Archive for the ‘Winter’ Category
Photos of winter, cold, snowy, icy, wintery images.
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
Mount Blackburn Photo, Wrangell Mountains and the Copper River Basin, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
Here’s a view of Mount Blackburn and the Wrangell Mountains, at sunset.
One of the hassles with shooting in Alaska in the dead of winter is, of course, the cold. We all understand how that’s a hassle, right? Cold fingers, batteries that die, and so forth. The list goes on.
Getting a vehicle started at 40 below zero deg F is itself an art. An engine block heater for your car helps – well, it’s pretty much a ‘must have’. But at minus40deg, even that won’t get you far. The engine block heater helps warm up the mechnical parts of the engine block, but at these frigid arctic temperatures, even the oil thickens up so much it doesn’t flow; problematic for a car engine. So , an Oil Heater works well. Another useful tool is something to warm up the battery. The 3rd item that’s a good tool to have is a battery heating pad – cold temperatures can dramatically affect the cranking power of a battery, so heating it up will help get your car started. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Copper River bas, Landscapes, Mount Blackburn, scenics, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Cool stories, Landscapes, Musings, Photography, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 6 Comments »
Monday, January 17th, 2011
An ice cave on the Kuskulana Glacier, in the Wrangell Mountains. Winter snow and freezing temperatures ice up the water of the Kuskulana River, and the this wall of ice is a myriad of patterns, colors, and textures. Kuskulana Glacier, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
“Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” ≈ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thank you, Dr. King.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Glaciers, Landscapes, scenics, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Abstract Photos, Adventures, Alaska, Landscapes, Miscellaneous, News, People, Skiing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 4 Comments »
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
A backcountry skier stands above the Kuskulana River, near Mt. Blackburn. Cross country skiing in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, winter, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
A quick photo from Wrangell – St. Elias National Park.
Skis: cheap
Pack: not very much $$
View: free
Temperature: Minus 40 degrees.
By the way – if you want to see some great work – check out Jim Goldstein’s blog post, including links to over 160 photographers’ favorite photos from 2010.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Mount Blackburn, Skiing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Landscapes, News, Photography, Skiing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 7th, 2011
Winter is a great time for backcountry skiing in Alaska. Cross country skiing and ski touring in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, along the Kuskulana River, near Mt Blackburn and the Wrangell Mountains, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
Happy New Year, and Welcome back to the blog. I had a somewhat mixed couple of weeks, which I’m sure I’ll tell you all about here soon enough. Before I get all that together however, I’ll post a short note about this news I saw, an article concerning a new publishing of the Mark Twain classics: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” edited by Professor Alan Gribben of Auburn University at Montgomery. It differs from other editions of those books because Mr. Gribben has turned the word “nigger” — as used by Tom and Huck — into “slave.” Mr. Gribben has also changed “Injun” to Indian.
This is interesting to me. I’m a huge fan of Twain, particularly those novels, and the idea of editing (i.e., rewording) such great work is almost ghastly .. on the surface. On the other hand, we live in a world where art, including ‘great art‘ is constantly being ‘adapted‘ for presentation: consider films presented on television, for example. How are bleeps, voice-overs, cuts and blurred body parts any different to a publisher swapping out words that might be offensive or inappropriate? Or updated versions of Shakespearean classics, making them infinitely more readable for kids? How about song lyrics bleeped for radio play? Or, better yet, literary classics like Nabokov’s “Lolita” banned from schools altogether?
How about the outcry over John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High”? The US Senate held a hearing in 1985 to deal with explicit lyrics in pop music. So we’re not talking about anything new here at all. Indeed, one of the most popular shows on TV in recent times is American Idol, where countless classic tunes have been butchered by this generations’ most current attempts to throw its own heros up the pop charts. 
