links to a few experimental videos taken in the tropics. They are not professional in any manner, but reveal the potential for and fun with working with this camera. A tripod is essential, or at the minimum an IS lens with very good stability. While the audio is not suitable for production quality, it is still remarkable. The videos have been resized to 900px wide. All were taken with the Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mm 2.8L II, and for the underwater frames I used the Ewa Marine Housing U-BXP 100.

Leaf-cutter Ants
Playing in the Ocean
Underwater fish 1
Underwater fish 2

Mexico and Belize: A tropical reprieve

2009-02-17T14:34:00.007-09:00

I know this is a blog about Alaska Photography, but I returned from a trip to Belize and Mexico and thought it worthy of display. I scaled back on camera gear since it was not really a work trip, but I did experiment with the Canon 5d Mark II with an underwater housing. Specifically, the underwater video was fun, although a little cumbersome to use with the Ewa-Marine Plastic housing. There is a lot of drag on the large plastic housing when swimming, which creates additional movement, particularly when the camera is held at arms length. An IS lens would be great for this situation, but I was using the 16-35 @ 16mm, which is a great lens, but not IS. Some neutral buoyancy weights would have been helpful, and viewing the back of the camera through the housing is difficult. But, I was playing around more than attempting anything serious, plus I had a 10 year old to keep tabs on in the water as well. Here are a few pics from the exotic landscape. I'll work on getting a video posted.

Fica trees in the Jaguar Preserve, Belize

Laughing Bird Caye National Park, Belize

Tulum, Mexico

Caracol Mayan ruins, Cayo, Belize

Macro Photography

2009-02-04T09:14:00.006-09:00

close up of snow flakes in Delta Junction, Alaska

Macro photography offers a view of the natural world not always seen. Fine details and intricate patters emerge, solid colors reveal they are made up of several colors mixed together, and distractions of the "big picture" vanish.

Close up of flower blossom, 100mm canon macro

There are many equipment options available for macro photography. Probably the most standard is the 100mm macro lens, such as this Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 Macro USM lens. It is stunningly sharp, and provides sufficient focal length to give a usable working distance between the lens and the subject.

Sometimes, macro photography can be used to provide a unique perspective while still showing the broad environment. Wide angle lenses with the ability to close-focus can be used for this effect.

Narcissus-flowered anemone and Lapland rosebay, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 17-35 F/2.8L lens.

Cold Weather Photography

2009-01-23T11:02:00.008-09:00

Cold weather in Fairbanks, Alaska.

I'm asked frequently about photographing in the cold weather, so I posted an article on my web site. Here is a brief excerpt of that, which I plan to update in the future. Read the full cold weather photography article.

There is a rare beauty in Alaska’s winter, both in the quality of light and color, and its silence and simplicity. But it can be extreme in cold temperatures, particularly in the interior and arctic regions. To experience and document this season, you need to reconcile your working photography system with cold weather. One needs a method that keeps them warm enough to function, as well as enjoy the experience. While I like being in the cold, I do not like being cold. There is a big difference here. Like most things in life, we feel most comfortable and confident once we have personally tested ourselves in a given situation or set of conditions. This applies for working in the cold as well.

Two ways to stay warm:

There are two basic ways we stay warm. One is to generate heat within through exertion and then retain that heat with clothing, or we can absorb the heat from another source like a wood stove, chemical hand warmers, or drinking hot fluids. Sometimes, putting on more insulation or clothing just does not help, and some sort of additional heat is needed. A combination of both work best for me. I should first state that by comparison with my other hominid friends and colleagues, I seem very susceptible to cold hands and feet. Over the years it seems as if I’ve tried just about everything in the attempt at staying warm. I have found no magic solution. However, my constantly tweaked system seems to work o.k., if implemented well. I’ll discuss here how I dress and deal with photography in cold weather. By the way, this is about the human body, not the camera gear. I’ve found so far, that the weak link is me, not my cameras and gear (save that of having extra batteries).

General Clothing:

When photographing in Alaska’s super cold sub zero temperatures; I’m very seldom expending great degrees of exertion. Generally, I’m standing around waiting for the aurora borealis, or waiting for the proper light to fall upon a landscape. In these conditions, I break ranks with the conventional wisdom of clothing layering. Layering IS very critical when your body temperature varies considerably due to heat generation through exercise and you need to adjust with clothing by adding or removing layers. As for the deep cold, when you are not exerting yourself, what you want is loft and insulation. This is best achieved with down, like a hefty down parka, although some synthetics work well also. I start with a base layer of wool (merino wool—soft on the skin, or capelline). Definitely not cotton! Then over that goes a mid weight shirt of similar fabric, one that has a collar reach to cover the neck, then a down sweater, then my hooded down parka. This does the trick pretty well, and my body core stays warm even at very cold temps. I use similar base layers for the legs with an outer layer being appropriate for the conditions. Generally that is a pair of insulated bib overalls. Avoid anything “tight” fitting... Read the rest of this article >>

Fairbanks celebrates Alaska's 50th Satehood Anniversary

2009-01-19T10:03:00.008-09:00

Fireworks celebration of Alaska's statehood, Fairbanks, Alaska

Canon 5d Mark II, 24-80mm f2.8L, 1.6sec @ f2.8, ISO 200

Fairbanks has been washed in warm temperatures recently, reaching 50 degrees above zero. This followed nearly two weeks of cold temperatures reaching minus 40 degrees and colder! Due to the cold temperatures the fireworks celebration for Alaska's 5oth year anniversary of statehood was postponed until last Saturday. Conveniently, it was about 30 degrees, a very balmy temperature for the event. I grabbed a few token shots with my Canon 5D Mark II, just to experiment a bit with the new camera, and, I took a few video clips, one of which is posted below.

I picked up a 5D Mark 2 to test it out as a lightweight camera for international travel, and potentially as a good landscape camera. I doubt it will replace my 1D series camera's completely, but a little experimenting in the near future will give a good idea of its performance in the field, specifically for the kind of shooting I do. This point is critical, since the subjects and style of shooting become a big factor in the final choice of a camera. The wonder camera is still elusive. But, I do like the light weight bonus of the 5D Mark II. I just wonder how it will do when I eventually drop it during some crazy escapade!

Your Favorite Place to Photograph in Alaska?

2009-01-14T09:33:00.009-09:00

I’m often asked this question, but find it very difficult to answer. Part of Alaska’s lure and fascination to me is found in its tremendous diversity of environment. Sampling from one makes the others uniqueness more prominent. I like winter because of summer and I like summer in part, because of winter. Change and diversity really make travel across this landscape both distinctive and remarkable. Then there is the equation of wildlife, which is quite different in the arctic than in southeast Alaska’s marine waters, both of which are astonishing in their own right. So as unsatisfying as it seems to not “name” a particular spot or location, Alaska’s collective spaces win me over. I was raised in the Midwest and became addicted to wide open spaces very young. I like the ability to see for long distances and across great vistas. Alaska feeds this addiction well.

Often a given location is great for one particular subject, but has a few drawbacks in other ways. For example, Katmai National Park at Brooks Falls is an amazing place for brown bear photography, but for this very reason, there are lots of people there. Dealing with groups of people can far more difficult than dealing with the bears!

So instead of naming a favorite, I’ll list a few places that I enjoy photographing—mainly from a photographic perspective, not necessarily the pure nature experience or absence of people. They are not secret spots in any measure, rather well known really, but they are that for a reason indeed.

Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park:
I like the topographical relief of this area , the nearby mountains, the aqua blue water of Naknek lake, the orientation of the sunrise, the diversity of wildlife, and yes, of course the amazing congregations of brown bears.

Sunrise over Naknek Lake and the Brooks river

Brown bear peers through grasses, Katmai National Park

Prince William Sound:
The long fjords choked in lush green hillsides are fantastic in this sheltered waterway of southcentral Alaska. Glaciers are thick and active, dumping huge icebergs into the sea. The weather can be wet, but not as severe as southeast Alaska. Its coastal landscapes and wildflower meadows are amazing. The bird life, marine wildlife, and the interface of human participation through kayaking and/or maritime industry make it intriguing. It’s growing in popularity and number of visitors, in a large part, due to the road opened through the tunnel to Whittier.

Lupine and floating icebergs, northern Prince William Sound

Harbor seals hauled out on icebergs

The Brooks Range:
This is a massive region. It is extreme, austere, beautiful and rugged. Far less populated than the other areas mentioned above, it is equally more difficult to access. But the landscapes fascinate me, the rugged mountains, the infusion of light in the summer (and mosquitoes!!). I hope to do more work in this area over the next few years.

Fresh snowfall on mountains, Brooks range.

Caribou migrate through the snow in the Brooks range

Denali National Park:
While I often go to Denali Park with mixed feelings—there are soooooo many people to contend with along the road corridor—it does remain a very productive and beautiful place to photograph. The road moves through four different mountain passes, which parallel rivers with grand vistas--all in just 90 miles! I know of no other road system in the state with this diversity in such a short distance. The wildlife is abundant, relatively speaking, and diverse as well. It is also one of the few places to effectively and safely photograph interior grizzly bears—presuming one has a professional photographer’s permit which allows the luxury of traveling the park road in your own vehicle.

Sunrise over dwarf birch, Cathedral mountains, Denali National Park

Caribou on mountain ridge, Denali National Park

Northern Voices Lecture Series

2009-01-06T09:00:00.003-09:00

As part of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center's "Northern Voices", I'll be giving a presentation at the Noel Wein library in Fairbanks on Thursday, January 8 at 7:00PM. It's titled "Visual Notes from Alaska's Landscape". If you are brave enough to buffet yourself against the minus 40-50 degree temperatures we have been having across interior Alaska--see you there! I'll show some photos that capture the abiding lure of trekking and photographing across this immense State. A little Q and A will follow.

Polar bear photos

2009-01-04T04:00:00.000-09:00

We have added a few new polar bear photos to the website from a trip in October to Alaska's arctic coast of the Beaufort Sea. Additionally, we made a polar bear gallery to supplement our polar bear information page.

