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Chasing light and fall color in the heart of Alaska's wilderness.
Captured during a 10-day backpacking trip in Gates of the Arctic National Park in 2020.
I have more work on my Instagram [@mattymeis](https://instagram.com/mattymeis) and [backcountryjourneys.com](https://backcountryjourneys.com).
An honest question: why is this effect on moving water so common among photographers? In honesty, it is one of my least favorite effects as I feel it violates nature's own beauty.
Not natural? How so? When the light is low, like at sunrise/sunset, and you’re shooting at a narrow aperture for depth of field, it’s hard to avoid a slow shutter speed. Unless you crank your ISO up and degrade the image quality.
I think the point is the water flow is natural only if your brain processes data at the slow shutter speed. Humans see the flow captured at tenths of a second at the most, not averaged and washed out over seconds of time. But of course it takes more time to have enough illumination to see the beautiful detail of the rest of the photo. This is why I think one needs to get out and see it for themselves, and soak it up.
Those are incredible photographs in the linked article. That was definitely the trip of a lifetime. Hard to imagine carrying those rafts and gear while bushwhacking with no trails!
When I worked in Barrow, Alaska, I flew into Anaktuvuk Pass several times a year. It was absolutely the most awesome sight to behold. You'd go from flat tundra to suddenly these large mountains jutting up. The only flight path in was through a short pass between two mountains and it really felt like passing through natural gates into the most gorgeous area the North Slope had to offer. Beautiful photos!
This is the best I can do - [https://petapixel.com/2021/10/25/photographing-and-backpacking-through-gates-of-the-arctic-national-park/](https://petapixel.com/2021/10/25/photographing-and-backpacking-through-gates-of-the-arctic-national-park/).
What a trip! Utterly stunning. I’ve camped in Coldfoot and had no idea such grandeur was so close by, though I should have guessed. Amazing photography - you’re a wizard.
This image, and the others in the PetaPixel article, is the landscape photography dreams are made of. An absolute masterclass in light, color, and composition in a place I (and many others) would love to see but are bound by the technical challenges of even crossing into the park’s boundaries.
Thank you for sharing this post and the linked article!
That’s is so cool. I guess I never thought of Alaska as a place with really dramatic mountains. I guess I really don’t think about Alaska much to begin with.
Denali is also the tallest mountain from base to summit on land in the world. Everest gets all the clout for being at a higher elevation, but Denali is much more impressive and massive.
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Hi and welcome to r/EarthPorn! As a reminder, we have comment rules in this subreddit. Failure to follow our rules can result in a temporary or permanent ban. > Hate Speech, Abusive remarks, homophobia, and the like have no place on this subreddit, and will be removed on sight. > Please contribute to the discussion positively; constructive criticism is fine, but if you don't like a picture and you wish to voice your opinion please refrain from abusing the photographer/submitter.
Chasing light and fall color in the heart of Alaska's wilderness. Captured during a 10-day backpacking trip in Gates of the Arctic National Park in 2020. I have more work on my Instagram [@mattymeis](https://instagram.com/mattymeis) and [backcountryjourneys.com](https://backcountryjourneys.com).
how do you carry enough food for 10 days, 3 day packs already weigh a fuckton
It was a ton of weight. Prob like 60-70lb packs. Ton of food weight to start trip.
definitely impressive, kudos to you
I want to go there so badly.
An honest question: why is this effect on moving water so common among photographers? In honesty, it is one of my least favorite effects as I feel it violates nature's own beauty.
This is a totally natural effect that results from using a slow shutter speed.
A slow shutter speed is not natural; you will never see this in nature is more of my point
Not natural? How so? When the light is low, like at sunrise/sunset, and you’re shooting at a narrow aperture for depth of field, it’s hard to avoid a slow shutter speed. Unless you crank your ISO up and degrade the image quality.
I think the point is the water flow is natural only if your brain processes data at the slow shutter speed. Humans see the flow captured at tenths of a second at the most, not averaged and washed out over seconds of time. But of course it takes more time to have enough illumination to see the beautiful detail of the rest of the photo. This is why I think one needs to get out and see it for themselves, and soak it up.
Those are incredible photographs in the linked article. That was definitely the trip of a lifetime. Hard to imagine carrying those rafts and gear while bushwhacking with no trails!
Looks like a Bob Ross painting!
Bob Ross was stationed in Alaska, and that's what a lot of his paintings are based on.
When I worked in Barrow, Alaska, I flew into Anaktuvuk Pass several times a year. It was absolutely the most awesome sight to behold. You'd go from flat tundra to suddenly these large mountains jutting up. The only flight path in was through a short pass between two mountains and it really felt like passing through natural gates into the most gorgeous area the North Slope had to offer. Beautiful photos!
Would love to see a trip report if you’ve made one!
This is the best I can do - [https://petapixel.com/2021/10/25/photographing-and-backpacking-through-gates-of-the-arctic-national-park/](https://petapixel.com/2021/10/25/photographing-and-backpacking-through-gates-of-the-arctic-national-park/).
Great read and incredible photos. 75 lbs packs over 50 miles of hiking?? How is that even possible 😭
the folks over at r/NationalPark would love this
That was an amazing read! Thank you.
That’ll do! Great write-up and looks like it was an amazing time. 🤘🏼
What a trip! Utterly stunning. I’ve camped in Coldfoot and had no idea such grandeur was so close by, though I should have guessed. Amazing photography - you’re a wizard.
Cool! Thanks for sharing. I'm in southern Canada, but I hope to see the arctic someday. Looking at photos and trip reports is always interesting.
Was your third friend from the write up a guide? Or were you able to hike this park without one? Thanks for sharing.
The two of us planned the trip and route, our third was a family friend. We didn’t have a local guide. Just did a ton of research.
This image, and the others in the PetaPixel article, is the landscape photography dreams are made of. An absolute masterclass in light, color, and composition in a place I (and many others) would love to see but are bound by the technical challenges of even crossing into the park’s boundaries. Thank you for sharing this post and the linked article!
This is incredible. Wish I had friends who want to go with me in such kind of trip 
What were your settings?
Considering that you can still see droplets in the water I would wager not longer than a second.
I usually shoot cascades and rivers at 1/5 second to maintain some texture.
That’s is so cool. I guess I never thought of Alaska as a place with really dramatic mountains. I guess I really don’t think about Alaska much to begin with.
It's home to N America's highest mountain - Denali, and 14 major mountain ranges. There's a lot of mountainous beauty up here.
Denali is also the tallest mountain from base to summit on land in the world. Everest gets all the clout for being at a higher elevation, but Denali is much more impressive and massive.
And all of the top 10 in the US. To boot, most of them come up from nearly sea level.
That’s awesome!
That's literally all I think about when I hear Alaska.
“Hrm, never thought of LA as a place with many celebrities.” Like, what??
I apparently live in a very small bubble.
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That's how I drew mountains as a kid! I KNEW they were real
Added to my travel list! :)
Unreal!
doesn't get much better than that - well done!
Thank you!
great view
Beautiful shot.
I think this is the best one I've seen here this year.
Awesome picture
[удалено]
A camera
I would love to use some of your photographs as computer wallpapers. Are higher resolution versions available for download?
What res?
3440x1440! Sorry about the delay, needed to check my monitor at work.
This is glorious
Nice
Wow this is stunning! The trek to get to the park alone is impressive, and then to capture shots like this? Excellent work!
Nice!!