"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. "
Steve Jobs 

I got remarried.
I moved.
I got an iPhone 4s.
I finally changed the name of my photo blog.

                           - Anne Danjin, October 2012

Oh The Times, They Are A-Changing....

Well, 2010 has proven to be one of the most challenging of my life. Without all the gory details, I am once again a single woman and living on my own for the first time in many years. I couldn't be happier. With this change, I have found the gift of friendship with so many new and old people. While I haven't taken the time to be more serious about my photography hobby, the pictures I have taken over the last 4 months are fun and silly and will make me smile years from now when, once again, my life is completely different. You can hate change. But its inevitable. You either change or disappear. You either grow or you die. 2010 was full of devastation and disappointment, but the happiness I have now crushes all of that like a bulldozer. I now welcome 2011 and my new life with an open mind, heart and sole. ...more to come and pics to follow of course ;)

Alaska 2010... A Displaced Alaskan

We traveled back to Alaska for the 4th time this year. As always, I anticipated the trip for months. All in all, it was a great vacation, but not the best.  Let me explain...

The first week, I traveled with my mother and we had great weather. We hiked Matanuska Glacier with a guide named Matt from The Ascending Path. It was great and the photos were amazing. It was a bit scary being out there on a glacier relying on our guide to get us past the crevasses and water holes. We found a hidden pool suspended in the glacier and I climbed up to it for photos. Mom and I did a lot of driving and visiting with my uncle and cousin.
(left: elk at Wildlife Conservation Center)

The second week my mom flew home and my husband came in. The weather took a turn and the many outings we had planned were affected by it. We were still able to fish and I still had great photo opportunities. But it just wasn't the same as the 1st and 2nd times we went to Alaska. As tourists, we are running out of first time things to do. When talking to people and explaining we had come to Alaska 4 times, they always responded by asking why we haven't moved there yet. Funny thing is, I would move to Alaska. The excitement of excursions and sightseeing has run its course with me. I just want to be there and be in all the beauty and glory and wild that is Alaska. Even with 4 trips, I still haven't seen the bulk of the state. I want more than just a visit to South Central AK; I want it all. (right: bear, Wildlife Conservation Center)


I still cried after I boarded the plane, said goodbye to my resident family members and sat staring at the sun setting over the mountains for what would be the last time for a year... again. I'm happy to say that I now have a friend base to add to my connection to Alaska; thanks to twitter, Facebook and a really great podcast created by Scott Slone of Alaska HDTV I've been watching for years. I got to meet some the friends I met online in person finally. They are as fun and sweet as they are on the internet and I look forward to knowing them more over the next year.

So here are some of the shots I took on this last trip. Due to a few different circumstances, I didn't get to be as artsy as I would have liked and I took less photos as a result. I've also taken thousands of photos in Alaska in years past and didn't want to repeat shots just to take them. But here are a few of my favorites from 2010. I hope you enjoy them. They were a year in the making... (left: remnant of house on 20 Mile River from 1964 Earthquake)                      

Bear, Wildlife Conservation Center

Portage Lake  

Landing at climbing base camp, Denali

 Portage Lake

Overlook bench, Kincaid Park hike 

Matanuska Glacier 

Family, Flat Top Rec Area

 

Me, Flat Top trail

Hidden pool, Matanuska Glacier

Matanuska Glacier

Matanuska Glacier

Matt on Matanuska Glacier ridge

Matanuska Glacier

Fox, Trappers Creek

Overcast view flying toward Denali

Mountain peak, Denali fly in

Glacier landing, Sheldon Amphitheater, Ruth Glacier, Denali

Landing on glacier near Denali climbing base camp.

Elevation: 5,000 feet

Moose, Kenai Peninsula

Eagle, Skilak Lake Loop, Kenai Peninsula

Juvenile Eagle

 

