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Independence In Winter

Independence In Winter



Battling -35 night didn't bother me when the scenery was this pretty, shot in the once vibrant town of Independence Mine, outside Wasilia, Alaska....
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Battling -35 night didn't bother me when the scenery was this pretty, shot in the once vibrant town of Independence Mine, outside Wasilia, Alaska.
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upload_dateJan, 2018

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3985

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Awards

Contest Finalist in An Unforgettable Adventure Photo Contest
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Experimental Light Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Towns In The Winter Photo Contest
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Peer Award
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Superb Composition
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Top Choice
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Outstanding Creativity
ozdigger grandpa8 ajitkumarmajhi Vitaliy_SN TC6757 KazHojt darylchamlee +25
Magnificent Capture
GerCooper joeMedrek sandysmith_1790 jillapollo MelissaRRussell mauriziosantonocito Berggeit +17
All Star
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Impressed
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Change Of Seasons Photo ContestTop 10 class
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An Unforgettable Adventure Photo ContestTop 10 class
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9 Comments | Report
Alwolfe Premium
 
Alwolfe January 10, 2018
Awesome!
RamyDelariarte
 
RamyDelariarte January 10, 2018
Great night shot
DavidJulian
 
DavidJulian March 29, 2018
Strong lines and color. This is a composite, not a straight photograph right?
davidparkhurst
 
davidparkhurst March 30, 2018
Very good
caesaralarcon PRO+
 
caesaralarcon March 30, 2018
This is awesome!!
Dine
 
Dine April 18, 2018
Beaut...
BBBimagemediastudios
 
BBBimagemediastudios June 24, 2018
Love the light choices
paulwhite_5859
 
paulwhite_5859 June 25, 2018
WOW!!!! Great capture!!!
Richard.L.Wagonheim PRO
 
Richard.L.Wagonheim December 17, 2019
gorgeous image!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#alaska #mountain #long exposure

Behind The Lens

Location
Independence Mine State Historic Park, Wasilla, Alaska
Time
Midnight
Lighting
The moonlight cast a beautiful soft light in throughout the mountains, setting just overtop of my scene. The lights from Wasilla in the valley below gave the clouds some wonderful color from beneath. The cookhouse I lit with a combination of flashlight and speed light, using the latter flashing behind the railing to give the radiating pattern of light across the snow.
Equipment
Nikon D800, 24-70 2.8, Gitzo 3880, Nikon SB-800
Inspiration
It was a long cold winter in Alaska, but I'd gotten used to temps dipping to -30 on the regular. A local in Anchorage had told me about Independence Mine, so I strapped on my snow shoes and went hiking in the hills. It was one of the most well preserved sites I've ever visited, with dozens of structures maintained in excellent shape. I made 4 trips there over as many weeks, and when I finally got some open skies and moonlight, the mountains and mining structures really came to life. I decided to have a little fun with the light, and tried to emulate what it might have been like with a little light burning on the porch, never mind that the mine hadn't operated in the last 70 years.
Editing
There really wasn't much post to this, the color and vibrance really was that brilliant, with a glow from Wasilla in the valley below, and the long exposure and moonlight giving the mountains their blue cast. I removed the flare of my speed light from where I backlit the banister, and replaced with the lighting from a different frame where I lit the front of the building. Other than that, what you see is what I saw.
In my camera bag
Nikon D800, 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 all 2.8, 2x teleconverter, SB-800, Vello remote trigger, a couple flashlights, gels, Sony A7SII with a few lens, sometime my Mamiya 67 rangefinder or Hasselblad 500C/M if I'm feeling analog. And always a good book to pass the time of a long exposure.
Feedback
Treat every image like a masterpiece. Old masters used to spend decades on a painting, reworking and reinventing til it was perfect, there's no reason a photographer can't spend an evening to capture the perfect image. I took 4 trips to this spot til the weather and stars were right, and even then, waited 3 hours for the moon to be just right, and another hour or two to get the light and exposure right. Art takes time, so plan and be patient.

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