We call this little ridge “The Mezzanine” .. Great hiking, great campsite, and just a fantastic place to wrap up the day. Rhane saw a wolverine wander through camp here this summer.
The Southern Traverse may just be my favorite hike in the world.
Mt. Sanford, Mt. Drum, the Copper River and the Night Sky. The moon rise to my left threw a nice soft light on the fog over the Copper River Basin. Click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
With a host of people heading north this winter/spring to photograph the aurora, I thought it might be of some interest to talk a little about the process of shooting photography at night; I know a lot of people have little experience with that, and it really can be a challenge at times. Particularly on a cold frozen night in Alaska when the northern lights start going crazy overhead.
So, the first thing I’d suggest, if you haven’t already, is read over my 3 part article on shooting the northern lights. There’s a downloadable PDF at the end of that article you can keep for future reference.
So, now that you’re prepared, consider the moment. It’s dark. It’s cold, maybe minus 20 degrees F; cold enough that your hands start to really feel it after a few minutes. It’s dark. You have a headlamp on, and that gives you a little bit of vision out to maybe 30-50 yards or so. After that, you can’t see too much at all. The aurora starts to fire up, and you want to shoot it.
You can’t see your foreground and composition. Its dark. You don’t even know if the foreground is worth shooting. It’s dark. You can’t walk around all over and use your headlamp to see, because (a) there isn’t time, (b) there are other people trying to shoot, (c) you don’t want to track up all the snow by stomping around in it. So setup your test shots. This is probably the most important part of the process. Set up and do your test shots.
And we’re stoked about it. Rachel is leading a Guides’ Choice trip to Denali in 2022, because Rachel, a guide, chose to go to Denali. That’s how “Guides’ Choice” trips work. Simple enough.
Backpacking the 7 Pass Route Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Hey Folks,
A favorite topic of mine.
Where do I want to backpack most?
It’s impossible to say. In some ways, I’d simply suggest (and often do) “wherever you happen to have good weather”.
And I’ve done more than a small share of backpacking in Alaska. I’ve backpacked in the arctic, walked the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and I’ve backpacked in temperate rain forests of SE Alaska. I’ve also traversed many, many points in between.
I’ve enjoyed them all. Really. I can’t think of any place I didn’t enjoy backpacking the wilderness in Alaska. I’ve had some trips that were harder than others, I’ve had some trips with less than favorable weather, I’ve had some trips that I’d love to have another jaunt at and do a “take two”. But I’ve certainly found positive experiences on all of them.
We all know this saying, but most of us rarely apply it.
When it comes to camera gear, most of us have WAY too much. I know I do. But I’m trying to shoot with less gear and more consideration to what I want the image to be.
Often I’ll bring one lens on an outing and shoot with that. Or not shoot and simply observe.
A bull moose and fall colors, DenalI National Park.
Hey Folks
Pick a subject, and work it. A shotgun approach to a trip of trying to shoot lots of different subjects is more likely to just yield a bunch of mediocre images.
Spend time with your subject. The best images typically will take time. Give yourself that opportunity to really make something special happen.
It’s nice to come home with lots of different images of lots of different things, but it’s really nice to come home with really strong images. In my experience that works better when we focus on a subject and work it. Work it some more. And continue to narrow that idea down.
Rhane layered up in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
I think one of the most commonly misunderstood phrases/ideas in the backcountry is “layering” (along with “if your feet are cold, put a hat on your head”). I’m not about to tell you NOT to layer, but I do want to shed a little light on what all this means.
The single most common ‘mistake’ (I use that term very loosely; it’s far too subjective to be seriously called a mistake) I see people make on their Alaska Backpacking Trip is bringing a whole bunch of thin to medium layer in the hope of staying warm. Baselayers, polypro layers, lightweight fleece, etc are all great pieces of gear, but you don’t need to swamp your pack down with them. You need, at most, 2.
Rarely, if ever, do I need to hike with more than one layer on my torso; if it’s super warm, I’ll wear a polypro t-shirt. Generally, though that single layer is almost always a single long-sleeved nylon (tight-weave so it’s bug proof) shirt. You know the generic ‘safari-style’ shirt you find in any outdoor store; dawky looking, button-down, collar. and rolled up sleeves. If it’s raining, I’ll throw a thin, breathable waterproof-breathable shell over my shirt. That’s it.
I guess it’s safe to say at this point of my life that I’ve been doing this a long time. For better or worse. 😗
Not just photographing wildlife and studying wildlife photography, but taking folks like yourself out into the field and shooting together. I’ve been guiding wildlife photo tours for nearly two decades now. And I figured it might be a good opportunity to share some tips for budding photographers. Tips based largely on what I see people do, or not do, on our tours.
So I’m starting a little section on my blog that you’re welcome to subscribe to. Every so often I’ll include a short piece on how you might make yourself a better wildlife photographer.
Obviously short brief pieces and tips aren’t designed to turn you into a pro (if such a thing as “Pro wildlife photographer” actually exists any more; a separate conversation worth having at some point).