Favorites from the last few years

2008-12-30T10:30:00.010-09:00

I've been developing a new page on my website titled "alaska photo galleries" and a section includes some flash galleries which include 100 favorites of 2008. In addition, there are favorites form previous years as well. Looking back on a year's worth of travels and images provokes lots of memories and grand sights from across Alaska's landscape.

Backyard photography

2008-12-18T13:55:00.003-09:00

I've always contended that one can find interesting subjects to photograph in their own back yard. Of course, this does depend on where your backyard is located, but in general, this is very true. I recently sold photographs to a company for their corporate calendar, and when reviewing the printed version, I realized that out of 12 photos, they picked two that were taken--well, not even in my backyard but--from my house itself. One shot of the frosty trees and mountains I took through a window from my living room and the other shot of the snowy birch trees I took while standing on my front deck.

Snow birch trees photographed from the front deck on my house.

Frosty trees and Alaska range photographed from a window in my living room.

Sunrise from AlaskaPhotoGraphics

2008-12-15T10:01:00.003-09:00

A slow sunrise from the office of AlaskaPhotoGraphics, Fairbanks, Alaska 10:00 am

This is the view from the window at AlaskaPhotographics on a wintry morning in Fairbanks. The sun is slow to appear this time of year, with winter solstice just a little over a week away. Sunrises are long and beautiful over the Alaska range mountains, visible on a clear day to the south of the city.

Gallery additions

2008-12-10T13:43:00.006-09:00

We have been updating our website with organizational interfaces to make searching and browsing for pictures a little easier. Our website currently serves a dual purpose of offering both stock imagery and fine art prints, and while a photo researcher may like many variations on the same image for layout and design reasons, this is generally not the case for someone looking for a fine art print . Plus, with 1000's of images, it takes a while to search around. The gallery pages are collections of 50-100 images that we hand picked for various reasons, and hopefully it will offer an easy way to scan through a bunch of pictures. Here are just a few quick links to some galleries with many more on the Alaska photo galleries index page.

A dog's eyes

2008-12-09T09:18:00.002-09:00

Sled dog, North Pole, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, (170mm) 1/320 @ f4.5, ISO 800

Last weekend the Interior Freight Dog Association had a preliminary practice for the upcoming weight pull competition to be held in North Pole on Saturday December 20th. Dogs in three different weight classes pull a sled loaded with cement blocks. This dog, anxiously waiting for its turn to pull, has one brown eye and one blue eye, a striking visual feature of sled dog breeds.

Alaska Calendars

2008-12-03T16:16:00.016-09:00

I doubt that any other state has as many calendars available to choose from as Alaska. Some are given away free by companies, and many are available statewide at retail locations.

I joined the ranks of calendar producers in 2004 with the Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Calendar, sampling the natural beauty of Alaska's interior. That particular calendar has my work exclusively and control of image selection and design has been rewarding. For years, I've contributed to other Alaska calendars and I'll put a plug in for a few of them here, I have work published in each of these listed below.

ATT 2009 Calendar: Bull caribou in front of Mt. McKinley, Alaska

For a free calendar, check out the ATT Alascom annual wide format yearly calendar, given away at their respective ATT stores. It is a two-sided calendar and I have one side of this year. You can aslo download the image for your screensaver from the ATT website.

Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Wall Calendar
(on sale ($10) through our website with free shipping).

UAF Sea Grant Alaska Coastal Calendar (Inside)

Greatland Graphics calendars (Inside)

The Alaska Weather calendar (cover)

Alaska Wildlands calendar (inside)

Aurora Borealis calendar (cover)

Your Alaska Natural Wonders Votes

2008-12-03T04:00:00.000-09:00

Results from the Alaska Natural Wonders Votes

#1 Mount McKinley
#2 Northern Lights
#3 Midnight Sun
#4 Calving Glacier
#5 Yukon River
#6 Salmon Migration
#7 A tie between:

Polar bear swimming
Volcano eruption
Brooks falls bears
Arctic Caribou Migration
Tundra and permafrost
Super cold

Alalska's Natural Wonders: Pick #7 Brooks falls bears

2008-12-01T07:12:00.005-09:00

This selection completes my top 7 picks for Alaska's Natural Wonders. The survey on the right shows the general results from those who chimed in.

Brown bear fishing for salmon at Brooks falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska.

Selecting any "top" subjects in a list is never simple nor authoritative, particularly with a subjective category like natural wonders. There is no rigid criterion in my selection process, and narrowing down the last one is a toss up between four or five. However, I'm casting a vote for the Brown bears of the Brooks river in Katmai National Park. There are few, if any other places in the world where bears gather in such density to feed on salmon. Furthermore, they have grown comfortable with human presence so observing them in close proximity can be easily and safely achieved. Over time the bears have learned of the protein rich food source of salmon that make their yearly migration through the Brooks river. They show up when the fishing gets good and gorge themselves on the river's bounty.

Alaska's Natural Wonders: Pick #6 Yukon River

2008-11-28T10:07:00.003-09:00

Place your vote (right) for the top 7 Alaska Natural Wonders. This is my sixth pick out of seven, more to follow.

The 2,300 mile Yukon River, interior, Alaska

The mighty Yukon River with with its headwaters in British Columbia, Canada is 2,300 miles long. It transects interior Alaska and has been the subject of literature and lore. More notably, it served as the great river highway for indigenous Alaskans and explorers, and is still used today as an access route in both summer and winter. Many of Alaska's rivers eventually drain into the Yukon, which empties into the Bering Sea at the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta.

Alalska's Natural Wonders: Pick #5 Volcano Eruption

2008-11-26T07:06:00.005-09:00

Place your vote (right) for the top 7 Alaska Natural Wonders. This is my fifth pick out of seven, more to follow.

Mt. Augustine, volcanic island off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula. Incandescence lava flows on the North and North east flank.

Alaska contains over 130 volcanoes and is home to over three-quarters of the U.S. volcanoes that have erupted in the last 200 years, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. They are predominantly situated along the Aleutian Arc, part of the northern portion of the Pacific "ring of fire". The picture above was taken from about 75 miles away, looking west across the Cook Inlet.

Alalska's Natural Wonders: Pick #4 Salmon migration

2008-11-22T20:41:00.006-09:00

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 and their epic migration still remains a mystery in many ways. One may argue that salmon migration is not isolated to Alaska, and therefore weakens its worthiness for a position in Alaska's top 7 natural wonders. I might be partly jaded in my opinion, since I consume a lot of salmon. I've been documenting the Copper River red salmon for a few seasons and it is a beautiful and amazing creature. It gets my vote.

Alaska's Natural Wonders: Pick #3 Mt. McKinley (Denali)

2008-11-20T07:34:00.005-09:00

Place your vote (right) for the top 7 Alaska Natural Wonders. This is my third pick out of seven, more to follow.

North face of Mt. McKinley (Denali), and Wonder lake, Denali National Park, Alaska.

North America's highest peak is Mount McKinley (20,320+ ft), situated in the Alaska range which arcs across Alaska's interior. The north face, as viewed here, shifts in a multitude of colors as the changing light makes it one of the greatest visual theaters I know of. It dominates the landscape, creates its own weather, and lures millions of visitors a year who hope to see its summit. It surely gets my vote for one of Alaska's most prominent natural wonders.

Alaska's Natural Wonders: Pick #2 Calving Galicer

2008-11-19T08:20:00.006-09:00

Place your vote (right) for the top 7 Alaska Natural Wonders. This is my second pick out of 7, more to follow.

Meares glacier, Prince William Sound

The ancient mass of a glacier, particularly a tidewater glacier, that crashes into the sea is both a visual and audio phenomenon. Those who have witnessed it, won't soon forget its sense of power and immensity. There are many glaciers in Alaska, and I think some of the most spectacular ones are in Prince William Sound, in many ways, because of the surrounding beauty of the landscape. This frame was taken at Meares glacier, in northern Prince William Sound.

Alaska's Natural Wonders: Pick #1 Northern Lights

2008-11-17T09:19:00.005-09:00

Place your vote (right) for the top 7 Alaska Natural Wonders. This is my first pick out of 7, more to follow.

Northern Lights over the Brooks range, Alaska.

Even though I've seen and photographed the northern lights many, many times, they never cease to amaze me. It is one subject listed under the 7 Natural wonders of the world. And it gets my vote here as well. Alaska, with its northern latitude, is well situated for viewing this phenomenon throughout the dark winter months.

Pick Alaska's 7 Natural Wonders

2008-11-16T09:26:00.005-09:00

In a conversation with friends the subject of travel arose, and with that, a discussion about the 7 wonders of the world. There are many categorical variations of this, i.e., The 7 wonders of the natural world, the Ancient world, the medevial world, and more. I wondered what the 7 natural wonders of Alaska might be. So, I thought I'd give that a stab, and you can make your picks as well through the survey on the right. I'll add my picks along with a photo, with each successive post.

Red Salmon, Brooks Falls

2008-11-14T07:01:00.005-09:00

Red Salmon, Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska
Canon 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 is so for many reasons. One never knows for sure where the fish will jump, and they jump so quickly that it is almost impossible to use autofocus. Instead I pre-focused on a spot and waited. As you will notice, the salmon is red, which indicates it is later in the year than the strong runs in July and fewer fish jump by this time. So, lots and lots of waiting, then waiting for the fish to be in the correct position, the correct color, and in your plane of focus... and, you press the shutter at the right time. Staring at moving water through a 500mm lens makes your eyes wacky real fast. I used ISO 1000 to enable me to maximize the shutter speed and the f-stop. As it is, I could have used a faster shutter speed, but it was a trade off in depth of field.

Zastrugi

2008-11-12T04:00:00.002-09:00

Zastrugi: wind blown snow patterns, Barter Island, Alaska

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105 f4L IS, (45mm), 1/60 @ f/20, ISO 400

Zastrugi or "sastrugi" is a term used to describe patterns in the snow that coincide with the direction of the wind. In ground blizzards, snow patterns can actually serve as a compass if one knows the prevailing wind direction. They are also fantastic shapes to photograph. This was taken on Barter Island on Alaska's northern coast, looking off into the Beaufort Sea.

