Capturing Alaska

with Wayde Carroll

 

 

 

The Value of Our Elders

 

 

 

  I had a wonderful experience on an assignment a couple of weeks ago. I was commissioned to take photographs of a retirement community for their various promotional needs. I was excited for a couple of reasons. First of all the location was a couple of hours away from Anchorage which meant I got to enjoy a beautiful drive in my favorite state. Secondly, I've always had good friends that are quite a bit older than I am. For some reason we just get along. I have tremendous respect for those who have traveled this life longer than I have. I've had so many good friends that are filled with life, real joy, regardless of the amazing trials they've endured. Many of my elderly friends have more energy than I do and their minds are constantly learning, exploring, coming up with creative ideas. They know what they like and how to savor the good moments. I've lost a few but I'll be forever grateful that I was lucky enough to be considered their friend.

 

   I was a little apprehensive because I had never been in a home for so many people in their advanced years and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a place I wouldn't mind spending my last years in.  It was a gorgeous location and I saw a loving, attentive, staff spending time with the residents. Cooking, laughing, helping when needed. During a full day of working there I gained a profound respect for those that work there. Obviously not all the work is pleasant and it's hard to see some people at the time of their life when they can't take care of them selves any longer, but the staff was so pleasant, patient, and kind, that I was seriously moved inside.

   I was fortunate enough to work with several "models" that were willing to brave the camera and share some time and many smiles.

   I have to say a few words on the two native women you'll see together having tea below. These two women were a blessing. Everyday they get together for tea and I have never seen such love and joyous interaction between two adults. I could have photographed them all day long. I'm sure you'll get a sense of why. If only we could all be so lucky to have a friendship like that in our later years.

   The one thing I couldn't get out of my mind was the realization that we will all, if we're lucky, end up being old and less able to care for ourselves. I could only hope that each resident has family that visits often, though I'm sure that's not the case. I've always been of the mind that our elders are valuable to us in so many ways and I think they should be celebrated. I hope that all of us will take the time to talk with the elderly we come across. So many are just ignored. I hope for all of us a long, happy life, with lot's of friends and family to be there when needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAPTURING ALASKA

with Wayde Carroll

 

 

 

In and Around Seward

 

 

 

   A few days ago I had a shoot in Seward for a local retirement home. With not much daylight these days I decided ti stay the night down there instead of driving the icy roads home in the dark. I was waffling a bit but the news of a fatal accident on the Seward Highway the day before helped make a wise choice.

   Besides, I love any opportunity to shoot stock on the Kenai Peninsula!

 

   I finished up work just before dusk so I rushed down town to see if there was anything interesting going on. It was the perfect time of day to blend the lights of the town with the beautiful dusk glow in the mountains. These two sources don't balance for long so I found three or four nice compositions before it got too dark.

   The next morning I forced myself to get up by sunrise- about 9:30a.m.!- and hit the road towards home looking for more photos. Everything was covered in a form fitting blanket of fresh snow-gorgeous! The big trick is to keep an eye on the histogram. There is so much white that I needed to open up my exposures one to two stops to have the snow actually register as white.

 

   Here are some of my faves' from the day.

 

 

 

With the camera on a tripod I was able to use a small aperture of F22. This gives me a good range of focus- which allows for the lights, building, and mountain to be sharp- and also gives the starburst effect to the lights.

 

 

 

 

When the ambient skylight exposure matches that of the town lights, it's a great time for photos!

 

 

 

 

I just loved the subtle gradations of the days last light.

 

 

 

 

I included the fence in the foreground to cover up a grubby looking road.

 

 

 

 

If I'm not mistaken this is some kind of coal conveyer that assists in the off-loading of the fossil fuel from a mine across Resurrection bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quintessential Alaska Cabin #1

 

 

 

 

Quintessential Alaska Cabin #2

 

 

 

 

I like the three dimensional quality of this photo. There is foreground, middle, and background subjects that take the eye through the photo.

 

 

 

 

I've always loved this Alaska Railroad Bridge. Usually I drive by and say " someday I'm going to stop and get that". I finally got out to photograph it!

 

 

 

This is  Salmon Creek. I'm standing on a small snow-covered railroad track that's crossing the creek here. I really liked the glow from the sky reflected on the water.

CAPTURING ALASKA

with Wayde Carroll

 

 

 

Grizzly Bears: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

 

   We had some family up from Seattle for the Thanksgiving holiday last weekend. After stuffing ourselves on the big day several of us were looking forward to getting out and exploring some Alaska!

 I especially was looking forward to getting out and shooting something for the fun of it. I've been doing a lot of inside assignment work lately. It's great for the work aspect but my true love is shooting outdoors.

