North Sawyer Glacier
Aug, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the Tracy Arm Fjord in Southeastern Alaska in the summer of 2013. I was 16 at the time and was on a cruise with my family. As a young, self-taught photographer who had never gotten the chance to work in this kind of environment before, it took a lot of experimentation to get the shot right. I had to navigate through crowds of passengers to get to the railing for an unobstructed shot, and had to prop my camera up on various objects such as the handrails since I didn't have a tripod with me.Time
This photo was probably taken between 8 and 9 in the morning. We weren't set to go into port for several more hours, but I woke up early to go out and see the glaciers from the top deck of the ship. It had been raining through most of our journey through the fjord, however it cleared up just as we approached the North Sawyer Glacier, just long enough for me to get this shot.Lighting
Part of what makes this photo interesting is the clear lines between light and dark in the reflection of the water. It was a very cloudy day and the sun still hadn't come over the mountains, leaving the hills covered in shadows, but whatever sunlight was coming through from behind the glacier reflected off the ice and snow, leaving those areas much brighter than the surrounding hills and creating the opportunity for the contrast in the water.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon Rebel T3 with a kit lens and nothing else.Inspiration
I think when you go to a place as serene and beautiful as this you don't need inspiration to take pictures. The landscapes are all the inspiration you need.Editing
I don't recall doing any post-processing, maybe just a few touch ups if nothing else. I think I got really lucky on the lighting and coloring that I didn't need to do much to the photo.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon T3 with me, along with the kit lens, a 2.5 50mm lens for macro and portraits, a 200mm telephoto lens that I use mostly for sports, and a flash gun. I used to carry another camera body along with a second telephoto lens and a wide angle attachment until they were stolen in an unfortunate incident during my freshman year of college.Feedback
Shooting in conditions where you don't have control over your position in relation to the subject or the amount of time you stay there is less than ideal, so best to avoid that situation if possible, but if you are stuck in that situation it's good to know how to work fast. One of the hardest things about working in an environment like this is the weather can be a huge factor. I was fortunate enough to have fair conditions during my trip, but the locals told us it was the first time they had seen the sun in 3 weeks. During the summer, rain can come and go very quickly, so that will also probably always be a factor. Of course all of these things can only be applied to summertime, as winter in Alaska is a completely different world.