Tamaracks in snow

2008-11-10T09:34:00.005-09:00

Tamarack trees, Fairbanks, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4.0L IS, 1/160 sec @ f8, ISO 800

Alaska's boreal forest is dominated by just a few species of trees, the birch, aspen and spruce. There is one conifer however that loses its needles during winter, unlike the other evergreen species of black and white spruce trees. The tamarack needles turn a yellow gold and drop as the first snows fall. I've been trying to capture this scene for years, but I'm often out of town at the proper time. This year however, I was able to grab this shot one day before leaving on a 10 day trip. I'm still hoping to get the scene while fresh snow is falling. The colors are vibrant and it is a tell-tale sign of winter's unfolding. I used a telephoto lens to isolate a few trees, including some at various stages of needle color.

Boreal sunset

2008-11-07T04:00:00.000-09:00

Sun and boreal forest, interior, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 700mm (500mm f4L IS with 1/4x) 1/640 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 400

Super telephoto lenses are great for tight landscape photos. I use my 500mm all the time in this manner. This was a grab shot from the window of a car after seeing the sun in the rear view mirror. The thin veil of clouds soften the suns power enough to allow for a balanced exposure. The clouds moved quickly so the shot needed to be fast and thanks to a bean bag quickly thrown on the car window ledge, I snagged a few compositions. I happened to have a 1.4x converter on the lens from a previous shot which proved sufficient since I did not have time to remove it before the clouds obscured the sun.

Why I shoot at 400 & 800 ISO

2008-11-05T04:00:00.005-09:00

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 clear that the following comments pertain to the Canon 1Ds Mark III camera. This is important to note, since cameras vary in their sensor type, capabilities and signal to noise ration. And second, my criterion in shooting 99% of my subjects seeks for end quality sufficient for a two page spread in a magazine.

Many out their in the blogosphere have done tests with ISO settings, and I don't plan to redo that here. I'll show you images I've taken and how they have been reproduced in the marketplace - which is the real test. It took me a long time to feel comfortable shooting at 400, let alone 800 or 1000 ISO. The days of film had so ingrained an apprehensiveness about quality at those values, that I defaulted to the lowest possible ISO. Now however, if the technique is correct one can shoot at ISO 800 and expect sufficient quality for reproduction in four color press and fine art prints. I'm not intimating that there is no difference between 100 and 800 ISO, but the key is to select the ISO that is optimal for your subject and conditions.

When shooting landscapes with a tripod, I can generally default to ISO 100. If I'm hand holding the camera or shooting with long lenses, I start stepping up the ISO to give me the shutter speed and/or f/stop that is appropriate to the conditions.

For example, here is a photo of bull moose that I shot at 400 ISO with a shutter speed of 1/160 sec.

(cropped tight to show detail)
slightly soft due to a slow shutter speed. ISO 800 would have been better in this case, giving a shutter speed of 1/320 instead of 1/160.

Unfortunately, due to the bull's quick movement it is slightly blurry. This is a classic example of how I should have been at ISO 800, at 1/320 sec instead, as it would have rendered a sharp image. In the end, a sharp image wins, and, if the quality is sufficient at 800 ISO why not use it! It is true that there is a little more noise at 800, but not much, and the trade off is obvious.

But, there are some important things to consider when shooting with high ISO.

Your exposure needs to be accurate. Post production exposure adjustment is more limited at high ISO speeds. If you are one stop underexposed and plan to boost it in your post production process, it is akin to shooting at twice the ISO. So, your 800 ISO suddenly looks like 1600 ISO. I have found that from a quality perspective, it is better to adjust your ISO in the field instead of planning to boost the exposure after the image was taken.

I also use an exposure style called "Exposing to the Right" which seeks to optimize the signal to noise ratio of a file by shifting more of the levels to the brighter side of the histogram, then pulling them back in post production. In a way this is sort of like reducing your ISO. There is an article on this at Luminous Landscape, I recommend reading it.

Through my testing, I've concluded that an image shot with good glass at 800 ISO, exposed correctly, can be printed at 24 x 36 inches and look beautiful. In addition to the high ISO capable camera's these days, there are programs that can help reduce noise as well, and we use Noise Ninja when necessary.

Below are some samples of images that would print 24 x 36 with adequate sharpness. I realize that such a comment is hard to see realized on the small images posted here, you will have to trust me. Note the ISO

ISO 800

Crop to show detail

ISO 800

crop to show detail

ISO 800

Crop to show detail

Snow drift art 2

2008-11-03T04:00:00.001-09:00

Snow drifts, Barter Island, Alaska.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm 4L IS, 1/13 sec @ f/32, ISO 400

This is the same scene as the previous post just looking at a 90 degree angle on the snow drifts. I used a super telephoto to compress and isolate the interesting linear dimension sculpted by the wind and snow. Bright overcast skies gave a beautiful wrapped-lighting quality.

Snow drift art

2008-10-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 28mm (24-105mm f4L IS) 160 sec @ f/22, ISO 400
Snow drifts, Barter Island, Alaska

I guess most nature photographers are opportunists and a bit omnivorous in their visual endeavors. I certainly am, and although I spend a fair amount of time photographing wildlife, my history depicts a gravitation towards landscapes. A snow fence caused these large drifts which presented a playground for a landscape photographer. In this composition, the wind-blown lines take one right into the scene. The linear pattern on the ground is nicely contrasted with the circular pattern in the sky. Most wide angle photographs have a strong foreground dimension. Although not mandatory, you will see it as a general rule.

Polar Bear Tracks

2008-10-29T04:00:00.001-08:00

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 around it is blown away, leaving a set of footprints that are raised upon the surface rather than depressed. Even the slight weight of an Arctic fox is enough to change the surface composition of the snow, and a track will remain as the snow around it is eroded by the wind. The shadows from the low angle light provide the necessary depth to distinguish the pattern details.

Cryptic Willow Ptarmigan

2008-10-27T19:03:00.005-08:00

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, rings around their eyes and tips of the tail are the only other distinguishable markings. This bird, photographed along the freshly covered snowy slopes of Atigun pass in the Brooks range is in the final few days of turning completely white. The former rusty brown phase of autumn has just a few remaining feathers. The bird seemed to know this somehow, as it moved quickly between the willow branches while feeding. I took hundreds of photos, each time getting a little closer as the bird became more comfortable with my presence. In the end, it walked so close to me that I could no longer focus on it with my camera lens.

White on white

2008-10-23T06:19:00.002-08:00

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.

Arctic fox, first frame from some distance.

arctic fox looked up occasionally during approach, taken on tripod

Alaska's arctic north slope is flat, and there are few geological features of relief. We decided to try to approach the fox, moving slowly. It seemed remarkably unconcerned by our slow approach, and we continued to photograph at each successively closer location.

closer yet, but lacking contrast

The white on white scene shows the effectiveness of the cryptic color phase that this fox adopts as the ground turns white with snow. However, I wanted more contrast. The only way to achieve this was to basically put the camera on the surface of the ice, as low as possible, in order to include some of the gray sky in the background. After some time, and many photographs, the fox gave us a few occasional glances, but eventually curled up in a ball and went back to sleep.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, with 1.4x (700mm)
Arctic fox, camera positioned on the ground to include the sky as contrast. 1/800 sec @ f6.3, ISO 800

The frames show the progression of photos from the first shot quite some distance away, to the final frames utilizing the sky for some contrast and color. There is usually an evolution in the process of shooting any given subject, and thinking about foreground, background, light direction, exposure, etc., all play into the challenge.

Caribou in taiga

2008-10-16T17:02:00.004-08:00

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 Brooks range the caribou herds moved west and virtually none were visible along the Dalton Highway road corridor. This scene was captured near Finger mountain, from a group of perhaps 50-75 animals, a mix of cows and bulls.

Arctic photo tour

2008-10-14T07:37:00.003-08:00

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 a talented photographer and an extremely knowledgeable natural history guide. It is a foray into Alaska's arctic with a focus on the Aurora borealis and Polar bears, but other wildlife and landscapes of the arctic as well. We had a trip filled with photo opportunities, a little shy on the aurora this year, and lots of snow! I'll be posting a few images from that trip in the upcoming posts with a few comments regarding the nuances of the photos.

Aurora Lenses

2008-10-08T13:46:00.004-08:00

Patrick is currently in the far north chasing the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights. He has with him an arsenal of equipment, not so much because such a variety is needed, but because there is no perfect aurora lens. The search for such a lens continues, and perhaps Canon's new version of their 24mm F/1.4 L lens is one step closer.

Canon's updated 24mm F/1.4 II lens promises to be sharper, less flare prone, and more expensive.

There are several important qualities to look for in a lens for photographing the aurora:

Speed. Light gathering ability is important. A traditionally "fast" lens with an aperture of f/2.8 still requires shutter speeds in the 30 second range. F/1.4, however is four times faster and reduces this to around 8 seconds. A faster lens also tends to reveal more stars, and the faster shutter freezes the stars that would leave trails on long exposures.
Wide angle. The aurora often spans a broad section, if not the entire area, of the night sky. Aurora photos are often taken in the 16-24mm range.
Sharpness. This is a desirable trait for any lens, but even more important with aurora or astronomy photography. Many lenses are sharp stopped down, but an aurora lens must be sharp wide open. Also important is corner-to-corner sharpness and flat-field focusing. Some lenses, when focussed at one point in the center, will be focussed at a different point at the corners. This could go completely unnoticed indoors, where only one subject is intended to be in focus. However, the sky is all essentially an infinite distance away, so a lens must be able to focus equally at all areas of the frame.

Taken on the original 24 F/1.4, this photo is striking because of the large number of stars. Unfortunately, it is not as razer sharp as we would like.

Breaking and entering?

2008-10-06T04:00:00.002-08:00

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 have some repair work to do from the various antics of bear chewing and non-malicious demolition. I scared it away once but it returned for more, so I grabbed a quick photo before deterring it again.

