With this season’s snowfall off to a solid start, it seems only appropriate to begin 2022’s favorites with the Never Ending Winter image photographed in the middle of April. We may be beginning right where we left off.
Since moving to northern Minnesota, winter has become my favorite season; I make most of my captures during this time of year, which can last as long as nine months up here. January & February provide great dog sledding photo ops! Here Mike Bestgen & Lynne Witte end up side by side as I get ready to snap a picture.
During the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, the mushers are sworn in as mail carriers and bring beautiful artwork-clad letters on the trail. When their team crosses the finish line, the letters make their way into the regular US Postal Service. The officials gathering the bag from musher Damon Ramaker were surprised when they unzipped the sled bag, and a dog popped out to greet them!
I love looking through event photos and finding something I had not realized I had captured. How cool is this being able to see Andre Duval’s team and the spectators reflecting in his shades during the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race in Ely?
I headed to Utah in April for a night sky workshop with Mike Shaw Photography. I bought a star tracker a few months before and was excited to learn how to use it from one of the best night sky teachers I know. Fiery Furnace Lookout in Arches National Park was a great place to make fourteen 2-minute exposures of the Milky Way rising with my star tracker and merge them into a pano using Adobe Camera Raw.
Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park was a great place to practice a variety of night sky techniques as well. Add to that you get the bonus of a fantastic place to catch the sunrise!
A few weeks in Yellowstone National Park in early spring usually provides an excellent opportunity to photograph grizzly bear cubs of the year. Last May did not disappoint. Here the Beryl Springs bear makes her way through a favorite thermal area with her two tiny cubs in tow.
During the summer, I spend as much time as possible at the International Wolf Center and North American Bear Center in Ely, MN. This year the wolf center added two new wolf pup ambassadors.
I finally created a picture of one of my favorite black bears, Holly, at the bear center. I was standing in the building and caught a glimpse of her coming right toward the window, knelt, and made the image.
My ‘best of’ collection would only be complete with some Amazing Aurora images!
As soon as I saw that glow in the sky, I quickly added a back-of-camera shot to my Facebook page to let others know the lights were dancing. It wasn’t until I looked back at my post the following morning that I saw the beautiful pink heart forming in the sky. The BEST part of photos on social media is learning what others see in my work. I asked for title suggestions, and we collected over a hundred ideas between the post, shares, and inbox messages. After much discussion, Tom and I feel this title fits perfectly.
The benefit of photographing with moonlight is that you can capture some nice natural light to bring out our beautiful lakeshore!
STEVE crossing the Milky Way galaxy during astronomical twilight.
STEVE: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement – the phenomenon that looks like a ribbon of pink or mauve light and has a “picket fence” appearance, with green columns of light passing through the ribbon, according to space.com.
As the swirling streamers of light moved across the horizon, the pillars grew vivid before my eyes. Capturing one moment of the dance is never enough; catching the beauty of the reflection is always a bonus! Photographed Labor Day Weekend 2022 in Aurora, Minnesota
I can hardly wait to see what 2023 brings!