Foothills of the Brooks Range mountains, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f/5l6L IS (100mm) 1/8 sec @ f13, ISO 200
Along the Dalton Highway, there are many names given for features of the road itself, or geographic references along the way. One is called Gobbler’s Knob, which is just south of Coldfoot and it offers a spectacular view of the foothills of the Brooks Range mountains to the north. I took this frame from that overlook as the winter sky dipped into the post sunset pastel hues. I used a bean bag to rest the camera upon, and turned off the image stabilization on the lens due to the low shutter speed. This is something that is easy to forget to do and I’d like to see camera/lens intelligence in the future which would automatically do this. I’ve got a gallery of Brooks Range photos on my website if you care to see more.
Hey Patrick
Lovely. Do you overnight up there, or just make a single trip from Fairbanks?
Cheers
Carl
Carl,
I almost always overnight up there, just because the driving distance is significant. Sometimes in my vehicle (hotel Sienna) and sometimes with friends in Wiseman.
Hey Patrick
Thanks. You’re a hardy soul. 🙂
Cheers
Carl
Hi Patrick, Apologies for the somewhat off topic question, but is that hotel Sienna as in Toyota Sienna minivan? If so, do you have any special equipment or package added for travels in the wilds of Alaska? Asking because I’m trying to decide on a vehicle that’s reasonable to drive on-highway or backroads that can also be a “tent” if needed.
Justine,
You are so correct on the Toyota hotel. When searching for one car to meet my needs, I settled on the Sienna with some compromises. I chose it a few very important factors: All wheel drive, modular seat configuration, sun roof, opening sliding back doors on both sides, reasonable mileage, excellent headlights, airbags, towing packing. Some of the weak points: Low clearance (in spite of excellent traction), stock run flat tires (which I changed out). All in all, it is a great car. I don’t have any special package, other than removing seats in the interior and setting things up–besides the basic winterizing plan that all cars in Fairbanks get. I love the car and would get another one. Mine has 105K on it now.
Like something out of a pleasent dream.
What shutter speed do you decide to turn off IS? Does it vary based on hand held, tripod, etc?
Steve,
I turn off IS when using a camera on a tripod with shutter speeds under 1/30 – 1/15 sec., just to be safe. Otherwise you can get image ghosting