(more…)
Tags: Alaska, Art, Mount Blackburn, Skiing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Art, Landscapes, Musings, News, Photography, Skiing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 13th, 2010
I was photographing toward the mountains when 2 snowboarders came on by. I snapped this photo of one of them before he took off down the mountain. A snowboarder walks across the ridge near Flatop Mountain, Glen Alps, near Anchorage, in winter, Alaska. Mt. McKinley, known as "Denali" in the distance. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey folks,
A quick word of advice. If you think it looks like a nice afternoon to go out and shoot some photos (i.e., the light is rockin’, fresh snow on the mountaintops, etc, etc, etc), the very best of advice I might offer you is this: Head out on your own.
I know better than to think I might do some photography when I head out with non-photographers. Well, I like to THINK I know better, but I today did it yet again. Sometimes I’m a just a flatout non-learner, I guess.
So, as the setting sun turned the sky and nearby mountains a glorious pink, instead of photographing the grandeur, I was packed up and skiing my way back to the parking lot, my camera and tripod safely tucked away inside my daypack.
Photography and non-photographers just don’t mix well. The first time I was given this lesson was years ago, in a discussion with the late Bill Silliker, Jr (a great photographer and a good man); we were talking about being a photographer versus being a musician. Bill had been a drummer in his younger days. His words were “Carl, one of the best things, for me, about photography as a gig is that I don’t need a bass player”. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Anchorage, Glen Alps, photograph, Skolai Images, snow, Winter
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Anchorage, Musings, Photography, Skiing, Snowboarding, Winter | 2 Comments »
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
Wal-Mike's run down store of all things, Trapper Creek, on the Parks highway, winter, Alaska. Click on the thumbnail above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
Here’s a photo I took this past week on a thwarted trip north to photograph Denali. I’d hoped for a nice clear morning and view of the grand old mountain with some nice alpenglow, but a low lying fog settled in the river valley overnight, and I couldn’t see much of anything until well after sunup. Kind of a bummer after spending a night in my bag at 0˚.
So I packed up and headed back south, towards the warmth of a shower. Along the way, I drove past Wal-Mike’s, a place I’d driven by many times and always thought to myself ‘I gotta shoot that sometime’. Well, friday was ‘sometime’, so I went for it. Mike was around, but fortunately used to photographers, I suppose. He didn’t come out with a sawn-off shotgun, as I suspected, and I was able to take a few photos and scurry on before any drama unfolded.
I must admit, I was a little uneasy standing around taking photos with all the ‘Joe Miller for US Senate’ signs in the area, but no one bothered me, and I escaped without any trouble.
I must admit, the name of the store is pretty clever.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Skolai Images
Posted in Alaska, Miscellaneous, Winter | 5 Comments »
Monday, November 8th, 2010
Winter travel through the boreal forest, in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Hiking on snowshoes through the snow-covered taiga, white spruce forest in winter. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of the photo.
Hey Folks,
Well, Fall’s well and truly over, now. I skied through a whiteout this afternoon, over in the Chugach Mountains, and decided winter’s here. So I think I’ll welcome the new season with a trip to “the park”, as I call Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
The plan is to head over early this week and spend a few days on the north side of the park, snowshoeing and skiing around in the forest. I took this photo last winter on a trip to this same area; it’s always a treat to return and wander through the silent whiteness.
Winter is such a fascinating time of year in Alaska, so stark and silent, yet completely amazing. It lacks the vitality of the summer, but owns a kind of sublime depth that simply isn’t present at any other time of year. It’s very alive. Right now it hasn’t yet got down to the crazy winter temps of -40˚, but there should be plenty of snow around.
Tomorrow I’ll spend part of the day packing for the trip. Even though I’m only going to the park for a few days, colder weather means more gear, and more careful packing is required. Then, Tuesday, it’ll be off to Wrangell – St. Elias National Park to see what I can find to photograph. If nothing is on offer, I’ll just spend the time skiing a few areas want to explore a little more, snowshoeing through the forest, and enjoying the greatest National Park in the world.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Adventures, Alaska, Landscapes, scenics, Skolai Images, snowshoeing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Forests, People, Snowshoeing, Travel, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 5 Comments »
Monday, November 1st, 2010
A dumping of fresh snow loads this young willow sapling, Wrangell mountains, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. To view a larger version of this photo, please click on the image above.
hey Folks,
I just thought I’d do a quick plug here and announce my first ever print sale. That’s right, the holidays are coming on soon, and why not order your loved ones a fine art print for their wall? Better yet, order yourself a fine art print. So, Nov 1 through Nov 25, 2010, I’m offering 20% off regular prices for ALL prints. A 16″ x 20″ print (or 24″) of this image typically sells for $180. Right now, until Nov 25, that means it’s yours for $144.00.
