Susitna River Archives ~ Rambling ranger

I’m a nature photographer. It’s what I do. I go wild for my photography.

Yellowstone National Park — I go wild for photography!

John of Journeys With Johnbo chose this week’s Lens-Artists Photography Challenge, “The Road Most Traveled”. He asks us to showcase whatever style of photography is our go-to, our favorite, our road most traveled.

I don’t think I can define a particular style as my go-to, but I can definitely define a genre. I do nature photography – to the almost total exclusion of any other kind of photography.

Nature photography in Denali National Park. — Nature photography is my genre.

I guess that makes me a bit of a one-dimensional character. Especially since being wild is almost a prerequisite for a photo of mine. Domestic flowers don’t really interest me. I have plenty of opportunities to do pet photography, being a petsitter and all, but I seldom make pictures of my charges. I also have the opportunity to stay in some lovely homes while petsitting. But I rarely take photos of these houses. There are very few farm or country landscapes in my files, and never a cityscape. Like I said, pretty one-dimensional.

Point Lobos State Park, CA — Point Lobos, California

It’s not that I don’t appreciate other types of photography. Most folks have broader interests than mine. Architecture, travel, food, portraits, street photography – I admire what other people are doing in those genres. I enjoy seeing these things through their eyes. I just don’t feel inspired to go there myself.

But if it’s wild – then my interest is limitless. Desert, mountains, seashore, I love them all. Grand vistas to teeny tiny details. Animals, plants, water, rock – I can’t get enough of them. Macro to wide-angle to zooming in, black and white, color and monochrome – all tools and techniques that help me to express my greatest love, the natural world.

Nature photography in Anza Borrego State Park, CA — Plants, animals, waters, mountains – I love them all.

There is one genre of photography that I rather regret not doing my whole life, and that’s people photography, taking pictures of friends and loved ones. I’ve photographed a few friends’ weddings, and taken pictures at 4th of July parades and a few musical events, but that’s it. I have very few photos of friends and family just enjoying life.

Coachwhip Canyon, Anza Borrego State Park — I love it when viewers can visually or mentally “walk into” one of my images.

I do understand why I don’t have many people pictures. I only take people pictures at events where my role is one of an observer more than a participant. When I’m with friends and family, I want to be totally present. Those moments are precious to me. I want to be a participant, not an observer. For me, taking pictures at that time would remove me from living in the joy of the present moment. I would be concentrating on taking a good picture instead. Weird, I know.

Moose in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve — Have you ever seen a big moose hide behind a skinny little tree? I caught this one in the act – in my front yard!

I’m certainly glad others don’t feel that way. I am eternally grateful to the friends and family who do document those moments. You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The older I get the more precious those people pictures are.

Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park, CA — Nature photography is my way of telling these beings,
“I see you. I honor you. Thank you for being.”

As I ponder the role photography plays in my life, I realize it’s a tool to further what seems to be my mission in life, my vocation and my avocation. In my photography, my writing, and my work as a ranger, I seem to be pursuing the same goals – turning people on to what makes a place or a subject special and unique, and encouraging others to be kind to our Mother the Earth. It’s what I do.

Matanuska Peak — Nature photography is one way I turn people on to what makes a place special and unique.

I attempt to capture a scene or a subject in such a way that a viewer can visually and mentally walk into that place themselves, to feel like they could be there even if they’ve never seen it in person. When I know I’ve done that, I feel successful as a photographer.

Nature photography is a meditation for me. It’s how I give praise to Creation. I acknowledge the other beings I share this planet with, both animate and inanimate, by practicing the art of seeing. Focusing my total concentration on a subject or a scene is a way of saying to those beings, “I see you. I honor you. Thank you for being.” I try to capture just a little of the essence of my subject. What makes that being or that landscape essential.

Redwoods National Park — Trying to capture the essence of my subject – rain forest sparkle party!

If others can discover just a little of that essence through my nature photography, then hopefully they too will acknowledge that that thing or that place is unique and essential. Perhaps they will feel inspired to care for it and keep it safe.

Monterey Bay nature photography — Hopefully my images bring a smile to your face!

If my images occasionally fill my viewers with awe for the wonders of the natural world, that makes me proud of a job well done. Or maybe my nature photography will just bring a smile to their faces or a warm feeling in their hearts. That’s a worthy goal, too.

