Snowy trees, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.
I headed out the door a couple of hours before sunrise on Christmas morning – at 8:00 a.m. to be accurate. These winter hours are kind of nice. I drove 23 miles down the Seward Highway before I even saw another car! All the pull outs and trail heads were empty – it was like I had Alaska all to myself for a couple of hours. This spot was about a mile and a half walk in snowshoes – I forget how slow the going is in powder snow, and almost didn’t get here in time for first light. It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was a little below zero, and even after 2 hours of hiking and photographing, the battery on my Canon 5D II still had a strong charge. That was impressive – at those temps, I would have needed to change batteries at least once with my previous camera.
This was a single exposure with my 24-105 lens at 105. I was at f/14 for 1/5 of a second with an ISO of 400. I was in an area of deep shade, but the rising sun was just beginning to glow on the distant mountains giving them a cool pastel glow.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful shot. I would love it if I didn’t have to get up at 5 a.m. for sunrise photos!
Were you planning on hiking to this exact spot, or did you hike around until you found something?
Thanks Scott!
I was planning on hiking to this area where I could see the mountains down in the valley – and then from there I hiked around and found something.
Just beautiful, Ron! Christmas Day was gray day in LA, and then the rain began sometime after sunset. Hard to believe our weather was worse than yours
BEAUTIFUL-and Breath Taking
Beautiful, Ron! As tough as it could be, I have fond memories of my winter in Kodiak, watching those sunrises at 10:30 in the morning, and they seem to go on forever. I would jump at another opportunity to spend a winter that far north with my current photographic skills.
Just beautiful…..
Stunning view. Quite the Christmas Gift. Happy Holidays Ron.
The silence must have been deafening out there. Thank you for making a pre-dawn trek in 0? temps and bringing back this sublime image, Ron. Frostbite is a real hazard. Beautiful work.
A happy and prosperous new year to you and your family!
Very nice capture Ron, all the snow caked on the trees makes for a neat shot.
Really neat pict. as are all of yours…..
Have a Blessed New Year….Bob & Arlene
Beautiful photo Ron, well worth the trek through the snow! Lovely, magical light…. great way to spend christmas morning!
Very nice Ron. Man I wish we had some 8 a.m. several hours before sunrise days down here!
Thanks a lot everyone!
@ MG – it is hard to believe, but you have received a lot more precipitation then we have.
Awesome shot, Ron. Quite the Xmas gift for yourself. One of the best drives I ever had was very early on Xmas morning going from Lake Tahoe back to the Bay Area. I don’t think I saw a car until I got into Sacramento.
I guess I just have to ditto all of the above. Quite a Christmas present to be treated with a view like that. Beautiful image Ron.
Worth the hike. What a spectacular image!
That’s simply beautiful, Ron! Almost 3 dimensional!
You certainly do have the “photographer’s eye” to recognize and pick out beautiful scenes!
-Julie
Thanks everyone!
Gary – that would have been a nice drive!
Fantastic! That’s the “sky blue-pink” that Uncle Wiggly used to talk about, for anyone who read those books as a kid.
Thanks Joni!
I have not words to explain how much is beautifull for me this images.
)
Thanks Stefania!
Cool, really cool photo. Can’t stop returning to look at this beautiful photograph. Good for the soul and the body as we swelter in above century heat here in Western Australia.
Thanks for sharing your photos with us, Ron.
Best wishes for a bright and prosperous New Year.
Noella
Thanks Noella – this probably looks nice compared to sweltering heat!
Happy New Year to you as well!