Greetings from the contiguous 48! I'm sure you've been asked this before, but I would appreciate any information on photographing Denali. The usual tour books and NPS website are of little useful info for photographers, and whatever I've read makes it look nearly impossible to shoot in Denali in good light. And sure, the mountain itself is a rare sight! If I wanted to shoot that spectacular alpenglow on Denali, which month of the year would be good? In summer the sun sets pretty much north, which does not seem like it would side-light the mountain too well. Not to mention I don't know how photographers can even stick around at midnight because of the bus service! Any tips would be much appreciated, thanks.
You'll probably get as many opinions on this as there are photographers who shoot in Denali.
Where: My best shots have come from west of Eielson Visitor Center to west of Wonder Lake. The north side of the mountain, IMO, is much more photogenic, and the Wickersham Wall is much more attractive than the glaciers and ridges from the south. My personal favorite spot is the gravel bar on the McKinley River, about 11 miles west of Eielson Visitor Center, as far south (towards the mountain) as the river channels will let me get.
When: The first goal is to get it out in the open, or at least in interesting clouds. It's so big and cold that it's socked in the overwhelming majority of the time. You can stay at Wonder Lake for two weeks and never see the mountain. Especially in August. I've had the best luck in June and September, but YMMV, and you can have snow issues in September. Luck is 'way more important than you'd think.
Alpenglow: Good news. Anytime it's clear, you get hours of sweet light. How much and when depends on the date. Non-subarctic residents then to think of "hours of daylight" as being high noon. Most of the evening the sun is at a low to very low angle. On the north side, the best light is 10 PM - 1 AM and 3 AM - 6 PM. Ansel Adams' famous shot was taken from halfway up a ridge east of Wonder Lake at 3 AM. But see the discussion of weather above.
Staying around: If you are serious and don't want a standard, touristy Highway Pass shot, you'll camp. You'll need a campground or backcountry use permit. A campground permit will let you use the Wonder Lake CG, the only one from which you can see meaningful views of Denali. A backcountry use permit can be hard to get without planning, but will let you camp anywhere a bit from the road and out of sight. Or you can take a late bus out and an early bus back. Bus info is available on-line. It's daylight; there's no requirement to be in bed by 10 PM.
There are strict, generally sensible rules for managing food and waste; learn them and follow them. There are bears, it's their park, and the rules protect them as much as you.
I'd caution that photographs of Denali are a bit of cliché. It's like a photo of a bald eagle or Yosemite; sure, you can get them, but coming up with something really new is hard. The good news is that there are thousands of other photo ops in Denali, many of them not yet made.
HTH.
Posted by Skip Martin on April 29, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Jim's advice is about the best that you can get.
I agree with the time of the year advice, but highly recommend the second half of August. The fall colors are usually at a peak then. You can't get very far out in the park until late may. If you come in July or June and aren't used to the mosquitos, you might go crazy out at wonder lake. Also, in June or July, forest fires can cover the entire state in smoke. Jim, as a fairbanks resident, can attest to this.
You can see the mountain from places all the way from Anchorage to Fairbanks (360 miles) so there are all sorts of other places to take pictures Denali. One of my favorite places outside of the park (and not as cliched) is Broad Pass, about 35 miles south of the park entrance.
Discussion
2 repliesWhere: My best shots have come from west of Eielson Visitor Center to west of Wonder Lake. The north side of the mountain, IMO, is much more photogenic, and the Wickersham Wall is much more attractive than the glaciers and ridges from the south. My personal favorite spot is the gravel bar on the McKinley River, about 11 miles west of Eielson Visitor Center, as far south (towards the mountain) as the river channels will let me get.
When: The first goal is to get it out in the open, or at least in interesting clouds. It's so big and cold that it's socked in the overwhelming majority of the time. You can stay at Wonder Lake for two weeks and never see the mountain. Especially in August. I've had the best luck in June and September, but YMMV, and you can have snow issues in September. Luck is 'way more important than you'd think.
Alpenglow: Good news. Anytime it's clear, you get hours of sweet light. How much and when depends on the date. Non-subarctic residents then to think of "hours of daylight" as being high noon. Most of the evening the sun is at a low to very low angle. On the north side, the best light is 10 PM - 1 AM and 3 AM - 6 PM. Ansel Adams' famous shot was taken from halfway up a ridge east of Wonder Lake at 3 AM. But see the discussion of weather above.
Staying around: If you are serious and don't want a standard, touristy Highway Pass shot, you'll camp. You'll need a campground or backcountry use permit. A campground permit will let you use the Wonder Lake CG, the only one from which you can see meaningful views of Denali. A backcountry use permit can be hard to get without planning, but will let you camp anywhere a bit from the road and out of sight. Or you can take a late bus out and an early bus back. Bus info is available on-line. It's daylight; there's no requirement to be in bed by 10 PM.
There are strict, generally sensible rules for managing food and waste; learn them and follow them. There are bears, it's their park, and the rules protect them as much as you.
I'd caution that photographs of Denali are a bit of cliché. It's like a photo of a bald eagle or Yosemite; sure, you can get them, but coming up with something really new is hard. The good news is that there are thousands of other photo ops in Denali, many of them not yet made.
HTH.
I agree with the time of the year advice, but highly recommend the second half of August. The fall colors are usually at a peak then. You can't get very far out in the park until late may. If you come in July or June and aren't used to the mosquitos, you might go crazy out at wonder lake. Also, in June or July, forest fires can cover the entire state in smoke. Jim, as a fairbanks resident, can attest to this.
You can see the mountain from places all the way from Anchorage to Fairbanks (360 miles) so there are all sorts of other places to take pictures Denali. One of my favorite places outside of the park (and not as cliched) is Broad Pass, about 35 miles south of the park entrance.