Any tips for Alaska

[zvia_shever]

<p>

<p >I will be vacationing in Alaska in late June for 9 days with my husband plus 4 friends. I'm the "trip photographer" </p>

<p >and would love any advice regarding what lenses to bring and where/when to shoot. </p>

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<p >The group I'm going with are not photographers and won't even carry their point and shoots if I have my camera along. They put up with me and my gear and my constant requests to "move out of the picture" as they know I will document our trip with a photo book. Anyhow, here's our schedule, which cannot be changed much for photo ops....however, I may have some time to go off on my own early morning or late evening when the others are wiped out from all our activities. Plus they're willing to make photo stops, but not for too long......I guess 22hrs of daylight may come in handy!</p>

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<p >Girdwood...1 full day...hang gliding and hiking (the instructor said no problem flying with a SLR)</p>

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<p >Girdwood to Homer....1 full day of travel.</p>

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<p >Homer...1 full day....fishing (on 24' boat) and hiking in and around Kachemak Bay/Halibut Cove with private guide.</p>

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<p >Homer to Seward....1 full day of travel..</p>

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<p >Seward....1 full day....Kenai Fjords Cruise...8-2pm...then I'm free for photography.</p>

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<p >Seward to Talkeetna...1 full day of travel...7pm Mt. McKinley flight/glacier landing</p>

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<p >Talkeetna to Matanuska area.....1 full day of travel w/ 7pm white water rafting trip (won't be able to take camera)</p>

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<p >Matanuska area....1 full day....Ice climbing. </p>

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<p >Matanuska to Anchorage...last day....Anchorage market.</p>

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<p >As I mentioned above, this is a vacation is not a photo safari (wish it was!). Any advice you can give me about good photo ops in each place and driving between each place, would be great. As I'm documenting the trip, I'd like to get a nice mix of landscapes, wildlife (whatever we're lucky enough to see), glaciers, people, quirky Alaska and of course our activities.</p>

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<p >The other questions I have are regarding what lenses/equipment to bring. I have the following: Canon 30D (25% chance of upgrading to the 50D), 17-55 f2.8 IS, 70-200L f4 IS, B & W polarizer, 500D close-up lens, tripod. From reading old discussions, I realize the 70-200 won't be long enough for much wildlife. I could rent a 100-400 IS but it's really heavy and I just don't think I could lug it around. I was thinking of buying the Canon 1.4X Extender for the 70-200 as it would be more manageable than the 100-400. In addition, I could rent or buy a wide angle...I think it would be useful.</p>

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<p >Another option I thought of, to cut down on the weight and amount of "stuff" is to leave both the 17-55 and 70-200 at home and buy or rent a Canon 18-200 IS and the 1.4 extender...the only problem here is at the 200 range with the extender I'd be stuck with f/6.3 (I think?!) although it's light most of the time in Alaska in June. Another worry is that I LOVE my 70-200 and may be disappointed in the 18-200....any thoughts?</p>

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<p >Last year I got some great advice from people on this site before my trip to Ecuador. I came home with some great shots and my friends were ecstatic with the photo books I put together for them.....so thanks!</p>

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<p >Zvia</p>

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[Jerry_]

<p>Buy a hat and a net to keep bugs out of your face...Alaska moose go underwater to get away from the 'skeeters there!</p>

<p>For the raft trip, you might look into a couple of 'beach sealed' 35mm film cameras that have a rubber O-ring seal system. Two 27-exposure plastic, sealed cameras will give you something the water won't hurt and the photos may be a once-in-a-lifetime thing.</p>

<p>Be prepared for anything weather wise in Alaska. The trip to Mt. McKinley may be a wash, and it could be fine weather for getting there and back on the same day. [During World War II, a couple of years had 'good' flying weather on two or three days....but that is more to the west from Anchorage.]</p>

<p>And if you can get bug spray before you go, stock up -- the prices in Alaska are high!</p>

<p> </p>

[luis_g]

<p>No back-up DSLR body? I'd take one, even an 8mp Rebel. Keep it along with at least a 50mm/1.8 or 18-55 kit lens, with your luggage. I would also take a small, waterproof Point and Shoot, something like this:</p>