Can you imagine!

2008-10-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

Photographing wildlife within a landscape has always been an interest to me. Doing very close portraits of animals, although it can be challenging, holds less appeal. The more space visible in a frame, the more "stuff" you have to manage in respect to light and composition. So dramatic landscapes with wildlife in them is a challenge in direct proportion.

It seems difficult enough to get the light just right, skies, temperature, color, blah blah all perfect and then it is a stretch to expect some creature to come walking into the frame. Well, that very thing did happen to me on a recent trip, but I was unprepared for the fleeting moment. So the next opportunity I was ready. All set up, waiting, and waiting--but you cant wait too long because the daybreak light fades quickly. And so it was, I was waiting for a bear to walk along this shoreline like a few days previous, but no luck. So, I stepped out and did a few self timer shots just to help you have empathy for what the shot could have looked like. Can you imagine a bear in this scene! Maybe next year, or the one following.

I did get many interesting shots on this trip, but the elusive hopefuls take a while to loosen their grip.

Flare and bear

2008-09-30T07:48:00.005-08:00

Brown bear and sunrise, Katmai National Park, Alaska
Canon 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 bring a 24mm prime just for the purpose of daybreak landscapes which include the sun. Where was that lens on this fine morning? Back in camp, I forgot to bring it, since I was traveling light.

This was a very complicated photo for a number of reasons. Not a small issue was the temperature variations so near freezing and high humidity of morning fog. This caused my lens to fog over. And, every time I would put my eye up to the camera the view finder would fog up also. To complicate all this, I could not see my exposure values because I was blinded by shooting directly into the sun. In retrospect, this would have been a worthy time to experiment with the live view feature of the 1Ds (that is, you view the scene on the monitor on the back of the camera like most little digicams offer). I expected all sorts of unwanted lens flare but the position of the sun somewhat near the center of the frame helped to reduce that, and the flare that did show up almost creates a sense of motion.

Pro image quality becomes more affordable

2008-09-24T10:00:00.001-08:00

Canon will soon be shipping the recently announced, much anticipated 5D Mark II. It matches the company's flagship 1DS Mark III for resolution, with 21.1 megapixels, and boasts some interesting new features. Perhaps most interesting to many, however, is the price. At $2699 verses $7999 for the 1Ds Mark II, it brings professional resolution and features to a slightly more mainstream level.

The real question for us, however, is what's next?

More merged panoramas

2008-09-19T12:53:00.005-08:00

In keeping with the theme of panoramas, here are a few more scenes from my August trip to Denali Park. They are pretty small in the this blog template, which I'm not too crazy about, so click on the image and it will load a little larger.

Panorama Landscapes

2008-09-17T04:00:00.005-08:00

Creating panorama images using a digital camera is one example of the diversity available in todays age of digital photography. In the film days I used a medium format 6cm x 17cm film camera (to the tune of about 10K w/lenses) and although it made great images, it was slow and cumbersome. Today however, instead of carrying two different camera types one can use a digital camera to shoot multiple frames and stitch them together with an automated feature in Adobe Photoshop.

While the shooting process is fairly simple, there are a few things to consider from a technical perspective. First of all, a tripod head that rotates is very helpful. I use a ballhead primarily favored for wildlife photography and Really Right Stuff makes one that includes a rotating plate as part of the quick release. It is the PCL version if you look for it on their website. Basically, this gives a pan axis to the top of the ballhead independent of the ballhead base. The handy level bubble on the plate makes it easy to establish a base angle without needing to fuss with the legs to level your camera. While advocating the use of good tripod and head, I have shot a number of panoramas hand held--this is generally done with long lenses. Any slight mismatch of frames can be cropped out later. In addition, shooting vertical is an option, which generates a larger file size and requires more frames to create the 1x3 format. Some other steps to consider...

Make sure your tripod is stable
Find your focal and focus points and don't change them
Set your camera to manual exposure mode, so all subsequent files have the same exposure value.
Overlap the images by about 50%, it gives the software enough data to use when analyzing the match between consecutive frames.
Turn off IS on your lense if your shutter is below 1/30 sec.

I use Lightroom 2 to make the necessary adjustments to the raw files, and there is a handy way to open them in Photoshop. Just go to Photo/Edit in/Merge to panorama in Photoshop. There you will find a few options to select and you can experiment with the perspective issues. I often use auto, but it depends on the focal length.

It can be a challenge to think and visualize in a 1 x 3 panorama ratio when your camera viewfinder is in a 2 x3 ratio, but a little practice and experimenting takes care of that.

Panorama made from the three images below.

Canon 100-400 f5.6L @ 250mm, 1/13 sec @ f6.3, ISO 200,

No more split-graduated ND filters

2008-09-15T04:00:00.003-08:00

For a landscape photographer, one must learn how to deal with the great variations in exposure value between the sky and the foreground. In the film industry, it has been called "sky control", although one may want to control the foreground as well. Generally, the sky ends up being much brighter than the foreground, and the disparity between the two, although within the range of the human eye, can't be handled by conventional film/digital sensors. So, what to do about this?

In the old days of film, I used the photography standard "Split-graduated neutral density filters". Essentially, they are thin pieces of glass or resin, that have a graduated pattern that blocks out light in varying stops (degrees of exposure value). They are clear in one half, and dark on the other. They come in different stop values with different degrees of gradients-usually described as hard or soft edge. You pick the right one for the specific scene and slide it down over the end of your lens and it makes the foreground and the sky the same exposure value.

I really disliked using those filters! First of all, they are not truly neutral in my opinion, they are difficult to get lined up correctly, they scratch and get fingerprinted easily, if it is raining, get out the umbrellas!, and finally, you are adding layers of stuff on the end of expensive, high quality glass, inevitably causing some quality compromise. Well, welcome to the digital world! I got rid of nearly my entire filter collection, including the Split ND's a long time ago. But what is the approach now? Below is an example of what/how I approach this issue today, using a digital camera, RAW files, and photoshop gradient filters.

Multiple Exposures using Photoshop's gradient filter

It was a dark morning with mostly cloudy skies. The thin clear area in the east looked promising for a splash of sunshine, so I quickly found a place that might work for a daybreak landscape. The tundra was in its prime crimson color, and I knew the warmth of it would explode at first light. When the sun is rising over a horizon with quickly moving clouds, there is little time to waste. In this scene, I knew that I needed to balance the exposure using two or more frames--one exposed for the sky and one for the foreground, so I set the camera to a 3 set auto-bracket sequence of 1-2/3 stop increments (that's about 5 stops total) I set the self timer to a 2 second delay, (I was on very soft tundra, not the best for stability). Once the sun appeared I shot a test shot and looked at the exposures, made sure the histograms looked o.k. for each scene. Oh by the way, being in manual exposure mode is a must.

There is however and additional issue that arises: Lens flare. I used a 24-105mm zoom lens for this shot, and zoom lenses are pretty well known in general for flare, since there are so many internal glass elements for light to bounce off of. I own 5 lenses in the 24mm range, which is ridiculous, but they all seem to have a purpose. I did not however have my little 24mm prime, which would have handled the flare much better. So, what is my work around? Well, it's a little more time consuming, but pretty simple. For one frame, I just hold my finger over the sun so it reduces the flare on the bottom half of the image. Depending on the situation, you might need to reverse this for the sky image as well. What would be handy is a little articulating arm on the tripod that had a small dodge tool on the end of it, and one could bend it in place. But then, it's likely I'd forget that occasionally anyway! I always have my fingers, and working fast is the critical issue.

Exposure for the foreground, using my finger over the sun to block out the unwanted flare otherwise evident (see image below).

Exposure compensating for the bright light of the sky.

So, I have the two frames: 1) Foreground- with my finger in the sky over the light source to block the flare exposed for the foreground. 2) Sky. Open the files in Lightroom to make your adjustments to the raw file, then open the two in photoshop. Pick one image, drag it into the other while holding down the shift key and it aligns it perfectly (presuming your tripod did not move). Then apply a gradient filter using a mask, which emulates the old split graduated ND filter--but with much more control. This whole process can be done rather quickly.

Final blended image using two photos and photoshop's gradient filter to emulate the former split graduated neutral density filter.

Yes, it is true that if you used the real Split grad ND filters, you would have an original file that is balanced. While that is a nice thought, I go for the former for reasons of simplicity, quality, and control. Welcome to the digital age. Get rid of the split grads!

Autumn in Fairbanks

2008-09-12T12:49:00.004-08:00

Autumn has peaked in Fairbanks, which is a season I think passes way too quickly. An unusually warm few weeks in September has not even produced a frost near my home. Soon, any strong wind will be defoliating the golden yellow-leafed trees in an instant. I grabbed this shot on my way to town one afternoon. It overlooks the Goldstream Valley, on the North side of Fairbanks.

Alaska range

2008-09-10T04:00:00.002-08:00

Aerial of Little Delta river and Mount Hayes of the Alaska range.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200mm 2.8L IS, (170mm) 1/400 sec @ f3.5, ISO 400

Aerial photography seems to be a never ending learning endeavor. Perhaps this is so because conditions almost always push the limits of camera's, every aircraft is different in nuance, and things are always happening fast. This photo is sharp for 2/3 of the frame, but a little blurred on one edge. This is somewhat odd, and I'm not sure of the exact reason. Image stabilization is generally an asset, but I have had act funny on occassion causing some blur. Additionally, the shutter speed was a little low, and the f-stop almost wide open. I used a polarizing filter, something I do less frequently now with a digital camera, but it can help cut the haze significantly. The down side...it robs up to two stops of light. With a focal length of 170mm, a 1/400 sec shutter speed is really pushing it to compensate for wind, aircraft vibration, odd shooting position, etc...

