Follow Me On My Photography Adventures
Ketchikan was my favorite photo port. We took a boat ride into the wilderness to a salmon fishery to hopefully capture wild bears catching salmon in the stream. Along the way we saw some sealions and seals and countless bald eagles. The salmon hatchery did not disappoint and we got to see bears catching salmon up close and in the wild. The lighting was tough with low overcast skies and occasional rain showers. However, I still got some good images that I will probably hang on my wall.
In Icy Strait we took a boat ride out to see the humpback whales. Although not my favorite photo excursion, it was a great in person experience. We saw numerous whales rolling and tailing and even a few breach. I also got to witness the humpbacks catching fish. They would circle a pod of baitfish and then start blowing bubbles around them to scare them into the center. The whale would then come from deep under them, open its mouth wide and swallows countless baitfish while breaching out of the water. It was amazing to witness this in person.
In Juneau we took a seaplane ride to a remote lodge called Taku Lodge. There we explored the grounds, at fresh caught salmon and drank glacier water. Across from the lodge was another large glacier which is part of the Juneau ice flows. While flying to the lodge we flew over these giant ice flows, the stretched on for miles and miles. The grounds of the lodge were also full of blooming flowers, bees and humming birds. We had hoped to spot a bear, and although we saw plenty of tracks and scat, no bears.
In Skagway we took a helicopter ride to go hiking on a remote glacier. This was one of the most memorable experiences of the whole trip. The glacier water was a unique blue that contrasted with the frozen ice. There were also caverns, holes and flowing streams of water on its surface. The whole glacier was surrounded by mountains which helped to frame the glacier from both above and at the surface.
The second day of our cruise took us into the majestic waters of glacier bay. The shooting conditions were tough with low hanging overcast clouds, but it also made the resulting shots more moody and captivating than if there had been blue skies. We saw hundreds of otters, a few eagles and seals and a ton of floating ice that had broken off from the Margerie glacier.
My family and I checked off a bucket list adventure this summer by taking an Alaskan Cruise from Seattle to Sitka, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait and Ketchikan. Alaska contains some of the most beautiful countryside America has to offer. In addition to towering snow-covered mountains glaciers and forests we saw bears, otters, sea lions, seals, whales, orcas and eagles. I captured some great photos of our adventure despite some challenging weather conditions.
In Sitka we walked the town, went to see jumping Salmon, visited the national park, walked out into the bay at low tide and visited a bear rescue habitat. Alaska has tidal swings of 20 feet which exposes vast areas of shoreline at low tide.
