An ICM photo taken from our daughter’s deck in Alaska
Through the Gap
My daughter’s home in Alaska is surrounded by trees and mountains, and the winter sun is too low on the horizon to shine directly on their house. But for about an hour a day it sits in a gap between peaks, its intense light turning everything golden before hiding again behind the mountains.
Alaska Drive-by Number 2
I’m sure this won’t be the last- there were gorgeous views everywhere you looked!
This is somewhere near Palmer- I think.
Super Duper
Last night I finally got outside to photograph the super moon. At first there was just a glow in the sky- and then the moon rose over the clouds, only to disappear and then reappear in the cloudy sky.
I went out later to check on its progress as it rose in the sky and was almost more fascinated with the smoke-like cloud beside it than I was with the moon itself. For the image below I had to blend two exposures to get the cloud to show next to the moon.
Not tired of it yet. . .
I have photographed this view of the San Francisco Peaks many times- and recently have used both intentional camera movement and multiple exposure for a different look. But really- it is the skies that make the difference.
This shot is of last Friday’s sunrise and is a multiple exposure. It looks like a woven blanket to me.
And here is a more “traditional” photo taken at the same time- not that much different, except for the colors of the mountains. I love how the sun is hitting the snow at the top.
Sometimes you don’t have to wander far from home to find photo subjects.
Icy Sunset
Another view of sunset at the Eagle River Nature Center
Bare
When we first moved to Arizona, I missed trees! Over time, I have learned to love the open landscape and find myself drawn to its bare beauty.
Here Comes the Sun
We are blessed with a view of beautiful Arizona sunrises, which I never get tired of photographing. Lonnie and I were both out there as the sky shifted from red and pink to orange and finally blue this morning.
Alaska Blues
Every day we were in Alaska, I would wander out onto the deck and take photos of the view.
Here is an afternoon blue hour shot:
Five
This row of trees seems to stand guard at the gap in the mountains at the nature center. In browsing through other photos of this area, I noticed everyone seems to take a photo of these same trees. They are somewhat ragtag and gawky looking, but there is just something about them!
At sunset, everything seemed to have a rosy glow.
I did another edit in black and white, but couldn’t seem to get the effect I wanted. Then I added a teal color layer and a texture, which gives it a snowy look. Just playing!
Frozen
Here is another view of the frozen landscape at the Eagle River Nature Center.
Passing the torch. . .
Before we left for Alaska, my daughter, Caitlin told me to be sure to pack my macro lens because there was amazing ice to photograph. It sounded right up my alley- macro is just about my favorite kind of photography. While I was taking landscape shots at the nature center, Caitlin was busily snapping shots with her iPhone. She denies being into photography and never edits her photos, but still manages to produce beautiful images; the thing is- she has a real eye.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have my macro with me on our walk, but I often use my zoom lens to get close-up shots- so, when I saw her photographing the ice on the railings, I did as well. When her battery gave out, she borrowed my phone. My photos are just O.K.- you can see what is going on here. I wasn’t able to get super close, and the aperture I chose (f8) didn’t give me a deep enough depth of field.
But here are two of hers- using MY iPhone. I alternate between feeling jealous and proud!
No, she did not use a macro attachment- and they are not cropped. I’m pretty amazed at how close you can get to the subject with the iPhone! All her ice photos turned out fabulous- and mine did not. Hmmmpphhh!
Alaska Drive-by
There is so much beautiful scenery in Alaska, and you can’t stop for every view- so you sometimes have to just keep clicking your shutter as you go down the freeway. In fact, my shutter jammed as I kept firing it in burst mode as we drove along (it did recover, thank goodness). I don’t know exactly where this was taken- somewhere between Palmer and Wasilla, I think.
Brrrr!
I think all my Alaska photos should be titled Brrrr– it was cold. We didn’t spend a lot of time outside, but I did accompany Justin and Caitlin- and Penny, the golden retriever, on a quick walk at the Eagle River Nature Center, at the Chugach State Park. I saw a very different scene from my visit in August!
That’s ice on the trees; the only snow was on the mountains. I think this photo was taken around three- thirty.
Aurora!
We have just returned from a wonderful Thanksgiving visit with our daughter’s family in Alaska- our first trip there in winter (I know it is technically fall, but it was WINTER there!). There was no snow, but the ground and many of the trees were covered with icy hoar frost. Daylight was limited, and the weather averaged in the low teens. Brrrr!
I was hoping to see the northern lights, but Caitlin had warned me that most nights had cloud covered skies, which blocked the view. I think it was the second morning we were there that she woke us up to tell us that she could see the aurora from the front deck. We staggered sleepily outside (it was not really that early- 7 a.m.- but it was dark, of course), and, after a few minutes of allowing our eyes to be accustomed to the darkness, we were treated to the sight of a faint aurora dancing around the dark skies. I grabbed my camera and set up the tripod for a long exposure. I hadn’t prepared for this and didn’t think anything was showing up on the LCD monitor. Caitlin offered to drive us a few miles down the road toward the state park, where she thought we would be able to see more. We pulled over in a likely spot, but alas, we could only see stars. I set up the tripod anyway and took three 15 second exposures anyway, stopping when I kept hearing rustling in the bushes. It wasn’t until I looked at the images on the computer that I realized that there was indeed a very small part of the aurora visible. My images were underexposed at 15 seconds- perhaps I needed to increase ISO or use a longer exposure. Next time, I will be more prepared!
Below is my favorite view, although the aurora is mini. This was taken from a pullout on the road.
melinda anderson photography 