After many years of photographing in Denali National Park, I can tell you that it is not everyday that a bull moose walks in front of Mt McKinley, on a clear day, when you are situated in an opportunity to photograph it. As a matter of fact, probably only a handful of times in my career. In late August I had an amazing opportunity, which was largely serendipitous, a little bit lucky, and a tiny bit of persistence. The bull moose had wandered into the shadowed alders to browse, while a group of us photographers waited around for it to make a possible reappearance.

Meanwhile, I wandered off to photograph Denali reflecting in some small tundra ponds in the area, as the morning light was fading and beginning to get bright. After meandering back from one pond to this one, the bull moose had moved out of the shadows and apperaed to be going in the opposite direction. I waited by the pond in hopes that it changed its mind, which it did, and traversed right across the tundra in front of Denali. In retrospect, a photographer replays this event over and over, considering all the ways the scene could have been shot. I was still a bit in landscape mode, and I was preferring to get a shot of the moose centextually placed by the colorful tundra pond. But the shooting window is very narrow and you only have a few frames to compose. I picked off a couple that I like, but when comparing with my colleague’s photos, who was not as near to the water as I was, I liked his vantage point better. Oh well, its hard to complain about this kind of opportunity, and I’m pleased that these few pictures are sharp and clean. Thank you moose and mountain.

I used a polarizer to limit some of the reflection on the tundra vegetation. This worked due to the perpendicular angle of the sun to the scene. The filter robs over a stop of light, so I bumped up the ISO to 400, and used an f/stop of 9 to get some depth of field. An f/stop of 13 would have been nice, but while the mountain is not super sharp in the picture, it is pretty distinguishable. I shot in manual mode and maximized exposure for the shadows, knowing that the dark moose would need some fill light, and I wanted that capability without introducing too much noise.

Bull moose reflection in a small kettle pond with the summit of Mt McKinley in the distance, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm (105mm) 1/160 sec @ f/9, ISO 400, w/polarizer

Bull moose walks across the autumn colored tundra by a small kettle pond with the summit of Mt McKinley in the distance, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm (40mm) 1/160 sec @ f/9, ISO 400, w/polarizer

Some open skies let the sun shine into the western region of Denali Park last week and I was able to capture a few images of that magic mountain known as Denali, although officially named Mt McKinley. It’s face is under constant changing light and for this reason, it never seems to get old. Pure clear skies do present a problem in that they lack interest. In such cases, I try to fill the frame of the image with as much foreground detail as possible, and limit the amount of plain sky. Below are a few scenes of the mountain from different times of day, and different locations. The late evening and morning light was elusive due to horizon cloud cover.

Mt McKinley reflects in a small kettle pond in the autumn tundra, cotton grass grows on the edge of the pond, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 5 D Mark II, 24-105mm (47mm), 1/30 sec @ f/14, ISO 200

Mt McKinley reflects in a small tundra pond with lily pads, sunset in Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 5 D Mark II, 24-105mm (70mm), 1/8 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Mt McKinley, Mt Foraker visible along the Alaska range with the McKinley river bar in the foreground. Autumn tundra blazes in late August, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 5 D Mark II, 24-105mm (24mm), 1/5 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Grizzly bear on the autumn colored tundra in Highway pass in Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x, (700mm), 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200

The colors in the high country of Denali National Park last week were stunning. The grizzly bear photography was less stunning, simply due to lack of opportunity on my short visit. However, this is the one scene I photographed for just a few minutes. In spite of the harsh light, the colors revive the image and give it some sparkle. As is often the case in wildlife photography, getting a subject in just the right spot is a challenge, and all the more so with Denali Park bears since when they are close for photography, one needs to be inside a vehicle and movement is thereby restricted. This bear is very well fed with a healthy layer of fat and a thick coat of fur that it will carry into winter hibernation.

My digital workflow always moves towards simplification whenever possible. Taking thousands of photos a year, and needing to move them from a flat, RAW state, to a processed version ready for a stock photography sale takes time. If there is one lesson universal to age, it is that time takes on a more premium value. At this stage in the capture and post production process of a digital file, great leaps and bounds have been made in both camera sensors and post production software.

