Northern Lights: Long exposures, a Satellite and a Satellite-Receiving Dish

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography

The Northern Lights visited last weekend, thanks to a solar flare that sent charged particles towards Earth. In a news brief, alerting northern residents to the likely lights display, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner quoted a NASA scientist saying “This is the strongest flare seen so far in 2013.” It will likely be the last significant show of 2012-2013 winter, Fairbanks already has over 15 hours of sunlight, with dusk and dawn expanding far on either end.

I work late on the weekends, Friday night I had my tripod, but the lights weren’t very dramatic. Saturday night the lights were much stronger, but I foolishly was without tripod. I tried to find adequate surfaces to rest my camera and relied on the 2-second self timer, effective, but far from ideal.

2-second self timer, camera on the ground. A 40-second exposure allows the photographer to step back and enjoy the show, even while photographing.

Although April 10 recorded the strongest solar flare of the year, it did not produce the most dramatic lights I have seen this winter. Those came over the nights of March 16 and 17. I went out with a tripod that night.

Earth’s original satellite – the moon, a satellite receiving dish and radio tower, all visible on top of Ski Boot Hill as northern lights streak overhead.

Setting the camera pointed straight up creates a fun, abstracted form. The Big Dipper is visible in the top-left portion of the photo.

Thanks to all the wonderful visitors I’ve had over the last few days. I’ve greatly enjoyed viewing your blogs as well.

Music Monday: TIm Robb at Creamers Field.

Alaska, Black & White, Film, Music, Photography, Portraits, Street

First things first: My condolences go out to all those affected by today’s Boston Marathon tragedy. I have spent some time viewing photos and watching videos, it truly is horrific. I can’t imagine the utter shock and chaos felt during what should have been a time of jubilation.

I was riding my bike to school, just about this time in 2012, and stopped by Creamers Field to shoot some 35mm, B&W film. I happened upon an unexpected scene.

Fairbanks musician Tim Robb watched the arrival of Canada goose while practicing guitar, his dog in attendance. Robb is a very enjoyable, mellow yet enthusiastic musician. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner correctly critiques his work: “Robb… typically blurs the style lines through free-form interpretation and improvisation.”

I was worried I didn’t have anything for Music Monday, then I found these gems in my archives. The first image is a lesson in micro-composition. A few extra seconds in the viewfinder and I may have panned up and to the right, eliminating the rear-door handle and “Outback” emblem, at the same time getting all the lettering on the barn and the vents on the roof.

Tim Robb practices guitar while his dog hangs out at Creamers Field, April 2012.

Tim Robb practices guitar while his dog hangs out, Creamers Field, April 2012.

Bright morning light causes squinty eyes, but doesn’t diminish smiles.

Sporting Thursday: Christmas day jog.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Street

It may be a little dated, but as I mentioned in my last post, winter has decided to stick around in Fairbanks. It was probably a lot nicer out Christmas day, 2012, then it is now in the middle of April.

I was capturing some of the gorgeous light from the sunset walking to my grandma’s house, just before 3 p.m., . Suddenly a pair of runners turned off a subdivision onto the main road. I had time to capture one frame as the ran off into the winter wonderland.

Runners make their way up Steel Creek Rd. on a Christmas-day run in a white wonderland.

The winter sun in Alaska never gets very high. Here it is seen setting through trees just before 3 p.m.

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Fine Art Friday: World Water Day

Photography, Uncategorized

It’s another inaugural themed post, “Fine Art Friday.” Today I’m combining it with World Water Day. Since 1993 World Water Day has advocated for the sustainable management of freshwater resources and brought attention to the importance of freshwater.

World Water Day was brought to my attention by fellow blogger FrizzText, who linked to a lovely collection of water-related photos assembled by boston.com. It even includes an night shot from the 2012 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race of a racer collecting snow to melt.

Musher Bill Pinkham collects hot water during his stop in Takotna, Alaska, during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 7, 2012. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News/Associated Press)

My World Water Day image is of unwanted water. It’s springtime, and more then a few structures at UAF have leaky roofs. At the Fine Arts Complex – hence the relation to Fine Art Friday – the rhythmic drip-drop of water leaching into the building did a good job distracting from class.

Ripples radiate on a window sill in UAF’s Fine Art Complex during a warm March afternoon. March 8, 2013.

2013 GCI Open North American Championships.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Sports

The GCI Open North American Championship is a three-day dog-sled race, that starts and finishes in downtown Fairbanks. The course takes leads them to the Chena River and Noyes Slough before depositing racers into the extensive trail network north of Fairbanks. Weather couldn’t have been better.

