Wonder Lake ……… from Keith LeBlanc

Our recent adventure in Denali National Park featured camping, hiking and of course photography. And lots of all of it! With over 20 hours of daylight the opportunities were almost unlimited. Camping within the park is essential to having access to areas at the right time 24 hours a day. Only 1/3 of the people that enter the park actually see Mt. Denali so you can imagine the advantage of having the ability to photograph at all times might bring!

Our workshop gave us 5 days of  24 hour uninterrupted access to all the park offers and we enjoyed every moment! Midnight sunsets were preceded by wonderful color at times. A few hours later a sunrise usually provided us with frustration …… but we were always standing behind a tripod somewhere to witness it, if nothing else. The spirit of anticipation was the theme!

Take a close look at the magical image of Wonder Lake that Keith LeBlanc has shared with us. A perfect composition on a cloudy afternoon has many elements to consider. The focal point is what looks to be a great exposure of the direct sunlight across the lake. The eye is led from there to the lightest part of the composition, the clouds. The exposure is hardest to hold here and my guess would be a neutral density grad filter. Notice the reflection of the bright clouds are at least a stop less. Perfect!

I’m fairly certain a polarizing filter was used to hold the glare of the water and thus gives us a view of the rocks in the lake bed creating the magical element I eluded to!

Thanks again to everyone that was a part of this terrific adventure!