February 26, 2010




I am normally not for altering photos with extreme editing, but this was a good exercise in using the program. I took a very plain scene and graduated the tint from the top of the photo, and also colorized the sky. I like the outcome and this turned a very bland photo into something more eyecatching.

I do still have moral issues with severely editing photos, but practicing with the editing tools is useful for any photographer.

February 25, 2010




I did take some shots today, but wasn't pleased with any of the results. I need to work on low light shooting more to get anything worth putting on here, so I figured today would be a good day to post my favorite photo.

This is a shot of my sled dogs when we lived up on Godwin Glacier, above Seward, Alaska. The only way to get up there was by helicopter, and it was an awesome experience.

This photo is definately worth clicking on, to see enlarged.

February 24, 2010



I took this photo of Chuck while working on shooting from low angles. This method really agreed with the midday lighting and I really like how a soft focus draws the attention to his eyes.

I am shocked at how much this photo looks like a painting. The only editing I did was to manipulate the soft focus.

February 23, 2010




A photo of a jet contrail that I turned to black and white using Picassa.

February 22, 2010




My Rubber Plant seemed pleased to be repotted today!

February 21, 2010




A silly picture of Chuck.

February 20, 2010




This is from our trip to the Southwest this last January. We were on our way from Lake Havasu to Laughlin and took a detour up the old RT 66. We not only got to drive on an historic road, but also took in a gorgeous sunset.

February 19, 2010




These are my bunny boots. They have been my failure free companion for nearly 10 years, obtained second hand from a military surplus store. They have kept my feet warm in temperatured dipping to -70 degrees and without them I would have surely lost numerous toes.

I wore these boots on every dog race that I ran and much of my training runs, totalling more than 13,000 miles on a dog sled! Not to mention that I have worn them for multiple thousands of miles snowmachining as well.

They weight about 6 lbs a piece, but I challenge all of you to find a tougher boot!

February 18, 2010




This photo is in the hope that we get enough snow to get out to the mountains this year. This is Mt McKinley, with the Tokositna Glacier running down to the Tokositna River. We haven't been able to make it out to this area this year yet, as the winter has been warm and lacking in any substantial snow.

February 17, 2010




This is my favorite picture of Chuck, taken at fishcamp around 10 o'clock at night in July of last year.

February 16, 2010




Mt. McKinley from the west bank of the Big Susitna River. The mountain is nearly 200 miles away!

February 15, 2010




A one lane bridge near fish camp, on our way to the foothills of Mt. Spurr, an active volcano.

February 14, 2010




I couldn't pick just one photo for today. These are from our trip over to fish camp this week. Above, the Theodore River with pack ice at high tide.




Fishcamp panorama with the Chugach mountains in the background, across the Cook Inlet. Click to see enlarged photo...

February 13, 2010




This sunset over Big Lake almost looks yin-yang like.

Februrary 12, 2010




Charred remnants from the Big Lake fire, some years back, are silhouetted against a beautiful sky. I slightly saturated the colors for a more dramatic effect.

February 11, 2010




This has been a crazy week! This is another from my favorites collection. A winter flight over to fish camp, looking down on the Little Susitna.

February 10, 2010




A three-eyed Chuck looking in through the door. Talk about good shutter timing!

February 9, 2010




Another photo from my favorites for a missed day. This is a net that we set, waiting to catch a king salmon. I adjusted the shadowing at the top of the photo to give the photo visual depth.

February 8, 2010




I didn't take a photo for the day so I decided that when I miss a day, I would add a photo from my favorites. This was taken out at fish camp during the summer of 2009, on our honeymoon. I didn't edit or change this photo in any way.

February 7, 2010




I didn't take this photo, but thought it was a fun one for the day. I did prepare the manual settings.

February 6, 2010




I took this photo in the light coming through my garage window. I softened the focus, but made no other edits.

February 5, 2010




Today I decided to work with my super macro. The light was such that I felt it best to work with black and white. I was trying to think out of the box and was looking for a subject that was out of my comfort zone...

I like how you can see the rings in the knot and the no-see-um's stuck in the sap. I also like how the tree bark looks like magnified skin cells... I do wish that I had a tripod to ensure a really sharp, crisp photo, and that will be my next investment!

February 4, 2010



Another photo of Chuck... I enjoy photographing the dogs, and love how their personalities show through photos. I much prefer this photo to yesterday's, mostly because of the fact that we had a beautiful skyscape to work with. I love to get good sillhouette shots, with a sunset in the back, and this is one of my better ones...


We were once again out skijoring on Big Lake, and we decided to take a break. I lay down on the snow and pointed the camera up at him. He is was calmly looking down the trail, not at all worried about me, and I saw his bravery and adventurous spirit come through... Just waiting to head further down the trail, waiting to see what comes next.


He was wearing a harness and jacket, which is why he has a bulge coming out of his belly... had it been warmer, I would have taken off the jacket for the silhouette.


I also felt the need to post a picture from today that is not of the dogs...


Sunset on Big Lake in Black and White...



February 3, 2010



I didn't intend this to be all photos of the dogs, but that's the way it is working out so far!


I took this photo with the flash and then darkened the background for more emphasis on the dogs and the color of the tennis balls. I have not been starting this project until later in the night, lately, so I have been learning a lot about what works inside and what doesn't.

I do like the pose that the boys have, but I would have liked to have a sharper image. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I will have a chance for some outdoor shots, which are my strong point as a photographer.

February 2, 2010




I was practicing shutter speed and snapped this shot of Chuck. I used a flash and a 2 second shutter speed, and moved the camera towards his face as the shutter was opened. I edited the photo in Picassa and added a focal black and white setting with a sepia color for the center.

The only problem with this photo, for me, is Crosby's feet in the top of the picture... I am figuring out my new editing program and am trying to remove them from the image.

February 1, 2010



This is a self portrait taken on Big Lake. It was around 3:30 pm and the clouds were starting to come in. I had set the camera on the hood of the truck and ended up with what I think is a pretty cool horizon angle. I slightly saturated the colors in Picassa to allow for more pop of my shirt and Chuck's harness against the eye catching sky.