Mt McKinley, Denali National Park, Alaska.
This was my first full morning from my recent trip to Denali National Park – one of my most productive trips in awhile!
Wild Lynx
Wild lynx, Denali National Park, Alaska.
This was the same day as the sunset I posted yesterday, and of the sheep image I posted a couple of days ago – funny how some days everything just comes together!
This guy really scared us – as we were hiking around through the forest, he burst out of some trees just a few feet from us! Fortunately, he only went about 20 feet and stopped which is when I captured this photo. After that, he went to hunting and we were able to watch him for a good twenty minutes. What a treat!
From what I have read, the lynx population lags the snowshoe hare population by about a year. The last few years, there have been hares everywhere. This year, there were very few. So, I have a feeling that the days of spotting lynx in Denali are about over. Seems like on my trips to Denali over the last couple of years that I have seen at least one lynx on each trip – but in the years before that, I rarely saw a lynx there. If the lynx population does crash as expected, I’m going to miss these wonderful encounters.
Color on Color
Sable Pass, Denali National Park, Alaska.
It is rare that a photo captured with a dull color space like AdobeRGB doesn’t need saturation – but this one didn’t! Between the rich colors and the incredible glow coming off the beautiful sunset sky, it was warm colors illuminating warm colors. In a way, not unlike what you see in a slot canyon.
Dall Sheep
Dall Sheep, Denali National Park, Alaska.
I tried to get these guys over numerous days but was never able to get the right combination of light and fall foliage until almost my last day. On my second to last evening I found this ram in one of the most colorful parts of Denali right at sunset – I was thrilled!
Denali
Mt. Mc Kinley, Denali National Park, Alaska.
I’m back from a wonderful week and a half in Denali National Park. At first, I thought I had missed the peak fall colors, and I might have in a couple of areas of the park, but for the most part, the colors were amazing. I can’t believe how that countryside is transformed in the autumn!
This was from my first night – one of many in which I had amazing light to go with the wonderful scenery.
Besides the color, I spent a lot of time pursuing the wildlife. The wildlife wasn’t as plentiful as it has been in the past, but I still was able to photograph wolves, lynx, fox, a huge caribou and numerous moose. I’m definitely worn out – but that is a good thing!
Fishing Bear and Traveling Ron
Brown bear with a red salmon, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
I hadn’t planned on photographing more bears this week, but a video assignment found me in the middle of bear country not too far from my home in Seward on Wednesday. This is an image from that day. The fishing was good and the salmon everywhere. If this bear caught a male, it might peel some of the skin off, but as often as not, it would just toss it back. It definitely was after the row in the females. When it did catch a female, the salmon eggs were about all she would eat. Times are good when you are living on just caviar!
In the morning I head north for almost two weeks. Much of that time will be in Denali – I’m really excited to have drawn permit dates during the peak of the fall colors – I have been trying to get these dates for over 10 years!
I probably won’t worry too much about bears on this trip, but I would really like to improve on my coverage of caribou and moose – not to mention landscapes and fall colors. Northern lights would be a real bonus. If I have time, when I come out of the park for gas and showers, I will post an update here – but, it is possible that I won’t have the time in which case I’ll see you when I get back!
Straight up or on the rocks?
Close-up of an iceberg, Aialik Glacier and Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.
Here is one from my Kenai Fjords National Park trip from earlier this month. It has been such a busy month that this trip seems like a life time ago!
I photographed it both ways, this version with the rocks along the bottom, and a version without the rocks. The rocks give it a visual anchor, and some context, the version without rocks is more of an abstract. So which do you like better?
I wasn’t going to post the version without the rocks – you can either scroll up until the rocks are out of sight, or use a piece of paper or your hand to block the rocks, and that will basically give you the same image.
Recent Comments