Aurora Photography
We had terrific luck on this workshop: photographing the Northern Lights on three different nights. Our group captured swirling arcs, rays and mountain scenes illuminated by a three quarter moon. The Alaskan Arctic is one of the most reliable places to photograph aurora in the world. Nights are often clear and our locations were right under the aurora oval.
Enchanted Forest
The Enchanted Forest is located near the Yukon River in Alaska. Fog from the river freezes and coats the nearby trees again and again. This creates beautiful shapes in the forest. We arrived mid afternoon and looked for interesting foregrounds for the trees.
Brooks Range
We based in Coldfoot Camp for two nights. On the second day we drove further north into the Brooks Range to experience the true arctic landscape. A highlight was photographing a sundog at Mt Sukakpak and photographing from the crest of Atigun Pass
North Slope
We crossed the Brooks Range at Atigun Pass and continued on to Galbraith Lake. The stark, frigid landscapes of the North Slope were a first for many in our group with the lowest temperatures of the trip. We experienced temps from 20 to -47 degrees on this workshop. We stayed warm with layers of winter gear and a heated vehicle or building always nearby.
Ice Art Championships
We spent the first two days of the workshop in Fairbanks. For our first night we photographed ice sculptures at the International Ice Art Championships. This annual event attracts sculptors from all over the world. A team from the Phillipines won the multi-block event this year with the sculpture at right.
Dog Mushing
During the day in Fairbanks we visited the Trailbreaker Kennel formerly owned by Susan Butcher. Everyone had a chance to drive a sled as well as ride in a sled. Many of the dogs at the kennel had just been on the winning team for this year's Yukon Quest. Our group photographed the teams from the trails and from the sled.
Meeting the Reindeer
We added a bonus Reindeer session to the workshop in Fairbanks. We learned about the difference between caribou and reindeer and enjoyed a very close photo session in the snow.
Thanks to all of the photographers that joined us in Fairbanks and the Arctic for our Arctic Lights Workshop. Thanks to Salmonberry Tours and Northern Alaska Tour Company for the travel support!
Want to join us on our next Arctic Lights Workshop? February 23-28, 2027 Read more here
Credits:
Tom Bol and Cree Bol