Sunday, August 6, 2023

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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Thursday, July 27, 2023

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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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.

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Saturday, July 15, 2023

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

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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