When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we’ll see
No, I won’t be afraid
Oh, I won’t be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me
Stand By Me
Yes, there are mountains!
This is the view looking across the Turnagain Arm from the Seward Highway outside Anchorage, Alaska. Just a small part of the view, I might add! On our first visit to Alaska in the summer of 2016, we landed at night and stayed at a hotel near downtown. We saw none of this- Anchorage did not look pretty, and we saw no mountains. The next morning, we headed out on the Seward Highway and got our first view of the snow capped peaks and glaciers- I’ll never forget my feelings of awe and excitement as we drove along the water! Every time we return, I get that same feeling as we drive along that now familiar road. This shot is from a few weeks ago when we were there for our grandson’s graduation.
Morning in Eagle River
We had the privilege of watching our first grandson, Miles, graduate from high school 10 days ago in Alaska! It was a heartwarming and poignant moment to see this wonderful boy cross the stage and take this first step into adulthood. Cheers and tears!
We had never visited our Alaska family in May but knew that winter was especially late leaving this year- so we prepared for all weather, including rain. We stayed in a rental close to our daughter’s home and were greeted by a beautiful view of the cloud-covered mountains each morning. I think there was only a day or two when it actually rained, but the beautiful clouds were always there.
My focus was not photography this visit, but we did manage to take two drives along the Turnagain Arm. I’ll be sharing a few more mountain and clouds photos soon!
Construction
A little abstract inspired by the ongoing construction of a very large house on the hill across the road from us
Sacred Space
Inspired by a visit to the mission at Tumacacori a couple years ago
Native
Almost every year, I take photos of the Apache plume plant (native to Arizona) at the front of our house by the street. This year, I took photos in the late afternoon as the sun was low, creating those round bokeh circles through the leaves in the background. I desaturated the image for a vintage look.
Happy Earth Day!
Chasing Clouds
Here is another image from my quick photoshoot of fence and clouds in Congress AZ- this time a vertical shot.
I brake for clouds…
On a recent trip over the mountains and through Yarnell, the clouds were magnificent! It had rained the night before, and I really wanted to stop for photos- but I wasn’t the driver, and we were on a schedule, so…
When we got to Congress, we stopped at the gas station, and I hustled over to the fence down the road and managed to grab a few shots. I used my Fuji and shot the photos in black and white, editing the RAW image in Lightroom.
I might also add that a broken down fence is always a favorite subject- so with clouds in the background this was my idea of a perfect photo opportunity!
Teepee Dreams
I have photographed the teepees at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook on three separate trips. Each visit has resulted in entirely different images. This last was from a short visit a couple weeks ago. It’s possible that wasn’t my last visit- I still haven’t actually walked on the grounds of the motel!
Bisbee Vibe
Remembering our two trips to Bisbee (southern Arizona)- so many photo opportunities in this old town!
Somehow Spring is Here
. . . and we missed Winter! Above are two photos from a recent walk through our local rookery at Willow Lake, where herons and cormorants are building their nests and bluebirds and their little friends are perched on the lower branches along the trail. At home the finches are nesting, the lizards are out, and butterflies flit through the yard!
Timeless Faith
Chat GPT suggested the title for this photo taken back in 2015 of Mission San Xavier del Bac (south of Tucson). I’m posting it now, because I recently edited it for the monthly competition in our photo club. The challenge was to take a photo that we might have rejected previously and improve it by editing. I also used this as an opportunity to practice my updated Silver Efex software for a black and white conversion. I’m in a Black and White Special Interest Group with the club and have been learning the program- with an emphasis on the Zone System, which I first heard about from my father back in his photography days. After my Lightroom editing, I did the conversion and some local adjustments in Silver Efex, and then I took it back to Photoshop to add some toning, which I couldn’t quite get right in Silver Efex. I don’t always submit photos to the club and am very happy to report it got First Place!
Below is the original image before the final edit:
Good Morning!
Here’s my pre-sunrise view when I got up- today I actually went outside to capture it!
What if?
The lunar eclipse is happening tonight (actually early tomorrow), and a group from my photo club are down at Whitewater Draw to photograph the eclipse AND the sandhill cranes. I’m thinking of them and wondering . . .
What if a crane flew by when the moon was obscured during totality?
I combined one of my photos of the January 2018 lunar eclipse with a photo of a sandhill crane from last year’s trip to Whitewater Draw- and then had some fun in Photoshop!
If you’re awake, don’t forget to go out and view the eclipse early tomorrow morning!
melinda anderson photography 