Day Bike in Denali Nat’l Park

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

Saturday, May 25, a group of friends and I did an out-and-back from Savage River, 12 miles into the park. Completely clear skies allowed the sun and cool air to compliment each other nicely. We split into two groups part-way through, and mine made it a few miles past the mostly frozen Teklanika River. The frozen river is a reminder that weather near the tallest peak in North America is very dynamic.

Savage River, as far as the public is allowed to drive.

Visitors can bus, bike or simply hike into the park.

Snow and melt water were both prevalent, and crews were on hand to try and keep them heading the right directions.

Road work crew.

This includes keeping culverts clear of ice, which can be a tricky operation.

Deeper then expected.

We started at 11, and biked roughly 50 miles before returning just before 6 p.m. A fantastic time to bike, but difficult time to photograph. But this trip was about having a good time with friends, and we managed to meet up right before the final uphill, before relaxing and snacking at the top.

Left to right: Charlie, Louise, Denali, Nick, Robin and David.

Budding pussy willows with Denali in the background.

Budding willows with Denali in the background.

Seattle’s Discovery Park

Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized

At 534 acres, Discovery Park, is the largest city park in Seattle. It’s home to a lighthouse, dramatic views from the top of Magnolia Bluff, a water-treatment facility and Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center.

The trails, beaches, cultural attractions and wide-array of scenery make Discovery Park a popular place for recreation.

Wedding portrait session at Discovery Park in Seattle, March 29, 2013.

Fellow photographers at Discovery Park’s Lighthouse.

A sailboat passes behind a house where shrubs overgrow the front door.

The view from Magnolia Bluff shows pedestrians walking the beach, with the lighthouse barely visible.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Culture, Turkey Tail.

Abstract, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Post

The Weekly Photo Challenge, that’s almost over, is culture. While the example is the culture of a specific society, culture has many more meanings. I’m choosing a very literal meaning of culture, the verb, according to merriam-webster online: “the act or process of cultivating living material in prepared nutrient media.”

My culture is a fungus growing in its specific environment. Trametes Versicolor, due to it’s shape and common color patterns, is often called Turkey Tail. Here it grows on a tree in Oregon.

Sporting Thursday: Rattlesnake Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington.

Landscapes, Photography, Travel

On a beautiful, sunny, Easter Sunday, people thronged to Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area so they could relax, sun, and ascend Rattlesnake Ridge. Nestled in the foothills of Washington’s Cascades, just outside Snoqualmie, Rattlesnake Ridge is a is a solid hike, gaining roughly 2000 ft. of elevation in 2 miles.

The trail was packed. Without any attempt at counting adventurers, the number easily surpassed 100. I would estimate closer to 300, over a small portion of the day. A few larger groups appeared to be in double digits. After a long, rainy winter in Washington, people want to play.

For those interested the climb includes some slightly harrowing overlooks. Deaths are not unheard of, one as recently as 2012, according to the Issaquah Reporter.

Thankfully there were no reports of accidents on my trip.

Hikers enjoy the view, share photos, and make a mess and dogs roam at Rattlesnake Ridge.

Hikers enjoy the view, share photos, and make a mess while dogs roam at Rattlesnake Ridge.

Were it not for bright-red shorts, this hiker would completely vanish into the landscape.

Long ways down: The parking lot and trailhead descend into the distance, with the slight stature of hikers visible in the upper-right corner.

Three illuminated pieces of Old Man’s Beard.

Weekly Photo Post: Color at Washington Park Arboretum.

Macro, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Post

It’s been a long time since I participated in Weekly Photo Post, and what a perfect theme since my return from Washington and Oregon. While Fairbanks has been receiving a mid-April snowstorm, resulting in lots of white, the Washington Park Arboretum had very-vibrant warm, spring hues.

My botanical identification skills are sub-par, and the only plant species I recognize are tulips, which were actually in someone’s front yard. The first three images are of pink flowers. Pink is a subset of red, a warm hue which is known for psychological responses of passion, love, and happines. But also blood and anger and danger. The pink petals with green leafs are also complementary colors.

The final image is a pretty purple, a cool color, which in western culture is asosciated with royalty, luxury and occassionally magic.

Sporting Thursday: Snowshoe Hair tracks and a Geocache.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Uncategorized, Wildlife

Cross-country skiing, either skate or classic, is a great way to exercise and get outside during the long Alaskan winters. Sticking to a groomed trail or breaking your own through the woods both provide ample opportunities for fun sights.

A trip on March 13, traversing trails just north of Fairbanks from my house to a friend’s, had a few hidden surprises.

