Pancake ice, Beaufort Sea

The formation of ice called “pancake ice” develops during freeze up when circular ice conglomerations bang into each other creating little raised edges around their perimeter. The windy conditions blew all the ice towards shore creating an interesting pattern for a landscape. Photographing in heavy wind requires a strong and stable tripod, a piece of…

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Dog mushing

The dog mushing season is about to unfold in Alaska’s interior. The Yukon Quest, a 1000 mile race between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Canada, begins on Saturday Feb 8th. Following that will be many sprint races at the Dog musher’s race grounds and the North American Limited and Open series in March. More daylight and…

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Spruce Grouse

Spruce grouse in Alaska are known to be rather tame, and approaching them is often easy. They inhabit the dense spruce woods and feed on berries and spruce needles. The varied color and pattern in their feathers make them an attractive bird. Males have the distinct red band around the eye. A population distinction between…

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Serendipity

One of the most elusive animals that travels the Alaska landscape is the lynx. In my experience, the only other animal that I’ve encountered less is the wolverine. So, any opportunity to photograph one of these cats in the wild, in a natural settings, is a delight. This summer, I had one chance, although fleeting.…

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Elements

The natural elements contribute an edge both to a photograph and the experience of its capture. I photographed this Common loon for about 20 minutes before the rain began, and during this time, it drifted near me on the shore for an almost full frame view. Unfortunately, by the time the rain fell, the bird…

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Perspective

Photographic perspective is often a process. Many times, the initial approach to a particular scene requires a little study, some idea generation, and close observation of light direction. I chose these two images to illustrate this process on a shoot this summer. The first image is environmentally interesting, and is sort of “o.k.” but the…

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Beginning a day

Photographing in Alaska’s summers introduces a problem for sleep-lovers. The quality of light that delivers color, warmth, and pleasing shadows happens when most are sleeping. The late hour of both the setting and rising sun blows any sort of normal working schedule. Some time ago I adopted a little guideline when in the field photographing:…

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Thoughts of summer

Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge is an oasis for birds and wildlife in the Fairbanks area. The refuge offers habitat protection and public use for nature viewing, education and research. You can learn more about it here. It has taken me a few years to get the timing down to capture a Savannah Sparrow perched…

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