Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

One of the most exciting developments to occur this weekend was the landing of the Phoenix Mars Lander. Landing on the northern pole region of Mars, amazing photos were sent back detailing unusual, yet familiar looking polygonal shapes in the polar landscape. Upon seeing these photos I didn’t need to read a word on the NASA Phoenix Lander web site about what I was seeing. From my trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge I knew exactly what these polygonal formations represented… permafrost or permafrost like conditions.

Below on the left is one of the first photos transmitted from the Phoenix Mars Lander and on the right is an aerial view of the Arctic Coastal Plain. The lifeless/waterless surface of the Mars polar region looks very similar in form to our very own northern polar region. This discovery once again showing another facet of how the mathematical and physical laws of nature repeat from micro to macro and from planet to planet.

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The presence of permafrost formations on Mars and Earth is but one of many fascinating instances of forms repeating throughout nature from the microscopic to the interstellar. A commonly repeated forms observed is the logarithmic spiral as seen below in Hurricane Isabel and M51 (photo by Brian Lula). This particular form is far more common than the polygonal permafrost formations, but all part of the mathematical uniformity stemming from the molecular structure of all things that compose matter in our universe.

Logarithmic Spirals Isabel and M51 – APOD

Spiral by minipixel

The recent photos from Mars are not only a distant view to another planet, but a view to the common inner working of how our Universe is built. Nature truly is an amazing thing to study as well as take in visually.

Technorati Tags: Mars, NASA, Phoenix Mars Lander, permafrost, polygon, formation, landscape, photography, nature, shape

The land of the midnight sun (aka Alaska) produces some of the most beautiful light for photography. The trick is being able to see it through the quickly changing weather conditions. Not far from my camp when I took this photo the midnight sun kissed the mountainside as a storm front was moving in. With in minutes this beautiful light had vanished only to appear hours later as the storm cleared. To this day I’m in awe of how rugged yet beautiful this landscape is. Looking through Arctic photos these past couple of days I’m getting the itch to return as soon as I can.

Arctic Refuge: Hidden Beauty
View More Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Photos…

Technorati Tags: Arctic, Arctic Refuge, ANWR, photo, photography, landscape, scenic, Kongakut River, valley, Alaska

Still one of the most amazing locations I’ve traveled to, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is full of pristine beauty. This location, aptly named Caribou Pass, is where the Porcupine herd passes from Canada to the Alaskan Arctic Plain every year. To give you some orientation to this scene… this is the view looking south towards the Brooks Range of Alaska, to the left (east) is Canada, to the right (west) is the Arctic Plain where the Caribou give birth to their young and behind (north) is a mountain top view of the Arctic Plain and Arctic Ocean. It’s been a while since I’ve viewed this photo, but doing so reminds me of how beautiful and fragile this landscape is.

Arctic Refuge: Caribou Pass Valley View
View More Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Photos…

Technorati Tags: Arctic, Arctic Refuge, ANWR, photo, photography, landscape, scenic, Caribou Pass, Alaska, wildflower

Early morning light breaking through the trees revealed this beautiful sight while traveling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Arctic Lupine (Lupinus Arcticus) wasn’t the most common flower seen during my travels but there was a beautiful spread of these flowers in a small meadow shaded by a stand of Balsam Poplar trees.

Arctic Lupine (Lupinus Arcticus)

Technorati Tags: Arctic Refuge, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska, Arctic Lupine, Lupinus Arcticus, macro, photography, photo, stock

The 15th episode of EXIF and Beyond has been released.

In this episode “Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography” is discussed. Topics covered include an introduction to the technique, best practices, pitfalls, alternative methods, computer & software tips, and creative vision. This information packed episode will put you on track to master this challenging photographic technique in roughly (30) thirty minutes.

Referenced Articles and Resources:
Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography by Jim M. Goldstein via JMG-Galleries

Breaking the Gigapixel Barrier – Max Lyons

Recommended Panoramic Photography Resources

Download the latest episodes:
EXIF and Beyond: Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography

For the non-iTune listeners a streaming version of this podcast can be accessed here.

Featured Panoramic Photos in this Episode of EXIF and Beyond:

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“4 Corners – Welcome to Colorado”
made From (16) Sixteen Vertical Images (1×16)

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“Last Light On Delicate Arch, Arches National Park”
Made From (6) Six Vertical Images

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“The Beauty of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge”
Made From (10) Ten Vertical Images

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“Bryce Canyon Sunset, Bryce Canyon National Park”
Made from (5) Five Vertical Images

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“100 Caribou”
Made from (21) Twenty One Vertical Images

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“Caribou Pass View To The South Panoramic ” – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Made From (35) Thirty Five Vertical Images

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“Caribou Pass and Kongakut River Panoramic” – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Made From (50) Fifty Vertical Images

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“Cable View Panoramic, Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco”
Made From (3) Three Horizontal Images via Tilt Shift Lens
Between the cables is Alcatraz and in the distance is San Francisco more…

“Golden Gate Bridge Panoramic Sunset”
Made From (3) Three Vertical Images via Tilt Shift Lens more…

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“Yosemite Trees”
made From (11) Eleven Vertical Images (1×11)

Technorati Tags: EXIF and Beyond, podcast, digital, panoramic, photography, technique, tutorial, how to, dSLR, Four Corners, Golden Gate Bridge, Bryce Canyon, San Francisco, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Arctic Refuge, National Park, Caribou, Arches, Delicate Arch,

This has been an exciting week for wildlife discoveries on the west coast. The latest being a rare white Killer Whale off the coast of Alaska. Having been reportedly seen last month and perhaps as long as 3 years ago this whale has since eluded researchers studying pods of whales in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. Although white in color from afar it’s believe not to be albino, but rather yellow/brown in color. Either way the sighting is quite exciting and is electrifying wildlife watchers worldwide.

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Rare White Killer Whale Spotted – National Geographic News

A condition known as Chediak-Higashi Syndrome could be a cause for the difference in pigmentation of this whale. Inherited from the parents, the rare Chediak-Higashi Syndrome is a disease of the immune and nervous system. One of the most distinct ways to tell if an animal is a true albino is to see if it has a pink eye. No one was able to obtain a picture of the eye of this individual, so the photographs will have to be compared to the other white whale sightings in the area to determine if it is a match–and a true albino.

Rare White Killer Whale Sighted by NOAA Scientists Aboard NOAA Ship OSCAR DYSON – NOAA

High resolution photo via NOAA
Photo credit: H. Fearnbach, NMML,
NMFS permit 782-1719

Technorati Tags: white, Killer Whale, Alaska, rare, wildlife, whale, news, Aleutian, island