Qiviut from muskox. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105, 600EX RT flash, 1/4 sec @ f/14, ISO 100, tripod with soft box.
Muskox shed their amazing qiviut (hair) in the spring and it can be found in small clusters in the branches of tundra vegetation. I’ve got a big bag full that I’ve gathered over the years and someone graciously offered to spin a few balls of yarn from which I plan to have a warm hat knitted soon. For those not familiar with qiviut, it is extremely soft and warm. It is said to have an insulation value 10 times that of wool. I don’t however beleive that this warmth factor works the same way once it is in yarn form, as opposed to the lofty underfur on the animal itself. I’ve taken many muskox photos in Alaska’s Arctic, and they have look that seems fitting to a prehistoric epoch of time. I took the qiviut picture in my office with a small soft box and a Canon 600EX RT flash positioned off camera.
Bull muskox on the snow covered tundra of the arctic north slope, Alaska
