Beautiful Winter Skies
Over the past few days, we have had the most gorgeous skies. Sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and also some aurora displays.
A couple of days ago, I had an afternoon appointment on post (Fort Wainwright). On the way home, I decided to drive some of the back roads, in search of photo ops. The sun was on its way down, and a thin stripe of orange light was close to the horizon. I had a feeling it would be a pretty sunset, so I was in no hurry to get home.
I drove the dirt road (of course it’s snow-covered now) that parallels the Chena River and leads to Birch Hill ski area, and some of the army training areas. I hoped to see a moose, but wasn’t lucky in that regard. I did stop and photograph a pretty slough area, ringed with orange-tipped trees.
On the way back to the golf course, I noticed the beautiful full moon rising. It was a gorgeous yellow-orange with reflected sunlight. I found a place to stop and take a photo:
Everything happened quickly from that point on. The sky was ablaze with color as the sun quickly disappeared behind the trees. A slower shutter speed creates sunbeams from the bright ball of light:
The one-lane bridge looked very cool with such a vibrant backdrop:
I left Fort Wainwright and made my way back to North Pole. I was on Badger Road, and the moon was shining brightly just overhead. I just couldn’t resist, so I pulled off the road and took a shot right through my windshield. What’s really neat about this photo, is that my windshield (with its sun visor strip of darker color), acted like a neutral density filter. This allowed me to have a slower shutter speed (which added blur to the cars) but still kept the moon from ‘blowing out’.
I’ve had some people ask me about photographing the moon. Your first thought might be to use a slow shutter speed, because the sky is so dark. If your camera is set on auto, it’s most likely going to see all that darkness and choose a slow shutter speed too (because it wants to let in as much light as possible). What this does is make the moon out to be a huge white, glowing blob of light - with no detail whatsoever.
If you want to see the detail in the moon, you need a faster shutter speed. This will render the sky very dark, but the moon will be exposed to show the shadows on the face. (A tripod is a good thing to use, but if your shutter speed is set fast enough, you could get some hand-held shots of the moon that are in focus). So take your camera out of auto mode and adjust your shutter speed to 1/400 or 1/250 to start. Adjust up or down until you get the desired effect. Use a zoom lens, or zoom your camera in if it’s a point and shoot, for more detail.
Last night, the aurora came out for a while. The light of the full moon made it more difficult to see in the night sky. I sure was thrilled for warmer temps (above zero)! I took a few 10-15 second photos to capture the lights in the sky, despite the bright moonlight.
This is three frames merged in photoshop:
The moonlight is so bright!
Through the trees:
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On Sunday, we had the Superbowl on here at the house. I am not a sports fan at all, but I sat in the living room while Steve watched, wearing my headphones and watching online videos. I did tune into the commercials, but didn’t see anything that made me laugh out loud. The Doritos commercials were OK, but for the most part, I was disappointed in this year’s ads.
Raven cuddled up with Steve on the sofa - quite content to lay with her daddy. She is so spoiled! It does warm my heart that she and Steve love each other so much. She is definitely a daddy’s girl. Look how comfortable she is here:
Look at this cute face. I just love her to pieces!
The warmer weather has brought more birds to the yard. The squirrel has also ventured out of his midden. And a moose decided she would stick around for a short nap in the yard. I just love having all of this wildlife around me.
Pine Grosbeaks:
The squirrel is quite the acrobat:
A cow moose lays down in our yard for a rest:
Time to go…
She looks like she’s smiling at me:
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Driving home the other day, the snow plow was out on the main road clearing the shoulders. These huge plows toss the snow far into the trees. This way, when the snow melts, the water won’t lay on the road where it can damage it, or refreeze and make for slippery driving. You can just barely see a pretty good size street sign buried under that tall avalanche of snow:
We’re all itching for spring… this is the time of year when we start daydreaming about summer travels and getting out hiking and enjoying the midnight sun. I know we’ve got more winter left, but every day that it’s above zero, I feel it’s one day closer to spring.
Until next time…
as usual, I wish I were there! Thanks for sharing the photos, they remind me of my time there, and those memories are mostly good! I worked for Armed Services YMCA there, on Ft. Wainwright AND on Eielson; lived in North Pole, and miss it ALL!! Now, I must go finish my school work so I can finish my degree and MOVE BACK! (oh, around 2015-ish!)…take care and stay warm!
[Reply]
Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 8th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
Hi Amy! Thanks for commenting. 2015 will be here before you know it, and you’ll be able to come back to beautiful Alaska. The past few days have given us gorgeous skies and much warmer temps. Such a nice change from the 45 below of last week. Sure hope it stays this way - but you know as well as I do that there are no guarantees at this time of year!
Good luck to you with your degree. I’m happy you enjoy my blog!
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Comment by Amy S — February 8, 2012 @ 9:23 pm
Such gorgeous photos of a gorgeous place. Here in Georgia a very different story - very mild weather, too many people. I have always wanted desperately to go to Alaska if not live there. I know it can be a harsh life but the photos above so illustrate why it is worth it. I can’t imagine being able to photograph a moose or the aurora borealis or all that snow or stately trees. I am going to drag my kids up there for a visit one day and we may never leave! Your dog is SO cute!
[Reply]
Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 8th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Hi Jan and thank you for commenting. We moved to AK from FL. While I was born and raised in Philadelphia - and was accustomed to winter - we spent nearly 13 years living in the southeast courtesy of Uncle Sam before being transferred to AK. While I loved the south and the beaches and sunshine, I did miss the winters. Of course AK is the whole other end of the spectrum when you think about winter!
