Photographer Patrick J Endres

Alaska has been my home for nearly 30 years, and its epic landscape continues to lure me, both personally, and professionally as a freelance stock and assignment photographer.

I grew up in a small town in southern Wisconsin, surrounded by the rolling hills of green farmland and hardwood forests. Adolescent curiosities and dreams of the future turned my vision north, and at age eighteen I ventured to Alaska—that seemingly mythical realm of adventure and land of extremes. I am not unlike many northern sojourners, lured to Alaska for reasons of intrigue and fascination, and compelled to remain by its giant space and rugged wilderness. Adventure is the seed of discovery, and Alaska is a place fertile and rich with opportunities for both.

Alaska’s natural world serves as a gateway into ubiquitous photographic material, from which I have sampled abundantly, but it is the layers and depth of its landscapes that now lure me most. While style is often found in the rear view mirror, I know that my long-time fascination with color and light, two fundamental aspects of painting and photography, weave their way into what may be descriptive of my work. I’m constantly intrigued by the influence of one upon the other.

My professional career is best summarized by nearly 30,000 images that span the last 17 years. These images are marketed through my business stock photography website www.alaskaphotographics.com and they represent isolated moments in a fluid journey across Alaska’s vibrant landscape. Some are the result of serendipity, some of extensive planning and scouting, but all tell a small part of larger story. The process of their creation has been a voiceless, but not silent teacher, and I as the student am perpetually exhorted that the gift of seeing requires more than the eyes that see.

I’ll be sharing some visual goods and comments about my ventures here so stop back often and let this be your virtual Alaska.

Thanks for visiting,
Contacts

AlaskaPhotoGraphics
2923 Moose Mountain Road
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
907.750.4065

Business office hours: 8am to 5pm Alaska Time (4 hours behind NY)

Monday, August 16, 2010

Bull moose, Muldrow glacier, Denali

9 comments

It can be a challenge to photograph in the late morning on a sunny day. The light gets hot and harsh. However on this morning, the sunny foreground was complimented by some dramatic cloud action in the distance and the perpendicular lighting, although contrasty, made for some drama in lighting. At 10:30 am, this bull moose was still wading and feeding in a tundra pond. If you are familiar with this region, you will know that Mt. McKinley is to the right, but it was clouded over. And, even if it was visible (a bull moose and Mt. McKinley is a sought after shot) it would not have been as interesting from a light perspective. I’ve always been fond of the contextual shots of wildlife in a broad landscape setting, and I particularly like the dramatic light and clouds in this frame.

I photographed a lot of bull moose during my trip in Denali last week. It is a subject I have extensive coverage of, but not much imagery of large bull moose still in velvet antlers, so I was pleased to acquire some pictures of that stage of development. Soon, the bulls will be losing the velvet and preparing for the mating season. I’ll be back in Denali National Park for that later in the month and look forward to the splendid fall colors that will carpet that wonderful landscape.

Bull moose in tundra pond with the Muldrow glacier and Alaska Range mountains in the distance. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm (170mm) f/5.6L IS, 1/200 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

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by Patrick Endres

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Patrick - Chuck,
That image is just one shot, exposed to the right for maximum shadow detail. It’s pretty amazing what kind of dynamic range can be extracted from one single exposure. I do fewer and fewer blends these days for that reason, and much less work with split graduated ND’s than I used to. It’s a movement towards simplicity, although image blends and the physical grads have their place.

chuck ashley - Patrick,
Great shot, Was that from just one image or a composite? If just one shot that is some fine glass you are using

Patrick - Thanks Mike, I guess we work with the weather we get. I like the cloud action, it adds so much to a photo.

Mike Criss - Well composed and I see you made the best of the weather conditions. Well done, I expect to see this one on some postcards!

Patrick - Stacey,
For one who enjoys being outdoors, nature photography is a fine suit to wear. However, there is a lot going on behind the scenes of any given image that may not always be stupendous However, I have no complaints of my job, save that there is simply too much light in Alaska’s summers to provide for sufficient sleep.

Stacey - Whoa! It must be stupendous live!

Thanks for sharing.

Patrick - Thanks Sue.

sue rakes - very wonderful perspective…takes a true veteran photographer of this particular park to know how to frame this and where to be at what time! Well done Patrick, as always!!