Inside the Sapphire Funhouse

» Posted by admin on Jun 16, 2010 in Adventure, Alaska, Alaska Photo Tour, Chugach National Forest, Clients, color, Cordova, Dave Taylor, glaciers, Ice Climbing, Landscapes, Lupine, Prince William Sound, Spring, Workshops | 7 comments

Sometimes, words can’t possibly do a place justice.

Sometimes, pictures fall short.

Sometimes, a location hits you so hard that it literally changes your outlook.

It sets your mind reeling, sways your body, and makes your heart long to return – even before you’ve left.

For me, Cordova is that place.

The old saying is so appropriate. “Life is not about how many breaths you take, but how many moments take your breath away.”

I just returned from leading a small group photo tour to Cordova, on the eastern edge of Prince William Sound. Cordova is one of my favorite places on the planet – off the beaten path, yet logistically possible. It holds great variety: ocean, coastline, rainforest, mountains, glaciers, immense river delta. For photographers – it truly is the undiscovered country. I’m already planning a longer tour for next year – shoot me an email if you are interested in traveling to this incredible land – you won’t regret it.

Over the next couple of posts, I’ll be sharing some images from this recent tour. I may not say much, because I can’t adequately describe this place – perhaps that speaks loudest. For me, the images will always fall short – that’s what keeps me going & gives me good reason to return. My mind is still reeling, my body still swaying (some of that is due to our time on the water shooting sea otters), and my heart longs to return.

This first post is dedicated to the Sheridan Glacier. I’m still trying to catch my breath.

Lining the trail to the glacier, and then rimming the hills overlooking it were fields of lupine. We caught them at their prime.

Photographer in lupine field, Sheridan Glacier, Alaska. ©2010 Dave Taylor/Sixtyone North (Canon 5D mk 2, 24-105 @ 105mm, 1/200" @ f7.1, ISO 400)

But the real adventure lay within the glacier. Now, a quick note. Glacier travel is inherently dangerous. I recommend traveling with a glacier guide if at all possible and respect the glacier’s ability to swallow you whole. I also recommend never going inside a glacial ice cave – they are one of the more dangerous aspects to a glacier. Seriously.

Now that I have that out of the way…

This particular cave was perhaps 30 feet deep and around 8 feet tall at the center. My 3 trips inside were perhaps the scariest yet most amazing I’ve had behind a camera. The blue is unbelievable. The sense of claustrophobia chokes you. The photographic opportunities were mind boggling. I wish I had more time, but these things can collapse at any moment. The only thing better than being inside an ice cave with your camera, is coming out again with photographs.

Ice Cave, Sheridan Glacier, Alaska. ©2010 Dave Taylor/Sixtyone North (Canon 5d mk 2, 24-105 @ 24mm. 1/4" @ f16, ISO 400)

Ice Cave, Sheridan Glacier, Alaska. ©2010 Dave Taylor/Sixtyone North (Canon 5D mk 2, 24-105 @ 24mm. 1/3" @ f16, ISO 400)

Ice Cave, Sheridan Glacier, Alaska ©2010 Dave Taylor/Sixtyone North (Canon 5D mk 2, 24-105 @ 24mm, 1/2" @ f16, ISO 400)

I have lots more photos to post.

Stay tuned.