Summer on Denali
In Alaska, summer is short lived at the base of Denali. At over 20,000 feet high, summer almost never reaches the summit. This was taken in June, and the fresh ...
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In Alaska, summer is short lived at the base of Denali. At over 20,000 feet high, summer almost never reaches the summit. This was taken in June, and the fresh snow had fallen over night. Several avalanches were seen during this 1 hour flight.
Here on a flight seeing trip in Alaska's classic bush plane, the winds are breaking over the crest at almost 200 mph, as evidenced by the horizontal ovals of sunfish clouds to the left of the peak.
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Here on a flight seeing trip in Alaska's classic bush plane, the winds are breaking over the crest at almost 200 mph, as evidenced by the horizontal ovals of sunfish clouds to the left of the peak.
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Dec, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Having a wife as a travel agent comes with some perks! We were on tour of Denali National Park and staying the Back Country Lodge a full day bus trip from the entrance. Since I best matched the bush pilot for mass, I was placed in the coveted co-pilot seat with plenty of window space. As I sat in the co-pilot's seat at about 10,000 feet elevation, the maximum legal flight altitude without using oxygen, we and our wingman flew along the glacier covered valley toward our meeting with "The Tall One!" We observed both active and settled massive avalanche scenes along the corniced ridge lines.Time
Surprisingly, this was taken at almost noon at an elevation of about 10,000 feet and and almost at 63 degrees North Latitude on a bright sunny day in the middle of Alaska. Under these conditions, high angle sunlight does not exist.Lighting
The Rule of Avoiding Midday Sun for photography, obviously, does not apply during a high altitude flight seeing trip in the middle of an Alaska Midsummer, sunny day. The strong shadows of the stark ridges and dark granite bedrock gave much detail to the brightly lighted snow on Denali's flanks and face. High angle sun does not exist at any time of year this far north. Also, be prepared to take daylight photographs any one of the 24 hours of any day when the weather allows the sun to shine through in "The Land of the Midnight Sun" this close to the Arctic Circle.Equipment
This shot was taken in a braced, hand-held position using the viewfinder of a HP PhotoSmart C200 Point-and-Shoot camera which recorded these exif values f/11; 1/278 second; 6 mm; Auto ISO for this 1152x872 pixel image. This is one of my earliest attempts at post photo editing using Picasa software.Inspiration
This was a second trip to Alaska, on the first, we discovered Denali National Park is literally accessible "By Appointment Only!" and that Denali is fully visible only one to two days a week. This time, with planning and luck, I was able to take advantage a once in a lifetime opportunity to try capturing the infrequently seen, majesty of Denali, "The Tall One," with very early and inexpensive digital camera. The was taken to emphasize the overwhelming size of this stand alone massif and the developing weather caused by the high altitude and high speed winds breaking over the peak off the Bering Sea. The stack of horizontal, lenticular clouds at the peak is very common and develops only when the wet winds are raging across the top at above 200 miles-per-hour and ripping the cumulus clouds apart. The local, bush pilot name for these are "Sun Fish" or, crudely, "Son of a B*tch" clouds for the wind's risk to smaller aircraft and the incoming inclement weather.Editing
This is one of my earliest attempts at post photo editing using free Picasa software. After cropping off a tangential airplane wing tip, I did work to keep the intense blue skies while reducing the glare of the snow covered flanks and deepening the dark rock and shadows of the granite bedrock ridges. I do not recall much of the work flow, as this was over a decade ago, and the catalog file has been lost in transitions through several different editor libraries.In my camera bag
On this shoot, only the HP PhotoSmart 200 with a second camera which was part of an 8X binocular set. Currently, I use primarily a Sony Alpha58 with one of 2 lenses: a Sony f/2.8 16-55 mm kit zoom or a Tamron 70-300 f/4.3 zoom. I have added a Kodak PIXPRO AZ901 with 22-1980mm f/3.1-6.8 non-interchangeable lens for long distance animal shots; trying to get up-close-and personal. Both cameras have quick release plates mounted to match my tripod head. In case I need OCF, I carry a Sony flash, also. For sales success, my wife was able to add a GoPro video camera and waterproof case, to our combined equipment.Feedback
This will require a bit of planning to get to Denali National Park with reservations for the Back Country Lodge or other nearby accommodations, which are reached only after almost a 90 mile/8 hours bus ride from the front entrance or a bush plane flight. Also, plan to be there several days as the weather is infrequently willing to cooperate for a safe flight seeing trip in a local bush plane from the grass runway and for bright sunlight on the face of the mountain; Denali's peak is only visible about 60 days a year due to the conflict of several alternating warm and cold fronts off the Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Japanese and Bering Sea Currents which cause frequent and extended cloudy/foggy periods in the continental center of Alaska.
