Photo Blog - Niebrugge Images

Eight snowshoe hares in a short section of road in Denali National Park, Alaska.

Two years ago I spent a fair amount of time photographing hares, as it seemed the population had peaked.  Last year I was surprised to find even more, but this year the number of hares was nothing short of unbelievable!  Driving the road in evenings and mornings was literally was a challenge, often they wouldn’t move from the road and you would have to drive around them.  Dozens were killed by cars everyday making easy pickings for other wildlife.  One wolf in particular seemed to walk the road every evening just eating road killed hares. (more…)

Great Horned Owl nest, Denali National Park, Alaska.

I have never had a close look at a Great Horned Owl, so to see one on a nest with two chicks was a real treat!  Now, back into the park.  (Note: Thank you Calvin for the heads up on the species, I have made the correction).

Porcupine.

Usually when I see a porcupine, all I see is the backside and a lot of quills as it slowly flees.  It is nice to know these guys really do have a face!

A wild wolf in Denali last night.

Yesterday I hit the road and made the long drive to Denali National Park.  I arrived at about 10:30 last night, and since it was still light out, I decided to drive a few miles into the park for a look see.  Much to my surprise, I came across this wolf along the road just 8 miles into the Park!  She was a beauty!  This was close enough to capture this with a 100-400!  What a great start. (more…)

Like yesterday’s image, the above poster was also part of the market test in LA; here is my original post and photo on that story.  The image was from the Hidden Falls Trail in Grand Teton last year at this time.

So it is really exciting to report this image was also licensed for unlimited nationwide bus stop signage for one year, along with some other uses! (more…)

Last winter I shared the original version of this photo in my Seward comes to Los Angeles post, and talked about how it was going to appear on billboards in the Los Angeles area over a 12 week period - this is how the actual billboard looked.

What I didn’t know; this was a test market, and fortunately the test went well.  So now Nature Valley and their ad agency liscended the image for unlimited billboard use nationwide for one year!  It will appear primarily in hispanic markets in major cities across the U.S.  Pretty cool.

Former Tower Records store on Sunset Strip, Hollywood, California.

As part of having a photography business, we get to meet all kinds of interesting people.  I think Stephen Duncan may easily take the cake! (more…)

A cow moose in first morning light near Seward, Alaska.

Newborn moose should be dropping any time right now, if they haven’t already.  I made the rounds early in the morning, but did not find any new calves.  This female still had last years calf with her.  It was good to see a yearling; young moose have a difficult time surviving a deep snowy winter like this past one.   

When you are photographing wildlife, or pursuing fleeting light, it often seems that speed and efficiency are paramount.  For this reason, I prefer to use a ball head for a tripod head. (more…)

American Road cover. 

This image has been on a bit of a roll lately by also appearing on the cover of this year’s The Milepost.

I figure there is no better place to start my nature photography lessons then with what I believe is the single most important piece of equipment; a tripod.  I have written about this before, and at the risk of sounding repetitive and redundant, :) I would like to repeat the numerous advantages: (more…)

Lincoln’s Sparrow on Lupine from a past summer, near Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I want to take my photo blog in a new direction.  Well maybe a better description is an additional direction.  I still plan to post a photo nearly every day and share experiences from the field and our travels, but I want to do more. (more…)

A Red-necked Grebe from last week in Wasilla, Alaska.

 It is easy to see how this bird earned it’s name.  It was a gloomy evening, but using flash saved the day with this photo by bring out the rich color in this birds plumage.

Here are more Alaska photos.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas leaving Seward, Alaska.

Along with the arrival of swallows, robins and endless daylight, nothing signals the return of the summer season like the first cruise ship.  To be accurate, this one is actually the second ship of the season, but the first one didn’t leave in good light like this this one, so this will do.

A small house on the coast in Cordova, Alaska.  Forgetting the 167 inches of annual average rainfall for a second - could you imagine waking up this the 180 degree ocean and Chugach Nattional Forest view! 

I’m amazed at the high number of beautiful waterfront properties you see as you drive around the Cordova area.  You see, Cordova has a number of miles of road accessible coastline, along with a large road accessible lake and river (Eayak Lake and Eyak River).  Couple this with a population of only a couple thousand people and less then 1,000 households, and I would venture to say this town may have more waterfront property per capita then any town in America. 

Portage Lake, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I liked the patterns formed by the ice on Portage Lake as it broke up.  It was kind of like a huge jig-saw puzzle.

This photo was from our trip to San Diego a little over a year ago.

Magazines and books often select more then one photo to mock up for cover consideration.  We had been on a bit of a losing streak lately missing out on what could have been exciting covers for National Geographic Adventure and Via Magazine.  Maybe now our luck is changing!

Cordova Boat Harbor, Alaska.

Unfortunately the service that handles our email subscriptions has been having trouble lately - hopefully this one will go out. 

Weather permitting, the commercial salmon season will open tomorrow (Thursday) at 7:00 am near the entrance to the Copper River.  When we were in Cordova, the harbor was bustling with activity as fishermen prepared their boats.  You see, not only is this the first fresh salmon to hit the market every year, it is also the best tasting due to its high oil content.

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Shorebirds fly over the Copper River Delta, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I have avoided putting any advertising on our main photo website despite some lucrative offers because I think they are a distraction that would take away from the photos.

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Muskrat.

We visited my artist mom for Mother’s day and got an added bonus - a muskrat! I have never been able to get close to these guys before, much less have one climb out of the water onto a stick in nice light!