AlaskaPhotos.biz

May 1, 2008 -- New Photo Added to the Aurora Gallery -- "Storm Range Aurora"

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:20:13 -0800

When people think of the northern lights, they usually think of the northern parts of Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia - Juneau, Alaska usually does not come to mind. But although it's at only about 59° north latitude, the Juneau Icefield is actually nicely situated under the auroral arc. I took this month's featured photo, Storm Range Aurora, about 50 miles north of Juneau in a remote part of the Icefield. What made this photo unique is that the auroral storm occurred over the Storm Range - Gale, Typhoon, and Blizzard peaks, while at the same time the Moon was rising behind Blizzard Peak. Throw in some scattered clouds and a glacier in the foreground, and this is one of my all-time favorite aurora photos. Enjoy!

Feb. 1, 2008 -- New Photo Added to the Wildlife Gallery -- "Got Milk?"

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 18:58:26 -0900

McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, located 100 miles west of Homer, Alaska is world famous for its coastal brown bears and the incredible opportunities they provide for viewing and photography. But, the only way you can get there is to win a viewing permit through the annual random lottery drawing. With about 2.500 applications for only 250 permits, chances are slim of winning a permit. Some people apply for years or decades without ever winning a permit. I've applied three times and won a permit every time!

I took this month's featured photo, Got Milk?, during my third visit to the Sanctuary in June, 2007. You've seen the famous "Got Milk?" ads, right? Well, this is the brown bear version of it. It was early in the morning on the first day of my visit to McNeil when I saw these three bears browsing the tide flats of McNeil Lagoon. I watched from a small hill above the flats as the bears approached closer and closer, eventually plopping down in the grass only 20 feet away from me, close enough to hear the cubs purring as they nursed.

Nov. 1, 2007 -- New Photo Added to the Wildlife Gallery -- "Beachcombers"

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 23:01:20 -0900

McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, located 100 miles west of Homer, Alaska is world famous for its coastal brown bears and the incredible opportunities they provide for viewing and photography. But, the only way you can get there is to win a viewing permit through the annual random lottery drawing. With about 2.500 applications for only 250 permits, chances are slim of winning a permit. Some people apply for years or decades without ever winning a permit. I've applied three times and won a permit every time!

I took this month's featured photo, Beachcombers, during my third visit to the Sanctuary in June, 2007. These two bears were casually walking the beach, occasionally pausing to check out things here and there, much as a beachcomber does when looking for goodies. They were in no hurry, were fully aware of me watching them from a couple hundred feet away, and they slowly ambled off toward a nearby creek for look for fish.

Oct. 8, 2007 -- New Photo Added to the Landscapes Gallery -- "Out of the Fog"

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 17:44:23 -0800

For the past 20 years, I have spent the summer months on the Juneau Icefield in Alaska. As a member of the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP), I have made 17 complete traverses of the Icefield from Juneau, Alaska to Atlin, British Columbia. In addition, my work surveying the glaciers of the Juneau Icefield has taken me to nearly every remote area on the Icefield. As a result, I have been lucky enough to compile a nice collection of photographs of this spectacular part of Alaska.

While the weather on the Juneau Icefield can be sunny for days at a time, more often it is rainy and foggy for days, or even weeks. It's at these times that the camera gets set aside and photography takes the back seat. There are however, times when a storm is either building or dispersing. It's at these times when some truly unique photos can be captured. This photo, Out of the Fog, illustrates one of these times. I was at one of the main camps, perched on a nunatak 300 feet above the Taku Glacier. A several day storm was losing its steam and fog blanketed the glacier, with several peaks sticking up above the fog. At the same time, a JIRP member was skiing back to camp after having completed some research work on the glacier. I think this photo captures the grand scale of the Juneau Icefield, and shows just how small and insignificant we can feel in such an immense landscape.

Jan. 21, 2007 -- New Photo Added to the Wildlife Gallery -- "The Fishing Hole"

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:19:00 -0900

McNeil River State Game Sanctuary in Alaska is one of the premiere areas in the world to get up close and personal with wild bears in their natural habitat. It's also about the toughest place to visit, as you can't just go there on your own. You have to be lucky enough to win a lottery drawing to get one of the few cherished viewing permits that are issued each summer. And if you do get a permit, you must wait two years before you can apply again. I've been extremely lucky -- I've applied twice, and won a permit both times!

This photo, The Fishing Hole, is a typical scene at the Sanctuary. These three young bears are busy looking for a tasty salmon snack at one of their favorite fishing holes along Mikfik Creek. Each bear seemed to have their own fishing technique. One would chase salmon into the shallows and then pounce on them. Another bear would walk along with his head underwater, looking for fish. Regardless of technique, the bears of the Sanctuary are well-fed.

Jan. 1, 2007 -- New Featured Photo for January -- "Falls Creek #1"

Mon, 1 Jan 2007 00:01:32 -0900

We're in the middle of a dark, snowy winter here in Alaska, so I thought it would be nice to see some green for January's featured photo.

This is one of the most scenic mountain streams in the area. As I was photographing the numerous little waterfalls and moss-covered rocks, I thought it would be nice if a bear were to wander into the picture. An hour later, one did. But it seemed more interested in me than anything else, so I packed up and headed back down the trail, with the bear 100 feet behind me for a half-mile back to the car!

