Cruise Ships

Our tourist season in SE Alaska has begun. It usually goes from May until Sep/Oct, this year it will end in Oct. When taking pictures of cruise ships, I try to not only get a picture of the whole ship, I try to get various angles or views.

Most of the time I try to get pictures without people in the way. A way that I found is once they are boarding and getting ready to leave or when they are pulling into port. Cruise ships, to me are really fun to take pictures of. I enjoy seeing and watching them. If you haven’t had a chance for a cruise, maybe this could be your year. As always, I would recommend one to SE Alaska on the inside passage.

Waterfall 1

There is a waterfall that’s about 10 miles South of Ketchikan Alaska. The water flows like this year around. When taking pictures of a waterfall try to have your camera on something steady to help reduce shake. Also if you adjust the shutter speed to a little slower then your water is more blurry and some people like that effect. If capturing video make sure your sound is not hindered or interrupted.

Real Alaska

So many people have no idea about Alaska, some think it’s West of Mexico others think that it’s smaller then Washington. The truth is that Texas is Alaska’s little sister. This depiction over the U.S. map shows it’s real size. The vastness, the size between towns and villages, the untouched wilderness. There are still unexplored parts. The population of the whole state last I heard was still below 800,000. A lot of towns in the lower states have that much or more. This has been home for the last 18 years. The wildlife is so increadable, the landscapes are so open. I believe everyone needs to visit the state sometime either on a cruise or a trip to Anchorage or Fairbanks, or watch the ididarod dog race. We do speak English, we do not live in igloos. There is not 6 months of darkness and 6 months of light. Alaska really is the last great frontier. There are many great people who call the 49th state home.

Real Alaska

Sunsets

As my wife and I have traveled around the USA, I have realized that no matter where you are at you can have incredible sunrises and sunsets. Living on an island in Alaska, Ketchikan also has its share. Though it rains here alot (we get 15 FEET of rain a year), when its sunny, the sunsets can be very awesome.

A few more Totems

Had a few more totems to share for now. The video is Potlatch Park in Ketchikan Alaska. This is a park right next to Totem Bight state park.

Here is a video that I posted on Vimeo of some totems.

Some Totem poles

Ketchikan Alaska has one of the largest collections of totem poles in the USA. Totems tell stories. Here are a few pictures of some. I will post more later. Totem Bight is an Alaska state park here. Potlatch Park is another area that has Totems here, as well as the town of Asia man. Then there are various other places that have some on display. During the summer months there are a few locations where you can go and watch a master carver work on a pole.

Lighthouse, Totems and Eagles tour Ketchikan AK

So here is another quick video I made for the LTE tour in Ketchikan Alaska. The tour is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours in length. They pick people up on the cruise ship dock then take you to their boat. This just shows more highlights. They give you a snack on the boat during the tour. The boat captains get you close to the Totems and the light house. The Totems are one of Alaska’s state parks, Totem Bight. The lighthouse is on Guard Island near Ketchikan.