dj.tigersprout's photoblog
A Valley In Shadow, Anaktuvuk Pass
Posted by dj.tigersprout (New York City, United States) on 18 November 2008 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.
ok -- back to the arctic circle!! now that i have photoshop, i can work on some of the pics that were 'less than perfect'... ;) here's my first, taken on the morning of my infamous hike to Blueberry Mountain... the sun was hidden behind a bank of clouds for most my trek... so the entire valley was in a wondrous blue shadow... probably the only shot of the actual town from afar that i will post, you can see a few of the houses off to the right... the light quality that far north was just so amazing... so clear, so colorful! and in the distance, as if to accent the marvelous all encompassing silence, there was a lone beam of sunlight... miles from the middle of nowhere... it was just awe inspiring!!
all work protected by Creative Commons
KZC from Sydney, Australia
Good photo mate - looks like angry clouds coming from the left
18 Nov 2008 5:06am
10Fraction from France
wow, what a gorgeous landscape! I wouldn't like to be there in the winter, it must be freezing and so windy. A great photo
18 Nov 2008 5:12am
@10Fraction: yes -- it was for sure! -25 degrees Fahrenheit in Dec / Jan / Feb, many times, much much lower!! but i enjoyed it... it was a very different experience! :)
Kathryn from Warburton, Australia
yeah that beam of sunlight is amazing! i just checked out where the pass was on a map and you were right about it being miles from the middle of nowhere - all the better i think!!!
18 Nov 2008 5:42am
rhys from United Kingdom
I like the emptiness of this one, the spartan details. The massive looming mountains signify great power.
18 Nov 2008 6:17am
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
Ahhh, I remember Blueberry Mountain so well:-) Such a small village in a vast wilderness! I'm glad you posted this dj:-)
18 Nov 2008 6:17am
Steve Rice from Olympia, United States
Clouds, mountains and tundra. What more could you ask for? Great image.
18 Nov 2008 6:18am
Yvonne S. from Tilburg, Netherlands
Hmmm... cold and empty but a beautiful landscape!!
18 Nov 2008 6:41am
@Yvonne S.: Thanks Yvonne -- but it was actual very pleasant during the day and cool at night. However, in winter -- it was FREEZING!!! :)
dobbino from Cape Town, South Africa
The tones are superb, and the lone sunbeam does make its presence felt.
18 Nov 2008 6:42am
Monique from Koh Samui, Thailand
Those houses look so vulnerable in this huge landscape! Very impressive photo of the harsh conditions these people face, but the landscape is so beautiful with the mountains in the background!
18 Nov 2008 8:44am
Maxine from Rangiora, New Zealand
I really like the forground it is almost like lichen on a rock face, the colors and textures are so subtle yet varied , another really interesting image DJ.
18 Nov 2008 9:10am
@Maxine: Thanks Max! It is both lichen and moss, and they grows on the reeds, grasses, claylike mud patches and whatever rocks there are lying around in the fields! :)
MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany
I really love your shots from these very remote places - this single ray of light is truly spectacular.
Thanks for your Petra Chasms update! Very sorry to read about your stressful job life, don't get let you down by the current crunch time! (There's a special German term for hectic job activities at the end of the year: Dezemberfieber (december fever).)
18 Nov 2008 9:22am
beanow from Poland
Excellent frame and joining sky with mountains so, that he is their continuation...beautiful...
18 Nov 2008 10:14am
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
Oh Dj, that is magnificent, a beautiful sky to go with the majestic moutain, the air must be sooooo fresh :)
18 Nov 2008 11:58am
Elaine- from Vancouver, Canada
very beautiful dj!! the town looks so sparse and tiny next to that mountain.. and what clouds!!
18 Nov 2008 1:04pm
Wolfgang - vu@granby from Granby, Québec, Canada
You are so right about light in the north! Good work!
18 Nov 2008 2:31pm
callemie from hoeilaart, Belgium
less than perfect???? they are perfect!!!!
superb view a great picture for a blue monday!
euhm it's already tuesday
sorry
18 Nov 2008 3:47pm
@callemie: haha!! cheers callemie!! but i like your idea of a 'blue monday'... awesome! :)
Graham Russon from Cape Town, South Africa
Lovely shot, what a desolate place it is, and yet so beautiful. Nice one.