Canvas Wraps are also available – a beautiful canvas print, laminated for protection, wrapped, mounted on a handcut, solid wooden frame and ready to be hung on the wall. Printed in Atlanta (myphotopipe.com do some of the finest Canvas Gallery Wraps in the nation), the finished product is simply exquisite. For $280.00 (+S&H), this, or any other image on my website, will be printed at 20″ x 30″ and mounted, ready for your wall. That’s a $70.00 savings!
Wildlife Photos? Take a look at the Grizzly Bears gallery for over 500 wild grizzly bear photos. Elk, whitetail deer, bald eagles, you choose. Landscape photos and scenics on sale as well, such as the snow-laden willow sapling here, taken one winter in the Wrangell Mountains, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Also, note this offer includes any image posted on the blog here that is not yet posted to the gallery section of the site. Browse the website, decide which images you might like, or your friends and family might like, and place an order. 3 or more images and I’ll cover S&H .. just use the Coupon Code “Go-Ahead-’n'-Get-Ya-One”.
In order that I can get all prints finished and shipped in time for the holidays, the sale ends Nov 25. Waiting until later can mean your print likely won’t arrive in time, so please go ahead and place your order asap.
Credit Card orders welcome.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Landscapes, sales, scenics, Skolai Images, Winter
Posted in Alaska, Art, Cool stories, Landscapes, News, Photography, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 15th, 2010
Aurora borealis photo. Using my vehicle headlights to light up the foreground a little bit. Northern lights, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of the photo.
Hey Folks,
An aurora borealis photo taken a few weeks ago.
I’ve never had the good fortune to shoot the aurora borealis on a well lit night; a clear night when the moon is full, or close to it, would be ideal. My luck always seem to run into a dark night, which makes for a great, great experience, but the photographs could benefit from some ambient light on the foreground.
So, in this particular instance, I turned on the lights of my van for a split second during the exposure. It took me a couple of tries to get the balance right, and it’s far from ideal, but I kind of like this shot; taken along the Nabesna Road in mid-September. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, aurora borealis, Landscapes, Northern Lights, scenics, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Northern Lights, Photo Tours, Photography, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 3 Comments »
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Winter snow covers Kennicott Glacier and alpenglow catches the peaks of the Wrangell Mountains and Stairway Icefall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the photo to view a larger version of the image.
Hey Folks,
The Wrangell Mountains in winter. Alpenglow catches the eastern edge of the range. This view is looking up the Kennicott Glacier. At right is the edge of Bonanza Ridge, Jumbo, Then Stairway Icefall, Donohue Peak just left of center, and the Ahtna Peaks behind that to the left.
Winter’s finally wrapping itself up here in the north; it lingers much as the sun’s final rays cling to these high peaks at days end. Spring makes it’s way north slowly, and and is completely diurnal for now. The days, growing longer weekly, yield. But the night belongs to the winter, the cold, dark silence of the quiet time.
This is the first real “view” I ever had in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, all those years ago when I first ventured north on a backpacking adventure. I’d taken a bus from Fairbanks south, and the weather wasn’t so great; not raining, but overcast. I didn’t really have any idea of the scale of the landscape I was amongst at the time. The bus dropped me off on the highway, at the Edgerton Cutoff, and I hitch-hiked from there in to McCarthy (about 90 miles). That was an adventure in itself, maybe I’ll recount it another time. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Donoho Peak, Kennicott Glacier, Landscapes, scenics, Stairway Icefall, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Alaska, Landscapes, Musings, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 1 Comment »
