March 2023
March was a bountiful month and I’ve amassed quite a few amazing photos — some of which will likely join my portfolio. This month’s images feature Nevadan desert, snowy mountains, macro details, rain, snow, and wildlife including orcas!
It’s a bit strange, usually I’m not this lucky this time of year. Normally, I’m left frustrated by mud, messy and yellow grass, and trees without any leaves yet. Instead I’ve been treated to having fairly amazing conditions with some of my best compositions to date.
I’m also very excited that we’re getting a lot more sun now, nearing on 14 hours per day here in Kodiak. Hopefully I’ll be able to start getting nice sunset photos for a little while after work.
Below are the best photos I’ve edited this past month, I hope you enjoy. Click on an image in any of the galleries to view full screen.
If you’re interested in getting a print of any these, just send me an email and I’ll be more than happy to work with you.
Abercrombie Beach
While I was on the beach, I actually enjoyed the trees nearby and mountains across Monashka Bay better than the water. It was very windy so I was playing around with some long and short exposures and came up with this collection of images.
Winds and Water
Early March had a lot of wind in Kodiak and the waters were even blowing onto the roads. Amelia and I drove down to Pier 2 just to take a look at the blowing spray as winds caught the crests of waves. The first image almost looks like foggy mountains and I thought the second had a lovely abstract/paintbrush energy to it.
Stellar sea lions coming up for a quick breath of air as blowing spray blasted above them. It was incredible to see them like this and I was so happy to get a shot like this from my car window. Kodiak has a lot of amazing opportunity for photos.
From Airports and Planes
The second week of March, Amelia and I flew off-island to attend her cousin’s wedding. These are some of the images from the travels leading up to it. The first is shot from the Anchorage airport windows, but all the rest from this collection were shot from plane windows looking down.
River Tree. These beautiful rivers and streams came together in such a beautiful pattern, It looks just like a twig coming out of a fallen log that could be found along one of those rivers. Probably my favorite image from this month.
Floating sea ice near Anchorage.
I’m not entirely sure what mountain that is, or really what mountain range we were flying over. I believe we were between Anchorage and Glacier National Park, but either way it was incredible to see such mountain layers. It was pretty hazy so I had my work cut out for me in editing but I thought it came out alright.
Desert Details
We didn’t get to explore the areas surrounding Vegas much, but we were able to go for at least one walk. I don’t often photograph details or close-ups like this but they’re fun to do once in a while.
Nevadan Hills
We didn’t have any control of where we were for most of the trip but I was able to photograph some of the hills in the distance from the car.
I love this composition a lot, but I’m dissatisfied with its sharpness. The details are a little blurry because of the window and because it was a tempestuous car ride. I did my best to sharpen it but I think it only turned out okay.
This was a strange phenomenon — there was light on the base of the mountain but not on the top. I loved the depth it gave the image and the color contrast between the oranges of the rocks and the blue hues of the shadows.
I like to call this one “The Desert Fortress.” It has so many ridges and details and kind of looked like a natural barrier keeping the city in.
Swimming Sea Lion
A beautiful stellar sea lion swam so close to the pier that I probably could have touched it if I climbed the ladder.
A Forest in the Sand
Black and white sands mixed on Mission Beach. The way the water drained and took some of the white sand away made it look like a beautiful forest with barren trees.
A Day at Buskin
There was almost no wind on this day and the sun just barely glowed on the mountain.
Two compositions of the same mountain, a few minutes apart. As the sun started to set, it really brought out those pink hues in the second image. Let me know which one you think is best.
Winter Storm
There was an eerie energy of a storm that started to come, but luckily it wasn’t too bad. The clouds were dark and menacing, but little snow actually came of it.
White Sands Beach
Incredible sand patterns near the water. I really love these kinds of abstracts and this image is a contender for my favorite from March.
A lone boulder on White Sands Beach near Kodiak. The skies were dreary and there wasn’t a ton of light, but I was able to make-do with this ultra-wide composition. Light helps a scene and can carry a photograph, but composition always needs to come first.
The Chase
This poor raft of sea lions. There were probably four or five being chased by a pod of orcas, colloquially known as “The Kodiak Killers,” in the channel between Near Island and the rest of town.
Amelia and I were having a nice sushi dinner on the waterfront when someone from the restaurant shouted “WHALES!” We were lucky enough to have a table by the window but the rest of the patrons and even the staff gathered to the windows to watch the show.
Throughout that dinner we were treated to a view of orcas chasing the sea lions, the ferry driving through, and even an otter that slowly drifted through the channel. It was such a wonderful day with nice sun and I was happy to have these photos, even if the prey weren’t too happy being chased.
But the wildlife weren’t the only images I got, I did sneak in one landscape shot that day too. We had a view of this tree, desperately clinging to the shore upside-down against a stone cliff over the seawater. I haven’t seen trees like this often, and I’d be surprised if it lasts much longer.
But for the last image, here’s a shot of a gorgeous sunset I captured back in January. I just got off work and made my way on a short little drive. I wanted to share them earlier bur I only edited it recently after finding it again my archive.
Thanks for reading — please feel free to let me know which images were your favorites.