The image below is a good candidate to illustrate my approach in shooting a landscape whose end state requires taking Lightroom experience into the field. Any experienced landscape photographer knows that “sky control” is a fundamental factor for balancing tonality in an image. In the days of film, we all used split graduated neutral density filters, and applied the necessary style to the end of the lens given the demands of the scene. While these are still of value today, I use them quite infrequently. This is so because the quality of low ISO digital files and the local adjustments possible in Lightroom make the post production process fairly simple, and rather dramatic.

In this scene, I exposed for the sky as the dramatic clouds whirled over the McKinley river bar in Denali park. The colorful tundra in the foreground, is rendered nearly black. However, with a split grad filter in Lightroom applied (approximately 2.5 stops), the foreground comes to life. This degree of exposure change does introduce some noise in the shadows, but with noise reduction and a slight grain value applied, it resolves nicely.

One could have applied that 2 stop split grad in the field, but there is not always time, and conditions are not always conducive to doing so. When dynamic clouds are involved in a landscape scene, my experience tells me to shoot and shoot fast because the clouds change quickly and the once pleasing light play on the land can vanish in no time.

Original RAW capture, with the exposure made for the highlights in the clouds, rendering the foreground nearly black.

The same scene with approximately 2.5 stops of exposure correction to the foreground with a split grad in LR. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm f/4L IS, (24mm), 1/125 sec @ f/11, ISO 100.

Dall sheep rams, Polychrome Pass, Denali National Park

Dall sheep rams on a mountain ridge in Polychrome Pass, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f/5.6L, 1/80 sec @ f/9, ISO 200

Having just returned from a few days in Denali Park, it is clear that autumn is in full swing in the high country, and the vibrant colors have scattered the hills with richness. In the latter part of the afternoon while passing through Polychrome Pass, these dall sheep rams were resting on a mountain outcrop. White subjects on a sunny day can present an exposure challenge, however in this particular scene, some vital elements of a photo fell into place. In particular, I try to find a strong degree of perpendicular lighting if possible. This introduces many layers and brightness/darkness edges that make the composition interesting. Additionally, I looked critically at the background for linear dimension and angles, both for context and for visual interest. The low lying clouds just over the mountains create a strong mood for the mountain scene, and although there was blue sky above that, I preferred the tonal range of the grays. The initial RAW capture had a tiny bit of blown out highlights and blocked up shadows, but they were recoverable with basic adjustments, rendering a pleasing tonality with plenty of contrast. Eventually, the sheep stood up and walked from the ridge and began feeding in the willow bushes. The trip in general was filled with lots of sunshine, and at times too few clouds, but overall, very productive. It’s always a delight to be in Denali park during the autumn colors.

This year I entered some photos in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, sponsored by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine. While I’ve only entered a few photo contests throughout my career, this is a popular one, and many are familiar with it. For that reason, I thought some might be interested in the results feedback. This year, they made available the stages of progress the images made in the selection process. I’m not sure how many entries there are in this contest, but there are a lot, I would not the responsibility of judging it. While none of my entries earned any awards, one did make it into the finalist rounds, and a few others in the semi-finals–per their category. Most of these have appeared in past blog posts but for the curious minds, here are the results. The winners will be announced later.

Click on photo to see it larger

Cow moose defends her newly born calf from the Grant Creek wolf pack in Denali National Park. In the end, the wolves got the baby moose.

Stage reached: Finalist
Category: Behaviour: Mammals
Image title: A mother’s furry

Bull caribou travel across a mountain ridge in the Alaska range mountains, Denali National Park, interior, Alaska.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Animals in their Environment

Bull muskox on the snow covered tundra of the arctic north slope, Alaska

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Animals in their Environment

Hammond River Canyon, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Brooks range mountains, Alaska.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Wild Places

Aerial of the Brooks Range mountains, arctic Alaska. Confluence of Easter Creek and Kilik River, Gates of the Arctic National Park.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Wild Places

Aurora borealis over snow covered spruce trees, interior, Alaska.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Wild Places

Arctic fox in white winter coat rests in a snowdrift along a lake in Alaska's arctic north slope.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Animal Portraits

Black-browed albatross has a 79-94" wingspan and a natural lifespan exceeding 70 years. Westpoint Island, Falkland Islands

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Animal Portraits

Polar bear cub of the year sits in the snow watching snowflakes fall, arctic, Alaska

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Animal Portraits

Female polar bear rubs her neck in the snow on an island in the Beaufort Sea on Alaska's arctic coast.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Behaviour: Mammals

Polar bear cubs play fight on a snow covered island in the Beaufort Sea, arctic, Alaska.