While stopped to discuss which direction to go I spotted some snowshoe hair tracks off the trail. My shadow provides a little perspective while some unidentified tracks disappear off frame.

Snowshoe hair tracks and shadow.

From there we followed what appeared to be a well-tracked snowmachine trail. While continuing to appear well traveled, it quickly delved into a walking only trail, then abruptly stopped in a clearing. Again, while debating our next move, I glanced around, noticing a cache in snow.

After a brief inspection it was discovered to be a geocache. Geocaching is a global game where people upload the longitude and latitude of a cache online for others to find. Inside was a variety of objects: a pipe cutter, crayons, paint, playing cards, a Pez dispenser and a mosquito net to name a few. The rules simply state if you take something you must leave something.

Glad our lives didn’t depend on the contents.

We fell under the “found by accident” category.

The ski was close to 10 miles, and that worked up an appetite. So to finish off “Sporting Thursday” is a picture of a fellow winter adventurer captured while waiting for pizza.

A winter biker casts a long shadow outside Corner Campus Mall, March 13, 2013.

Can I use that picture? No. Well… I’m going to. Street photography and copyright infringement.

Film, Photography, Portraits, Street, Travel

An issue every photographer struggles with, sharing their work with the world while protecting intellectual property, has a new high-profile case.

Humans of New York, the blog of street photographer Brandon Stanton, is a hugely popular blog featuring posed and candid images of the many unique citizens in America’s most populous city. According to The Guardian, clothing company DKNY offered Stanton $15,000 to use 300 of his photos. Feeling $50 per photo was inadequate compensation from a wealthy company Stanton requested more, which DKNY denied.

A fan of Stanton later brought to his attention that DKNY had in fact used many of his images in a window advertisement in Bangkok. Taking a very admirable path, Stanton asked DKNY donate $100,000 to his local YMCA, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. In what was a simultaneous act-of-kindness and backhanded swipe, DKNY donated $25,000 in Stanton’s name.

So how do photographers, and artists as a whole, attempting to establish their name protect it at the same time? There’s no fool-proof way. Watermarks, finding websites that don’t allow downloading of images and small file sizes are all techniques.

Personally, I size my images small enough they wouldn’t make a decent print and hope people will at least ask if they want to use it. I have found out this isn’t an adequate approach.

The topic will only continue to brew confusion and controversy, as popular image-sharing software Instagram has recently been sued over inadequate protection of users photos.

Today I will share some of my street photography from Seattle.

I didn’t have much reaction time when I saw how the orange of the man’s shirt and child’s stroller complemented the orange accents on the posters.

Here I was simply interested in the smooth curvature of the drinking fountain and the bike-lane indicator in the street when a pedestrian came to quench his thirst. Again I had to quickly step back to get a more inclusive image before he continued on his way.

I dig his tall, white socks with black shoes.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette

Abstract, Alaska, Black & White, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Post

Probably a little too much detail to be a true silhouette. But the dark outline of the boat emphasized against the cloudy background offers the same effect. I really like the boat far in the background. Image taken in Prince William Sound, outside Valdez, 2011.

Fishing vessels outside Valdez.

The second image is a true silhouette. Mountains at sunset in Denali National Park.

Mountains at sunset

Sikuliaq launch ceremony Soundslides.

Photography, Travel

Just as the title says. A brief, 1 minute, 21 second audio and picture movie. The goal was to impart the feel from the day’s event’s. It starts with the emcee’s introduction and crowd shots, continues with Vera Alexander blessing the ship and breaking the champagne bottle and concludes as the Sikuliaq slips into the Menominee River with the subsequent splash.

Critter Corner: Mt. Rainier and Georgeson Botanical Garder Frogs

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Wildlife

A few weeks ago I posted images of real bears in Denali National Park and a bear statue from UAF’s Georgeson Botanical Garden. Today I’m posting a similar diptych: A frog from Reflection Lake in Mt. Rainier National Park and a frog from the botanical gardens.

The first image the frog is the only subject, he was an itty-bitty frog, maybe half a deck of cards. The mostly brown hues were rather ugly, so I did a quick and dirty desaturation of the image, converting it to black and white. I think the the black and white does a better job accentuating the frog’s natural camouflage. The shadow provides a small amount of depth to the mostly flat image.

The second image I like a lot because of layers. Shooting through a fence, with more fence in the background. The frog is far from the main subject. What’s fun for me is comparing the two subjects, the real frog in nature and the artificial frog in a man-made environment. I enjoy both, though the statue was a little easier to shoot.