Dengler Images

  • Portfolio
    • Portfolio Book
    • Sample Images
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Store
    • Licensing
    • Prints
    • Note cards
    • Books
  • About
    • Bio
    • Services
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Instagram
    • Copyright
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Aurora borealis over Haines – spectacular, spiritual, and otherworldly

January 21, 2014 by John L. Dengler

A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range at Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. *** EDITORS NOTE: Boulders in foreground were lit with a flashlight during time exposure*** (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The most spiritual, other-world moment of my life, occurred last November when I witnessed an awe-inspiring display of the aurora borealis (aka northern lights) when I was in Haines, Alaska to film bald eagles.

Those who really know me, know that I’m not a particularly spiritual person. So when I say that I experienced a “spiritual moment,” they know that it had to be something really moving. When I say my jaw dropped, I really mean it.

Photographs, including these, can’t possibly convey what I saw in the darkness the evening of November 8th through the early morning of November 9th, 2013. My photos could have been better, both in terms of content and technique. However, I’m confident in saying that even the best photographer in the world could not convey to others what I saw and experienced during this extended display of the northern lights.

Photo Gallery

See more photos of the aurora borealis

I have struggled with how to explain to friends why I was so moved by this experience. It wasn’t until I started to do some reading about the aurora borealis that I began to realize why it was so amazing to me. It was the size. The biggest thing in the sky  I have seen up to this experience were towering Cumulonimbus thunderhead clouds; frequently seen on the prairie. While tall, at a typical maximum height of roughly 11 miles, a massive thunderhead cloud pales in size to the glowing curtains of the aurora borealis. The BOTTOM edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the TOP edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. Add in the fact that the aurora borealis display  I witnessed from my ocean viewpoint was visible overhead from Skagway to Juneau (a distance of 85 miles) and beyond, and you can begin to see why I felt like I was witnessing something from another world. It was incredibly massive. It made our Earth feel very small.

This other-world feeling was genuine and I can understand why our ancestors might have been frightened or thought the aurora borealis was a connection to the spirit world. Throughout the early morning, the curtains of the aurora would fluctuate in shapes and sizes as if they were ghostly spirits trying to communicate with me. At one point two auroral curtains aligned next to each other right above me, stretching from horizon to horizon. The dark area between the two curtains looked like the entire universe above me had cracked, leaving a giant undulating densely black crack that was inviting our earthly world to slip into. I wondered where would end up if it swallowed us. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The evening started out like any other during my late fall pilgrimages to Haines, Alaska to photograph and film bald eagles on the Chilkat River. Typically, I would have a quiet dinner with close friends Joanne and Phyllis, owners of the Alaska Guardhouse Bed and Breakfast. This evening however, friends, Tracy, William, John and Margaret joined us. Just as we were finishing dinner, Tracy received a text message from a friend saying that the aurora was out. Seeing the aurora borealis has been a longtime quest for me. Despite having spent extensive time in Alaska, I have never seen the northern lights. It stays too light to see them during the summer months and during the fall and winter the weather is often too cloudy (particularly in southeast Alaska). So when Tracy smiled and silently showed me the text message at the dinner table, I bolted from the table and ran out onto the back porch. There they were, faintly glowing green curtains of light dancing across the cold crystal-clear star-filled night sky.

What happened next was a scene out of an old Keystone Cops silent movie with the photographers in the group fumbling for coats and cameras, piling in the car and speeding to find a spot clear of the town’s lights. We knew we had to act fast. How long an aurora borealis display lasts is fickle. Displays are typically most active in the very early morning hours. The fact that it was only 7:30 p.m. and there was aurora activity should have been a clue to what would come later. However, I was focused on the moment and missed this important clue. After braving the cold wind blowing off the Lynn Canal for about 30 minutes the aurora died down and we left. Over dessert the group excitedly relived what for several of us in the group was a bucket-list event. The next day was going to be another up-before-sunrise morning for most folks so everyone headed to their homes early.

This was the end to an already incredible evening for the group. It would have been the same for me except I was too excited. I sat on my bed in the dark looking through the exposures I took on the glowing LCD screen of my camera. I was fretting that perhaps I might have messed up. It’s not like you get a second chance. I mentioned earlier how the challenges of summer light and how uncooperative weather lessen your chances of seeing the aurora. Equally important, the frequency of the aurora is determined by a predictable solar cycle that ebbs and flows over a 11-year period. Right now we’re at the height of the cycle that is predicted to continue for only a few more years before falling back to minimum activity. To have to wait another decade to have the same frequency of sightings is a long time.