Stage reached: Semi-Finalist
Category: Behaviour: Mammals

Rearticulated whale skeleton at Jugla Point, near Port Lockroy, western Antarctic Peninsula.

Stage reached: First Round
Category: One Earth Award
Image title: Re-articulated whale skeleton

Large tabular iceberg near Paulet Island, Antarctic Peninsula.

Stage reached: First Round
Category: Creative Visions of Nature

Aerial of the wild and scenic Wind River, Brooks range, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Stage reached: First Round
Category: Creative Visions of Nature

Lizard on the stone wall of Machu Picchu, the ancient "lost city of the Incas", 1400 CA, 2400 meters. Discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. One of Peru's top tourist destinations.

Stage reached: First Round
Category: Animals in their Environment

Early snowfall in the boreal forest in the hills surrounding Fairbanks, Alaska.

Stage reached: First Round
Category: In Praise of Plants and Fungi

While an increasing amount of the James Dalton Highway are getting paved, there are large sections that remain gravel. It’s no big deal when traveling– although your vehicle gets pretty caked in mud when it rains–unless perhaps you are on a motorcycle. Many bikers consider it an adventurous destination, and the mud is met with a varying degrees of that adventurers attitude. I took this picture through the window of my car during a rain storm and when I passed the group, they all gave thumbs up, as though they were enjoying the experience. Bike and riders were caked in mud!

Motorcycles, Dalton highway mud. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm f/4L IS, 1/1250 @ f/5, ISO 400

Spotted lady's slipper orchid. Canon 5D Mark II, 100mm macro f/2.8, 1/100 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400

Spotted lady’s slipper orchid

On a hike just north of Fairbanks, I came across this delicate blooming flower, the spotted lady’s slipper orchid, which I don’t see that often. It’s delicacy and vibrant colors make it distinctive and with a little imagination hints at its name lady’s slipper. It’s a member of the orchid family. I chose a fairly large aperture to keep the background blurred, even though the entire flower is not in focus.

Hastings forest fire north of Fairbanks increases its reach beyond 12,000 acres on June 7, 2011. Panorama stitch from two photos. Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200mm f/4L IS (189mm), 1/250 sec @ f/7.i, ISO 100

The Hastings forest fire that started last Memorial day north of Fairbanks, has grown from the initial day of about 600 acres, to more than 12,000 acres by Tuesday, June 7, 2011. The crew fighting the fire now exceeds 550 people, and a crazy amount of resources which include an arsenal of air and ground attack. Fighting fire with fire was part of the agenda on Tuesday, as a backburning strategy was implemented. If you are not too sick of forest fire pictures, here are a few more. It is a powerful and humbling experience to watch this great mass of heat eat up the forest.

Wall of fire from the Hastings forest fire north of Fairbanks increases its reach beyond 12,000 acres on June 7, 2011.

Column of smoke from the Hastings forest fire north of Fairbanks, June 7, 2011.

Yesterday afternoon (Fri, June 3rd) I left the office for a few hours to check on the Hastings wildland forest fire burning  about 10-15 miles from my home. Continued dry weather and strong winds caused the fire to advance and I sat on a hillside watching some amazing smoke columns form while an aerial assault by planes and helicopters attempted to stave off the leading edges of the blaze. The fire was 600 acres on Monday and was 6000 and growing on Friday. The power of fire moving through a forest is an amazing sight to behold. I was mesmerized between shooting frames. Updates can be found on the InciWeb site.

Aircraft attempt to suppress the Hastings wildland forest fire with retardant substance, near Murphy Dome north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Hastings wildland forest fire advances on June 3, 2011. The fire is burning north of Chatanika river, outside Fairbanks, moving north and west due to winds. Panorama stitched from 9 vertical frames. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm f/5.6L IS.

100-400mm f/5.6L IS (100mm)

24-105mm f/4L IS (24mm)

70-200mm f/4L IS (200mm)

500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm)

500mm f/4L IS

500mm f/4L IS

500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm)

500mm f/4L IS

500mm f/4L IS

100-400mm f/5.6L IS (160mm)

100-400mm f/5.6L IS (260mm)

100-400mm f/5.6L IS (160mm)