A shutter speed that is at least twice the focal length is a good starting point, but even more is good insurance. Shooting at 800 ISO would have given me a shutter of 1/800 sec., and that would have helped a bit. Avoiding vibrations that travel through the door, seat, or any part of the craft, twisting the body in a small seat to avoid framing the wing struts, and keeping a long lens out of the wind are things to deal with . The image is sharp enough, but I like them razor sharp. Mount Hayes is the prominent peak in the frame, which is one of the distinct and notable peaks of the range visible from Fairbanks. Such incredible country!!

Dall Sheep

2008-09-08T04:00:00.001-08:00

Dall sheep ram, Denali National Park, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 400mm 5.6L, 1/125 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400

In the unhunted mountains of Denali Park there are some good sized Dall sheep rams. With virtually no pressure from humans, the sheep have slowly been habituated to human presence. I know a place where a band of rams hang out, but the area is large, and in this case, required quite a bit of hiking until I found them along the steep ridges. I took this shot with the Canon 400m 5.6L, I like this lens for two main reasons: one, it is very, very sharp and two, it is light weight. Unfortunately, it is not image stabilized and does require careful use, even on a tripod (especially a light weight tripod which I also favor when there is a lot vertical climb involved). In lower light, the auto focus does not perform as accurately as some of the fast lenses in this range, but all of the trade offs are worth it. I've taken some remarkably sharp photos with it, and as long as one is methodical about technique, its a winner. I actually bought it to trek for the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda, wanting something with good reach, light, but with excellent quality. The light on this late afternoon was pretty flat for most of the time, the exposure reveals how dim it was. But still, the ram struck a nice pose, and the background autumn colors are a good accent.

Raven in the mist

2008-09-06T04:00:00.001-08:00

Raven in the mist, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/640 sec @ f/4, ISO 400

While waiting on a hilltop in Denali Park, I watched and waited as fog moved through the boreal forest shortly after sunrise. The angle of light was still low enough for good shadows. After photographing the fog and spruce trees, I noticed some ravens flying off in the distance. I grabbed my 500mm lens and threw it on a bean bag resting on the edge of my vehicle's sun roof. Auto focus was hopeless on a moving subject that small so I manually focused the lens and clicked a few shots. A few seconds before I was able to get set up there were multiple ravens flying, but only one left by the time I was able to shoot. The photo has a lot of mood, and is a telling scene of Alaska's interior boreal forest landscape.

Caribou in the Alaska Range

2008-09-04T04:00:00.001-08:00

Caribou traverse a mountain ridge in the Alaska range, Denali National park, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Canon's 500mm f4L IS lens vies for the position of my favorite lens. It is always loaded with a camera in wildlife country and its tremendous image stabilization capability enables me to shoot it hand held in many otherwise difficult situations. In this case, there was no time to set up a tripod. I saw the caribou beginning to run across the ridge and I grabbed the camera, quickly set an exposure and fired away. I have a bunch of frames in this series and none of them are perfect (in the sense that the animals are all lined up running), but this one was close. The drama of the mountain landscape adds a true wilderness feel to this image, which I find fitting for this amazing animal. Next time, I'll wish for large adult bull caribou to show for a repeat session. Click the image to see it larger.

Stormy landscapes in Denali Park

2008-09-02T13:24:00.005-08:00

Autumn rain storm over the Plains of Murie, Denali National Park, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200mm 2.8L, 1/200 sec @f/8, ISO 100

Professional photographers who meet certain qualifications by the National Park Service are allowed to travel the Denali park road in their own vehicle for 10 days out of the summer. The only catch to this wonderful privilege is that only five permits are allowed each day, and nearly everyone wants the same dates: late August and early September. In effect, the selection process turns into a lottery, and if your name is drawn early enough, you get the days of your choosing. I was not lucky this year, however, due to a cancellation I was able to schedule a few days in late August.

While I always hope for clear skies when I'm there, mainly for the possibility to photograph Mt. McKinley, there is nothing better than the shifting light that afternoon storms brew in this mountainous region. The tundra was in explosive color as the blueberry and dwarf birch vegetation cast a crimson coat across the land. My wildlife photography options were pretty skimpy on this trip, but I did get a few landscapes that I like, this being one of them. So sorry it is such a small image here, click on it to see it bigger, I made it especially large so it can be appreciated.

Part #6: Copper River salmon - fish earbones

2008-08-29T04:00:00.001-08:00

Erin Nicholsan with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game removes the earbone from a Sockeye salmon caught in the Copper River. The earbones are marked when the fish are fry at the Gulkana hatchery, and can be identified as adults.

This post is part of the photo essay I'm working on about the hatchery enhanced Sockeye salmon of the Copper river.

There is an extensive story to be told of the difficulties in raising Sockeye salmon in a hatchery environment. This is in part due the Sockeye's susceptibility to a virus which can spread quickly and deliver extensive mortality. The Gulkana hatchery has taken measures to deal with this issue, and have had amazing success. In order to judge long term survivorship of hatchery fish, they need to be marked in some fashion. This used to be done with a variety of tags placed on a small percentage of fish. More recently however, a new type of marking is done at hatcheries which effects the earbone of each fish, thereby marking 100% of the fish, and in a sense, branding them. The Gulkana hatchery uses a salt based water solution to mark their fish, which enables the fish that are caught throughout the commercial and personal use fisheries to be identified. In order to do this, the earbone is removed from the fish, dried out, then looked at under an electron microscope (more on that in another post). After I returned from the river with my Salmon, an ADF&G technician removed the earbones from all my fish and sent them off for testing. The percentage of Gulkana hatchery red salmon caught annually varies, and in a later post, I'll address some of those numbers.

Part #5: Personal Use Fishery - Copper River Sockeye Salmon

2008-08-27T04:00:00.003-08:00

Dipnet fishing in the Copper River Canyon, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 16-35mm 2.8L, 1/400 sec @ f9.0, ISO 400

This is the fifth part of series I'm documenting on the Copper River red salmon, read the others here.

For many Alaskans, the personal use dipnet fishery of the Copper River is an important event. Each household is allowed to catch 30 salmon per season for their personal consumption. It begins in June and is usually wrapped up by August. For those not familiar with the procedure here is the scoop: A big net on the end of a 12 foot pole is lowered from the shore (some use boats) into the silty river water, preferably in an eddy which the fish favor for swimming up river (I might add that there is no lack of advice out there for proper technique and location. Many have their tried and true "spots" which faithfully deliver year after year). When the wiggle or bump is felt in the net, you haul it out. The fish is then bopped on the head, or live bled in the gills, and put on a stringer. This year my interests were two-fold: One, to catch my fish and two, to document the procedure. Its a challenge to do both and I was certainly focused on getting my fish as a first priority.

I chartered a boat ride that dropped me off down river in the canyon. The weather was fantastic (which is often not the case by the way). Perched on a small island rock adjacent to the canyon wall, I dropped in the net and bingo, had a beautiful shiny salmon in a few minutes. In just a few hours, I had my limit of fish but zero pictures. The disadvantage of my beautiful location was that no other fishermen were in sight to photograph. So, I did what photographers often do when faced with this dilemma: self portrait, self timer, and experiment. I forgot my intervolometer in the car (fancy programmable cable release) so I was left with pushing the shutter button and getting into position in a 10 second time period, and repeating this frequently. I put my camera on a tiny tripod, about 6 inches off the ground and did the best I could with composition. The results were acceptable, although I really wish I could have framed the scene from behind the camera! All in all, it was an exhilarating experience in outrageously beautiful country. I now have a freezer full of red salmon that will last until this time next year, and the process will happen again.

Dipnetting Sockeye salmon on the Copper river

2008-08-25T04:00:00.001-08:00

Sockeye Salmon dipnet harvest on the Copper River.

The "event" of dipnetting red salmon on the Copper river lies somewhere between a ritual, subsistence, and a testosterone surge. I'm among those that look forward to this annual event, both for the wonderful harvest of the silvery fish as well as the intrigue of adventuring along the shores of the mighty Copper river. I just returned with my limit of 15 fish for the year, and I was gifted with some fine weather--to quote on of the ADF&G biologist in Chitina "it was one of the 7 nice days of the summer!" I'll be writing more about this in an upcoming post.

Barley grain, Delta Junction, Alaska

2008-08-21T15:15:00.003-08:00

I've been working on an assignment featuring the town of Delta Junction, Alaska. Known for its annual cereal grain barley project initiated years ago, it has had varying degrees of success, and lots of failures. The harvest should begin about September 1st this year, as the grain heads are beginning to golden and ripen.

Meares Glacier - Advancing

2008-08-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Meares glacier advancing, Unakwik Inlet, Prince William Sound, Alaska.

In today’s age of a climate sensitive landscape, there are few advancing glaciers. Most are receding quickly. There is at least one in Alaska--that I’m aware of--that is advancing. Meares glacier flows out of the Chugach mountain range in south central Alaska, meeting tidewater in Unakwik Inlet in Northern Prince William Sound. I’ve been there many times over the years and recently took a photo of the glacier encroaching upon some of the trees along the shore. This indicates that at the least, the glacier has not advanced that far in a number of years.

Sandhill cranes, Creamer's Field, Fairbanks

2008-08-17T12:37:00.005-08:00

Sandhill Cranes take flight on a thunderstorm weather front, Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/640 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400

Saturday night in Fairbanks (8PM) a dark and ominous cloud formed in the skies behind Creamer's field. I was watching the Sandhill cranes gathered in groups on the ground feeding and making their distinct calls. As the storm grew closer, the winds picked up and the birds began squawking louder and more frequently and jumping up and down. They began to take flight in small groups, taking advantage of the increasing winds. I was able to grab a few frames of them front lit by the sun juxtaposed against the nearly black clouds in the distance. Soon following the torrents of rain came!

Scott's peak and the Alaska range

2008-08-15T04:00:00.003-08:00

Scott's Peak, Alaska Range, Denali National Park
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200 2.8L IS, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, 400 ISO

Alaska’s interior, and Fairbanks specifically has seen a lot of rain in recent weeks. A welcomed stretch of clear skies has opened up the last week and I seized a spontaneous opportunity to go flying last Monday. A friend has a small bush plane and we lifted off from Fairbanks around 8:30pm and headed for Mt. McKinley, and it was visible right from the airport runway in Fairbanks. Along the way, we climbed to 13,000 feet where the temperature was 10 degrees. The light cast upon the vast Alaska range grew warmer as the sun began to set, and I grew smaller the more I gazed upon the seemingly endless array of snow covered mountain peaks. The distinct peak in this photo is Scott’s peak, located in the Alaska Range within Denali National Park.