I met up with the mushers at Creamers Field, one of my go-to places for photography. Today, like most days at Creamers, I focused with film. With luck it may get develop in a timely manner.

Trucking through Creamers Field. Sat. March 16, 2013

Perhaps tomorrow I will focus on the downtown spectacle while shooting a little more digital.

‘Tis the season to ski: Nat’ Geo’ Extreme Photo of the Week and more.

Alaska, Black & White, Photography, Portraits, Sports

First things first: A huge shout out to my friend and fellow (former) Fairbanks resident, Luke Smith, who is the skier in this weeks National Geographic Extreme Photo of the Week. Photographer Ryan Kruger captured Luke skiing Frazier Basin, Bridger Range, Montana.

Here’s the image, click the link above to see the full story. I especially like the delay between the initial viewing and noticing the skier, and of course, the monochromatic image.

photo by Ryan Krueger

Photographing skiing and snowboarding is a very delicate balance for me. Often my love for snowboarding overpowers my desire to take photos on the hill. It’s easy to worry about my camera, ducking under and squeezing through trees at Skiland, where I ride, and the fartherst north chairlift in North America.

I am becomming more comfortable with it though. The hardest part is forcing myself to be less agressive while riding.

While neither of my photos offer the extreme enviornment of Krueger’s, they have their own qualities. Both with a strong sense of light, the Sun peeking out behind my friends Nils and Nick in the first, illuminated hoar frost on the lift in the second. The first image is also a pan shot, my movement, parallel with the subjects, keeps them in focus while blurring the background.

Nick and Nils gather speed for the traverse at Mt. Aurora Skidland.

Nick and Nils gather speed for the traverse at Mt. Aurora Skiland.

Hoar frost on an early morning chairlift ride.

Hoar frost and an Alyeska sticker on a chilly, early morning chairlift ride.

Tractor and barn illuminated by norther lights

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography

For one reason or another, the northern lights are something I don’t photograph enough. Being a heavy film shooter until recent probably played a factor, digital cameras are more cooperative in cold weather. Cold, lack of tripod, poor location and early-morning hours have all played a role in deciding as well.

As the wind whistled and the lights danced overhead a few weeks ago, I said, “no excuses.” Less then a mile to get to my house I had a revelation: the hay field about half-a-mile up the road. Seems silly I had never though of it before. Not wanting to miss a second, I decided to forgo finding my tripod and zipped to the field. I used the two-second self timer and the roof of my car. Directly off Farmers Loop Rd. subsequent cars driving by helped illuminate the farm equipment and barn. Foreground helps any picture, especially northern lights.

The image is actually two pictures placed next to each other. Photomerge, which creates panoramas, wouldn’t blend the images. The color is off and the horizon isn’t perfect, but I like it.

Worth noting, the Big Dipper is noticeable, just up and to the left of the barn.

A Halloween murder… of ravens.

Alaska, Black & White, Landscapes, Photography, Wildlife

The wind whipped all Halloween. Soaring and swooping ravens took advantage of the strong drafts to have some fun. A flock of ravens is also called a murder, fitting for this last day of October.

Ravens have long held a place in lore. Tricksters and shape shifters are among the most common Alaska fables. Raven Steals The light is a popular North-West Native American story where the earth begins bathed in total darkness. Accounts vary, but the plot often involves the character of Raven pretending to be the grandson of an old man who holds all the light. Raven then steals it and shines it over earth and water.

“And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted – nevermore!” – Edgar Allen Poe

Ravens and tree. Oct. 31, 2012.

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

Weekly Photo Challenge: Big. Big splash at the Sikuliaq Launch.

Photography, Travel

How great the image I was about to post fits perfects with the photo challenge this week.

Last saturday the 261-foot Sikuliaq launched into the Menominee River from Marinette Marine Corporation, Wis. The National Science Foundation owned and UAF operated vessel entered the water at a steep, 60-degree angle. It created quite a splash. Unfortunately the cloudy sky that deposited rain all day long makes it difficult to truly appreciate the size of the wave. The person on the tug boat in the lower left corner offers some perspective. Stay tuned for more Sikuliaq coverage.

Knowing it would happen fast and be unpredictable I went with a wide-angle lens and a high, 3200 ISO so I could use a quick shutter speed.

Here’s a Daily News-Miner article covering the christening and launch ceremony, as well as some science capabilities and the future journey of the Sikuliaq, co-written with my advisor Lynne Lott.