Alaska Advice

proudgeek

So I wanted to follow up on this, since so many of you were so generous with your advice (and as a note for others who may in the future).

First things first — If you're on the fence about doing this trip, get off the fence and go. It was one of the coolest and most photogenic places I've ever seen. Unparalleled wildlife and scenery. I suspect that what we did was different than most. No cruise and we spent most of our time hiking, sometimes covering 9 miles and 3,800 vertical in a single day. Spent a lot of time in float planes, helicopters, and boats. Other than a quick ride from the Homer Spit to the Homer Airstrip, I don't think I was in a car all week as none of the places I went were accessible by road. My pack, the Kata Sling 3n1, was great for transporting gear en route (it fit under my seat) but not that great for hiking. I would have liked to have had a bag that could fit everything I bought and had a high clasp that strapped across my upper chest for stability.

A few notes about the gear I brought:
Having two bodies was key, particularly since I wasn't carrying an all-in-one zoom. I was able to go from shooting a bear at 50 yards to a landscape without missing a beat.
The 300mm f/2.8 plus the TC20 was great. There were times I would have liked to have had more reach, but not many.
I took the 24-70 over the 17-35 and was glad I did. 24mm was plenty wide enough and I'm sure that 17mm would have been too wide when trying to shoot from an aircraft, as the wings and other structures would get in the way.
The 70-200 was great to have. Mostly shot landscapes with it, although there were a few moments when bear cubs got close that it came in handy.
I didn't bring the 105 macro but I wish I had. The wildflowers and other vegetation were great. That said, I would have driven my traveling companions (non photographers) nuts by stopping so often.
I used the tripod sparingly and the monopod only a few times (once while canoeing and shooting loons, and once on a beach very early in Katmai shooting bear). Glad I had them, although I'm equally glad that I bought a MePhoto compact tripod that converted to a monopod. I wouldn't mount my big lens on it and walk away but it did what I needed it to do.
The polarizer was absolutely key, especially when shooting on the glacier. (One glacier photography note: I shot everything up there between 2/3 and 1 1/3 stops over and was happy I did. The whites came out great. Seems counterintuitive but it works.)
I barely used the 10 stop or ND grad filters. Just once each. Could have easily lived without them.
Use a double Black Rapid. What a great piece of equipment for those times you're shooting with two bodies. Really great for hiking.
I backed up cards every day to a small portable hard drive, as I did not bring a computer. Talk about peace of mind. Between having the cards with images on them and a back up on the drive, I had no worries about losing images.

As it turned out, I didn't encounter a single mosquito in either Kenai or Katmai. I guess the salt water isn't a breeding ground. Once we got north, near Denali, there were some, but I had sprayed all my outerwear with Permethrin prior to the trip so it was a non-event. In fact, the only bug bite I got the entire week was a bee sting. We didn't stay in Denali, but rather in the general vicinity. It was actually the 4th stop on the Iditarod, approximately 200 miles from the nearest road. DaveJ and Photobug were spot on regarding the clouds surrounding Denali. I did get lucky in that the one day I had a clear shot at the mountain was the most cloudless day of our trip. My floatplane pilot was even kind enough to do a second pass so I could get some shots out of the open window out of my side of the plane from the co-pilot seat.

Anyway, here's a small fraction of what I shot. I rushed to get a few up for a potential client who's looking for some Alaska shots for a travel company's catalog, but I keep adding to this every day. Thanks again for looking and for all your help.
https://flic.kr/s/aHskhzrZbg

Parke1953

proudgeek great shots. Liked them all. What a great time you must of had.

Photobug

Happy you had a great experience. As you said its a great photo opportunity. Like your lens selection and +1 to you for telling us what lens worked for you. Nice pictures.

KnockKnock

Love the sideways bear and glaciers!

spraynpray

Some great shot there, looks like a great place.

Thanks for the clean-up Greg.

gene_mcgill

Good work Greg! Glad you missed, or worked around, all the smoke up here this year.

Photobug

I went back and looked at those pictures @proudgeek.
Excellent wildlife. Don't know what it is about those bears in Denali. Like yours I got a great sequence with the bears playing. And yes, Denali does look nice...good clouds.

Be sure to post some in PAD and be sure to enlarge some for your office and home. =;

tcole1983

Alaska is on our list at some point. Will have to wait until our kids get bigger, but we are determined to make it out there I think.

Photobug

Alaska is on our list at some point. Will have to wait until our kids get bigger, but we are determined to make it out there I think.

You won't be disappointed. It's a once in a life time trip. The more planning you do the better you will be prepared. At the beginning of this thread are lots of great idea. Just be sure you are covered to 500mm for wildlife shots. Remember the phrase "DOUBLE DENALI". It's the only way to go. When you start looking at the land portion you will find out that the majority of the trips are one day in Denali that is why they use the shorter History Tour into Denali. As I said earlier, its worth the few dollars for the better Wilderness Tour which is 8/9 hours long but often turns into 10 hours. ITS SO WORTH IT.

framer

Going to AK is like eating Lays, you can't just have one. I thought on my 1st trip it would be a one time event. I've now been twice and planning a 3rd I hope in 2016 but may get pushed to 2017. I prefer late May, less bugs.

enjoy...

framer

DaveyJ

I was a Preventive Medicine Scientist for the US Army. Most pyrethrins will cause an immediate reaction in people who are downwind of the spray. In Alaska I have frequently noticed that some people really attract insects. The cleaner you are the worse you get hammered. On long range patrol work it was often better to avoid bathing until the chaffing was borderline trouble.....Many Alaska vieos and even stills have mosquitoes in the images. Luckily I am not as bothered by them but I do not want them in my photos or video at all. Also note that many insect repellants are hell on things like fly line, glasses, etc..

To see Denali is one of the best treats you can have. I worry that the reduction in permafrost will leave many of the National Park Vistas chocked with brush and the sweeping open vistas will be lost to brushland!