   We've had plenty of fresh snow recently which was great. I was hoping for some clear skies so our guests could get a full on view of how stunning our state is. I like to show off Alaska when I get the chance! Well, the weather wasn't perfect but we all still wanted to head out. I decided to head to Portage Valley. The drive, when clear, is visually stunning and there are plenty of places to tromp through the snow and there's a nice easy hike up to Byron glacier. What makes it all even better is the fact that the Portage Glacier Lodge serves the best criss-cross fries in the state to go along with their delicious soups and sandwiches.

   We did some exploring and filled up on hot food. The weather wasn't clearing, in fact it was starting to snow, so we decided to check out the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center which lies right at the entrance of the Portage Valley road on the Seward Highway. At the gate we were told that all of the animals were out and about except for the bears. They were already tucked away for the winter. Not the best news for out-of-towners who would love to see bears but the moose were still exciting and we decided to enter.

  With the snow and the oncoming darkness there weren't many people around. This is a nice change. In summer you sometimes have to stay one step ahead of the hoards flowing out of the tour buses.

 After getting right up close and personal with the moose and Elk we decided to drive down to the area where the Grizzly's usually were. We got lucky! All three Grizzly's were out and there wasn't anyone else around!

  It was such a treat to shoot the bears with the snow falling. Even though they are captive it's still awesome to be around them in a natural setting, hearing them breathe, having them stare at you through the snowfall.

  It was pretty cold and my companions retired to the car but I couldn't resist the opportunity and stayed out until they slowly rambled out of site. Maybe for the last time this year.

  Here are a few of my favorites plus a few others from the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAPTURING ALASKA

with Wayde Carroll

 

 

 

 

More From Kenai Fjords National Park

 

 

 

  I've spent more time this week editing photos from last summer. I was happy to find some gems I had forgotten about. All of these images were taken inside of Kenai Fjords National Park. I feel incredibly thankful to have such a world class scenic wonder so close to where I live and even more grateful that I've been able to visit so many times. I can't wait for next summer!

 

 

This was ok in color but really stood out as a black and white image due to the wonderful contrasts.

 

 

When photographing ice it's really important to keep a good eye on your histogram. Your camera's meter will try and turn the white ice to gray. You may need to add exposure, usually a stop and a half or so.

 

 

Ice floating in front of Pedersen Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget details and color!

 

 

Lower Pedersen Lagoon. Tripod and graduated neutral density filter made this high dynamic range image possible.

 

 

Silhouettes and sunrise on the peaks. Nice combo!

Dave Yorkanis at work.

 

 

Frank Baensch captures the beautiful low light of sunrise.

 

 

Why are canoes always so inviting?

 

 

A dying salmon at water's edge.

 

 

Isolating repetitive shapes is one way to add visual interest to photos.

 

 

Keep an eye on your negative space- the "empty space" around your subject. It can be a dominant part of a composition.

 

 

I like to use natural objects as framing whenever I can.

 

 

Shooting after sunset has it's own gifts.

 

 

Black and white detail of vegetation growing along the rocky beach.

I loved the gradation of shades and layered textures.

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

CAPTURING ALASKA

with Wayde Carroll

 

 

 

 

Summer Re-Cap

 

 

 

  As winter hits (and it has hit! it was -2 degrees F this morning!), work is slowing down a little so I'm finally getting a chance to go through more of my images from summer and get them ready for stock submission. Here are some new favorites I've come across.

 I'll get some new winter stuff soon!

 

 

Coyote, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

(wide open aperture, F2,8, to separate coyote from background)

 

 

Bull Elk,  Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

 

 

Grizzly Bear,  Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

 

 

Bull Moose, Fall, Anchorage

 

 

Anchorage Skyline

(orange graduated filter added color to dull sky)

 

 

Alaska Oil Pipeline, Fairbanks

(wide angle lens makes you feel like you're right there!)

 

 

Alaska Ferry

(another typical day in Alaska!)

 

 

Kenai River

( close foreground element leads the eye into the scene)

 

 

Fisherman's Memorial, Cordova Harbor

9

(graduated filter added to darken the sky and add drama)

 

 

Bird Banding, Cordova Shorebird Festival

(I set a fast shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second to freeze the fast beating wings of this shorebird at release)

 

 

Fireweed in full bloom, Potter Marsh

( shallow depth of field again)

 

 

U.S. Forest Service Supervisor John Skinner, during a hike above Eilson Visitor's Center,

Denali National Park and Preserve

(polarizing filter saturates the color and adds contrast to the cloudy sky)

 

 

Wonder Lake, Denali National Park

(polarizing filter and a small aperture for depth of field)

 

 

Alaska Zoo, Anchorage