September Aurora - Fairbanks, Alaska

The northern lights started early this year! As soon as the darkness of night returned around the middle of August, the Aurora started dancing. This year seems to be the great year for the northern lights. There have already been several days that the aurora activity has been strong enough to be visible from just north of Anchorage.

When solar activity is high, the bright aurora dances across the sky in the Arctic region. Although the lights can appear near Anchorage, they are much brighter and move vibrant in more northern latitudes.

In early September, I packed up the camera gear and headed north towards Fairbanks. The sky was clearing as I got closer to Fairbanks. Around midnight, the aurora began appearing... It started as a faint straight light across the sky. Then, the lights started moving by the time I arrived at one of the local lakes. The bright moon rose, but the aurora was still bright under the moonlight. The weather was calm, no wind. The arch of lights were waving above the small lake.

The aurora continuously danced all over the sky. The ribbon like lights moved across the sky and disappeared, then the next ones formed above the horizon. 

The intense fire of lights flaming above the lake... The fire created an arrow-like light and ran across the sky!

The northern lights continued on and on for hours... Arriving at another lake, the lights were dancing all over the sky and swirling! The lake was a perfect mirror for the light show. Being able to photograph the northern lights' reflections occur only at this time of the year before the lakes freeze. At one point, the neon green colors spread from the horizon to zenith! It was one of the best aurora I have ever seen!

Wave like lights!

Lights explosion in the sky...

In the green fog...

I camped near Tok, in eastern Alaska the next day... Another great night for aurora! To be continued in the next posting, please come back to see more aurora images!

Eklutna Lake Sunset, Alaska

 

Eklutna Lake is one of many amazing scenic places near Anchorage. When the sun shines, the deep turquoise color of the lake shows vividly. I have been photographing the lake from various vantage points in recent years.

One of those beautiful evenings, I was hiked up the trail overlooking the lake to capture the sunset. It was early July, sunset in southcentral Alaska occurs around midnight! The sun was already low as I hiked through the wooded trail when suddenly I heard a loud noise in the brush near the trail. A black bear was walking in the woods not so far from where I was!

I made it to a nice open area overlooking the entire Eklutna Lake. The sun was already very low and dim light began painting the clouds in reddish gold. The warm lights broke through the clouds and created a ribbon of lights on the mountain range above the lake! I love this kind of lighting often seen in Alaska.

The Fireweed's deep pink flowers were already blooming in the area and it was only early July! There is an old saying in Alaska; when the fireweed flowers bloom, summer is ending... only bottom part was blooming but thinking the end of summer was coming made me sad. 

 

Sunset normally takes longer in northern latitudes, but it was quicker that evening... Gold colors in the clouds faded quickly. I had only enough time to capture it from just a few different spots.

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!

"House of the Sun" - Haleakala Summit, Maui, Hawaii

 

The summit of Haleakala Volcano rises 10,023 feet above sea level on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It is said, viewing the sunrise at Haleakala Summit is "most memorable" and a somewhat spiritual experience. As a nature photographer, I was thrilled to capture the spectacular sunrise at Haleakala Summit.

Arriving at Haleakala Summit more than a half hour before sunrise, the large parking lot was already almost full! Hundreds of people were already standing and waiting at the edge of the crater where the sun was supposed to come out... The cold gusty winds was blowing across the arid volcanic crater, and the tourists were shivering in hotel blankets... I was wearing Alaskan winter clothing which I wore from home to the airport. The sky was still dark with millions of stars.

When I set up the camera gear at the edge of crater, the sky was starting to get lighter. The ocean of clouds were spread beyond the crater... The reddish volcanic rocks were mysterious purple under the light of dawn. A  group of Hawaiian women chanted in their local language as the sun continued to rise. "House of the Sun" in Hawaiian language, Haleakala is an ancient sacred place for Volcano goddess, Pele.

 

The sky slowly lightened up above the cold, windy crater... The background chanting keep going... Finally, the bright sun came out above the clouds. The sky was reddish orange!

As sun goes up, the warm light painted the crater in golden orange. Now the volcano landscape comes alive. The crater and volcanic cones. The colors of the landscape and sky changed every moment!

The sunrise was dramatic but quick... and COLD. The endangered Hawaiian bird: Nene were hanging around in the lower elevation in the park.

Here are Haleakala Summit sunset from the night before... Sunset behind the Observatory.

Flaming clouds at Summit area at sunset. 

 

Another sunrise over Haleakala. Sunrise rays above the Haleakala Summit, viewed from the ocean.

