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Monthly Archives: January 2008

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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Cold weather photography

Fairbanks is a great place to experiment with cold weather photography. And experiment is an appropriate word, particularly in respect to the effects of extreme cold temps on camera equipment and the human body. Generally, the latter fails first for me. As far as equipment goes, I’m amazed at the heartiness of my Canon 1D…

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Sea otter in Prince William Sound

Prince William Sound is home to abundant marine life. And one of the favorites is the sea otter. Once decimated to near extinction for their prized fur, the US west coast population has come back, thanks to protective measures. They are ravenous eaters, and they appear cute and cuddly. In fact they are quite large,…

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Self-portraits in the dark

I took a trip with a friend to the White Mountians last April to do some aurora borealis photography. It was a little late in the season for ideal snow conditions, but the skies cleared for a few nights of shooting. It is a challenge to include people in aurora photos due to the lengthy…

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Red-necked grebe and chick

Red-necked grebes nest in many ponds across Alaska. It is also common to see the young riding on the back of the parents for protection. Adults take turns caring for the young and collecting food. Grebes dive for small aquatic animals and fish, and the little ones eat an amazing amount of food. Hours were…

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An ear full – I mean "pull"

Each year the World Eskimo Indian Olympics are held in Alaska. They were first held in Fairbanks in 1961, and now alternate annually between Fairbanks and Anchorage. A little summary from their website gives background: For time immemorial, Native peoples of the circumpolar areas of the world have gathered in small villages to participate in…

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International Polar Year stamps

In 2007 I had a few images selected for publication in a souvenir stamp set commemorating the International Polar Year, which extends from March 2007 to March 2009. The two photos selected represent the people and wildlife of the arctic region, and were taken here in Alaska. The IPY is a large scientific program that…

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Fishing wolf

Photographing wolves in a wild, natural setting, requires patience and persistence. In this case however, I can claim neither of those virtues, should they be ascribed as such. Sometimes, just the sheer amount of time spent in the field delivers its respective dose of serendipity. While photographing bears in Katmai, this wolf occasioned the Brooks…

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Where and When to see the Aurora?

I’ve been getting many questions regarding when and where to go to see the northern lights in Alaska. I’ve addressed these questions briefly in an aurora article on line, but will reiterate some of that here. The aurora can be viewed frequently in Fairbanks and interior Alaska, and often in the Southern latitudes of the…

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Katmai sunrise

September in Alaska is one of my favorite times of the year for photography. This is so because the sunrise and sunset events comes back into a little more harmonious schedule. Any nature photographer is linked to these two events (save the night sky photographer), since the quality and angle of light is most conducive…

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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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Hoar frost ice crystals

On the theme of frost, which visits Fairbanks generously during a given winter, this image reveals a brilliant pattern which sparkles under a low-angle sun. Hoar frost, or sometimes called radiator frost exhibits itself well in the Fairbanks winter conditions, partly because it is both cold and not very windy. Surface hoar frost, Fairbanks, Alaska.Canon…

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Outside in

Yesterday morning was minus 23 degrees at my office, and about noon, when the sun rose over the distant mountains and cast its glow, I was struck by the light on the window frost formations. The near perpendicular angle of the sun is the cause for the amazing separation and differentiation between the crystal shapes….

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The price of milk in Barrow, Alaska

I spent some time in Barrow, Alaska this summer, which is located in northern Alaska, along the Arctic ocean. Its an Inupiaq (Eskimo) community with a rich culture, and like many of Alaska’s native communities faces a host of challenges due to changing lifestyles, economics, and climate. If you find yourself miffed at the price…

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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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