Various sea birds, Resurrection Bay, Seward, AK

Waterfall, Seward, AK

I'd also like to make sure I give special thanks to the people and companies in Alaska that make taking some of these photos possible and for being wonderful establishments in general: Talkeetna Air Taxi. Long Live the Kings Fishing Charters, Fish Alaska Log Cabins & Fishing Charters, The Fish House Fishing Charters (esp. Cpt. Jimmy/Perseverance), The Ascending Path hiking/climbing, Talkeetna Denali View Lodge and Cabins, Edgewater Best Western Hotel in Seward, Captain Jacks Seafood in Seward, 10th & M Seafood, Chinook's Restaurant in Seward, The Smoke Shack at the train wreck in Seward, Seward Dry Dock, Anchorage Grand Hotel, The Great Alaskan TourSaver, Major Marine Tours, Alaska HDTV, Scott Slone, Alaska TravelGram and Scott McMurren, Bella Boutique, Annie's Arts & Follies, Emily Reeve, Karl Leray, David Monroe, Spenard Roadhouse, Marian Call, Talkeetna Roadhouse, Mountntop Designs, Enterprise Rent-a-Care off Airport location in Anchorage, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch, Anchorage Saturday Market, Etc, etc, etc.... There's too many to name and I know I will think of more once I publish this post :)

Photographer Quotes...

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” - Aaron Siskind


“Look, I'm not an intellectual - I just take pictures.” - Helmut Newton


“To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” - Elliott Erwitt


Sometimes I enjoy just photographing the surface because I think it can be as revealing as going to the heart of the matter - Annie Leibovitz


I've worked out of a series of no's. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no's force me to the "yes." I have a white background. I have the person I'm interested in and the thing that happens between us. -Richard Avedon


To create one's world in any of the arts takes courage. - Georgia O'Keeffe

Resurrection Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska

If you read this blog often enough, you will get tired of hearing me say this. Alaska is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. But Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound have a particular draw for me: lots of marine wildlife. Each year I've been to Alaska, I get out on the water to whale watch or go fishing. Its so peaceful. Alaska is not like a lot of places. You don't have to go too far to be completely away from other people and civilization. Prince William Sound is one of these places. I have seen humpback whales, puffins, sea otters, Stellar sea lions, Dall porpoise, Dall sheep on the cliffs, eagles on the rock formations, harbor seals, halibut, rock fish and many other birds, mammals and marine creatures. 

This particular set of pictures was taken while on a whale watching excursion from Seward, AK. If you like animals, you'll appreciate these shots. I was fortunate enough to see a pod of Killer Whales (Orcas) on this trip. 2 big mothers and a handful of babies. I had to remind myself that even the babies were the size of cars when I looked at the pictures. The humpback whale I captured was enormous. They are like icebergs; 90% of their mass is underwater. The one below had a tail the size of an SUV. She hung around and took her time looking back at us with just her head out of the water. Like she was waiting for us to follow. I don't know how people could bring themselves to hunt these graceful, trusting animals.

I was also lucky enough to shoot an eagle couple on a rock formation. Eagles mate for life. The two of them sat there on that rock as our vessel slowing cruised by. They looked down on us so regally, like a king and queen on their throne. Its no wonder they symbolize strength and stealth.

I hope these images convey in some small way just how amazing Alaska is. I never feel like the pictures do it justice. Some things are just too beautiful.

Mt. McKinley: Denali, The Great One

I have so many pictures in Alaska, I have to share them with you one area at a time. Here are some shots I took of Denali and some of the lower peaks in the Alaska Range. Flying over Denali is like trying to win a race with a jaguar. Just when you feel you are upon it, its still further away. Mt. McKinley filled the window of the small plane we were on and we still were miles and miles from it. Some of these shots are from Denali State Park. The rest are from the 6-seater air craft we took with K2 Aviation to take some pictures out of Talkeetna, AK.

Flying around Denali was one of the most breathtaking experiences I had in all of my Alaska trips. This year we will do it again and add a glacier landing for pictures ON the mountain. I can't wait to share them with you.

From Talkeetna Bluffs

Mt. McKinley and the sweeping Ruth Glacier

One of the lower peaks

Click on this one to enlarge; there are 2 climbers on this mountain

Click to enlarge; there are two skiers on the range

A glacier tucked in the Alaska Range

Mt.  McKinley

Nature Shots in SE Michigan

These are some of my favorite nature shots. I took these at Stoney Creek Metro Park in Michigan. The orange flower is called a Columbine, the purple flower is a Vinca. I think the white tree flowers are Marlencas, but I'm not sure. I did minimal editing to these photos. The day was perfect and the color was everywhere. I was at Stoney Creek on this day for a group hike with my mom. She loves hiking and I like taking pictures of things that grow in the woods. We both had a good time.

Shedd Aquarium

I could spend a week at Shedd Aquarium. I love marine life anyway and the view of Lake Michigan from the aquarium auditorium is amazing. I shot these pictures with a mid-level Canon point and shoot digital in 2008.