18 Nov 2008 4:14pm
Maramy from Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Looks like a very open cold place to be!! but very beautiful.
18 Nov 2008 5:13pm
@Maramy: Thanks Maramy!! It actually was about 21 degrees Celsius! So it was quite nice -- i was actually wearing too many layers and was beginning to sweat!! The sun, when it broke through the clouds was quite hot! :)
Pradeep from Chennai, India
Great landscape, must have been something to have actually been there :)
18 Nov 2008 5:52pm
@Pradeep: Thanks mate -- it was really amazing... and so tranquil!!!
peter from new york, United States
excellent composition...such a stunning shot! what was it like there??
18 Nov 2008 6:15pm
@peter: thanks mate -- it was divine -- and very exhilarating!! i recount some of the crazy incidences i had on this wilderness hike here!
MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom
The houses are just tiny dots on the landscape, it just goes to show how vast this area is. Beautiful dj.
18 Nov 2008 7:44pm
MaryP from Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
This shot depicts a very 'stark' lonely landscape. At the same time there is beauty in the beam of light .
18 Nov 2008 9:02pm
akarui from Kagoshima, Japan
Beautiful place indeed. There are a few cars, may be people come here for trekking or have a picnic around.
18 Nov 2008 11:32pm
@akarui: hey mate -- those are houses! :) there are a few cars and trucks, but no roads! in order to arrive into this town you need an airplane -- or in winter a snow mobile! very isolated and rugged!!
Jeffster from Long Island, United States
Maybe Scotty was beaming somebody up????
19 Nov 2008 1:26am
Walter from Watkinsville, United States
How fun is it to go back and visit this place over and over again through photos. Now with photoshop you can change those images to reveal exactly what you saw. This is fun!
19 Nov 2008 1:35am
@Walter: Thanks Walter -- yes photoshop is very handy indeed. I this shot i toned down the highlights just a tad. Originally they were a little blown, but with CS3 i was able to correct it very quickly -- oh, and i also lightened up the foreground just a touch too! ;) Faaabulous stuff!
DarkElf from Perth, Australia
the beam of light looks indeed amazing! and the remoteness of this place just keep on growing on me... good vertical composition here DJ - good to see that you kept good control fo the light and didn't blow out the sky...
19 Nov 2008 2:36am
@DarkElf: haha -- photoshop helped with that! cheers mate! :)
gbe from kansas city, United States
fantastic. i love the edge of town popping into this beautiful landscape.
19 Nov 2008 2:38am
Framed and Shot from Houston, United States
Very nice sky - in contrast to the dark front the light adds a lift to the image.
Well done!
19 Nov 2008 3:39am
One from Açores, Portugal
These places are really fantastic !! I would very much like to visit them.
19 Nov 2008 3:56am
bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada
Oh the colours are breathtaking. Understated yet still demanding attention. Interesting cloud formation...wonderful image!
19 Nov 2008 5:26am
JJ from Jersey City, United States
such a vast and seemingly harsh landscape, the small group of houses seem so isolated in there surroundings, an amazing place beautifully captured
19 Nov 2008 12:26pm
Laurent from Lyon, France
you know that I hate you DJ ;o)
Please stop showing us so beautiful landscape of Jordan!!!!
19 Nov 2008 12:40pm
@Laurent: cheers Laurent -- hehe, but this one is from Alaska!! ;)
willow from Chelsea, United States
The clouds seem to mirror the shape of the mountain. I love the single ray of light peaking through. I bet there is something special waiting there.
20 Nov 2008 2:06am
Ivar from Indianapolis, United States
Another impressive landscape shot here, with the pano vertical instead of horizontal, works very well too. Nice!
20 Nov 2008 5:06am
Twelvebit from Victoria, United States
Reminds me of a California desert I used to roam while my parents were visiting friends --it had been used as a practice bombing range in WWII.
27 Nov 2008 8:28pm
Canon EOS REBEL XT
1/15 second
F/22.0
ISO 100
18 mm