As I was calling it quits for the evening, I peered out the window one last time, as I always do whether sleeping in a tent, or in a B&B bed. It is an a old ritual that has been part of my quest to see the northern lights. While I shouldn’t have been surprised, sure enough, the luminous glow was again appearing in the sky. Not as intense as earlier in the evening, but definitely there. I thought to myself, perhaps I shouldn’t let this opportunity pass. Everyone in the house was sound asleep so I quietly layered-up with clothes, gathered up camera gear and headed out into the cold.

This time I went to a different viewpoint on the ocean, looking in the opposite direction, towards Juneau. While the aurora borealis was faint when I left the house, the sky now has EXPLODED in a massive display of rolling curtains of green light. Oh my goodness, it made the earlier evening display look like nothing. I doubt I will ever see anything this spectacular again. I frantically started out taking photos from the beach high-tide line, but moved quickly into the water of the tide pools to capture the aurora reflection in the intertidal zone and compose boulders in the image foreground to give depth to the image. With the creative juices flowing I then dug out my LED flashlight to supplement my red-filtered headlamp and began painting the rocks with light from the flashlight and headlamp. There I was scurrying about like a crazy madman in the darkness counting out loud the exposure while working my way through the obstacles in the tide pools to paint the boulders. In this case there were the additional challenges of having to keep exposures under 20 seconds to keep the stars sharp (with the lens I was using, the earth’s rotation causes star-trails with longer exposures) and the aurora borealis curtains sharp (if they are moving fast, slow shutter speeds will photograph them with less definition). This meant that I really had to move quickly. I’m really lucky I didn’t break my neck on the slick slimy rocks and boulders in the water. Oh, and did I mention the grizzly bear that has been frequently prowling this beach? I sure didn’t want to meet up with him in the dark.

A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning of November 9, 2013 over Haines, Alaska. The luminous glow in the upper atmosphere towers above Mt. Emmerich and other peaks in the Chilkat Range and is reflected in the Chilkat Inlet for the Chilkat River. The bottom edge of an aurora is typically 60 miles high with the top edge at an altitude of 120 to 200 miles, though sometimes high altitude aurora can be as high as 350 miles. The collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere cause the different colors. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of with atomic oxygen. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The display continued for several hours. As the aurora borealis curtains became less defined, I decided to head over to the Chilkat Inlet where the Chilkat River flows into the ocean. I’m not as familiar with the road pullouts in that area so it was difficult for me to determine a safe place to pull off on the unlit road but I finally found a spot that seemed safe. Once again, the aurora fired itself up putting on a display above Mount Emmerich and the other peaks in the Chilkat Range, and reaching far up the Chilkat River and Klehini River Valleys, past the border with Canada. While I would have liked to have worked this situation further, the powerful gusty winds that this area is famous for were barreling down the Chilkat River making time exposure photography almost impossible. What looks like fog in the photos is actually flying dust. I finally called it a day at 3:30 a.m.

Physically exhausted and mentally overwhelmed, morning came much too soon. I received some well-deserved good-natured grief from my friend William for not waking him up. In retrospect had I known that what would await me, I would have awakened him and the entire town of Haines!


TOP: A spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis or as it is commonly called, the northern lights, occurred the evening of November 8 through the early morning hours of November 9, 2013 over Sinclair Mountain and other mountains in the Kakuhan Range in Haines. The curtains of light in the upper atmosphere stretched across the skies above the Lynn Canal from Skagway to Juneau. Boulders in the foreground were lit with a flashlight during the four-second exposure.

MIDDLE: The colors of the aurora borealis (aka northern lights) are created by the collision of sun storm electrons and protons with different types of gas particles in Earth’s atmosphere. Green, the most common color, is caused by the collision of electrons with atoms of atomic oxygen.

BOTTOM: The luminous glow of the aurora borealis dances in the upper atmosphere above Mt. Emmerich and other peaks in the Chilkat Range at the Chilkat Inlet for the Chilkat River just outside Haines.

To license image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here.


