Photography-Life in Alaska-Random Thoughts
Photography highlighting Alaska, the most beautiful place on earth.
Finally had some Aurora early this morning here in Anchorage. It’s been over a month since I’ve had the chance to shoot any, so this was a nice surprise. The display itself wasn’t terribly strong; but we’re rapidly heading towards the end of aurora shooting season. Another 30 days or so and it will be too light out at night to shoot them. But wow, the stars were just thick!
It’s not every day you have a Canada Lynx soaking up the warmth of the Spring sun in your backyard! This young one was napping in the grass for quite awhile, then casually headed back into the woods behind the house. Pretty cool.
No climate change happening in Alaska, that’s for sure. Completely normal that we were able to de-winterize our motorhome and head to Seward a full six weeks earlier than we’ve ever had it out before. Shocked at how little snow there was up in Turnagain Pass as we drove down Friday to spend a gorgeous, sunny weekend camped next to Resurrection Bay.
Xena was on alert this afternoon looking at something from her deck so I went out to check and saw just a bit of movement in the trees at the bottom of our driveway. I went out on the front deck and a young Canada Lynx was sitting there staring at me! I think it was a young one, at least it felt that way—and it couldn’t have cared less that I was 20’ away taking pictures and video. It actually let me walk up the driveway level with it to take some more pictures. The entire visit lasted around 20 minutes. As I returned to the deck a second Lynx appeared and joined. This one was larger, perhaps the mother? After a short visit they both sprinted up the driveway and headed back into the woods. What an incredible treat.
30 years ago today. I was the chief photographer at the ABC station in Anchorage when I got a phone call at home to come in early because an oil tanker had run aground in Prince William Sound. The weather in Anchorage was bad and we scrambled to finally find a charter flight that could get us over to Valdez. We dropped out of the clouds into a swarm of aircraft circling the Exxon Valdez and could see the oil already spreading into the Sound. It was devastating. I can still remember the smell, even in an airplane hundreds of feet above the ship.
If you happened to be watching ABC World News Tonight that night hosted by Sam Donaldson, you saw my footage. Except for a few exceptions, it’s the only story I covered for the rest of the summer and fall.
I took this picture of the Exxon Valdez months later as it was getting ready to be towed back to California for repairs. 30 years. You can still dig down on certain beaches in Prince William Sound and an oil sheen will come to the surface.
