My New Youtube Channel

It is with great excitement, and a lot of anxiety, that I announce the launch of my new photography/vlog/humor Youtube channel, Alaska Brian. Many Alaskans are world-class adventurers, daring boat captains, self-sufficient homesteaders and hunters... I am none of those. Instead, I am a mediocre photographer, coward adventurer and all-around sleepyhead who is in bed by 9:30 pm more often than not. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy being mediocre and embrace being a goofball at the same time.

My channel will not get too deep into photography how-to's and gear reviews; there are already so many great channels that do that better than I ever could. Instead, I want to share my strange but beautiful corner of the world and give insight to what it's like to be to be a landscape photographer, outdoors enthusiast and family guy above 60 degrees latitude. I've embedded my most recent episode below. If you enjoy, please consider liking, subscribing, and commenting. They are easy to do and help me out a lot!

You can help me out a ton by subscribing to my channel. Just click the icon below!

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Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Eklutna Lake: An Endless Cruise

 

Eklutna Lake, a large reservoir on the fringes of the Anchorage Municipality, provides a hub for recreation of all types. On warm summer afternoons bikers, kayakers, hikers and backpackers flock to the 7-mile-long lake. The rugged peaks of the Chugach Range surround the upstream ends and melt from the Eklutna Glacier spills from the mountains to replenish the water. As the main source of drinking water and electricity for the City of Anchorage, it is not an overstatement to say that Eklutna Lake is a central figure in the life of Alaska's largest city.

On a recent trip to Eklutna Lake, my wife, daughter and I passed a night at one of the cabins on the lakeshore. I took the opportunity to photograph yet another new location, something I have been lucky to do quite a bit this summer. Though I found it somewhat difficult to find ideal compositions during my trip, there was plenty of curvy lake bends, side streams, and nearby mountains to frame up a few good shots. Though I doubt any will end up in my portfolio, I got a few worth sharing here in my blog. With an abundance of cottonwood and poplars, I imagine that fall colors can really explode here at the lake. I would love to return in mid-September when finding a true masterpiece might just be possible.

Besides the photography, however, spending a couple days in a cabin along the lake proved well worth the time and effort. Though the first mile of the trail was fairly busy, once we got down to our cabin a sense of calm and peace fell over the landscape. The trail is very easy, and more or less flat, making it ideal for a getaway without too much of a challenge. However, the twelve-mile trail provides an almost endless cruise for the taking for anyone motivated to try it. 

Eklutna Lake Image Gallery- Click for higher resolution images

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Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Denali: From the National Park and Beyond

Denali boasts many accolades. It is North America's highest peak and one of the Seven Summits. It is the world's third most prominent peak by the official "topographical prominence" measure. It has, by far, the highest latitude of the Seven Summits. By all measures, it is an incredible mountain. 

Denali is also elusive. A widely used anecdote claims that only 30% of visitors who seek the mountain even get to see it. The other 70% find only a swirl of clouds where the mountain should be. That is why on a recent trip when we got three full days of completely unimpeded views of the "Great One," we were truly lucky.

A visit to Denali National Park & Preserve, however, is much more than just a visit to this great mountain. Along the way we also saw two grizzly bears, six caribou and three Dall sheep, three of "Big Five" Alaskan animals (wolves and moose were elusive on this trip, though I have seen both, especially moose, before). Though many of these encounters were too far even for the 400 mm lens to capture a good image, there were times when I just had to put the camera down and realize this adventure wasn't just about photos.

After leaving the park, we were treated to incredible views of the big mountain all along the Parks Highway. The glaciated summit and ridges swan in and out of view like a ghost rising and sinking through the trees. We made several pit stops to frame up new views of the mountain's many facades. And before heading back to my home on the Kenai Peninsula, we passed a night in the quaint town of Talkeetna where the views of the mountain somehow seemed even better.

Though the skies were too blue and there was no sunrise and sunset in July to make for ideal photography conditions, it is hard to complain about three incredible days circling one of the world's iconic mountains, and some of the images I captured were good enough to satiate the photographer inside me.

Denali area image gallery (click to view higher resolution images)

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

The Lights that Dance

Experiencing the Aurora Borealis is one of the most magical things about living Alaska. Living in coastal southern Alaska, these lights often feel tantalizingly close yet elusive. Too often overcast skies block views during strong geomagnetic storms. In late winter 2023, however, several incredible aurora nights coincided with clears skies and the opportunity to witness and capture the dancing aurora was incredible. Anyone who has never seen this lights, and wants to, I can't encourage you enough to make it happen. It is something you will never forget.

