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,
AlaskaPhotoGraphics
2923 Moose Mountain Road
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
907.750.4065
Business office hours: 8am to 5pm Alaska Time (4 hours behind NY)
.jpg "Aurora borealis corona")
Hi Patrick…I’m probably going to embarrass myself with these questions, but I think you’re my best aurora source so I’ll go ahead.
I’m really taken with aurora photography. I live in Northwestern Lower Michigan (Northport) and get some opportunities for auroras too, but not so spectacularly or as frequently. When I look at your aurora pix, the auroras are mostly green, but sometimes red or purple. Is that the way they look to the native eye in Alaska? The few times I’ve seen them here, they look like a brighter, almost white-like swath in the sky. Last night the Kp was nearly 6 and I went out and saw the same white-like swath in the sky. I’m pretty sure I was seeing aurora activity, and it was huge. I was waiting for the green to appear and didn’t shoot anything. My photography buddy that I shoot with took a couple shots of the white swath over Lake Michigan, and upon replay, she didn’t see anything either on her camera, except the lighter sky and stars. But when she got home and loaded her pix into Lightroom, and did an AUTO fix on the exposure, she had this gorgeous green aurora plus reflection into Lake Michigan. So I’m wondering if auroras do show green to the native eye or whether that only happens with the long exposure, or in post-processing.
Karen, a Canon 7D shooter
P.S. Thanks for your great article on photographing the northern lights. There a lot to it, but every time I go out, I learn something new.
Karen,
The full answer to your question is lengthy, but in summary: Remember the aurora that you capture on film/digital is not what your eye sees since it is gathering data for a continuous 10-30 seconds, and therefore records not the split second that your eye sees, but a continuum of time. So, often what you get on film is different that what the eye sees. The sensor is also a little more sensitive to certain colors than the eye also. I do see the white milkish aurora sometimes, and it is definitely less dramatic. Post production can enhance contrast and color, making the shapes more definitive, which is what the auto button for your friend. So in summary, it is post production, the length of exposure, and the aurora brightness/color (not always visible to the eye) that all make a difference.
Hi Patrick,
Sweet Aurora image, I have a few little howlers (wolf pups)that I’ve recently taken (took more today of a young black female 2weeks old) that if you’re interested could make some nice composite images-https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6935485166_35f2cfe97f_b.jpg & https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5350/7081640739_3d90e681c2_b.jpg Let me know what ya think, gotta start tagging these new pics
Shalom & good shooting