<p>http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1363</p>

<p>or...</p>

<p>http://www.pentaximaging.com/digital-camera/Optio_W60_-_Ocean_Blue/</p>

<p>There are some times when you could be under big rain, the rafting, and/or you will not want to carry an SLR. Besides, this P&S can go along in a pocket or pack in case the SLR conks.</p>

<p> And throw a 50/1.8 in the bag, too, unless it's already attached to the spare Rebel.</p>

<p> </p>

[zvia_shever]

<p>Jerry....I think I read that 3M makes a great bug spray and we'll be wearing long sleeves, pants etc... I plan to spray my clothes with repellant also. We're staying one night in Talkeetna for the Mt. McKinley trip. We have a 7pm flight but if we don't get out due to weather, we will try again the next morning. . Will definitely get a couple of throw aways for the water rafting.<br>

Luis...I don't have a back up SLR and probably won't buy another. It's enough to lug one around :) I do have a pretty good point and shoot but it's not waterproof. I'll try to find a waterproof housing for it, if not, I'll go with your advice and buy a waterproof one. <br>

Any advice on the 17-55 and 70-200 with extender vs. 18-200 with extender?<br>

Thanks again.</p>

[jautey]

<p>With the exception of Talkeetna, most of the places you're going to ain't got much of bug problem. At least not as bad as some folks make it. So I wouldn't sweat the bug thing overmuch. You have a couple of days set aside for travel, when in truth you'll need only a few hours for travel. Gridwood to Homer is some 5 hours and Homer to Seward even less. So make some stops along the way. Where? Just about anywhere. The Kenai is beautiful just about everywhere, except Soldotna, which looks like any other suburb.</p>

<p>I don't know if your Katchemak bay hike takes you in the direction of Grewingk glacier or in other directions, but Katchemak is very large park. You'll have the chance to see a lot of marine and bird life in the bay, whether you get close enough to take photos is another matter. </p>

<p>While in Homer make sure to wander the spit and enjoy it some. Its a lively place, full of character and characters. Go beach combing and remember to look up. You'll often see eagles perched on light poles near the boat harbor or the fishing pool or they'll be down by the beach fighting the gulls for whatever washed ashore. There used to be a couple of curious harbor seals that would spend a lot of time by the Lands End Resort. But that was a couple of years ago. </p>

<p>If you venture into the Salty Dog, ask about the skull behind the bar. <br /> </p>

<p><br /> There's not much to photograph in the Seward area, unless you're on a boat, so spend your time after the cruise checking out the shopping or Sealife Center, well worth the admission, but skip the behind the scenes tour. It use to be better than it is now.</p>

<p>If you can lay your hands on something in the 400mm range that would get you a whole lot more photos of critters than the 200mm, even with an extender.</p>

<p> </p>

[jautey]

<p>I should amend my earlier statement on Seward a bit, if your upto a vigourous 3000 foot climb you could go up Mt. Marathon (I think that its name) for a spectacular view of Seward and the surrounding area.</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Assuming you fly into Anchorage, try to stop at a good sized convenience store or better yet a Walmart, and find a Great Pacific Recreation & Travel map of the Kenai peninsula - great detail - very very useful.<br>

Opportunities on your trip down to Homer or back up to Seward: Alaska Wildife Conservation Center (near Girdwood) has captive animals, best bet for close shots of the animals you'll see in the wild but can't shoot well with just a 200+1.4. Moose, caribou, elk (lots of them), black bears, even some musk ox. Inexpensive, and the kind of place you can spend as little or as much time as you like. Nice views of Kenai Lake from the road that crosses the peninsula and from the road down to Seward. Cooper Landing-a great restaurant with the lodge there - nice folks. Off the main road there's Skilak Lake Road along the lake; the Kenai River drains from this lake and there are lot of local roads used for fishing access. I hear the river banks can get pretty crowded when the salmon are running. That will also attract bears and eagles. Out of Soldotna look for Kalifornsky Beach Rd - runs along Cook Inlet and has better opportunities to see moose and eagles than the main road. Intermittent nice views across the inlet, too. Farther south, Ninilchik is a great place to get off the road - neat little complex of weathered buildings and boats, a small but friendly restuarant on the beach, mountains on the far side of the inlet can be seen from here including Redoubt, the one about to erupt. Even farther south, Anchor Point has a good bridge vantage point to photograph fishermen going after salmon in the Anchor River, and fishing charters going out from the beach area (good early in the morning).<br>