AURORA FORECASTS: For aurora predictions check these links Alaska Geophysical Institute and the NOAA Ovation forecast model

Glacier Bay images published by Alaska Geographic

October 22, 2013 by John L. Dengler

The upper snowfield of the Casement Glacier is seen in this aerial photo taken along the border of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve near Mount Rice and the town of Haines in southeast Alaska. (John L. Dengler)

I’m pleased to have two of my photographs from Glacier Bay (including the photo above) published in a book by Alaska Geographic. The book, “Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve” by well-known Alaska author/photographer Kim Heacox, is a beautiful and informative book that looks at the history (natural and cultural) wildlife, and of course, the glaciers of the park.

Photo Gallery

Images from Glacier Bay National Park

In terms of other photographers whose work was used in the book, I am in pretty good company (Art Wolfe, Jon Cornforth, Fred Hirschman are just a few whose photography was also used).

The book is available from Alaska Geographic. If you are planning a trip to Glacier Bay or have visited the park in the past, it is a great book to have even if I might be a bit biased.


ABOVE: The upper snowfield of the Casement Glacier is seen in this aerial photo taken along the border of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve near Mount Rice and the town of Haines in southeast Alaska.

PURCHASE Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve by Kim Heacox is available online or in Alaska Geographic bookstores.

To license image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here.

Chilkat River bald eagles and Alaska winter landscapes – 2012

March 28, 2013 by John L. Dengler

After posting my research photos, I received a few questions from worried friends wondering if I shot any bald eagle or landscape still photos — the kind that people like to “ooh and ah” over. Well, yes, not to worry. I did shoot a few. If you saw my previous blog post on the bald eagle researchers working on the Chilkat River you know that most of my time was spent with them.

One thing I neglected to mention in that post is that in addition to recording hours and hours of audio, I also shot video. Actually, a lot of video. I’m confident to say that I shot more video than stills. While it is a bit overwhelming at the moment to have to edit, but I’m looking forward to working with that material. I’ll talk about my reasons for my emphasis on video in a future blog post.

So here is a slideshow of a few of my favorite still photos from my trip last October – November on the Chilkat River in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000MG83WNEVvz4″ g_name=”Bald-eagles-and-Haines-Mendenhall-glacier-winter-landscapes-Alaska-2012″ f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”f” pho_credit=”f” f_link=”t” f_smooth=”t” f_up=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”960″ height=”720″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”#f3f3f3″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” crop=”f” trans=”xfade” tbs=”5000″ f_ap=”t” bgtrans=”f” linkdest=”c” f_fullscreen=”f” twoup=”f” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” f_enable_embed_btn=”f” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_mtrx=”f” target=”_self” ]

 


For more photos see:
Gallery of bald eagle photos from the Chilkat River and Chilkoot River
Gallery of landscape photos from the Haines, Alaska area
Gallery of photos from the Juneau, Alaska area

Be the first to know
‘Like’ the Dengler Images Facebook page
or ‘+1’ Dengler Images on Google+

to know when I post iPhone reports from the field.


Golden hour at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

December 18, 2011 by John L. Dengler

The Lower Fox Creek Schoolhouse and a lone cottonwood tree are silhouetted against a dramatic fall sunrise at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The 10,894-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located in the Flint Hills of Kansas in Chase County near the towns of Strong City and Cottonwood Falls. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to the preservation of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is co-managed with The Nature Conservancy. (John L. Dengler)

My October visit to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of Kansas did not disappoint. The prairie was ablaze in the colors of fall and some of the early dawn skies were spectacular displays of clouds and sky that appeared to be on fire; reminiscent of the flames of the nighttime prescribed burning of the prairie I witnessed in April.

These pre-sunrise displays of color are often referred to by photographers as the golden or magic hour. It’s really not an hour per say and the golden hour also refers to the evening sky just after the sun has set. The moment of optimum color can be a fleeting few seconds or it can last for hours. The key is that if the sun is visible on the horizon in the morning, chances are you have missed the best display and if the sun is still on the horizon in the evening, the best is yet to come. The early dawn photos of the Lower Fox Creek School at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve are a prime example.

Photo Gallery

Images from fall trip to the tallgrass prairie

Anyone who studies the photos of National Geographic photographers will see that many of their outdoor photographs are taken in the very early morning hours and in the fading light of the early evening. National Geographic photographers know this and plan their day accordingly, shooting interiors, traveling, etc. during midday.

