Rainy Day on the Turnagain Arm

We have just returned from a trip to Alaska to visit our daughter’s beautiful family. Like on our first trip eight years ago, it rained most of the time. My husband and I love the views of the Turnagain Arm along the Seward highway, so did not let the rains stop us from driving on the beautiful stretch of highway between Anchorage and Girdwood. We stopped at Beluga Point and Bird Point as usual, but the rain started getting more intense and it became more and more difficult to get good photos and keep my camera dry. I ended up using the Slow Shutter app on my iPhone to capture a series of ICM images through the car window as we drove along. The raindrops on the window added interesting patterns, and I ended up being very happy with the resulting impressionistic images. This one is one of the least abstract and is one of my favorites.

MelindaLeave a comment

Niche

I’m looking back at old photos today, not just because I’ve hardly been out of the house to take new ones, but because I’m looking for a set of photos that I could say are in my photography niche (an assignment for my AAUW photography group). I have several “niches”, I guess, but in the last few years, my favorite place to take photos is at the beach. I like to take photos of beach people, beach birds, and the water itself. This photo is part of my intentional camera movement/slow shutter series of gulls in Alaska. I love the look of the white gull over dark water- and it required almost no editing.

MelindaLeave a comment

Loon

Most of my Alaska photography time last month was spent photographing the loons that swam peacefully around the lake. Often they would dive beneath the water for food and then surface with a spray of bubbly lake water. They were usually in pairs and would call to each other when they were separated, flapping their wings when the other was spotted. There was a pair with babies which I never saw, unfortunately. Next year…

MelindaLeave a comment

Setting Sun

Some of my favorite images (and memories) come from last summer’s vacation in Alaska when we celebrated our fiftieth anniversary. I have a multitude of photos still to be processed, and I love dipping into the collection and finding new images to create. This one is two photos taken within minutes of each other and layered in Photoshop.

Melinda2 Comments

Exhale. . .

We have just returned from a week visiting our daughter’s family in Alaska. Most of the time was spent at their family cabin on a small lake. I can’t imagine a more relaxing spot- especially at sunset. This iPhone shot was taken after 11 pm, when the light was just beginning to dim. Ahhhh….

Melinda1 Comment

Sunset X 2

Above is a diptych I created for my photo group- two images of sunset over Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The assignment was to choose two favorite images from 2021. Sunset over water at 11:30pm was an unforgettable sight as we celebrated our 50th anniversary last July!

Melinda3 Comments

Vintage

Vintage Alaska

I enjoyed a presentation by Hazel Meredith last night at our camera club, so I used some of her techniques in Topaz Studio 2 to edit this rural scene shot in Alaska last summer.

Melinda1 Comment

Moody Morning

Moody Morning

Sunlight broke through the fog and rain clouds, illuminating some of the waters of Kachemak Bay as cars and trucks began heading out the Homer Spit last summer. After a day and a half of rain, the sun was a welcome sight!

MelindaLeave a comment

The Swoop

The Swoop

Today’s image is yet another in my series of gulls captured with intentional camera movement. This gull was photographed “mid-swoop” as it flew over Katsitsna Bay in the early evening. The unpredictability of the result is a big part of the fun of doing this type of photography.

MelindaLeave a comment

Golden Path

Golden Path

The highlight of each day of our stay in the Alaska cabin was sunset. The days were long, but around 11 pm, the sun would start its descent. We sat outside watching the gulls and eagles making their last fishing forays- such a peaceful way to end the day.

Photography note- The sky was not this dark (it’s Alaska in the summer!). I chose to underexpose in order to keep the shape of the sun- an artistic choice.

Melinda1 Comment