There's an overlook as you approach Homer that might be good, depending on the weather. It has a pretty impressive array of flowers. In Homer, you can get good shots of float planes coming and going from Beluga Lake just before you get to the spit. The harbor on the spit is another good place to shoot, as is the harbor's boneyard - lots of old boats in various stages of decay. Lots of birds on the spit - just keep your eyes open for them. A drive north along the bay will afford views across the bay to the Kenai Mountains, and a drive up the hillside onto East End Rd has high level views of the town, the spit, and the bay plus mountains. Great at sunset.<br>

In the Seward area, Exit Glacier is easy to get to and a good experience - you can get very close to the glacial ice. Be prepared for mosquitoes here. Not much to shoot in Seward except some potential for nice sunset shots in the harbor. Take the road south of downtown along the bay late in the day and you may see a good assortment of otters floating near the shoreline. A 200+1.4 will be a bit frustrating for this. The day cruise should give you very good opportunities for whales, rafts of otters, some eagles, and plenty of tidewater glaciers. Ailik is the best glacier IMHO, although Holgate is good, too. The ice field on top of the Kenai Mountain range creates it's own weather, and clouds sometimes flow over the edge of the mountains down the glacier - really cool (so to speak). You'll see puffins, but anything less than a 400 won't get much (they are small). Your best chance would be if some are floating in the water near enough to the boat. Lot's of scenery, of course, including great shots leaving and returning to Seward with the mountains above the town and maybe a cruise ship in the harbor. Sailboats look good against the glacier-covered mountains, too.<br>

Talkeetna: great views of McKinley can be had if the weather cooperates. The town is very touristy, moreso than any place else I've been in Alaska, but it's still a nice little town. If the weather won't let you see the mountain or fly, it'll be a rather dull day. Out on the main road, north of the Talkeetna area there's Denali State Park with some overlooks with good views of the mountains.<br>

I can't speak about the quality of the lenses you have (I'm a Nikon user), but I found a 16-85 on one camera plenty wide enough for my tastes, and an 80-400 on the other camera almost long enough (but a 500 or 600 really would have been nice). If shooting wildlife in the wilderness is something of value to you, finding a longer lens will be important - how many times do you expect to get to Alaska to do something like this? Make sure you get everything you can out of this chance! An 18-200 does have the benefit of being a "universal" lens where you won't have to keep changing lenses, and if 200 is enough for your shooting preferences, it would be a good choice. If a longer lens is something you'd like, you should also consider a used lens from Sigma or Tamron - decent glass and much more affordable. If you buy another lens for this trip, get out and shoot with it before the trip - don't try to get the hang of it during once-in-a-lifetime shooting opportunites.<br>

I'd wish you a good time, but no need - you WILL have a great time. It's just that kind of place.</p><div></div>

[Hector Javkin]

<p>Something that belongs in this thread, and not the one specific to lens choices, is a suggestion to get a copy of the Milepost. Its site is <a href="http://milepost.com/">here</a> . It helped me tremendously when I went to Alaska ages ago. There are many sources of information available in 2009, and you have your trip planned, so it isn't so important. Nevertheless, it might help you think of something you'll want for the trip.</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Hector made a very good point. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but our local Border's bookstore has the Milepost in the travel section.</p>

[mphoto gallery]

<p>The Kenai tour out of Seward was the most fantastic 9 hour photo excursion I have ever taken. I don't know what you mean by free after the tour :) Birds, whales, sharks, glaciers and on and on and on. If you get a nice day, you could shoot a couple thousand images. <br>

I took my 100-400 (everywhere) and used it most of the time on the boat. I swapped between that and my 15-30 when we parked close to hanging glaciers. At least on the boat, you could get some good shots with the 200 and a 1.4 as most of the wildlife is very close. You'll need lots of shutter speed. I did use a polarizer quite a bit as I had amazing weather for the day. Everywhere I looked, there was something to shoot.<br>

<br /> Here is a link to some snapshots from our trip. I am rebuilding my site so there will be many more in a few months (when I get back from Hawaii).</p>

<p>http://mphoto.ca/adventures/alaska/index.htm<br>

<img src="file:///C:/Users/Mphoto/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /></p><div></div>

[zvia_shever]

<p>Thanks everyone for all your responses. All the tips are really helpful. </p>