Tidewater face of surprise glacier in Harriman Fjord, Prince William Sound, southcentral, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f/5.6l IS, (220mm) 1/800 sec @ f/9, ISO 400.

Surprise glacier flows out of the Chugach mountains which border Prince William Sound to the north. It is a tidewater glacier and frequently calves ice chunks into Surprise Inlet which then drift out into Harriman Fjord. Along the top edge of the glacier terminus are some finger like seracs that will soon fall into the water as gravity bears down its collective force. Fortunately we had some clouds on the last day of our journey, and I like influence that they offer both in contrast and color, creating a slightly ominous tone and color palette. The blues are much more vivid on overcast days. You can see more from my trip to Prince William Sound on my website.

While cruising across the oil tanker shipping lane in northern Prince William Sound, I grabbed this shot of the “Polar Enterprise” oil tanker entering the Valdez Arm. It looks like I was a lot closer but the photo was taken with an equivalent of a 910mm lens. The man on the bow called the “watchman” really puts things in perspective in relation to the size of these ships. This was just north of Bligh Reef, the location of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in 1989.

The watchman stands on the bow of the Polar Enterprise oil tanker as it travels north into the Valdez arm, Chugach mountains range borders the channel, Prince William Sound, Alaska. Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x, 1/5000 @f/5.6, ISO 100

The Polar Enterprise oil tanker travels north into the Valdez arm, Chugach mountains range borders the channel, Prince William Sound, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS (250mm) 1/640 @ f/5.0, ISO 100

Aerial of waves rolling on the long the sandy shores of Softuk bar, Gulf of Alaska, southcentral. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105 f/4L IS, (45mm) 1/12500 sec @ f/5, ISO 400

The beaches of the outer perimeter of the Copper River Delta, in southcentral Alaska, are broad and sandy. They open to the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific ocean, so weather can be tumultuous on its shores. On this pleasant day, I did some flying over the Copper River Delta region and we made a landing along this beach, where shorebirds were flying by, waves rolling, and sounds and winds of springs were in the air. The long shallow beach accounts for the repetition of pattern in the waves, as they slowly roll upon the beach. I grabbed this shot out of the rear window of the plane when we banked to make a landing.

Fisherman holds baskets of live spot shrimp or sometimes called Alaska prawns, recently caught from the waters of Prince William Sound. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm f/4L IS, (24mm), 1/1250 sec @ f/4, ISO 400

Growing up in the land-locked Midwest, and then living in the interior of Alaska for years, fresh seafood is rare for me. However, during a recent visit to Prince William Sound, a local fishermen was showing us his freshly caught spot shrimp (the largest shrimp of the west coast). They were as strikingly marked as they were delicious. The shrimp fishery in Prince William Sound has seen its cyclic trends, and fresh shrimp are becoming more commonly available for purchase.

Below are two common marine mammals found along the shores of Prince William Sound. Over the years I’ve gathered a collection of photos of the harbor seal and the Steller sea lion, mainly in the Sound. They are generally approachable, although the seals are bit more shy and require a slow and quite approach. Both species find safe areas where they can rest outside of the cool water. The seals are commonly found on icebergs, and the sea lions more commonly found on well protected rocky shores. Both of these scenes have a bit of color, although subtle, in the general landscape, which I like.

A harbor seal lays on a floating iceberg to thermoregulate from the chilly waters of Nellie Juan Lagoon in Prince William Sound, southcentral, Alaska. Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x (700mm), 1/2000 sec @ f/8.6, ISO 400

A large male Steller sea lion rests on a rocky island covered in green seaweed near Hinchinbrook Island in Prince William Sound, southcentral, Alaska. Canon 1D Mark IV, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS (250mm), 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800

Following a few days in the Copper River Delta, situated on the Eastern edge of Prince William Sound, and then 7 days on a boat throughout the islands of the Sound itself, I returned with handful of memorable photos. The weather in the Sound was nearly cloudless and sunny. If you know my take on this it does not get a great vote from a photography perspective, but it is also hard to complain about such enjoyable weather. I do however favor the drama that clouds give to the landscape.

The focus of the trip was the birds and wildlife of the Sound, and I believe we ended up with 76 species (or close to that). I’ll be sharing a few of those shots over the next week or so. Most of the shooting happened from a small inflatable skiff, while cruising along shorelines, bays, and coves. It’s challenging shooting a long lens in a moving vessel while trying to target small subjects like birds, especially when they take flight. It was my first real test drive of my 1D Mark IV, which performed unpredictably. Sometimes great on the auto focus, sometimes not, and I have yet to determine what the issues may be.

Many thanks to Dean Rand of Discovery Voyages for the opportunity, to once again enjoy the visual wonders of Prince William Sound.

Common murre spreads its wings before taking flight on the waters of Prince William Sound. Canon1D Mark IV, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/2000 sec @ f/4, ISO 400.

Arctic tern perched on a iceberg in the cool waters of Nellie Juan Lagoon, Prince William Sound, southcentral, Alaska. 1D Mark IV, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS, 1/2000 sec @ f/8, ISO 400

Male and female harlequin ducks in breeding plumage, Prince William Sound. Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm f/4L IS w/1.4x

The male harlequin duck is a distinctively marked, and colorful bird in its breeding plumage. We have seen hundreds of them on the voyage in Prince William Sound, although they are a bit wary from an approaching skiff. They seem to be a little less shy when they are in the interior rivers of Alaska for some reason.

Common Loon, Unakwik Inlet, Prince William Sound. Canon 1D Mark IV, 500mm w/1.4

Sunny skies in Prince William Sound have made the Spring Birding and Wildlife photography voyage on Discovery Voyages a great experience. So far we have seen all four species of the Loon. The common, the yellow-billed, the red-throated and the pacific. This common loon however, has been the lone bird that permitted some relatively close photography work. Such a beautiful bird. I shot it from a moving skiff with a 1D Mark IV, a 500mm and teleconverter. It is not the easiest thing to do but with a few attempts, which are often short periods, I was able to get some sharp ones in morning light.

Early May along the Copper River Delta in southcentral Alaska is about the time that hundreds of thousands of little visitors show up for refueling on their migratory journey to Alaska’s food and light laden summer breeding grounds. Amongst many birds, the Western Sandpipers are the most abundant, sometimes congregating in giant flocks that weave and undulate with incomprehensible synchronization. For the short time I was there this year, I missed the timing and congregation of huge flocks, but still had a few opportunities. The birds stop for 1-3 days in general, and during that short time, they seem to be constantly feeding in between very short rest periods, all timed with the rise and fall of the tide. The Delta is an important stop for these birds, due to its unique location and abundant, long, tidal flats loaded with food.

Enjoying the Western sandpiper bird migration at Hartney Bay, Cordova, Alaska

“There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.”

G. K. Chesterton

My growing affinity for something as intangible and transient as clouds is the result of years of treading the land and looking up. The magic and art of the sky is ever changing, fleeting, ominous, lovely and at times simply spellbinding. I don’t know if this is a hidden source for my fondness for landscape photography, but indeed, a dramatic happening in the clouds is a sure ingredient for a striking landscape photo. The big, open and ever changing skies that unfold across Alaska’s mountainous landscape is one aspect that ties me to this chunk of geography.  I wanted to share some with you here in a gallery.