Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Northern lights in the Brooks Range. Canon 5D Mark III, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8, 15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600
It is hard to resist the lure of Alaska’s arctic. It’s immense, wide open, unpopulated spaces, pure white snow, and rugged mountain vistas are the gift of wilderness that refreshes the soul. For me it was the last venture and quest for some aurora borealis photography before the darkness is consumed by constant sunlight. Even now, it was hardly dark at midnight, but still well below zero. I took this shot of the northern lights as they swirled overhead of Mt Sukakpak, in one of my favorite regions of the Brooks Range. Hindsight corrects all photographic errors and omissions, and this short journey, in spite of lots of experience, showed me how I could improve on some imagery. However, that will have to wait until late August, when Alaska’s skies grow dark enough for those shifting green curtains to show themselves again.
As daylight floods back in Alaska’s north, the dark skies are diminishing quickly. The season for aurora borealis photography is waning, but there could be at least one last good show this weekend, if all of that energy recently blown off the sun actually hits earth. There is currently a middle latitude aurora activity watch in effect, which should begin in Alaska tonight (Friday) or tomorrow morning and last for a couple days. So, for me, it looks like I’ve got a day shift and a night shift on deck. Let’s hope for some action. And it’s not too late to check out my eBook on How to Photograph the Northern Lights, if you have not already done so. Thus far, it has received good reviews and helped many people capture some quality aurora photos. The Northern Lights gallery below are some of the photos I took on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2013 during a very colorful aurora borealis display in Alaska.
This is part two of the former post. Since I could not put two polls in one post, I had to separate them out. Finicky software. So, sorry for the redundancy. I’d appreciate a click for what you think would be the strongest selling calendar cover. I added one new variation. This calendar highlights the interior regions of Alaska, and the cover should be distinctive of what one may see there.
Thanks,
2015 Fairbanks Calendar Cover
Fairbanks & Interior Alaska Calendar
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Over the past few years I’ve greatly appreciated the comments and feedback from you regarding my choice and design for the Alaska Calendars I publish. Believe it or not, I’m already working on the 2015 Alaska Calendars. Here are three cover options I’m considering for each of my Alaska Calendars. The 2015 ALASKA Profiles in Nature wall calendar, and the 2015 Fairbanks & Interior Alaska wall calendar. Which one would you pick? Your gut response is probably the best, but think in terms of the power of a calendar cover that stands out on a rack, and has buying appeal. Share any additional comments regarding design. Thanks
(addendum: Oh Well, I found out after the fact that I can only put one voting poll in per post, otherwise it confuses the votes…sigh. So, I’m removing the vote option for the Fairbanks Calendar and will add that one in another post. Silly plug-ins).
ALASKA Profiles in Nature Calendar
2015 Alaska Profiles in Nature calendar cover
With each successive year, I become increasingly more fascinated, intrigued and concerned about the the arctic itself and the inhabitants that live in that beautiful but austere landscape. I was proud to participate in a book project over the past few years that sought to help bring public awareness to some sensitive areas in the National Petroleum Reserve, and advocate for their protection (On Arctic Ground: Tracking Time Through Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve). Alaska is a big place, and the Arctic region is close to 1/3 of the State. I’ve had a gallery of my work from the Arctic on my website for a long time, but with 20,000+ images, many can get lost in the masses. I thought I’d highlight that gallery here for a little emphasis.
Gallery featuring some of my photography in Alaska’s arctic.
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Yes, I’m joking; great job capturing what must have been an amazing night. Even more so judging from the photos than the one we shared last October.
by Patrick Endres
Bob Turner - This is a great capture. Mt. Sukakpak is a great feature in the image.
Charles Howarth - As always Patrick, simply amazing. Thank you for sharing with us.