Alaska

<p>We are planning a two week trip to Alaska for next late August and early September. I'd appreciate your advice on how to capture the Northern Lights as well as techniques for night shots in general. We'll be in Fairbanks in early September. Also, your input on the sites to photograph in the Kenai Peninsula, at Denali and environs, and in Fairbanks would be most helpful. Thanks. Larry</p>

<p>My wife & I spend 2 weeks in late August through Labor Day weekend in 2008 visiting the same areas you mention. Northern lights that time of year will be a matter of luck, and we didn't have any. When you are in the Denali area, check with your hotel/motel front desk - most offer a service to call your room (regardless of time!) if a northern lights display happens. Didn't happen while we were there, but it's an excellent service.<br /><br />Kenai - I recommend a day cruise from Seward into the Kenai Fjords NP. Whales, eagles, puffins, otters, glaciers, glaciers, glaciers. Make sure it's the 8-hour all day cruise. The 3-hour ones never leave Resurrection Bay at Seward. If motion sickness is an issue, take appropriate meds - and catamarans have a smoother ride than single hull boats. While at Seward, you can hike (easily) to Exit Glacier and literally stand and touch the face of the glacier. Not a lot of place where that's possible.<br /><br />I had a lot of fun shooting fishermen on the Anchor River (south coast). There's a silver salmon run in August, and fishing was very active. There are also lots of halibut fishing boats going out every morning all along the south coast. Homer is an interesting area for scenery on the bay (best halibut I ever had was at Land's End at the very tip of the Homer Spit). Keep an eye out for eagles everywhere you go.<br /><br />Denali - we got lucky and saw the clouds clear out on our second day there and stay sunny for several days. The mountain was wonderfully visible for the first time in months. I recommend the Kantishna shuttle, a school bus ride from the entrance 90 miles out the the end of the road and back in one long day. Drivers are very knowledgeable and stop anywhere someone sees something to photograph. Long day but well worth it. The sled dog demonstration is also entertaining and educational. You can drive a private vehicle only 15 miles into the park - the pavement ends at the Savage River, where cars have to turn around. Only park vehicles and campers with permits can go beyond there. But there's tremendous scenery and moose to be found in those 15 miles. Late August is fall foliage time in Denali. There are few trees - because of the climate, the tree line is only 3,000 ft, and most of the park is above 3,000. But the valley and many mountains are covered with shrubbery that changes in the fall, which starts in August that far north. So go prepared for fall color shooting.<br /><br />Denali weather - animals that are equipped to survive Denali winters aren't very fond of warm, sunny days. So when the weather is nicest, don't expect to see many animals, and just shoot the scenery. When the weather is crummy (drizzle, rain, fog) the scenery may be poor, but the animals will be out feeding almost all day. At the time of your trip there is an urgency to put on all the pounds they can while they can, so be prepared for animals in poor light.<br /><br />My wife liked a visit to a Fairbanks suburb named North Pole. The whole town is decorated for Christmas all the time, and there's a huge Christmas decoration store that took a half day. They sell (cheap) a service to mail letters from Santa to whoever you choose, postmarked of course North Pole. Sent them to my nephews and they were thrilled.<br /><br />One more recommendation - get a copy of the current edition of Milepost (I got mine at a local Barnes and Noble, but online works easily). It's a large, heavy book with everything there is to know in incredible detail about driving Alaska's roads. It's updated every year and will tell you all you could ever hope to know about what to expect down the road you're on.</p>

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<p>I'm presuming that you'll have a vehicle to get around. Renting one during the season is quite expensive. Aside from that, there is plenty to see and do in this huge state. You can use this site (below) and it will give you v. current 'lights conditions. When it gets dark (beginning of Sept) and the sky is without clouds, your chances of seeing the 'lights are quite good. I had better luck seeing the 'lights in the interior than I ever had around Anchorage or Kenai Peninsula. </p>

<p>http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/2011/08/03</p>

<p>What's v. helpful is that you leave the city (Fairbanks, for instance); therefore your light diffraction is reduced. From my experience (last 4 seasons there), the 'lights would usually start around (or after) 11PM and go for 2-3hours and occasionally even longer.</p>

<p>Can't say that doing the 'lights is straight forward, since each tend to be different. It helps to recognize the milky way....and if you can't, your camera can do it for you (15-30 sec exposure). If the moon is out, the milky way is normally not visible (in my experience). As to tools, good DSLR (such as 5DII/D700 or later models), will give you the desired results. I prefer using a prime 20 or 24mm, tho I have used 50/1.8 in the passed. It helps to make sure in advance, that the infinity stop on the lens is truely *that*....otherwise you may have images OOF. If that's an issue, focus (during daylight) on far away hills/mts and put a piece of ducktape on the lens barrel, preventing it from shifting focus on you. Also, make sure the AF is disengaged or the lens will try to hunt on you. As to WB, you can change that in the post.</p>

<p>Normally, I'd set the lens setting to the next F-stop or there about....I've never shot the 'lights with the lens wide open. The 'lights tend to fluctuate in intensity, tho I'd start with ISO 800, F3.5 or F4 and 13 or 15 sec. shutter > minimizing the star movement within the photo. If it's too dark, then change the ISO's to 1250-1600 or higher if necessary. Much depends on how strong the light is. You can use tripod for support, tho I've used a beanbag with excellent results + wire trigger release. Quiet pond/lake will give you that extra dimension > reflection.</p>

