Mat-Su Fall!

Chickaloon River

    Fall and early winter have been unusually busy for me. It's been great business-wise but I've struggled to make the time to stay connected here! Luckily, that gives me a lot to catch up on.

    In mid-September I spent the day in the Matanuska-Susitna region in search of fall color. The peak colors in Alaska only last a couple of weeks but can be absolutely stunning! I ended up spending most of my time scrambling around Chickaloon River just a little further up the Glenn Highway from the town of the same name. I took a lot of long exposures, about one to four seconds, to get the silky look in the water. The sky was pretty dull with heavy clouds so I added a blue gradient to make the white spaces in the composition less distracting.

    Here are some favorites from the day:

Costa Rica Part 4 Tiskita Jungle Lodge

 After the scheduled photo safari for Journeys International was completed I went down to the far southwestern coast, literally the end of the road, to scout a new possible location for future photo trips. Journeys recommended the Tiskita Jungle Lodge and biological preserve.
 As much as I love spending time with guests on the safaris it's always a treat to be able to explore a new area and spend time taking images just for myself. I was also looking forward to relaxing for a bit but the photo opportunities were so numerous and diverse I could never get myself to rest until it was dark out.
 There are numerous trails to explore and wildlife abounds. The tiny town of Punta Banco is a ten minute walk down the road and is a wonderful place to capture locals in their environment. An added bonus is the possibility of seeing a member of the near by Ngobe indigenous tribe.
 I stayed for three nights and would have loved to spend a few more days!
 The owners, Peter and Lisbeth Aspinall were extremely knowledgeable and shared their experiences daily. Lisbeth gave me a guided tour and was amazing at spotting wildlife. Peter was equally knowledgeable in the area of local flora and fruit growing techniques. The fruit from their orchards was available daily. What a treat for me! I drank juice several times a day. Not your milk carton variety, fresh picked and squeezed! Hard to find in Alaska!
 In short the scouting was a success. Journeys and I will be offering a new CR trip based in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest and Tiskita Jungle Lodge in the near future!

 Here is an overly large sampling of images all taken within walking distance of the lodge, all except those of the surfers and large ocean rocks. Those were taken in Pavonnes, a small surfing community five miles back up the road. Awesome!!