A Lush Location

No, it’s not a drinking problem. Although, there are plenty of fluids around…

You think space is cold? Child's Glacier, at the end of the road. Near Cordova, Alaska.

As I said in my last post, Cordova is drenched in vibrant life and color. It is the most lush place I have ever seen. If you allow your eyes to drift down from the mountain peaks, you will first meet solid ice. In the winter it is pure white and covered in thick snow. As the summer goes on, some of the top layer will melt away and reveal lines of dirt and rock. These are the moraines – at the edges of the glacier are the lateral moraines. When two glaciers join, they cause a medial moraine to form between them, like a sandbar running between two rivers at their confluence. Next you will find the tree line and enter the rain forest. Greens erupt, rich and full in color. At their core are tree trunks. Deep browns, tinged lightly with red and covered in more green, but this time it is a soft moss. Follow the trunks down from the canopy and you will find the forest floor, downed trees layered under even more moss and limbs drenched with multiple lichens.

Power Creek. Near Cordova, Alaska

Not werewolves, you Twilight and True Blood Fan Club card carrying members.

A narrow boardwalk runs through the Haystack Trail. Near Cordova, Alaska.

Witch’s hair & Methuselah’s beard cover nearly every exposed branch, fallen tree, and rock. Walk down to the rivers edge, to find a turquiose & milk mix flowing rapidly over steep waterfalls and tumbling around more moss covered rocks. This river is fed partly from the glaciers above, melt water from the snow covered mountains, and rain. This water feeds large patches of wildflowers – columbines and lupine most prominently, but there are plenty of variety to be had in nearly every direction if blooms and blossoms are your thing.

Bloodsuckers! Mosquito on Wild Columbine petal. Cordova, Alaska.

A microcosm in a rain drop. Near Cordova, Alaska. If you look closely at the water droplet (upper right), you will see a columbine upside down and miniaturized inside the raindrop.

The rivers feed lakes and ponds, mist shrouded and flourishing with life. Canada geese, grebes, loons, trumpeter swans, get us started. Also watch for eagles and owls, beaver and muskrat. The banks are lined with reeds and where the current is low, the water is crystal clear.

Canada geese on a foggy Eyak Lake. Near Cordova, Alaska.

Following the rivers path, you will finally meet the ocean. The ocean changes color at every angle and has many moods… oh look, we’re back to relationships… Have you read my “multiments” posting?

Fishing boat colors reflect in the Cordova boat harbor. Cordova, Alaska.

So much variety, so little time. I can’t wait to go back. And you can go with me! Send me an email and get yourself on the list for next year’s photo workshop to the Eastern Prince William Sound, based out of Cordova. Better hurry, the first workshop is already sold out! I’ll have the specifics for the second workshop very soon, but don’t wait – get on the info list now. You don’t want to miss out on this trip!

Keep shooting, and remember to take the time to put the camera down and experience your environment. It’s a different feeling than when you are documenting it.

One more thing. I’m going to be adding a little blurb to the bottom of some of my posts from time to time. One of the ways that I get inspiration for my photography is to study the work of my peers. I look at just about everything – sports, journalism, wildlife, nature, and even a little fashion. So with that in mind, I’m going to try to put a link to a recommended website at the bottom of my posts (some, if not all) and a little blurb about the artist. I am lucky to say that some of these artists are my friends. Some I may never get the chance to meet personally, but I am a better man and photographer for having witnessed their artwork. Take the time to check them out, read their blog/journal entry’s, listen to a podcast, and review their portfolios. There are a LOT of incredibly talented photographers out there. Soak them in, your life will be richer for it!

To start us off then, is a Scottish professional photographer named Bruce Percy. His images are exquisite and offer rich colors and foreign landscapes. They are punctuated by dramatic light and amazing compositions, found most often on the “edge of light” around the twilight hours. He is widely traveled; places like Cambodia, Iceland, Patagonia, Bolivia, Easter Island and Morocco. He also offers portfolio podcasts on his website. Now, let me be clear. I like women. Always have, always will. But you have got to listen/watch his podcasts – I could listen to this guys voice for hours. He composes and plays his own background music for the podcast soundtracks, and his voice and images will take you far away from your computer screen. So go find a quiet place, or plug in some headphones, and get ready to soak in a beautiful foreign land with Bruce Percy as your guide.

Bruce Percy’s Website

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