<p><br />While in Fairbanks you can take the discovery cruise, you can check out sandhill cranes getting ready to fly out to the lower 48 states (Creamers Field Wildlife Refuge)...there is also v. cool car museum (if you're into that)....or dip in Chena Hot Springs.</p>

<p>Overall, you can spot plenty of info on the net and tailor that to your liking. The big thing, however, and being around Labor Day, make sure you have lodging reservations (or camp sites) months ahead. It's the last hurrah holiday of the season and lots of people visit-travel one another or family.</p>

<p>Keep the camera handy....you never know when you spot an animal.</p>

<p>Les<br>

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<p>I found Chena Hot Springs (about 60 miles from Fairbanks) to be an interesting place. Lots of hot springs. Lots of moose.<br>

At Denali, take a normal lens to photograph the mountain if it is visible. Take a telephoto to capture the wildlife. Views of wildlife are more abundant than view of the mountain. We had good views of moose, caribou, and dall sheep and distant views of grisly bears. The horseshoe lake near the visiter's center is a good place to watch beavers and moose. On my next trip to Alaska, I will probably spend more time at Denali. <br>

The three hour cruise of Resurrection Bay from Seward was enjoyable, but I suspect (as Bob suggests) that the all-day cruise would offer far more picture taking opportunities. <br>

When I was last there in 1991, Portage Glacier (about 60 miles from Anchorage) was worth visiting. It probably still is since it is on the way to the Kenai peninsula. I'm not sure if the glacier is still intact. <br>

There is much to photograph in southeastern Alaska. Travel is by boat or air. <br>

Take good rain gear! </p>

<p>Something to add based on another post - about rental cars. At the time we went on our 2 week trip I worked for a sizeable company that was a subsidiary of a very large company, and they had a contract for preferred rates with a car rental company for company travel. On an inspiration, I asked about whether the contract was available for personal use by employees, and surprise surprise surprise it was! I got a code to use when making a reservation, and it cut the rental car cost in half compared to the best I could find on my own! Of course, I don't what your situation is, but it might be worth asking.</p>

<p>Living in LA, I normally detest having to drive anywhere, but I actually found driving in and around Anchorage to be relaxing. Rent a big car -- we were upgraded to a Chrysler 300M and it was fun to drive. I would advise trying to get a car that's at least that size or bigger.</p>

<p>If the timing works out, definitely stop by the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, about an hour's drive from Anchorage. </p>

<p>And IMHO, no trip to Alaska is complete without fishing for salmon.</p>

 

<p>Bob, I and my wife really appreciate your taking the time to write all this excellent detail. You and Les make us realize we may want to rent a car at Fairbanks so we can get out of town to do the Northern Lights and also get to Chena Hot Springs. We are planning to take the train from Anchorage to Denali and Fairbanks. Then we'll rent a car for a week at Kenai Peninsula. We are planning to take the 9 hour cruise at Kenai Fjords National Park. Larry</p>

<p>Ron, Thanks for your insights. The normal lens for Denali is a great idea. I do carry a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 that is razor sharp. Great idea. We'll definitely look into Chena Hot Springs. Sounds like 2 nights in Fairbanks is a good idea, so we can do a full day of driving outside the city. We are doing the full day cruise at Kenai Fjords and will spend a week on the Kenai Peninsula. We don't plan to do the inside passage part of southeast Alaska. Thanks for your chiming in for our trip. Larry</p>

<p>Les, Your help is most appreciated. You are especially helpful on the Northern Lights. I will practice on night photography way before the trip. I have a 12-24mm lens that should be good for the Northern Lights. We expect to make our reservations in the next couple of weeks. The Alaska.com website is most impressive; we may use their staff to make reservations. Many thanks.</p>

<p>Keith, I imagine that a larger rental car will help negotiate the elections in Alaska. We usually get either full or midsize cars from National. Although, I don't fish, we get our salmon locally from a family who lives in Alaska part of the year and fishes commercially for salmon and cod. He flash freezes the fish, and they are fresh through the entire winter. Thanks for your help. Larry</p>

<p>Just ran across this question. I suggest you visit Patrick Endres' web site http://www.alaskaphotographics.com. <br>

He has a comprehensive, excellent e-book on photographing the northern lights. </p>

<p>Steve, Many thanks for your suggestion about Patrick Endres. The book looks great, and I intend to download it. Too bad it's not available as a paper book. Even the preview has really helpful information. We only have two nights in Fairbanks, really only one full day and two nights, so I may have to chances at the Aurora. I really appreciate your help. Larry</p>

<p>A couple more bits of advice....We spent 2 weeks in Alaska late Aug-mid-Sep this year, with stops in Fairbanks, Denali, and Kenai NP. By all means, take the all-day bus ride to Kantishna. Stay there overnight if you can. Most of my animal pictures from the bus ride were at 300-400mm; most scenics at 20-35mm. Absurdly dark nights in Denali NP (and I'm an amateur astronomer). Perfect for northern lights pictures. I used a 20mm f/1.8 set to f/4, and 12-20 sec exposures (that keeps the stars as pinpoints). Fairbanks also has Museum of the North, well worth 2-3 hours, as well as the Yukon Quest dogsled race starting/ending point mini-museum, and a walk along the riverside downtown for good photo ops. As for Kenai, absolutely agree with an all-day trip, unless you are really, really prone to seasickness. My downfall was looking through my viewfinder at 400mm too much; got too queasy to take photos when the humpbacks showed up (but my wife did!). You'll enjoy it immensely; we did, and are planning on going back.</p>