POSTCARD FROM ALASKA…

It is well known that I traverse the globe in search of new and exciting imagery to share. Whether shooting for my numerous international clients scattered across the world’s major continents, or under my own steam in pursuit of the final images to include in my upcoming world photography book “The Journey So Far”, I don’t usually return to the same location twice.

One place where that doesn’t hold true however is Alaska. Colloquially called “The Last Frontier”, Alaska is a giant landscape filled with numerous active volcanoes, more than three million lakes, nearly 34,000 miles of tidal coastline, and over half the world’s glaciers.

It was to this daunting and rugged state of America that I first travelled in the summer of 2009 to photograph the grizzly bears during the salmon run, and I have been captivated by this wild and unique location ever since.

Returning in 2010 – but this time in the middle of winter where temperatures have been recorded as low as minus 62 degrees Celsius – I was afforded my first experience of Alaska’s frozen wilderness and the opportunity to photograph sections of the famous Iditarod Dog Sled race from Anchorage to Nome.

The Iditarod race was first run in 1973 and has become an annual event – arguably the most well known winter event in the US – with Musher’s and their dog teams covering over 1,800kms of frozen terrain from Willow, near Anchorage, to the finish line in Nome, on the coast of the Bering Sea.

The race takes around nine to fifteen days to complete with teams frequently beset by blizzard conditions, whiteouts causing zero visibility, sub-zero temperatures and gale force winds which can result in a wind chill factor colder than 70 degrees below (Celsius).

Media coverage of the event is understandably difficult – with no road or vehicle access to the course and the conditions themselves prohibitive to most. Snow planes drop supplies to the marked check points along the way, but while out on the race course, the mushers and their dog teams are on their own.

After my small taste of this amazing event during 2010, I was eager to return to Alaska and witness the truly extreme nature of this remote and unforgiving race, but this time from out there on the race course itself. I didn’t want to just photograph the teams as they entered the check points at the end of each section, I wanted to capture the environment and conditions they experience when they are out there on the track… where it is just the dog teams and their musher, where the world is a landscape dressed in white, where the Northern Lights decorate the sky, and where a world of unforgiving silence awaits you if things go wrong.

So how to achieve this? Enter local guide and two-times Iditarod competitor Jon Korta. An Alaskan local based in Galena – a town of less than 700 people on the banks of the Yukon river – I met Jon in 2010 during that first and very memorable winter visit to Alaska. On discussing my wish to get even closer to the Iditarod race during the 2011 event, Jon was only too keen to be involved.

Using snowmobiles for transport, Jon and I will travel somewhere in the vicinity of 1,200kms, zig-zagging across the snow and ice of Alaska (that’s like doing the Sydney to Hobart on Jetski, only colder) to capture the competitors at various stages along the frozen race course of the Iditarod. Our gear will be transported by sleds attached to our snowmobiles, we will sleep in arctic tents or Eskimo villages along the way, we will have to carry everything we need in and out with us, and we will be doing all of this in temperatures that range from 40 to 60 below!

And not only will I have to endure these extreme conditions, but I will also have to be ready and willing to grab my cameras out at any given moment to get photos of everything that we see and experience along the way.

That prospect alone opens up a whole new can of worms. How will the equipment cope in the cold? How to transport it all, how to keep it safe, and how to keep it working?

I am fortunate to have endorsement relationships with some of the biggest brands in the photographic industry and this trip was shaping up to be the perfect opportunity to test some of those brands and really see how well the gear copes in this kind of extreme environment. HP, Lowepro, Lexar, Hahnel and Canon were all quick to jump on board. Plans were put in place and I will be providing feedback and updates on the shooting conditions during the trip, what my equipment is exposed to, and exactly how well it copes during this adventure.

Another challenge was to keep myself and my crew warm and safe. RAB expedition clothing in the UK have provided all of the expedition wear to keep everyone comfy and warm during the frigid climate. From sleeping bags to over boots to jackets and pants, from mid layers to outer layers to waterproof layers and more, if it’s made of down and designed by RAB, you can guarantee we will be in it and safe from the elements.

The more involved this trip became, the more important it also became to document it. This was going to be a very unique adventure of epic proportions! Filming a ‘behind the scenes’ documentary on this project will be producer cameraman Paul Dodge (producer of “Sports Café”, “The Summit” and “The Chair”). Paul will accompany me on the entire journey, capturing exactly what is involved in a photo shoot of this magnitude. From the challenges of the weather, logistics, equipment and travel, to a sneak preview of the scenes and locations I will be witness to with my camera.

All I’m asking you to do is sit in the safety and warmth of your own home and wait for the results!! Come share my journey!