Intro to Dog Sledding
Our Iditarod Workshop is unique. Action Sports Photography, Portraits, Landscapes, Street Photography....it has a bit of everything! We start off by immersing our photographers in the world of Dog Mushing. We photographed our first Alaskan Huskies at a famous kennel and each photographer mushed a sled through a snowy birch forest. We used slow motion techniques to shoot from the sled and were belly down in the snow to photograph dogs coming right at us.
Back in Anchorage we went to the annual Iditarod Musher's Gala to meet all 38 mushers and start to pick out our favorites.
Anchorage Ceremonial Start
The weather was perfect for the Anchorage start with beautiful falling snow and mild temperatures. We were at our favorite shooting spot on 4th street, perfect for tight shots on the lead dogs as they approached. There were plenty of chances to capture "bacon tongues" on the dogs and big smiles on the mushers' faces.
Culture & Alaskana
We traveled through beautiful locations in Alaska on this workshop. At each of our locations we looked for signs and scenes that help explain the allure of the race. There were several Native Alaskan mushers in the race this year and we captured elements that hint at the cultural traditions behind the race.
Willow Restart
Willow, Alaska is the start of the timed race. At the Official Start the excitement is palpable. We photographed all 38 teams, this time on a clear day, capturing the Iditarod banner in some of our frames.
Talkeetna & Denali
We spent two nights staging in Talkeetna, Alaska. We had clear skies for both days. We photographed Denali from our hotel and had a low key aurora display both nights.
Rainy Pass Checkpoint
The highlight of our trip was flying into Rainy Pass. Our scenic flight in an Otter over the Susitna Valley provided clear, sunny views of beautiful, remote Alaskan scenery. When we landed we were met by snow machines and driven to the race chute where dog teams arrived.
We photographed 12 different teams coming through the chute, some of them opting to stay and give their dogs a rest. We had unimpeded views for photography and were able to walk right up to the teams. It was the perfect end to our workshop.
A big thank you to the photographers who joined us this year and to Salmonberry Tours for help with logistics. We have a few openings on other workshops in Alaska. Check out our other openings for 2026 by clicking here.
Credits:
Tom Bol and Cree Bol