This is the final image from my Alaska trip. During one of our last days on the trip, we walked on Exit Glacier. The weather made some very happy and others quite miserable. It was in the mid-30s and raining, but my ski jacket and pants protected me from most of the rain. However, that limited the number of images I took on my camera as I tried to keep it dry. Of the few I took, this one stands out, highlighting another group about to go ice climbing.
Another popular hike on the trip was this one of the Harding Ice Field. This nine-mile hike ascends over 3,300 feet but is not difficult to climb. However, I made the mistake of only bringing a rain jacket and sweatshirt. By the time we reached the peak, right on the edge of the glacier, a stiff wind blew off the glacier and significantly decreased the temperature. We quickly ate lunch on top then began the descent back down. On the way down, I took this panorama, capturing both the glacier and valley below.
Later in the wildlife cruise, we turned south and headed towards Aialik Bay. While battling stiff winds and ten-foot swells, I looked back and saw the mountains to the north of Seward. There were a few days on the trip when it rained, but most of the time, the clouds were like this, some low and many blocking the sun. If possible, I would have loved to take a long-exposure image, but the swells made an piece like that impossible.
Back in Denali, there is something special about this peak. When we first flew past it, it was on the opposite side of the plane that I was on. I tried capturing it from across the plane, but I could not through the window. We eventually turned around, and I took this image. I love how Peters Dome has snow on it. The white peak draws your eye to it, and then you notice the glacier and peaks around it.
Valdez is made up primarily of the fishing and oil industries. Not many people travel there for vacation as it is so remote, and there is no port for cruise ships to dock. We visited for two days, and both were hazy from wildfires to the east and south. Regardless, we went to the dock, and I took a panorama as I tried to fit everything into one image. While some borders are not exact, Lightroom does a great job of stiching them together almost seamlessly.
One of the other activities we completed in Seward was a wildlife cruise. I had low expectations going into it, as I did not think we would see many animals, but that quickly changed. For starters, a low cloud cover provided more character to the landscape, and we quickly saw animal after animal. There were otters, puffins, killer and humpback whales, seals, and bald eagles. Photographing a bald eagle was more difficult than I thought it would be. The white head is unlike its dark body or the rock underneath. I prioritized having the exposure fit the head and brightened everything else in Photoshop.
There are hundreds of fishing boats in Seward, and this particular one was one that our campground owned and took individuals on for sightseeing excursions. It provided the perfect subject for an image with the mountains in the background. Throughout the evening, I took hundreds of pictures of this scene, some with a high aperture, others with a low, some with a fast shutter speed, and others with a slow shutter speed. I settled on this image because I love how the boat is in sharp focus, yet the mountains are still visible enough to see their features.