Spiritual Path in Maui - Haleakala National Park, Hawaii

Last December, I explored the natural beauties of the Island of Maui, Hawaii. In photographing Hawaii, I am especially fascinated with the tropical rainforests and waterfalls. Driving through the town of Hana, the tropical green landscapes continued through to the southeast part of the island. As part of the Haleakala National Park system, the Kipahulu area is a real gem; breathtaking waterfalls, natural pools, bamboo forests, and coastal views.

 

Wailua Falls, full of water after a heavy rainfall.

 



'Ohe'o Gulch ("Seven Sacred Pools") waterfalls cascading down volcanic cliffs with tropical vegetation down to the coast.

Maui is home to bamboo... a large part of East Maui is covered with bamboo forest! The trail in this part of Haleakala Park begins with typical jungle images with banyan trees and thick greens... A creek cascading down creates some waterfalls along the trail. As I climbed higher and crossed several bridges, the vegetation changes to bamboo. The bamboo forest gets thicker and thicker... almost completely blocking out sunlight. The trail gets even darker at mid day. The breeze and rain blows the tightly packed bamboo and creates clacking sounds in dim green colors. Sounds of water streams are mixed in.

Capturing this atmosphere, I had to set the shutter speed for 13-15 seconds with tripod in the low light. The wind swing the thin green stalks... It was hard to get sharp images.

Walking through the bamboo forest in rain was somewhat a spiritual experience... I had never felt this way when I was back in Japan among the bamboo forests there. "Zen" mind experience!?

Passing the bamboo, the tall trees took over the trail. Through an opening through trees, waterfalls on the green cliff could be seen...

Waimoku Falls dropped off a vertical cliff of 400 feet! Such an amazing end to the trail!

For the next posting, I will post some sunrise and sunset photos at Mount Haleakala Summit in Maui, Hawaii. Please check back in 2 weeks!

 

Tropical Green Paradise, East Maui, Hawaii

The East side of Maui offers dramatic landscapes that photographer’s dream of: lush rainforests, waterfalls, and secluded beaches. Greens and waterfalls are always my favorite subjects to photograph in Hawaii.

In December, I flew to Maui for another photo project. It is always good to take a break from the cold, dark winter in Alaska. However, unexpected storms visited Hawaii for weeks in December and instead of sunny tropical weather we got rained on almost every day.

"The Road to Hana," was one of the highlights of this Maui trip with the lush tropical forest and countless waterfalls along the highway. Driving through the scenic coastal highway in drizzling rain. The trails to the waterfalls were wet and muddy after many rainy days. The good news was the waterfalls were fully cascading through the mossy greens. Gorgeous volume of water for photography!

Upper Waikani Falls (Three Bears Falls)

Makapipi Falls vertically drops down under the bridge along the road (left). Artesian Falls cascading down to the coast.

Near the end of the highway, a volcanic black sand beach lays on the quiet corner of Maui. I was waiting for sunrise on the high cliff in misty rain. The weather changed every few minutes... The orange light broke through the clouds and it painted the dark sands purple! Soon the lights were blocked and rain took over the cove.

A short while later, the sun came out again and the golden light lit through the sea cave. The sun beat out the clouds for most of the day.
 

There is also the Red Sand Beach near the town of Hana. The beach was bright red under the sunshine. The Hawaiian nature is full of surprises!

On my next posting, I will share some photos of Seven Sacred Pools and the bamboo forest in Haleakala National Park, East Maui. Please check back.



French Alps

 

I have been writing about the highest mountain in the Alps: Mont Blanc, and the trail around the mountain for past several updates. I completed hiking the entire Tour du Mont Blanc trail 110+ miles in July 2014 with camera gear while photographing the spectacular landscape.

 

At the end of this story, I'm sharing more images of the Chamonix, France area. I stayed a few days in Chamonix, near the starting point of the journey of Tour du Mont Blanc, before and after the long hike.

 

The Flégère to Lac Blanc area, a high mountain range directly across from Mont Blanc Massif, is one of the most scenic landscapes that photographers could ever dream of. 

I could easily spend several days to just explore and capture the deep green alpine lakes, streams, and the front view of Mont Blanc.  The weather wasn't cooperative during sunset/sunrise, here are the some sunshine moments at Lac Blanc.

Reflection of Mont Blanc Range on Lac Flégère.

Alpen Rose's vivid pink flowers stand out in the Alps.

 

Chamonix area offers so many amazing view spots with easy access via public transportation. Mer de Glace, the longest glacier in France.

Bossons Glacier, the ice-fall directly down from Mont Blanc.  I just loved these colors!

Lac Bleu in the fog...  One of the many alpine lakes in Mont Blanc Massif.

Well, that's all from the European Alps.  I will add some images on my main website soon.

On my next blog, I will update some new images from Hawaii.  Please check back.