Photos from Alaska arctic region
Female willow ptarmigan Camouflage is at the heart of this bird’s survival. The willow ptarmigan has many color morphs, depending on the season and the terrain in which it lives. In this case, the tundra is just awakening to spring, and the dull brown colors are a perfect match for her brown feathers. In the…
Male King Eider duck Earlier in the week I posted a photo of a male king eider duck that I took at midnight in Alaska ‘s arctic, under cloudy skies. In contrast, I wanted to share a photo of the same species, but under completely different lighting conditions. I took this picture at 12 noon,…
I’m often asked if I shoot black and white. The answer is no, in general. My world is one of color, and while I appreciate both the constraints and liberties of excluding color from an image, I generally prefer the invoked psychological elements that the inclusion of color creates. But throwing away color opens up…
The king eider is a bird I have long wanted to see. While it is hard to call out a favorite bird, it ranks up there with the best with its unique features, feathers, and colors. While in the very high arctic, I had only one evening to shoot due to a tight schedule and…
Over the years of travel across Alaska, I’ve watched many short-eared owls hunting and flying over the tundra landscape. They are artful flyers, often visible in the treeless environment in which they roam. On a trip last week however, I had the first really good opportunity to photograph an owl, that did not seem to…
For those photographers out there who have your camera equipment insured, you might appreciate this little bit of economic redemption. Back in 2009 I took a remote river trip in Alaska’s arctic which turned out to be a magnificent venture on many counts, and it included some equipment casualties. My Canon 5D Mark II and…
This post is for the socially minded folk out there who have, or will appreciate Alaska’s rugged beauty via the Dalton Highway. More specifically, the region near Mt Sukakpak, which is in the vicinity of mile 204-208, north of Wiseman a few miles. That area is one of my favorite parts of the 400+ mile…
My employee and I are currently undertaking the colossal task of sifting through 40,000 images, removing those which are no longer relevant in the stock photo market, doing QC on keywords, upgrading all digital files to the latest LR3 processing algorithms, and cleaning the hideous dust demons. Did I already say this is a colossal…
“There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.” G. K. Chesterton My growing affinity for something as intangible and transient as clouds is the result of years of treading the land and looking up. The magic and art of the sky is ever changing, fleeting, ominous, lovely and at times simply…
If you have been tuned into Alaska news, you might have heard that: “Alaska officials filed notice Tuesday that the state would sue the federal government over a decision to designate a swath of the Arctic as critical habitat for polar bears faced with the effects of climate change.” Read more: I’m not making this…