Trillium, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park — I do love making wildflower images!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my musings on the art of nature photography. But I hope you enjoy my images of Nature even more.

Emulating Ansel Adams – Headwaters of the Susitna River, with Mounts Deborah and Hayes

When Patti announced “Last Chance”, our unpublished favorites from 2022 as last week’s Lens- Artist’s Photo Challenge, I knew I had an embarrassment of riches. Since I took a long hiatus from my blog this year, I had way too many favorites for one post. Since I spend about half the year down south housesitting and the other half home in Alaska, it seemed like an easy way to solve my dilemma would be to split my images into two installments. Last week’s post was “Below the 49th Parallel,” and I’m happy to share my Northland favorites this week.

Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve — Bog Bean flower

Any roundup of the Rambling Ranger’s favorites would have to include a flower pic or two. My favorites this year were all taken in ponds along the McCarthy Road. My very favorite flower pic of the year I shared a couple of weeks ago in my “Patterns” post, Bog Beans and their shadows. I mentioned in that post that the flowers were exquisite when viewed up close, so here’s a closer view. My other flower pic is a combination lily shot, both Pond Lilies and Water Lilies growing together. Technically it’s a little messy and maybe not one of my best, but this post is about favorites, not bestest, right? Although sometimes they’re one and the same…

McCarthy Road — I love the juxtaposition of big lily pads and little lily pads, with the bigger pond lily flower centered and surrounded by tiny water lilies.

I took a one-day photo workshop through the Wrangell Mountains Center with Paul Scannell and Anna Mikuskova. One of our exercises was to each pick a piece of paper out of a hat, with an intangible concept written on it, then go out and shoot that concept. We were given 15 or 20 minutes to complete the assignment. My concept was “rebirth.” I shared a different image with the group that better illustrated rebirth, but this image was my favorite from that exercise.

Northland Favorites — Think I might call this one “Green”.

Since I spend most of my spare time at home working on the homestead, that’s where a lot of my favorites come from. I thought I’d try a square format on this image.

This B&W image is my very favorite part of the view from my front porch. I don’t know of anyone who has the view of this ridgeline that I do, and in my opinion, it’s one of the most amazing views in the Wrangells. And get this – none of those white mountains even has a name, not even the real high one lost in the clouds. That’s how wild this place is! The dark mountain in front is Mt. Donaho, which blocks this ridgeline from most of my neighbors’ properties.

Wrangell Mountains — My favorite part of my amazing view

The last shot I’m including from the homestead is my favorite aspen tree, the one right outside my front door. The fall colors were fabulous this year.

I spent a little time this fall at the toe of the Kennicott Glacier, less than a mile from McCarthy. It’s an interesting place to be. With global climate change and the glacier melting, the lake at the toe gets bigger all the time. The Kennicott Glacier has a surface moraine and is covered with debris. That ice is moving a lot of rock! Any image you take here is ephemeral. It will definitely look different a year or two from now. Here’s the face of the glacier with some of the surrounding mountains.

I try to make a fall road trip on the Denali Highway every year if I can. This year I went for it, even though the weather was dismal when I left McCarthy. On my first night out, it poured buckets. The forecast called for more rain, but surprisingly, the morning dawned bluebird. I got the best views I have ever seen of Mt. Deborah and Mt. Hayes. Meanwhile, back in McCarthy, it dumped inches. It rained so hard it washed everyone in Kennecott’s water systems out of National Creek, including the Park Service’s! So glad I made the road trip! The feature shot is of the Susitna River with Deborah and Hayes dominating the view.

One of my Northland favorites from that trip became a favorite during post-processing, when I noticed a grizzly bear in the photo. I didn’t see it when I took the picture! It’s over a quarter mile away, in the center of the photo, before the line of trees. Look for the light spot. Fall can be a scary time for a bear encounter in Alaska. They match the fall colors and can be hard to spot.

My last Northland favorite is from Canada’s Cassiar Highway. I camped at a remote lake, where I witnessed possibly the most colorful sunset/sunrise cycle I’ve ever seen. Both sunrise and sunset morphed through every color imaginable, from gold to orange to red to purple to pink. And it was completely still. Incredible reflections and color combos. I couldn’t pick a favorite shot, but this is one of them.

What fabulous images will the New Year bring? I can’t wait to find out!

Tag: Susitna River

Nature Photography — My Road Most Traveled

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Last Chance – Northland Favorites

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