Sunset Moment - McNeil River Sanctuary, Alaska

In July, Chum Salmon return to spawn at McNeil River and brown bears congregate at the river for an annual salmon feast.

It was exactly a year ago, I was at McNeil River Sanctuary to photograph brown bears catching salmon. It was late in the evening, almost 11pm, when the sun finally touched the horizon. After the long day of capturing bear action at the falls, I relaxed at the camp where warm orange lights painting the sky and distant Aleutian Range, when the drama started…

Several bears where strolling along the beach near the camp as usual. Suddenly I heard animals running back and forth… There was a bear family, mother and two cubs, playing on the beach just outside of camp. They were truly enjoying the moment. The cubs were over a year old, nearly as big as the mother, this would be the last summer to be with their mother.

A lone young bear approached the young cubs. The distance between young bear and the cubs got shorter… and they were almost touching! Usually the mother bear is very protective and normally would chase the strange bear away. However, to my surprise, the mother bear let the strange bear come to interact with her cubs! The ranger guides were also disbelieved of this rare occasion. The mother bear was just watching them play from a distance. The lone bear was as big as the two cubs. He or she must have been just kicked out by its mother.

Those bears were playing run and chase for a long time under the long-lasting sunset.

The sky and air turned to magenta. Slowly the darkness of the night descended upon McNeil River Camp. It was truly a magical moment.

My passion of photographing bears is still alive…

This is the last posting from McNeil River Sanctuary in Alaska.

In late May, I moved back to the mainland/lower 48 to Kent, Washington, south of Seattle. I lived in Hawaii for the past 2 years and finally made it to the northwest. I’ll be capturing the beautiful Cascade Mountains, the Pacific Coast, and wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Please check back in 2-3 weeks!

Sunset Reflections - Kenai Mountains at Cook Inlet, Alaska

 It was beautiful spring evening in Alaska as I was headed south toward the Kenai Peninsula along Cook Inlet. It was almost 11 o'clock, the tide was low and the mud bottom of the ocean was exposed. The sun slowly settled down seemingly into the ocean.



The rose-colored light glows on the snow capped Kenai Mountains above the ocean. I quickly selected the site and set up the camera gear to capture this special moment. The sky against the snowy mountains were a beautiful lavender color.

The setting sun painted the other side of the sky in bright orange!

The magical twilight sky lasted about a half hour after sunset. Slowly, the tide came in, and darkness descended upon the inlet. It was already past midnight when I packed up the gear and left.

Spring Greens - Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Alaska

 Spring is here in Southcentral Alaska! Since the past winter was mild and short (for Alaskan standards), fresh greens already started sprouting in April, over a month earlier than past years.

 Within an hour's drive south of Anchorage, Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet is one of the most outstanding landscapes which nature photographers dream of... The inlet was surrounded with snow capped mountains which drop directly down to the ocean. The area is rich in vegetation and wildlife. The Chugach Mountains along the Turnagain Arm is my favorite place this time of the year. Under the sunshine and blue sky, I walked through the birch woods with the scent of fresh greens in the air. Finding a few open spots to over look the panoramic scene to capture... This spectacular landscape always takes my breath away!

The leaves are still in light greens and a significant amount of snow still remains in the high peaks across the inlet. Soon, the foothills and the valleys will be decorated with vivid wildflowers.

Lupine Field - Turnagain Arm, Alaska

 

Spring comes quick in Alaska soon after the snow melts. Grass on the ground and new greens on the trees grow very fast under the long daylight… Then wildflowers start to bloom. Wildflowers take turns blooming during the short summer season. One of the first to bloom are lupines. The violet flowers cover the coastal hills and fields along Turnagain Arm, a part of Cook Inlet, for a few weeks. This is one of my favorite times of the summer.

It was in early June, I was searching for a perfect field for a sunset shot. The past winter was mild, and the spring had come early this year. It looked a bit of early for a full bloom…

I picked one of the lupine patches at the shoreline of Turnagain Arm, and waited for sunset behind the ocean. The weather was beautiful, no wind, not even a breeze. The flowers stayed still for long exposure shots.

The sun slowly started setting behind the mountains over the ocean.

It was a low tide, the sand patterns glimmered in golden orange lights.

 

Another day at Bird Ridge, overlooking Turnagain Arm. Lupines beautifully bloomed in the south side of the steep mountains.

Lupines are normally violet, but sometimes they come in odd colors!

Chugach Mountains, Alaska

The long winter is finally ending, daylight gets longer and longer each day... Finally the snow is melting in the northern wilderness. Time to get out and explore!

Chugach Mountains stretch from the Canadian border to Southwest Alaska. The mountain range contains dynamic landscape including high peaks, alpine lakes, glaciers, salmon streams and abundant wildlife. Chugach Mountains, especially outside of Anchorage, are a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, and of course, nature photographers!

During the spring melt, mother nature creates amazing art... I love the textures of ice sheets over  creeks.

 

The snow dusted over the icefalls, meting water runs down behind the icefalls.

 

Another spectacular landscape from Eklutna Lake.  Finally, the lake starts the spring melt in mid May.

January Sunset over Chugach Mountains and Knik Arm in Cook Inlet.

A sled dog team runs through Chugach Mountains.

 

Chugach Mountains over Anchorage at Sunset.

I can't wait to see and photograph beautiful fresh greenery in Chugach's outstanding landscape soon.

Northern Lights over Anchorage

 

The winter season 2012-13 were among the best to view northern lights due to high solar activity. Northern lights most often appear in the high latitudes around the Arctic region. When I lived in Fairbanks (300 miles south of the Arctic Circle), I witnessed the aurora several nights a week during the winter months. Now I'm in Anchorage, 300 miles south of Fairbanks where the aurora displays are rare. When the solar activity is strong, occasionally the northern lights dance above Anchorage and the southern region of Alaska.

 

It was on one of these rare nights following a magnetic sun storm that bright green aurora waved above the city! I happened to see the lights from my front door in a residential area of East Anchorage around 8pm. The lights must have been very intense to be visible with the city lights.

 

On another day, the aurora glowed brightly above Cook Inlet in south Anchorage.
 

Spring is approaching Alaska after the long winter months. The days are getting longer every day (+5 min each day in Anchorage) The darkness is soon to give way to long days in the land of the midnight sun. The season of the northern lights will soon be over...

Denali (Mt. McKinley) from Cook Inlet, Anchorage

It was in early October, the weather was perfect for the weekend in Anchorage.  The sky was clear and the air was crispy clean.  I was waiting for a perfect sunset to dip behind the mountains across the Cook Inlet.  The rugged snow capped mountains: Mt. Susitna, Mt. Spurr, Mt. Redoubt, and Mt. Hayes were in outstanding backdrop!

Located 350 miles south of Fairbanks, Anchorage was 2-3 weeks behind, still in Autumn.  Fall leaves were still hanging on the birch trees, and the temperature was 10 degrees warmer than the interior of Alaska near Fairbanks, where I currently live.

The orange sun was slowly moving to the tips of the volcanic mountains.  Bright orange glare reflected on the calm water.  I was focusing on the dynamic landscape spread in front of me.  It took me a while to notice the high distinctively shaped snow covered mountain standing out in the northwestern horizon.  To my surprise, I realized it was the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinley (Denali)!  When it's clear enough, Mt. McKinley can be seen from 300 miles south in Anchorage!

The warm light from the setting sun glowed on the south side of Denali for a long while.  The colors were slowly changing to soft pink, and then fading out.  The western sky and the inlet were bright orange for awhile afterward.  Viewing Denali from the city was a surprising bonus for the day!