You might have noticed that it has been very quiet around here! Well, I went for a short trip to Alaska to take in the brutally cold winter weather, and take some photos. I had originally planned on visiting Alaska at the end of 2022, but the universe conspired against my plans.
Alaska is one of my favorite places in America, and had I discovered it in my younger days, I probably would have made it home. Its vast emptiness, extreme nature, and, most importantly, its landscapes speak to me deeply and emotionally. It allows my inner introvert to exist without interference from the outside world. I have returned, replenished, my mind and soul in sync. I suppose I like it because, like all grand places, it reduces us humans to our true context when juxtaposed against the vastness and timeliness of the planet that’s home.
Winter in Alaska is particularly alluring — the vast landscape is buried under snow and ice, giving it a surreal monotone feel. The trees, laden with pillows of snow, appear as lines etched on many shades of white. It didn’t matter if it was snowing. It didn’t matter if it was blowing a gale. It goes without saying, winter in Alaska is an amazing experience.
I am not much of a wildlife photographer, but I enjoy spotting moose against the white snow. Moose in Alaska are bigger than any I have seen in Wyoming. It was also surreal to see a wolf protecting its kill (a moose.) I didn’t bother snapping photos, for my attention was finding some special abstracts. And I did. But as it is with me, I normally don’t edit photos from a photo adventure for months, because I need to put the distance between the snapshots in my mind and what I want to create from the raw material captured by the sensor. Even though I took my Leica (SL) with me, I found I used my iPhone 14ProMax quite often. Here are a few images I thought were worth sharing.
Regular service is going to resume tomorrow.
02.22.2023. San Francisco
Very nice photos, Alaska in February. You are brave.
Thank you David. It is a very fine line between brave and stupid!
🙏🏽
Alaska looks great in the winter. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure!
I made my first visit to Alaska during the summer of 2021. I thought it would be a “one and done” trip, meaning I figured I would visit and cross it off my list. I never contemplated that I would be totally captivated by the landscape, the quaint towns and the good natured Alaskan people. Now, I’m planning a second trip for an extended time period.
Your photos are beautiful. What parts of Alaska did you visit?
Alaska is so different in the summer and fall, and winter. For me, summer is less interesting, mostly because i am just happy being a tourist 🙂
I visited Wisilla, Parker, and a few other outlying towns on this trip. It was mostly to do winter photography and lots of hiking in the snow, which I really like to do.