Clouds over Denali

2008-08-13T04:00:00.001-08:00

Looking west at the summit of Mount McKinley reveals both the north and south peaks. One afternoon, it looked like the sky was clearing a bit so I waited and set up my camera for a time lapse sequence of the dissipating clouds. I used Canon's intervolometer, which is a fancy electronic shutter release that enables diverse time sequencing. The light was somewhat bright in the early evening, but the series reveals how quickly clouds can come and go around the mountain. The whole series was 156 frames over the course of 30 minutes. It's a little choppy since my series ran out while I was shooting another scene with my camera, and I had to start it again.

Time lapse series of clouds over Mt. McKinley

2009 Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Calendar

2008-08-11T12:56:00.002-08:00

2009 Fairbanks and Interior Alaska Calendar

Its a little later than expected due to a change in printing services, but the 2009 Fairbanks and Interior Alaska calendar is now available. Some of you have requested to be advised when its in. You can see a full preview of the calendar here

Sea otters and Ice

2008-08-09T10:16:00.004-08:00

Sea otters, Prince William Sound, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS w/1.4x (700mm), 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, hand held

I just returned from a 5 day trip in Prince William Sound. Typical to that region, I saw lots of rain and clouds. The last day opened up to beautiful blue skies and grand vistas of the Chugach mountains. The beginning of that blue sky is reflected in the water around the sea otters in this picture, adding a vibrant color to the surface water. Sea otters congregate in large numbers in parts of Northern Prince William Sound, and haul out on icebergs, similar to the harbor seals. These two otters exhibit a curiosity as our boat approached them slowly.

Lightroom 2.0: localized corrections

2008-08-01T07:36:00.003-08:00

Lightroom 2.0 was released three days ago on July 28. The upgrade is $99, and it has paid for itself already.

There are a number of improvements, but the most important to me is the localized correction feature. These are non-destructive adjustments, meaning they do not modify the original RAW image data, and they add virtually no size to the file. The new tools are more intuitive and faster than using Photoshop for similar results, and now it is unnecessary to make a Tiff file for these adjustments.

Correctly exposed for maximum dynamic range and shadow detail, the untouched RAW image is pretty washed out. Global adjustments to improve the sky would unacceptably darken the foreground.

A brightness adjustment was applied just to the sky and feathered in to the mountains with the new adjustment brush. There is also a graduated filter tool, but in this case the brush proved better to paint around the mountain shapes. This represents just a few minutes of work.

Summer Solstice and Mt. McKinley alpenglow

2008-07-30T04:00:00.001-08:00

Alpenglow on the North and South peaks of Mt. McKinley on summer solstice
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/125 sec at f/4, ISO 400

I took this photo on summer solstice (June 20, 3:52am) as Mount McKinley's summit was catching the morning alpenglow on the North and South peaks. I was just entering Denali National Park, and this clear view of the mountain turned into billowy clouds by 9:00am the same morning. I was wishing my timing put me deep in the park to make some landscapes of this brilliant morning, but this sequence of events can be elusive; the classic conundrum of having the weather, the light, and your remote location properly synced for landscape photography. I have a few more attempts scheduled for this year, with hopes of some new Mt. McKinley scenics.

Fairbanks, Alaska aerial

2008-07-29T08:24:00.006-08:00

Aerial of the Chena river and downtown Fairbanks, Alaska.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105 f4L, 1/1000 sec @ f5.6, ISO 400
(With adjustments to the raw file to balance exposing to the right)

(shot with exposing to the right, the RAW file looks washed out but can easily be correct to look like the file above.)

My home town of Fairbanks is uniquely situated in the northern perimeter of the great Tanana Valley Flats. The Alaska range, many miles to the south, is visible across these flats on a clear day. Depending on a variety of factors like, dust, haze, forest fire smoke and other atmospheric phenomenon, the mountains vary in visible clarity. To get in the air spontaneously for photography when the weather is perfect is more challenging than it may appear. It requires me to be in town during a busy summer of travel, the weather needs to be very clear, and I have to find a pilot with an open schedule at the last minute. One June morning the weather was perfect, I was in town, and I was able to schedule a flight for later in the day. But, the clouds started forming as the day progressed—I decided to fly anyway. The conditions were not perfect but good enough to try.

I generally photograph with a style called "exposing to the right" and if you are interested you can read an article about this on Luminous-Landscape. It optimizes for Signal-to-noise ratios. Since exposing to the right shifts the histogram towards the highlights, the RAW file right out of the camera looks washed out, colorless, lacks contrast and seems unusable. However, with the appropriate adjustments to brightness, contrast, etc., redistribution of the levels brings the file back to life. Here is an example of the before and the after of this particular scene. Some independent sky control was done in Photoshop, to better balance the exposure values between the land and the sky. In the next release of Adobe Lightroom 2, sky control can be applied in Lightroom to the RAW file itself. Lightroom 2 was released today.

Luminous rainbow

2008-07-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

Rainbow, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/320 sec @ f8, ISO 400

The mountain landscape of Denali National Park is conducive to scattered rainstorms during the summer months. This results in many rainbows, but this particular one continued to grow in intensity. It was so bright that it seemed it would explode. I shot this scene with a 500mm telephoto to focus on the band of color hanging over the spurce trees scattered across the tundra. A polarizing filter can be used to increase contrast and saturation in a rainbow, but none was needed or used in this case.

2008 World Eskimo Indian Olympics Blanket Toss (Nalukataq)

2008-07-23T04:00:00.001-08:00

Mens Blanket toss at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, Fairbanks, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-70 2.8L, 1/200 @ 2.8, ISO 1600

The World Eskimo Indian Olympics concluded on Saturday night in Fairbanks. The men's blanket toss finals were judged on height, style and dress. Volunteers from the audience held the blanket made from walrus hides, and hurled the contestants into the air. The annual event will return again to Fairbanks in July of 2009. Below is a quote from WEIO's site on the blanket toss.

NALUKATAQ (BLANKET TOSS)

Several walrus skins are used for this event. The skin has holes on the edges so that rope can be looped through all the way around and used for handle grips. One person gets in the middle of the skin and stands there while being tossed. With a good coordinated effort on behalf of the pullers, the person being tossed can get as high as thirty feet in the air and lands on his/her feet without falling down. This is quite similar to a trampoline, with the only difference being that people are the springs and they can move to catch an errant jumper.

The Nalukataq is done in the whaling communities in the spring if there has been a successful whaling season. It is been part of the whaling feast activity as long as people can remember.

There are two schools of thought as to why this sport is being done. One is for the simple exhilaration is provides, and the other is for spotting game over the horizon. The judges look at balance, height, movements in the air - sometimes you can see jumpers dancing or running in place - and all around form and grace when determining a winner. Sometimes, flips and somersaults are done to the delight of the pullers and spectators.

2008 World Eskimo Indian Olympics Dancing

2008-07-21T04:00:00.003-08:00

Inland Eskimo Dancers, 2008 WEIO, Fairbanks, Alaska
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 300mm f2.8L IS, 1/200 sec @ f2.8, ISO 1000

The Inland Eskimo Dancers from Anuktuvik pass in Alaska's Brooks range danced on Friday night at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. Females dressed in purple, males dressed in blue, drumming and dance in the form of story. Entertaining and delightful to watch. Native dance is interspersed between the athletic events, with various different groups and regions represented each evening.

2008 World Eskimo Indian Olympics

2008-07-18T21:00:00.003-08:00

Alaskan High Kick
Elijah Cabinboy, from Nome, Alaska

Elijah Cabinboy from Nome ties the world record for the Alaskan high kick Thursday evening at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in Fairbanks. After the competition, he tried one more time to break the record and hit the ball, but it was off the record since only his first three qualifying attempts count. A description of this and other events can be found on the WEIO website

"This is a game of balance where the athlete sits on the floor below a target with one hand grasping the opposite foot. With his/her remaining free hand planted on the floor, the athlete springs up and attempts to kick the target with the free foot. After kicking the target, the athlete must show balance upon landing - he/she is at the original position before kicking. Height is the objective.."

Full curl Dall sheep ram

2008-07-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dall sheep ram on the mountain slopes of Denali National Park, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 75-300mm 5.6 DO IS, (285mm), 1/320 @ f7.1, ISO 200

On a recent trip to Denali National Park, I hiked up a mountain to photograph a band of Dall sheep rams. About half way up, my brother and I were caught in an intense hail storm. We were pelted with hail the size of marbles--and it hurt. After taking shelter along the lee side of a rock outcrop to get out of the driving force of the hail, I glanced across the mountain to see a lone Dall sheep ram doing the same thing. Once on top, the ground was white with piles of hail that looked like moth balls. Once the storm dissipated, the rams gathered back together and one group, seeking to join up with the others, walked right past me (about 10 feet away). This ram sports a full curl, and the astute can age them by counting the growth rings on the horns.

Summit Lake, Alaska range

2008-07-17T13:07:00.004-08:00

Fishing on Summit lake, Alaska range mountains

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm 5.6L IS, 1/1600 @f8, ISO 100

Alaska's summer nights are unique. The light hangs into the late hours and extends recreation and work opportunities into unreasonable hours. Then we all need the darkness of winter to balance out the over amped summer. I saw these fishermen enjoying an evening of fishing for lake trout on Summit lake in Alaska's interior. The layered mountains of the Alaska range reveal a depth and grandeur hard to match.

