I just concluded guiding two trips into Alaska’s arctic with groups of photo enthusiasts on the quest to capture images of Alaska’s magical landscape. As always, the big spaces reveal new and different opportunities every year. The great wet and cloudy season that hung over much of the state this latter autumn gave way to…
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October is the month of ice in Alaska’s arctic. The season when the last remnants of heat leave the landscape as temperatures drop and the sun’s power fades away. Winds are also common in the far north and when combined with the right temperature, the plants surrounding small lakes and ponds become encased in ice…
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To me this scene, although un remarkable in its topographical definition, reveals an extreme beauty found in the arctic. The tundra of Alaska’s arctic slowly flattens out as you reach the coastal plains and ultimately the north coast. In the summer it is decorated with wildflowers and birds from all seven continents choose it as the…
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Off the far north arctic coast of Alaska lies the Beaufort Sea. On windy days the surf pounds the outer barrier islands which are inhabited by polar bears waiting for the sea ice to form. The broad sky in this composition hints at the wide open space that goes on for miles and miles beyond…
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For those who have had their eyes on the weather in Alaska this autumn, it has been unusually wet in many regions. This has been true in the Brooks range area also and northward into the arctic coastal plains. The water soaked tundra is now freezing as the temps begin to drop. A light covering of snow…
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Polar bears embody a beautiful blend of power and elegance. This is one reason they are so interesting to observe and photograph. And there are few mammal species that move so fluidly both on land and in the water. This bear rested along the shore of an island in the Beaufort Sea, along Alaska’s eastern…
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The polar bears are abundant along Alaska’s arctic coast as they wait for the ice to form on the Beaufort Sea. Warm weather has kept the snow at bay, at least at this point. This curious polar bear stood up for a better view and I’ve learned by their posture when this is about to…
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Whenever I pass Kluane Lake in Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory (just 100 mile or so from the Alaska border) I can’t resist a crack at photography. It is a beautiful location. On this evening, the first snow of the year had just decorated the surrounding hillsides but the lake water had yet to freeze.…
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The layered and forested hills, accentuated by the misty and foggy weather of southeast Alaska truly define the Tongass National Forest. This was taken near Hyder, Alaska, a tiny town on the Alaska panhandle. Believe it or not, there was a slight splash of blue sky above these clouds but I purposefully cropped it out both to…
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This classic view of the AlCan Highway weaves its way through British Columbia and the Yukon Territory about 400 hundred miles from the Alaska border. I’ve traveled the highway many times over the past three decades, and while it has changed significantly, it still holds that charm of remote and unpopulated feel. Early to mid…
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