Spectacular pre-dawn photos come at a price — sleep. If you’re not hiking to your location in the dark (and by dark, I mean having to use headlamps), chances are you’re going to miss the magic light. If the sun is already above the horizon, you might as well go back to bed. On countless mornings I have had to force myself out of the warmth and comfort of my sleeping bag to head out in the darkness and on countless evenings have had to return to camp to make dinner in the dark. On a few occasions when I was car camping I would have to move the entrance barrier to the campground to exit in those early hours. Neighboring campers would wonder if I even existed as I was never seen.

A lot of photography is about luck, and by luck I don’t mean just being lucky. You need to make your luck. Research is probably the most important secret to a good photograph. Knowing when, where, and why will always increase your luck. It’s like buying a thousand lottery tickets instead of just one. To help make my luck I use several iPhone and computer apps that will show me precisely where and when the sun and moon will rise and set, their position through the day for shadows, where the Milky Way will be, and what approaching cloud cover (or lack of) will be. I’ll even use 3D mapping programs with satellite imaging to give me a feel for what I might see.

If you look at the photos in the slideshow, you’ll notice that many of the images might seem redundant. As a stock image photographer, I need to keep the needs of a designer in mind. For example, there are multiple images of the Lower Fox Creek School silhouetted in the pre-dawn light. No, it’s not a case of I can’t make up my mind which photo I like better, but rather there are multiple images to give designers choices. Would a page design work better with the school on the left, or the right? In addition, I’ve left plenty of space for story or cover text. I’ve also included vertical and horizontal options. These examples of shooting with possible design usage in mind are all things that I looked for when I was a magazine art director/designer and bought usage licenses. Here again, I’m making luck that hopefully will result in a licensing sale.

The tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills takes on a whole new personality in the fall. Grasses and wildflowers turn brown and red after the first chill of fall and the incessant frantic calling of dickcissels are replaced with the quieter chirps of crickets. It’s like the prairie knows that it is time to rest. The tallgrass prairie simply feels calm and quiet, just like the drowsiness a person feels just before falling to sleep. I’m looking forward to traveling back to the Flint Hills in the weeks ahead to walk the sleeping prairie as it is blanketed in snow.


ABOVE: The Lower Fox Creek Schoolhouse and a lone cottonwood tree are silhouetted against a dramatic fall sunrise at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The 10,894-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located in the Flint Hills of Kansas in Chase County near the towns of Strong City and Cottonwood Falls. Less than four percent of the original 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie remains in North America. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills in Kansas. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to the preservation of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is co-managed with The Nature Conservancy.

To license image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here.

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Search this blog

Follow Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Vimeo

Recent Dispatches

  • Recent landslide-triggered tsunami brings back memories
  • Nature’s Window: Snowy, quiet day in Haines
  • Channeling Bradford Washburn
  • Haines Winterfest equals winter fun
  • Prairie chicken photos published by North American Grouse Partnership
  • Springtime at Devil’s Den
  • Sharp-tailed grouse video published by Audubon Magazine
  • Black and White – only because I felt like it

Blog Category Topics

  • Books
  • Environment
  • Fauna
  • Featured
  • Fine art prints
  • Flora
  • Gear
  • iPhone Field Reports
  • Landscapes
  • Latest Dispatches
  • Note cards
  • Passions
  • Personal
  • Photojournalism
  • Recreation
  • Research
  • Sports
  • Tearsheets
  • Techniques
  • Travel
  • Videos
  • Wildlife

New archive images

Gallery of new outdoor photos added to photo archive

Contact

Phone:
+1.417.849.5642
Email:
studio@denglerimages.com

Copyright Information

All photographs and text within DenglerImages.com are copyright John L. Dengler and/or the stated publication and are presented for web browser viewing only. Nothing contained within this site may be reproduced, downloaded, stored, copied, manipulated, altered, or used in any form without prior written permission from John L. Dengler and/or the stated publication. Do not "pin" images on pinning sites (Pinterest, Tumblr, etc.). Using any image as the base for another illustration or graphic content, including photography, is a violation of copyright and intellectual property laws. Violation of copyright will be actively prosecuted.

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our free email newsletter to keep updated on recent work, new products, or coupon specials. Simply enter your details, and confirm your address with the confirmation email that we send. It's easy and safe. We never share our newsletter list.

CLICK HERE to sign-up to receive newsletter and new blog post alerts.

Dengler Images, LLC specializes in stock image licensing of photos of wildlife, nature, landscape,
outdoor sports and recreation, travel, and our environment.

© 2008-2025 John L. Dengler, Dengler Images, LLC - All rights reserved.