The winters up here can be brutal indeed, but the wide open spaces and smaller population makes it so worth it. When I visit the “lower 48″, the traffic and congestion make me feel a little nervous and antsy. I’ve been away from it for so long, that I feel a little claustrophobic.
I hope you do get a chance to visit AK. If and when you plan a visit, email me and I’d be glad to help you plan to get the most from your visit!
Our Raven is such a good girl! We adopted her about a year and a half ago from a local shelter, after having to say goodbye to our 14 year old chow mix. I never thought I would be able to open my heart and my home to another dog after saying goodbye to Sedona, but then I met Raven and I just knew she was perfect for us. And she is!
Thanks for commenting. I hope you’ll continue to stop by.
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Comment by Jan J. — February 8, 2012 @ 9:45 pm
All the photos are beautiful. My favorite though is Steve and his companion. That’s a real winner. Stan.
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Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 9th, 2012 at 11:13 am
Thank you Stan. We are so in love with our Raven. She’s such a fabulous dog!
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Comment by Stan — February 9, 2012 @ 6:22 am
Just stunning photos! You really do wonderful work with the moon, the sunsets, the borealis, and all. Love the moose too! I’m glad to hear you’re warming up a bit.
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Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 9th, 2012 at 11:14 am
Thank you Carole. It is so nice to be above zero. I am patiently waiting for spring to arrive. As long as the temps stay warm(er), I’m happy. At least I can get out and enjoy the fresh air without freezing my lungs!
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Comment by Carole — February 9, 2012 @ 6:35 am
I think she really is smiling at you! Just amazing photos! I am so grateful that you share!
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Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 10th, 2012 at 11:03 am
I just love the face on her in that photo. I always pretend their smiling, even if they’re not. I just adore moose. They might have quirky looking faces, but I still think they are so beautiful!
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Comment by Sandy Cox — February 10, 2012 @ 10:17 am
Hi great pics of the moon looks like you could just reach out and touch it. Loved the birds and moose in the yard also. We have acouple feeders out and get the woodpeckers blue jays and other small birds which are nice to see. Yes spoiled Raven ha ha she is so cuite and glad to see that she was able to win your heart and steves. Love to read all the comments also mostly the ones that have never been there but would love to some day and thats why i love your site cause you bring someing to all of us we have seen befor are not and make us wish we could get back or come to Ak someday and stay. SMILE There are very very few places that can do that to you and im sure i speak for all when i say you do that for AK and we all thank you much for that. Your willing not only to show your state but help any one that wonts to come to your state get the best out of there time to see the real places of AK and thats most wonderful of all.
[Reply]
Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 11th, 2012 at 8:29 am
Good morning, Bruce! I hope you’re having nice weather in your neck of the woods.
My feathered friends at the feeders bring me such joy in the winter months, although they sure do eat a lot of seed. It’s OK though - a small tradeoff for the winter entertainment. I wish we had blue jays here; they are so pretty!
I love hearing from people who used to live here but had to leave, or folks who are planning a trip. Of course you need months and months if you really want to experience AK, but even if someone only has a week, I like to give them input on what they should see and do to make the most of their time here.
Have a great weekend! I’m hoping to go to Chena Hot Springs today with a friend. It’s 20 above! YAY!
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Comment by Bruce Rufer — February 11, 2012 @ 8:23 am
Thanks for that fantastic advice on photographing the moon. I wish I had popped on to your website a couple of days ago to read it. It would have come in very useful last night indeed.
As you enjoyed that glowing moon in the wintry skies of Alaska, we were enjoying that same full moon over the warm waters of Bramble Bay in Brisbane.
There were quite a few photographers out with their tripods. We stopped the car to take a photo, but it came out as a disappointingly insignificant blob of white on a black background.
Now I’ll be prepared for next time
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Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 12th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Hi Donna and thanks for commenting.
I’m sorry your photos of the moon didn’t turn out as you hoped. The first couple of times I photographed the moon, I just assumed the camera had to stay open for a longer period of time because it was so dark. I too got the white blob of light. So I kept adjusting my shutter speed to be faster and faster and eventually the details began showing up.
If you have a zoom lens, zoom as tight as you can to the face of the moon. Depending on how close you can get (and with a tripod), you can see the irregular outer line of the moon from the craters!
Have fun, and enjoy your warmth.
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Comment by Donna — February 12, 2012 @ 4:43 am
Hi Susan, the cow moose looks pregnant!…Won’t be
long till the baby is born…she needs her rest to
get ready for the big day. Glad she has your yard
for a rest time.
Love the moon-lit pics, along with the aurora.
Beautiful…..mm, vancouver, wa.
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Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 12th, 2012 at 6:43 pm
I wonder if she’s pregnant too. She sure does have a belly on her. I hope she’s getting enough to eat. I read that it’s been a harsh year for them.
If she’s pregnant I sure hope she sticks around. I would love to have little ones come through my yard.
Thank you, Mary.
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Comment by mary m — February 12, 2012 @ 6:27 pm
Beautiful work Susan. Really enjoying the 2012 calendar.
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Susan Stevenson Reply:
February 12th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Thank you Ronnie. I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying the calendar.
Looking forward to another warm season of photography!
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Comment by Ronnie — February 12, 2012 @ 6:40 pm