Posted by Emil – June 15, 2009
Shot with the Nikon D3 and 14-24mm lens
Came back to Anchorage few days ago after a short overflight on a bush plane. We started in Anchorage flying towards Katmai Park, covering Cook Inlet, along the Chigmit Mountains, and in between landing in Urus Cove and Bruin Bay to document the incredible views that volcano Augustin offers from most of the places we explored. We found lots of harbor seals, grizzly bears and black brants flying over the mud flats. It is just so incredible to see, how the landscape takes up on a complete different shape when seeing it from the air.
Exploring Alaska with a Wilga. Emil short after landing, takes a good stretch. Volcano Agustine in the background viewed from Ursus Cove.
Augustine Volcano - Nikon D3x with 24-70mm F2.8 lens
We also covered Lake Iliamna and on the way back Florian took some interesting abstract pictures of Lake Clark and its mixed glacial and fresh water patterns. Stayed tuned for more updates on the aerial work that Florian will be doing in the north!
ESPAÑOL
Y como buena Mexicana, no me puede faltar de vez en cuando, una traducción breve sobre nuestras aventuras en el Norte.
Regresamos a Anchorage hace unos dias. Fue una experiencia increible poder sobrevolar una parte de la costa sur de Alaska, especificamente Cook Inlet, que esta escoltado por las montañas Chigmit. Fue un vuelo innolvidable porque vimos mucha vida salvaje desde el aire, y la manera en la que el paisaje cambia cuando lo ves desde esta perspectiva es fascinante. Descubrimos un grupo de focas anilladas, osos grizzlies y un tipo de ganso negro, bellisimo que estaban migrando al norte.
En estas fotos me pueden ver volando en una avioneta Wilga, con unas ventanas panoramicas increibles que te dejaban ver para todos lados. Sí vamos a estar apretados, mejor no sentirse claustrofobicos, no? Florian viajo siempre en la parte de atras para poder abrir la ventana y yo venia de aeromoza repartiendo bebidas y alimentos… y encargada de la foto familiar. Ja! Mas abajo, pueden verme estirar mis piernas con la hermosa vista del Volcán Agustin, en la Bahia del Oso. Y por ultimo un piloncito de foto que Florian tomo mientras yo tomaba la foto familiar en la avioneta.
Mantenganse al tanto para nuevo material que estaremos subiendo de nuestras proximas expediciones.
Posted in: Adventure, Expeditions, Photography | Tagged: Aerial, Alaska, B2B, Bush Plane, Coastal, Emil, Explore, Florian, nikon, Nikon D3x, People, Photography, Pilot Ken, wilderness, Wilga
Posted by Emil – April 4, 2009
… and we did. We went on the water with Trust Me and we are now convinced she is a great vessel.
After traveling for months on a ’84 WV Westfalia with 24 feet of sitting space, one can understand why we are so excited about those extra 3 feet that makes our 27′ trimaran a cozy home. Many people think having a boat is a luxury. ” Trust Me” is far from that, with no restroom, no shower, a tiny living room without tables, and few feet for me to stand up and cook, her role is more important than providing comfort. She is a tool. With Trust Me we plan to reach wild remote areas within the Baja to Beaufort ecoregion, that need to be documented. With her ability of folding up and been trailerable, we can take her on the road and pretty much go anywhere.
With her great sailing features, her shallow draft, she is light and fast! If you have the sails in the right position and some breeze, she will go. It makes it all so much smoother, quite and environmentally friendly. Although I must accept that it has taken Florian many hours of kind words and encouragement to convince me that sailing is easy to learn and is a good thing.
“Trust Me” has great extra features, including, solar panels, a water-maker (that we are still in the process of fixing), a solar shower (bought in REI) and my favorite: Arthur, the autopilot. When Arthur is on charge, we can enjoy the freedom of not having to hold the tiller all the time allowing us to search for wildlife.
We have now sailed the Loreto National Marine Park, and are planning to sail all the way down to La Paz to over an important area: The Loreto/ Cabo corridor. While on the Loreto waters, we discovered many incredible things including a young Humpback Whale that gave us an spectacular show… but that’s another story.
Been on a boat makes you a lot more aware of your surroundings. You are in the constant look out for hazards and even with Arthur in charge, you still have to continuously keep an eye on the water. Floating logs, rocks under the water, sudden changes in the depths, gusty winds, currents, tides, etc. can easily combine and leave you with a nightmare experience.
Navigating the Sea of Cortez is more challenging because of the lack of good charts and the fact weather channels are nonexistent. You turn on the radio and soon you hear “Pablo! Pablo! Andale, contesta!”, then a whole Mexican style conversation unfolds on the most important channel for marine communication: Channel 16.
We’ve been really lucky with the weather, but you cannot avoid waking up in the middle of the night three or four times to check outside, to look at the GPs and check on the wind. Is the anchor ok or are we dragging? Is the wind picking up? What was that sound?
It is a restless adventure, a constant challenge, … and we are loving it!
Posted by Florian – August 13, 2008
We are creating this blog to share with you some of the experiences of our journeys while shooting for our Freedom to Roam photography projects. We are constantly on the move, traveling and exploring some of the most remote and wild places in the northern hemisphere.
As we update this blog, you will have an insight of what it means to live a “wildlife photographer’s life”. Florian will also share some of his knowledge about photography and tricks that he comes up with to solve problems in the field.
We know that new postings should come directly from where you are, but some times we found ourselves in the middle of the tundra, rafting down some crazy river or sailing the wild waters of South East Alaska, making an internet connection impossible.
We have tons of stories to share including documenting Snowy Owls in their nesting grounds, major migratory movements by the Western Arctic Caribou Herd and the amazing conglomeration of thousands of shorebirds migrating north in the shores of Cordova, AK. Come back to find more about our past and ongoing adventures!
We hope you enjoy exploring with us and hope that through our eyes, you get to experience and enjoy some of this incredible places that hold many untold stories.
From our wild hearts: Florian & Emil
Visions of the