Photography & the Summertime Light in Alaska

[Sapphire73]

Just wondering.... With the summer daylight lasting so much longer in Alaska, when do you have the softer light that one might find in the contiguous US before 10 am and after 3 or 4 pm? I know that I will take photos whenever I have the opportunity, but I love using the softer light for situations in which I can choose the timing.

 

Any thoughts?

[Yukon]

It depends on when you're going to be here. Check the sunrise/sunset times at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php and the best light is from about a half-hour before sunset to an hour after sunrise, them the same at sunset (an hour before and half-hour after). If you're using a tripod or high ISOs, of course, you can extend those times. If you're in Juneau on the Summer Solstice, good light when you have a tripod starts about 02:30 :D

 

Murray

[HapiFeet]

Thanks for the info. Yukon. I hadn't thought about the light. Sunrise in mid-June in Anchorage is 4:21 a.m. and sunset is 11:39 p.m.:eek: I guess I'll be shooting first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

[Yukon]

If you come up right now, the light is always good - the sun seems to always be either coming up or going down (for the 6 hours it's in the sky) :)

[Sapphire73]

It depends on when you're going to be here. Check the sunrise/sunset times at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php and the best light is from about a half-hour before sunset to an hour after sunrise, them the same at sunset (an hour before and half-hour after). If you're using a tripod or high ISOs, of course, you can extend those times. If you're in Juneau on the Summer Solstice, good light when you have a tripod starts about 02:30 :D

 

Murray

Murray, many thanks for your quick response and the URL. We will be in Alaska the middle 2 weeks of July so sunrise is going to be very early! I would be much better at catching the sunsets....

 

I'm glad you mentioned the times before sunrise and after sunset. I have seen many people leave a beach in Hawaii or some other beautiful place when the sun first sets, not realizing what they may be missing.

 

I am thinking about getting a monopod and bought a gorilla pod in the Colorado Rockies last summer. It has the advantage of fitting into a very small backpack.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience and your love of Alaska via the guide to the Klondike Highway, this forum, and other websites. It is very kind of you. And the photo of the ice bow in the sample guide pages is quite intriguing!

[tee_harbor]

This is assuming there will actually be sun in Southeast AK.... :D

 

We've had so much rain these past two summers here in Juneau, that on those rare occasions when the sun comes out, I run wildly around snapping photos.

 

Although the rising or setting sun is better, I also find that the midday (most of the summer day) shots on a sunny day remind me of the old Kodachrome pictures, bright blue sky, vivid green mountains, white clouds.

[bottom-dragger]

We've had so much rain these past two summers here in Juneau, that on those rare occasions when the sun comes out, I run wildly around snapping photos.

.

 

com'on tee, yesterday and today are beautiful.

 

dawn and dusk low angled lighting is very striking.

[plenox]

Yukon, thanks a lot for the link.

[kk-l]

Weather in Alaska can indeed present a challenge to photographers. But, I think you might be pleasantly surprised at some of your results.

If you encounter overcast and/or rainy days during your visit all is not lost. The icebergs are "bluer"...and more beautiful...when photographed in overcast conditions. Misty Fiords is more "mysterious"...and more beautiful...in misty conditions. Salmon runs are easier to capture with less glare. Don't forget your filters.

[tee_harbor]

com'on tee, yesterday and today are beautiful.

 

You've had sun in Petersburg recently, bottom? (Or should I call you dragger? :D) We've been playing peekaboo with the sun, it seems and now all our snow is washing away with pouring rain.

 

I actually find the winter gives me better opportunity for great pictures, but that doesn't help the tourist. Have a way to keep your camera dry and use that mist and rain to an advantage.

[Sapphire73]

Weather in Alaska can indeed present a challenge to photographers. But, I think you might be pleasantly surprised at some of your results.

If you encounter overcast and/or rainy days during your visit all is not lost. The icebergs are "bluer"...and more beautiful...when photographed in overcast conditions. Misty Fiords is more "mysterious"...and more beautiful...in misty conditions. Salmon runs are easier to capture with less glare. Don't forget your filters.

 

Many thanks for the many helpful replies. Good point about the ways overcast conditions can give great results. Do you recommend using a polarizing filter for the most part? Or does it vary from one situation to another? I am usually shooting "on the run" so as not to exhaust the patience of my traveling companions. :)

 

When we were in the Colorado Rockies (Breckenridge area last summer) at a high elevation, a warming filter was recommended over a polarizing filter. I think it helped with photos of landscapes from the top of Mt. Evans but I had to correct the color of the bighorn sheep and mountain goats we found there.

 

Thanks again.

[HoneyBubba]

Since, this seems to be a knowledgeable bunch about the “wild” photography in Alaska. We are going in June from Vancouver to Prudhoe Bay with Tundra Tour at Denali.

I am debating if it would be wise from the “hassle” perspective of renting (and then lugging) a 400 mm lens. Up in the air whether is would be a 100-400 or just 400. It won’t be the 400 2.8 version can’t afford that one either renting (~$500+) or buying (~$4,500+++).:(

Rebel XT w/ 18-200 Sigma, 100-300 Canon lens and 60 mm Marco (won’t help with wildlife unless they land on me). Probably bring a monopod along with my Kata backpack. DW loves the Kata makes me look like an armadillo. A really big one.:p

I think that the 400 would get great pictures, but would it be better than the 300.

Thanks

B

[Yukon]

I wouldn't get the 400, B - there are a lot of considerations but given the whole package (your "older" camera body and the fact that you're on tour, not independent), it would be more hassle than it's worth. I have very, very seldom ever wished that I had more than a 300 up here. Now if the question was whether or not to upgrade your body to the new Rebel XSi, you might get a different answer :D

 

Murray

[Yukon]

Do you recommend using a polarizing filter for the most part? Or does it vary from one situation to another?

 

While I used to use a polarizer a LOT with film, I very seldom do with digital. While it does boost the blue sky and reduces distance haze as with film, it also boosts the overall contrast, which I don't like. You can post-process that out, but unless you're shooting RAW, I'd avoid the polarizer unless your do a bunch of shooting at home first and see what works for you.

 

Murray

[Sapphire73]

What a fun and useful thread this has turned into!

 

Thanks for the input about polarizing filters. I am getting quite adept at tweaking photos on the computer, but I was not happy when I had to tweak the color of the mountain goats I photographed on the summit of Mount Evans (in the Colorado Rockies) because I had left the warming filter on my camera lens.

 

As an aside, the road going up Mount Evans seems to have the same kind of reputation as the one threading through Denali. When we saw signs saying "road narrows" we wondered how that was possible!

 

We are thinking about getting a Canon EOS 50D before heading to Alaska. We have a Canon Rebel XT but both my husband and I enjoy taking photos, and we have already experienced sharing one DSLR on safari in South Africa. It worked out pretty well, but it might be more fun to take 2 cameras and share a couple of lenses....

[tee_harbor]

Also, remember that all the ports are at sea level. ;) If you're going up through the pass out of Skagway, then you're going to get some elevation gain, but otherwise, I wouldn't worry. But the polarizing filter could be useful for taking pictures into creeks or tidepools. That water is so clear here to begin with, if you can take the reflection off the surface, you can get some really special pictures. (Although reflection shots are some of the best pictures you can get if the conditions are right. Two, two snow-capped mountains for the price of one!)

 

I haven't ever noticed any problem with haze when I have taken pictures at upper elevations, not like in the CA Sierras, but I don't have anywhere near the experience of Yukon.