Alaska Photo Graphics

Freeze up on Trevor Creek, Brooks Range, Alaska

Along a small mountain stream that flows out of the Brooks range mountains of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge, the last grip of summer's latent heat slowly gives way to the icy edge of winter.

The very short period in Alaska's Arctic, when water and ice reveal themselves in mountain streams is a splendid time to experiment with these two contrasting elements in nature.

The fluid nature of water and the hard edge of ice make an interesting combination in the scene. The blur in the water was accentuated with the use of neutral density filter that restricts incoming light, thus forcing a longer shutter speed. The soft brown tones of the stream bed rocks are blurred by the water, giving a very gentle blend of color.

A polarizing filter was also used to help reduce glare on the surface of the water.