Category Archive

A Red Salmon trying to leap up a waterfall, Alaska.

OK, here is another setup I have been attempting to fine tune this past week.  This is also captured by a remotely fired camera via a Pocket Wizard, along with a very wide angle lens set at 20mm, and some fill flash.

Since the salmon were often landing where I had my camera setup, I decided to use an old camera (5d), and an old barely functioning tripod, along with an equally old, seldom used lens – glad I held on to that stuff!   Even though I had the whole setup tied to the bank with rope, I really didn’t want to take a chance of losing my main gear into the pool of water!

So what do you think, does this “work”, is it worth pursuing?

Here are my thoughts.  The uneven lighting doesn’t help – I hope to try again on a cloudy or overcast day.  I think 20 mm might be too wide – the salmon looks a little small in the frame even through it is just a couple feet from the camera – maybe 24 would be better.    I might try a different composition, one looking back towards the waterfall – this might help keep the camera dry – I had to constantly dry the front of the lens thanks to splashing salmon!

I need to work on my reaction time – about 100 of my 120 photos contained only a waterfall because by the time I clicked, the salmon had already landed!

A young moose feeds in a pond, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I captured this a couple of nights ago, 15 minutes past 11 p.m.!

Paradise Peak, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I returned to this pretty patch of lupine for sunset Wednesday night.  I’m pretty much standing in the same spot as I was in the image I posted earlier this week, but facing a different direction, just as the stormy weather cleared.  It is interesting how the same location can produce such different results in such a short period of time.

An above and below water photo of Red Salmon, Chugach National Forest, near Seward, Alaska.

I got out my remote setup for above / below water photos yesterday, it is pretty fun to play with!  I have never used this setup in swift moving water like this – it offers some new challenges.

For one, the water level moves up and down in the frame from photo to photo – in still water it is easy to have the surface bisect the middle of the frame.  In addition, the water surface itself also seem much thicker then on flat water.  What happen is sometimes the fish or the trees get hidden by the water surface if that makes any sense.  Finally, the fish and light rain kept getting the glass wet as you can see by the blurred areas in the top half of this image – I think I have a solution for this.  But, when it does work, I think the results are pretty cool!

I hope to spend a few more days working this location – now if I could only have a bear here like there was last year!

Snow River Valley, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I captured this yesterday as a rain squall moved up the valley.  Check out the fresh snow in the mountains – it usually begins looking like that in September, not June!