Pic of the Day

  Denali from Reflection Pond – Denali National Park Alaska:  Denali, “The High One”, is one of the most photographed mountains in the world, and I was in Denali National Park just for that purpose.  Denali is the second tallest mountain on the planet.  At a towering height of 20,320 feet  the mountain creates its on weather, keeping it totally obscured in clouds most of the time.  

    I made my first trip to Alaska in 1981.  After driving some 6000 miles across the United States, Canada and half of Alaska I arrived at Denali National Park eager to see and photograph the iconic landmark.  The day my wife and I arrived at the park the sky was overcast, and my dreams of seeing "The High One" seemed problematic.  After picking-up my photographers permit we drove west to wonder lake which was an arduous ten hour drive.  Heavy cloud cover and a drizzling rain dominated the day, and when we arrived at Wonder Lake no end seemed in sight.
    That night my wife and I camped at wonder lake, and around 2:00A.M.,  the clouds that hid the Alaska range began to break up revealing snippets of the mountains.  As the tops of the mountain range began to peak through the clouds we kept asking each other, “is that Denali?  No that one is higher, that must be it.”  Then the clouds began to dissipate and the entire range was visible.  Only then did we see Denali, it must have been three or four times taller than the surrounding mountains of the Alaska range.  We both stood in awe of "The High One.”

   I have returned to Denali National Park many times since that first trip and have photographed Denali over and over.  Every time I see the mountain it is different and always exciting to photograph.  This image was taken from reflection pond just East of Wonder Lake.  Surprisingly, Reflection Pond is only thirty to forty feet across, but in the early morning calm it provides a mirrored image reflection of North America’s tallest mountain.

Nikon F-5, Lens Unknown, Fujichrome 100

Pic of the Day

Razorbill Auk -- Machais Seal Island, Maine: Perhaps I should say Machais Seal Island, Canada. Machais Seal is claimed by both Canada and the United States. The claim by both countries was established over a hundred years ago. By claimming the island, fishing rights of the respective nations were extended further out to sea.
The Canadians have turned the island into a wildlife refuge and maintains the only manned lighthouse in the Canadian system on the island. Canadian biologist work on the island as well. Fortunaly neither the United States nor Canada have started a war on who really owns Machais Seal Island. When I see the island it is obvious that it is owned by the seabirds. I hope that it will always be so!
There is never a lack of subject or action on the island. Birds are constantly coming and going, squabbling between birds is never ending, and preening and wing flapping is a favorite pastime. This Razorbill Auk, one of many milling around the blind hopped on a rock in front of me and began to stretch and flap its wings.
Razorbills are not easy to photograph. The razorbill is a white brested, brown-black bird with dark eyes. If the light does not fall on the bird just right, the eyes disappears into the dark feathers. On my recent trip I had the opportunity to shoot numerous razorbills and was fortunate to capture the birds as they turned their heads at just the right angle to the light to illuminate and show detail in the eyes.
I love it when all the elements come together to create a harmonious image!
Nikon D300, Nikkor 500mm f4, Digital Capture, ISO 200