I was photographing toward the mountains when 2 snowboarders came on by. I snapped this photo of one of them before he took off down the mountain.  A snowboarder walks across the ridge near Flatop Mountain, Glen Alps, near Anchorage, in winter, Alaska. Mt. McKinley, known as “Denali” in the distance. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey folks,

A quick word of advice. If you think it looks like a nice afternoon to go out and shoot some photos (i.e., the light is rockin’, fresh snow on the mountaintops, etc, etc, etc), the very best of advice I might offer you is this: Head out on your own.

I know better than to think I might do some photography when I head out with non-photographers. Well, I like to THINK I know better, but I today did it yet again. Sometimes I’m a just a flatout non-learner, I guess.

So, as the setting sun turned the sky and nearby mountains a glorious pink, instead of photographing the grandeur, I was packed up and skiing my way back to the parking lot, my camera and tripod safely tucked away inside my daypack.

Photography and non-photographers just don’t mix well. The first time I was given this lesson was years ago, in a discussion with the late Bill Silliker, Jr (a  great photographer and a good man); we were talking about being a photographer versus being a musician. Bill had been a drummer in his younger days. His words were “Carl, one of the best things, for me, about photography as a gig is that I don’t need a bass player”.

Not only do photographers not need a bass player, they do better without them. Much better. Drummers, not so much. 🙂

So, the lesson, as I need to be reminded, is that if I want to photograph, and photograph well, I do a whole lot better to head off on my own (or with other photographers). So, anyway – next time I think it might be a good afternoon to do some skiing and bring my camera along to shoot a little late light, alpenglow and mountains, I’ll make sure I’m not on a curfew. 🙂

Cheers

Carl

PS – Oh, and hey look , there’s Denali in the distance.