Raven Glacier

Tyler Howie and I returned late yesterday evening after completing the Crow Pass Trail from Girdwood to Eagle River. Three days, two nights, 23 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain followed by a 4,000 descent and one river crossing. The colors were spectacular and wildlife was abundant - we had a couple of close calls with rutting moose, which I will describe in more detail later. Here is Tyler with our fearless leader Freija sporting her K-9 Pack from Mountainsmith, passing by Raven Glacier. I will have more to share soon. 

Colin

Crow Pass Trek

I was planning starting the Crow Pass Trail today with my good friend and trekking partner Tyler Howie and his faithful dog Freija, but we decided to postpone until tomorrow due to high winds and heavy rain. If all goes as planned, we will start in Girdwood tomorrow, hike over the pass (to the left of the mountains pictured here) and spend two nights camped near Glacier Lake, right below Eagle Glacier, which is the source of Eagle River. The trail is 23 miles total with a 2,000-foot elevation gain going up to the pass followed by 4,000 feet down the other side to the river, plus we'll be adding the extra trip around the lake to the glacier. Autumn colors should be peaking at higher elevations and I hope to return with new images and stories to share.

Have a great week, everybody!

Colin

Everyone is "raven" about the new iPhone 7...

Seems everyone's "raven" about the new iPhone 7 and its 12-megapixel camera. Might be wise to invest in a good, bird-proof case.

This raven was unusually curious and obviously looking for food, it's likely been conditioned to receiving handouts from people. The photo was taken with a 17mm wide-angle lens at very close range - within a couple feet. iPhone (unintentionally) provided by Jean Cheng/\.

Behind-the-Scenes

Here is a behind-the-scenes shot from early Thursday morning. I spent the better part of two hours hopping out to this rock and back to my camera, experimenting with different exposures and compositions, adjusting the intensity and direction of light from my headlamp to illuminate the water and backlight myself so I would show up against the dark foreground. I got it all dialed in just before the sky erupted with aurora around 2 am, when I took the shot that was in Alaska Dispatch News on Friday. I almost fell into the water on at least five different occasions and after hiking the roughly 1.5 miles out to this spot and back at night, alone, knowing full well there were bears in the immediate area, I returned home shortly after 4 am, edited through the images and picked my favorite one to post. Needless to say, it was gratifying to have landed a photo on the front page of Alaska’s largest newspaper just 24 hours later.

PS – if you look closely, you can see two salmon next to the submerged log on my right.

Auroras and Salmon

Aurora chasing and salmon gazing, there is a lot going on right now with the changing season. It's been a long but productive evening and I shot from a new location that I've had in mind for some time. Salmon were splashing all around me and thankfully I did not encounter a bear on my nighttime hike. Now I must get a few hours of sleep.

Namaste,

Colin

World Photography Day 2016

Happy World Photography Day 2016! The world's first known photograph was created 177 years ago today. The process has changed considerably since that time, even since I began shooting twenty years ago. I resisted the digital revolution and continued to shoot film until 2007, when I finally broke down and got my first digital SLR. As an artist, I love the possibilities that newer technology provides, making it possible to produce images that simply could not have been captured using film. At the same time, you might say it has been a double-edged sword as the stock photo market has been saturated with low-priced, royalty free images and in many cases businesses and publications have come to expect photos for no cost at all. That being said, change is inevitable and the only way to survive is to adapt. Social media provides a platform to do just that.

This is one of my first and most memorable photographs - aurora borealis and the Big Dipper over North America’s tallest mountain, Denali, taken on Kodak slide film in 1998. It is still among my best selling images to date and has landed in several publications, including Alaska Magazine and was also used by the US Postal Service on a commemorative stamp sheet. I’m excited to see what the next twenty years will bring in the way of photographic technology and business pursuits; the possibilities are endless.

Colin

The Sun is Setting on Summer

After a break in the weather, it is apparent how quickly summer is drawing to a close. Since June 21, we've lost nearly 4 hours of daylight. During the longest days, evening sunlight bathes the valley until almost midnight, now the sun drops behind the mountains to the west shortly after 8 pm. This was taken around 9:45, with the last rays of light entering the valley.

Monday's Moose Fact

 Moose antlers are 95% grown by the first of August, which stands to reason since they will soon be shedding the velvet tissue layer that nourishes them as they grow throughout spring and summer. In other words, this guy isn't going to get much bigger this time around. He should drop these antlers in mid-to-late winter and will perhaps be sporting more impressive headgear at this time next year. 

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High Water

I’m fairly certain I’ve never seen Eagle River this high before. What was dry land just a few days ago is now completely underwater. When I saw this partially submerged dwarf fireweed, I instantly envisioned a photo. As usual, getting the shot in my mind’s eye meant getting my feet wet. By using a two-minute exposure, I was able to accentuate both the moving water and the flowers bouncing in the current. 

Great Horned Owl

Exactly one year ago, a pair of great horned owls began making regular appearances on my evening walks near the Nature Center. After a few days of observing them, I began to pick up on some of their behaviors and routines and for the next month, I spent countless hours photographing them, often while they were hunting. With the current abundance of food in the area (ducklings), I've been scanning the trees, hoping for an owl sighting. Yesterday evening, I got that opportunity.

Homer Life

Well, I got my limit of annual limit of salmon dip-netting on the Kenai River so I decided to head down to Homer and camp on the beach for a couple days. Good evening from the Homer Spit, one of my absolute favorite places on the planet!

Fall Photography Workshop

July is almost past and soon autumn will be upon us, so it's not too early to gear up for a fall color photography class. If you are in the area and interested in learning more about your digital camera and photographing nature, this all-day class is for you! It will be held on Saturday, September 17 at the Eagle River Nature Center from 9 am until approximately 5 pm. The first couple hours will be inside and, weather permitting, we will spend the remainder of the day outside photographing fall colors in beautiful Eagle River Valley. The cost is normally $95 but due to an error in my accounting department (me), it is just $75 this time. Class is limited to ten people and we already have some registered, so do not hesitate if you or someone you know might be interested. Call (907) 694-2108 to sign up.

Please share. Cheers!

Colin

Where I Go

This is my peaceful little corner of the world, where I go to ease my mind and ponder life. Sometimes I return with new images to share, other days I just go out to breathe and let go of residual stress. Either way, I always gain a sense of calm and feeling of gratitude, which keeps me in balance and ultimately enhances my artwork.

Our hearts are heavy today, after recent events in this country and around the world. For the life of me, I do not understand why we, as a species, simply cannot get along and learn to live together in harmony. I encourage all of you to find your own happy place, your own little corner of the world and spend just a few minutes there each day to unwind and find solace. If everyone did this, we would have a much more peaceful existence. Have a great weekend everybody. Be safe, be peaceful, and be the change you want to see in the world.

Coli