Dec. 22, 2006 -- New Photo Added to the Landscapes Gallery -- "Kaleidoscope"

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:45:48 -0900

In many places in the U.S., autumn is a favorite season for photography. This is particularly true for the eastern hardwood forests and the birch and aspen groves of the west. Alaska also boasts a spectacular autumn season, although it generally lasts one or two weeks before the leaves drop and everything turns brown. But in those brief few days the color on the mountains literally explodes into a kaleidoscope of color. With bright splashes of color, it seems as though this photo, Kaleidoscope, might be Nature's version of a Jackson Pollock painting.

Dec. 16, 2006 -- New Zooming/Panning Feature Added to AlaskaPhotos.biz

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 13:45:48 -0900

I specialize in very wide-format panoramic photography. Typically, these panoramas have an aspect ratio of 4:1 or greater. While I can display these on my website, the full visual impact of the scene is lost because it just isn't possible to post a high-resolution version on the Web.

That limitation has now been removed. I have now incorporated a solution that allows the user to zoom in and out, and pan around in a high-resolution version of my wide-format panoramas. This allows you to zoom way in and see all the detail that these photos contain. Click the Zoomify button above to get a fully-immersive experience with my most popular panorama -- Turnagain Winter.

Dec. 1, 2006 -- New Featured Photo for December -- "9/11 Lights"

Fri, 1 Dec 2006 13:58:40 -0900

It took me four years to get this month's featured photo!

There's a 300-foot wide lighted star on the mountainside above Anchorage, Alaska which is always lit up for the holiday season. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the city began lighting the star on the evening of September 11 every year. One of the best views of the star is from a small lake near my house, with the view to the northeast. This is also the portion of the sky in which the northern lights typically appear.

I realized that a photograph showing the northern lights over the illuminated star, with a reflection in the lake, on the evening of September 11 would be a fantastic photo. But, getting the photo turned out to be a four year endeavor because many elements had to come together at the same time -- it had to be September 11, the star had to be lit up, there had to be northern lights, the lights had to be over the star, the sky had to be clear, and there could be no wind to disturb the surface of the lake. A tall order indeed!

Finally, on the evening of September 11, 2005 all the elements came together and I was able to capture this spectacular photo of a blazing northern lights display over the illuminated star. Click the photo above to go to the website and see this great photo. Then click the Zoomify button to open a high-resolution, zoomable version to get a good look at the star!

Nov. 18, 2006 -- RSS Feeds are Now Available at AlaskaPhotos.biz

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 11:18:03 -0900

Keeping current with What's New at AlaskaPhotos.biz is now easier than ever! Simply subscribe to the newsfeed and every time a new photo is added to the site, you will automatically be notified via your live RSS feed.

Nov. 17, 2006 -- New Photo Added to the Landscapes Gallery -- "After the Storm"

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 23:39:49 -0900

Most people who visit Alaska are fascinated by glaciers simply because they have never seen such a huge chunk of ice. But the glaciers most people see are simply the ends of the glaciers. In actuality, the vast majority of a glacier's bulk is usually hidden from easy viewing in it's source area. I have been lucky, over the past 20 years, to have spent the equivalent of three full years on the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. In that time, I've experienced every imaginable weather condition -- from a sunny blue sky to raging blizzards. Often, the best time to photograph is either directly before a storm hits, or right after as it's dissipating. This dramatic photograph, After the Storm, shows a heavy rainstorm over the Juneau Icefield breaking up and giving way to sunshine. The huge flat expanse of the Taku Glacier and the jagged peaks of the Coast Range are still in the shadows, but up above the clouds are parting to reveal the blue sky.

Nov. 1, 2006 -- New Photo Added to the Wildlife Gallery -- "Taking a Break"

Wed, 1 Nov 2006 10:14:36 -0900

When was the last time you saw a real live moose? Not in a zoo, but out in the wild? Well, it happens all the time here in the Anchorage, Alaska area. Moose are so common here that they are often seen crossing busy city streets, browsing in front yards, and napping on the lawn of the Anchorage library. During Fall, valleys in the Chugach Mountains just east of town are full of moose -- the most I've ever seen at one time was 27. The moose in this newly-added photo was one of the bigger bulls in a group of 15 or so moose that I spent a day with recently. After several hours of browsing and challenging other bulls, he decided to take a break, and I was able to get this great shot.

Oct. 16, 2006 -- New Photo Added to the Panorama Gallery -- "Little Su"

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:46:07 -0900

We're fortunate in the Anchorage area to be surrounded on all four sides by mountains. To the south are the Kenai Mountains, east are the Chugach Mountains, to the west is the Alaska Range, and the Talkeetna Mountains are to the north. Running through all those mountains are numerous streams and rivers - some big, and some small. This photo, Little Su, shows the Little Susitna River flowing out of the Talkeetna Mountains through a rocky gorge. The detail in this panorama is amazing, due to the fact that it is actually twelve individual 17-megapixel frames combined digitally for a total of around 150 megapixels! The finished print is nearly 8 feet long!

Sep. 30, 2006 -- New Photo Added to the Northern Lights Gallery -- "Fiery Sky"

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 21:34:26 -0900

Photographing the northern lights is always an exciting experience, as no two displays are ever the same. After a year of little or no northern lights activity in the Anchorage area, a bright display appeared one late September night. This photo shows an intense, but short-lived burst of activity in the northern sky, and reflected in the calm water of the Knik River.