Mt. Redoubt, across Turnagain Arm.

 

 

Before she really started to blow!

 

 

A view from above Turnagain Arm.

 

 

Winter abstracts!

 

 

"Stuck Mud"

 

 

Denali, and the Alaska Range, 250 miles behind Anchorage.

 

 

Mt. Susitna, "Sleeping Lady", the Seward Highway, and South Anchorage.

 

 

More winter abstracts!

 

 

Again! I loved all the low light shadows mixing with the silouettes.

 

 

Lynx tracks.

 

Trees are always a great subject, even in winter.

 

CAPTURING ALASKA

with Wayde Carroll

 

 

 

Winter Hiking Above Turnagain Arm

 

   The other day I had a job photographing a custom deck for a company here in Anchorage. The home was about as far above the city as you could get by road in the area dubbed "Hillside". I had thought that late afternoon sunlight would hit the back of the house and the deck and give me some nice light for shooting. Fortunately I was mistaken.

   Half of the deck was just out of reach of the sun at this time of year which meant I would have to wait until the sun went down to get some even lighting for the photos.

  I could have gone home but I was pretty high up the mountain and I did just happen to have my snowshoes in the back of the car. I was wearing snow gear because I was going to be shooting outside so.......... I killed a couple of hours and was treated to a wonderful afternoon hiking in the mountains and I even got some nice photos. I snowshoed off the road and around the side of the mountain where no trace of civilization could be seen.

  It was cold but absolutely gorgeous out! There were areas where I didn't really need snowshoes but there were also patches where they saved me a lot of work.

 Besides the scenery I also had a bald eagle gliding around above me and a vast network of various animal tracks going every which way. Thankfully I didn't notice any  tracks from early rising, hungry, bears.

 There's nothing like an unexpected outdoor photo adventure to get me all happy faced. It was wonderful to get such a clear view of the inlet, the dangerous mud flats, "stuck mud" as my kids call it, and the snow covered mountains. I've been trying to find a place where I could get a photo of Anchorage with Denali in the background for a while now. I found it here!

 The interplay of shadows and silouettes in the trees ,caused by the lowering sun, quickened my heart as I shot frame after frame.

 It was great to get a bit of wildness into my day and It was a pleasure to do the 30 minute deck shoot in the freezing temps afterward.

 To top it all off, as I was driving back down the mountain after sunset, I was greeted by the sight you see above of Mt. Redoubt, bathed in reds, and a plume of steam coming out as well!

 And I thought I was just going to shoot a deck!