Katmai cubs

2008-07-14T08:11:00.004-08:00

Brown bear sow and cubs of the year, Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 400mm f5.6L, 1/500 sec @ 5.6, ISO 400

Katmai National Park in southwest Alaska is home to many Brown bears. These bears are larger than the interior grizzly bears mainly due to the protein rich diet of fish, although they are the same species. This sow with three cubs has a challenge ahead of her in feeding and protecting her hungry little cubs. The density of bears in the vicinity of Brooks river make the sow quite wary, and she needs to fish while simultaneously keeping an eye on her little ones. Male bears are known to kill cubs of the year. Long telephoto lenses are essential in photographing bears, and in particular, sows with little cubs. This is a crop from the original frame, which included more environment but I wanted to emphasize the cubs.

Horned Lark mouthfull

2008-07-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

Horned Lark, Denali National Park, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L w/2x converter, 1/200 sec. @ f/8, ISO 400

Horned larks are ground nesting birds that move quickly about the tundra collecting insects for their young. While hopefully waiting for the clouds to clear over Denali, I entertained myself photographing a pair of Horned larks on the tundra. Their comfortable range with me seemed to merit a 1000mm lens (500 and 2x converter). This means that AI servo only works on the center auto focus point, which can be challenging following a fast moving bird with that degree of lens magnification. There were splashes of wildflower color that I tried to capture the bird against, but this was the best I got. In particular, I liked the collection of insects.

Mt McKinley (Denali) reflections

2008-07-09T09:33:00.002-08:00

Denali, North America's highest peak, about to get swallowed up in clouds for the day.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105mm f4.0L IS, 1/15 sec. @ f16, ISO 100

Mount McKinley (or, as the locals call it-Denali) is actually visible far more often than the average person thinks. The catch is, one needs to stay up very late, or rise very early to see it. Clouds tend to build as the sun rises and on a clear early morning, one can expect Denali to look like this, becoming engulfed in clouds by 6:00am often. Therefore, many visitors traveling into the park and arriving around 9:00am, often miss the show. When I woke at 4:00am on this morning, there was not a cloud in the sky, and remarkably, the skies stayed clear for some time, but by 8:51am, the clouds were all but covering the mountain.

Gray wolf eyes

2008-07-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

Alpha female gray wolf, Denali National Park Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4.0L IS, 1/640 @ f6.3, ISO 400, hand held

This alpha female wolf in Denali National Park is raising six hungry pups, and frequents the park road for easy travel when hunting for food. On a quite morning before 6am, I was driving along the park road and saw her trotting towards me ahead. As is often the case in situations like this, I did my best to grab the camera and lens, get out of the vehicle and fire a few shots. Fleeting moments! There never seems to be quite enough time. In this case, the image is not razor sharp mainly because I did not have the auto focus on AI Servo, and the wolf kept walking towards so the focus was hair off. But, that 500mm IS lens is amazing, since there was no time at all to set up a tripod and learning to shoot from the hip will net some good shots. She trotted past me and then moved off into the nearby willows to hunt for her young pups.

Bell Heather & Alpine Azalea

2008-07-04T08:00:00.003-08:00

Bell Heather and Alpine Azalea, Denali National Park, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100mm f.28 FF Macro, 1/100 sec at f7.1, ISO 400

The occupation of Nature photography provokes an observant eye. The calendar moves more in accord with blooming flowers, bird life, and the other life cycles that mark Alaska's rapid, light filled summer than it does with weekdays. As for wildflowers, there are a few species with pink blossoms that introduce the explosion of color on the tundra. One is Alpine Azalea which blooms from late May to mid June. That is the out of focus background color in this image. Backgrounds are very important especially in photographs that use controlled focus, or strong use of depth of field. This is generally the case in super telephoto and close up photography. This Bell Heather--a small, bell shaped and aromatic flower--is well contrasted by a little splash of color in the background.

Bear descent, Denali National Park

2008-07-02T08:00:00.003-08:00

On a late evening (10:00pm) while traveling through the shadowed cliffs of Polychrome Pass in Denali National park, I came upon this grizzly bear transecting the steep slopes. After watching it for about 5 minutes and seeing that it wanted to cross the road, I pulled over and opened the sun roof on my car and threw up my camera and telephoto lens. Thanks to the tremendous latitude in the pro digital camera RAW files, one can shoot in low light, at high ISO, and color balance for shady conditions. The bear came upon a steep ledge, just before the road, and it surveyed the scene, turned around, and slide down the slope backwards, just like a yound child going down a staircase. Once secure, it turned around and proceeded on its way

Part four: - Sonar counts: Copper River Sockeye

2008-06-30T08:11:00.004-08:00

Miles lake sonar station located along the Copper River near the historic Million Dollar Bridge. Submersed sonar transmits visual data to computer terminals enabling technicians to count fish passing by.

The commercial fisheries management procedure is a complicated one. Mainly because there are so many factors that can influence the health of a salmon run in any given year. Remember, there are at least 156 different stocks of red salmon that run up the Copper River, branching off here and there at the respective waters of their youth. They return five years after birth, so climatic and other factors for that year must be considered in the current year of their return. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game wants to see a certain amount of the fish make it past the fisherman in order to sustain the natural stocks. To prevent too many fish from being caught, the season openings are based on the amount of fish that have passed on up the river. How is this known? Through a fancy sonar counting system set up a short ways up the Copper River. Sophisticated sonar lets one actually see the fish swimming up the river.

Salmon appear as white shapes swimming by the sonar field.

ADF&G staff record a 10 minute digital movie file generated by the sonar and then count the fish that have passed by in that time period (one can count the fish with live sonar display on computer screens as well, but a digital file enables speed adjustment to aid in counting accuracy).

ADF&G technician counts salmon passing by the sonar field for a ten minute period every hour.

Based on that, a fish-per-hour count is generated, and total daily “escapement” numbers are posted on the ADFG Miles Lake sonar counts page. The system has been through statistical rigors and seems to satisfy the biometricians. For the dip netters waiting for these fish to reach the Chitina dip netting area, it takes approximately 10 to 14 days from the Miles Lake sonar station.

Part 3: Gill net fishing - Copper River Basin Sockeye

2008-06-27T08:19:00.006-08:00

Bow picker Gill net fishing on the Copper River Delta

As part of an ongoing assignment (see part one and part two) covering the copper river red salmon, I traveled to Cordova, Alaska to join a commercial fishermen during the current, once a week 12 hour period for the Copper River gillnet fishery.

The great Copper River pours into the Gulf of Alaska in southcentral Alaska, depositing its turbid waters full of glacial silt and sand creating an array of shallow sand bars and and shoals. The fishermen of the Delta use bow-picker jet boats by majority, which enables fishing in these shallow waters. A 900 foot net is released into the water suspended above by small floats and a lead line below helps the net hang down in the current. The net (and boat) drift along with the current for about an hour or so, before a large wheel reels in the net along with the catch. The fish are caught in the net by the gills.

Hauling in the net

My special thanks to the generosity of commercial fisherman Bill Webber for letting a total stranger join him. Bill has more than 40 years experience fishing the Copper River Delta, and currently operates an innovative and progressive business where he processes his fish at sea and sells direct to restaurants in the lower 48. (Gulkana Seafoods Direct)

Sockeye salmon caught in the gillnet

This takes a blend of skills, which Bill implements well. The “processed at sea” attribute is one more effort to increase the quality of an already amazing product. Bill takes extensive care in handling the fish in order that they are not inadvertently bruised. In addition, they are live bled quickly, headed and gutted, then pressure bled, and quickly hand packed with ice and put in the hold. This practice is more common in the troll fishing industry, but he is introducing it to the gill net fishery. The fish are generally sent out the following day on Alaska Airlines jets.

Salmon coming over the bowroller.

Packing the hold with processed fish.

His boat named the “Gulkana” (one of the headwater rivers of the Copper) is fitted with satellite phone/internet and he can literally take orders from restaurants as the catch of the day unfolds! Which is a pretty slick operation.

Mixed in with the run of red salmon are the king salmon, and we netted a very nice one weighing in about 50 pounds. In case you are wondering, that single fish fetches about $700 on the (direct, processed at sea) restaurant market!

50 pound King salmon nets $700 on the processed at sea direct market.

Conditions were not optimal for photography, very flat light, gray sky and gray water. And the density of the fishing fleet (500 plus boats) has dispersed to other parts of Prince William Sound in part due to the economics of a low salmon run, reduced opening periods and the cost of fuel. It was a great experience and I captured a few o.k. photos.

Interestingly, the perspective I like the most was from the last set of the day, just before closing, when an increased sense of "I need to work this differently" prompted the idea of hanging off the bowroller for a look back as the fish came on board the boat. Of course, having another vessel to shoot from would have been optimal, but it was not available. Bill got a rope which we rigged up to enable me to lean back against it for support and shoot a few frames.

Hanging off the bowroller for a different perspective

Harlequin Duck

2008-06-25T09:20:00.005-08:00

Male Harlequin duck resting on rocks, headwaters of the Gulkana river, interior, Alaska.
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L w/1.4x, 1/2 sec @f45, ISO 100

Harlequin duck males are colorful birds with distinct markings. They favor fast moving water for feeding and can often be found resting on rocks along stream shores. They are attentive birds and apart from a blind, require a slow and incremental approach. For this photo session, small patches of clouds, shade and shadows required constant exposure adjustments since the white parts of the duck's plumage get overexposed in sunlight. After some decent preliminary shots, I began experimenting with longer shutter speeds to blur the moving water.

This can be technically challenging with a super telephoto lens, since the smallest vibration during the long exposure may cause a blur if not executed correctly. I used an appropriately strong tripod and ballhead, and set the camera on mirror lock up, with a 2 second delayed shutter release to prevent this. But, the birds move ever so slightly also, and they blink too, so I've learned to shoot many frames just to be safe. It was late enough in the evening to get a little reflective yellow color from the clouds, which contrasts well with the aqua blue of the mountain water.

I think the photo of the duck alone is a good image, but the creative challenge presents itself always: how to take a good image and make it unique—make it interesting—make it better. In this case, I think the blur in the water helps in two ways:

It creates a sense of movement to an otherwise static scene presenting a contrast between the stillness of the duck and the fluid, moving scene in which it lives.
It helps isolate the subject by softening the background and thereby creating an easy visual separation against the subject.

