We had just finished an amazing photo tour in southeast Alaska last year with Dolphin Charters, and as we were coming into Petersburg, the weather ‘went south’. A thick fog rolled in, but it wasn’t raining. After we docked, I stood outside on the deck, breathing in the fresh, moist air, and as dusk fell, I noticed that the fishing boats were heading out. Their deck lights glowed eerily through the fog, and I had to photograph it. I ducked inside, grabbed my camera off the table in the salon, and ran back out, quickly bumping my ISO high to get a reasonable shutter speed, as they were moving, and I was on a boat, too.

I made a few pictures of this larger boat, and then I stood watching as it disappeared into the fog until it was gone. As I turned to go inside, I noticed a smaller boat coming through the channel. The background hills were barely visible at this point, but it too had it’s deck light on, and glowed eerily. I kept this boat smaller in the frame to include the hills, and that gave a sense of scale to this image, making the boat feel quite small against the ‘elements.’

These two pictures represent for me the resilience and determination of the people who live and work in Alaska. It’s never easy, up there, and yet through all sorts of weather, they push on.

Thanks for visiting,