Photographing the northern lights is not easy. I have seen many photographs on Instagram and online with blurry foregrounds or skies filled with distracting noise. The trick I found is to point your camera at the farthest away light source you can find, like the moon or a distant street light, and get the camera in focus. Once you have done that don't touch the focus ring or change your zoom! And don't be afraid to boost your ISO. It's better to have a little noise in the sky than have a terrible under-exposed image. You can always use one of the great denoise AI programs, like Topaz or the 2023 Lightroom/Camera Raw AI denoise update, to get rid of that distraction and create a clean, well-exposed image. While no photograph could ever capture the majesty and movement of the lights that dance, northern lights photographs are guaranteed to make people's jaws drop.

NORTHERN LIGHTS IMAGE GALLERY

(For best results, click for larger images)

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Homer, Kachemak Bay & Grace Ridge

My wife and I had not had a night alone together since our daughter was born. Not that I am complaining; I love my sweet little two-year-old daughter more than anything. But when the chance came to hand our kiddo off to the grandparents and do an overnight exploration of Grace Ridge in Kachemak Bay State Park near Homer, Alaska, we took it.

Kachemak Bay State Park is a wonderland of impressive crags, sharp ridges and cracked glaciers. It was one of the first places in Alaska I was able to explore back in 2007 and one of the reasons I fell in love with Alaska. In 2020 we backpacked in to Grewingk Glacier with our packrafts and paddled around the towering icebergs that splinter off in the lake at the toe of that mammoth glacier. This time, we wanted to see a new area of the park, and we were not disappointed.

Grace Ridge is a 9-mile hike up and over a mountain through the alpine tundra with views of Tutka Bay and Sadie Cove off to each side. We approached it by staying at the Kayak Beach yurt the night before. It was what I kept calling an "old school" adventure for us, the type that we used to take all the time before undertaking the even bigger adventure of becoming parents. It had all the features of one of our trips circa 2010: a mountain climb, some evening lounging after gulping down backpacking food, even a splash of inclement weather. We were treated to an incredible display of light that left me clicking the shutter for hours on my camera the evening before our hike. The pictures I got that night and during the foggy climb the next day were incredible.

All-in-all it was a super successful overnight trip in a part of Alaska that gives a taste of adventure without being too out-of-reach. I highly recommend it to any photographer (or anyone, really) who happens to be in the area. The views and the photographic compositions are hard to beat.

(A collection of photos from the location/trip. For best results, click to enlarge)

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Kayaker's Cove

There is nothing like unplugging from civilization. Places like Kayaker's Cove in Alaska's Resurrection Bay, near the town of Seward, are perfect to retreat from the worries of civilization, even if only for a short while. You cannot get service at Kayaker's Cove, so unless you paddle out around the tall rock escarpments that surround the tiny cache of cabins, you are forced to entertain yourself the old fashioned way: with good company, and a sound mind.

We've made a point to take an annual trip out to Kayaker's Cove. Unfortunately, this year the weather didn't co-operate perhaps as we'd hoped. The rain didn't let up, not even for a moment, for the entire three days we were out there. From a photography standpoint, however, the mist and fog presented a different opportunity. Challenging conditions force me to look for compositions that differ from my normal style. I find myself finding shots that I might not have if the light and the weather had been different. 

So here is a small collection of shots from or three-day trip to Kayaker's Cove. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And if you really enjoy, consider liking my Facebook or Instagram pages, or sharing this post with your friends. It is always much appreciated.

(Click for higher resolution images)

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Eagle River Nature Center Photography

Black and white of dramatic peaks at the
Eagle River Nature Center

The Eagle River Nature Center is a nature reprieve near the town of Eagle River, Alaska. Resplendent with towering mountains and lush Alaska forest, this incredibly scenic area is shared by a bevy of wildlife such as bears and moose and a strong contingent of hikers, backpackers, packrafters and, of course, photographers. After hearing about it, and seeing photos of it for years, I finally had a chance to see it for myself last weekend and it did not disappoint.

While spending two night in the Rapids Camp Yurt about two miles up the Eagle River Nature Center trail, it was hard to know what to point my camera at. Incredible sights surrounded camp. Low clouds and fog gave the jagged peaks a moody, dramatic appearance, and frequent wildlife casually walked all around us. We had close-ish encounters with several bull moose, a mom black bear with two cubs and heard reports from other hikers about sightings of brown bears as well. When we hiked out on Saturday morning, signs at the Nature Center itself warned that a "small group of hikers" had been charged by a brown bear the day before. Needless to say it is a place where you want to keep your bear spray close at hand at all times.

A smattering of other images. Click for higher resolution

Bull moose at the Eagle River Nature Center

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Butterflies on the shores of the Eagle River

Dramatic mountains 

Snow capped peaks and low clouds

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Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link