Moose Motherhood

2008-06-23T07:54:00.004-08:00

Cow moose and newborn calf try to navigate Phelan creek in the Alaska range. The calf was nearly swept away by the current.

Phelan creek is located in Isable Pass in the Alaska Range mountains. At an altitude of more than 3000 feet, the snow pack melts slowly there, and in mid June, dense patches still remain. A cow moose and spring calf (perhaps 1 - 2 weeks old) were navigating the braided stream. Current from the stream and ledges from snow pack make this difficult for a tiny moose calf. At one point, the calf was nearly swept away by the current, so it huddled up in an eddy near the side of the stream.

Moose calf takes shelter in an eddy along the side of the stream while the mother examines a possible way out.

The cow moose repeatedly crossed the stream to the other side attempting to find a safe route for her calf, but returned quickly seeming unsatisfied. The cow then stepped up from the stream bed onto the snow pack and considered this as an optional route to the swift stream current. She did this a few times, returning each time to her calf. I wondered how that little calf would get up on the snow pack since I could barely see its head when standing next to it. At some point, the mother gave the command and the little moose calf rested its front feet on the edge, the cow stepped down into the water and slowly and carefully nudged the calf up onto the snow pack. Off they trotted!

With a little nudge the cow helps lift the young calf onto the snow pack.

Quite amazing to watch this snippet of natural life. With any time spent watching moose with calves in the spring one thing is evident--they are always on the run, since bears and wolves are eager to prey upon the little ones. Sometimes, moose calf mortality can exceed 70% by predators. Cow moose usually have twins, and whether she lost one already, or gave birth to one only I'm not sure.

American Dipper Lamentations

2008-06-19T14:00:00.001-08:00

American Dipper fishing underwater - not quite sharp

This is a story of attempt, not of success; of progress but not achievement--as I would prefer. On a previous blog I showed a few pictures of an aquatic passerine called the American Dipper, a very fascinating bird that hunts for bugs, grubs and fish underwater. I did make a return visit to the spot where the bird was vigorously collecting food to supply her ravenous chicks. My hopes were to get an over/under shot of the bird gathering food. This seemed like an epic task, given the time I had, and in some ways, almost ridiculous. But I spent a few hours observing the birds behaviours and decided on a location to set up the camera, which was placed in an underwater housing with a wireless remote enabling me to fire the camera from many feet away. I had another camera with a 500mm lens, and I would try to shoot the bird when above water, while waiting for it to swim by my camera. Miraculously, the bird proceeded towards the camera, swam right in front of it and I fired the trigger. The noise of the shutter scared the bird and it flew out of the water. But, miraculously x two, it returned again. I fired the trigger, but the host of things necessary for perfection in this attempt did not coalesce. Shadows, proximity to camera lens, direction of the bird, blah, blah, blah.

American Dipper almost in focus

But, it was an almost, and I may venture one more time to attempt this image. I spent the better part of the day watching, waiting and shooting while the Dipper was gathering food and feeding the chicks. Stay tuned, it would be surprising, but not impossible to get the shot.

Digital Composites

2008-06-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, digital composites are everywhere. While editorial images should be honest and unmodified, there seems to be no limit with advertising and promotional works. We received a recent example of this when we got our copy of a Russian calendar featuring some of our polar bear photos.

Our photo as it appears in a Russian polar bear calendar

The original photo

I like what they've done by adding a horizon, which breaks up the white-on-white of the photo, and also adds some blue which goes well with the off-white of the polar bears. Take a closer look, and you'll see they also added catch lights to the eyes. When naturally occurring, these are a desirable and attractive element in photography. They add a sparkle to the eye and bring attention to it. However, it has to be believable when added digitally. Catch lights usually indicate a light source, so there should be some shadows in the photo, and this one was taken under overcast skies. They are also pretty extreme in the cubs eyes on top, and perhaps would be more pleasing toned down some.

An interesting thing about catch lights is they are often used to determine if a photo is faked. Sometimes it is obvious, if for example different people or animals in a photo have catch lights in different positions of their eye, or some are missing, etc. In some cases, advanced software is even used to calculate light sources and angles when it is critical to determine if a photo is legitimate.

We sometimes create digital composites and post them on our web site if we think some creative modifications can be made. When we do, we are sure to make a clear statement in the photo caption information, and confirm with the client that it's OK before completing a sale.

Here are two examples:

This totem is not really a composite because it originates from only one file, but so much "digital lighting" is done that we list it as a digitally modified image.

This photo was created from several photos for a request for a commercial fishing boat in a clearing storm. The original boat was photographed on a sunny day, and several layers of mountains, clouds, and rain were added.

Grow antlers grow

2008-06-09T21:06:00.006-08:00

Young bull moose along the Alaska Highway Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L, 1/125 sec @ f6.3, ISO 640

On a trip into the Alaska range, about 150 miles from Fairbanks, I saw more than 10 moose feeding along the roadside about 9-10:30pm or so. Interestingly, they were predominantly young bulls. Those that travel the roads in Alaska realize that the observation of bull moose along the highways diminish considerably as the summer progresses. I believe this is for a particular reason, namely the rich green spring grasses, often growing in the open areas along the road, offer that vital nutrients needed to cast those extensive antlers that grow so quickly. The willow leafs have not opened yet, (a favorite food of the moose), so they are opportunistically feeding.

Young bull moose feeds on spring grasses along the Alaska Highway Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L, 1/80 sec @ f6.3, ISO 640

As the green growth unfolds throughout the tundra and taiga, moose browse more preferentially, in obscure, protected areas, consuming huge quantities of vegetation. The velvet that encases the moose antlers (antlers are made of bone and horns are made of a keratin substance) encase blood vessels that richly nourish their growth and development. Generally, bull moose are rarely seen again until autumn (late August/September) when the mating season motivates them to pursue mating dominance. At this time, antlers are fully grown, and the nourishing sheath of velvet is rubbed off to reveal textured antlers of bone. The focus on food shifts to mating!

Clouds, the art of the sky

2008-06-09T20:53:00.006-08:00

Dramatic clouds reflect in tundra pond, interior, Alaska
Canon 1Ds mark III, 16-35mm f2.8L, 1/15 sec @ f14, ISO 100

Clouds move with an inspiration singular to their great immensity and shape. Not only do they cast their color catching shapes across the sky in dramatic form, but they repeat themselves in the landscape on ponds, lakes and rivers. For a landscape photographer, a cloudless day provokes no excitement. It may be likened to a novel or play without conflict. The placid uniformity of blue, while consoling in some ways, does not carry the power of a tumultuous, dynamic sky. Two things to consider about a landscape photo at the close or beginning of a day:

First: look for the sky on the ground, when it is there, you may now work with reciprocating shapes and reflective colors--both strong for composition. Alaska abounds with water bodies; countless rivers, lakes and small tundra ponds give many opportunities to point your camera down yet shoot the sky.

Second: in the context of Alaska's nightless summers, forget about sleep. I am lured by the former, but not so fond of the latter. It really does not get dark for much of the summer, depending on the latitude, and during June one could photograph for 24 hours! Capturing sunset and sunrise light means courting the midnight hours.

While on a recent photo trip--timed for the late drama of evening light--I captured these few images, which illustrate how clouds can be a critical element in a compelling landscape photo. In this case, it may be argued, they completely make the photo.

Part #2: Smolt - Copper River Basin Sockeye

2008-06-09T14:39:00.020-08:00

Heading for the Ocean

Sockeye salmon smolt head for the salt water after feeding and growing in Summit lake for one year.

This is part two of a lengthy photo series I'll be doing through the summer and autumn, focusing on the Gulkana hatchery and its role in enhancing the Copper river Sockeye salmon that migrate its waters. Click here for part one.

The life span of a Sockeye salmon is four to five years. Eggs are laid in fresh water streams/lakes in late summer/autumn where they incubate over the winter and hatch in the spring. The little fry spend a year feeding and growing in the lakes and as soon as the ice melts in late spring the one year old salmon (smolt) head for the salt water. This outmigration process takes place in the darker hours of the night over the course of a few weeks/months, depending on the lake (usually ending around the fourth of July says hatchery manager Gary Martinek). Why in dark hours? Well, there are a lot of creatures hungry for these shiny little fish. Predators such as lake trout, terns and gulls take a heavy toll on the fish.

About the only way to track fry survivorship in the lake is to approximate how many make it out as smolt. The Hatchery sets up a trap at the mouth of the lake to do just that, and through a measurement regime calculates the total number of out-migrating smolt.

These little fish vary in color when viewed from the top, but if you get a glance at their sides, they are a flash of silver! It's amazing that a 3 to 4 inch fish can make it all the way down the river to the Pacific Ocean, but nature is loaded with mysteries, and the migrating salmon is one of the big ones. For those that reach the salty waters, they will feed for three or four years, and return again to the waters of their youth to spawn their successors. The next few chapters of this story will focus on the consumers of these fish, like me and my friends, fishermen, and others who tap into this great food source.

Smolt caught in the outmigration nets are counted and released to continue their way down the Gulkana river, to the Copper river, out into the Pacific Ocean.

Notes on the Underwater Photo:

First of all, thanks to the Gulkana Hatchery guys for keeping some of the smolt in a pen for me to work with.

Yours truly using a wireless transmitter and underwater housing to photograph the smolt.

I used an EWA marine underwater housing, which is cumbersome but does the job of keeping the camera dry. Attached to the top of the camera inside the housing is a wireless reciever (Pocket Wizard) that enables me to trigger the shutter remotely from a hand held transmitter. Since the little salmon fry are pretty skittish, you can't have your hands in the water or they get freaked out. I set the camera on AV priority--the light was changing quite a bit with sun and clouds--and pre focused the lens to the closest focus distance. From there it is experimentation. I increased the depth of field in subsequent photos, but I like the positioning of the fish in this frame the best.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, 16-35mm 2.8L, Ewa-marine underwater housing, 1/2000 sec @f4.5, ISO 1000.