Kevin Palmer

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  • A red and green aurora glows above the boreal forest of northern Canada in the fall.
    Night In the Boreal Forest
  • It was a dark night deep in the boreal forest, on the edge of the Arctic. Two rivers flowed, one of water, and one of light. While sitting on bedrock of the Canadian Shield, sudden chills enveloped me, caused by a misty fog that I could not see. As a rule before I go on a night hike I try to scout during the day first and record a GPS track to follow later. This was especially important in the Northwest Territories where trails are often poorly marked. After checking out 2 waterfalls I preferred this one. Lower than normal water levels made it possible to stand in the middle of the Cameron River. The only problem was the view faced east. But at this high latitude directions don't matter as much and the northern lights are not always north. All summer long wildfire smoke has dimmed the sun and blotted out the stars, which continued while I was there. But the sky did clear at times unexpectedly. The biggest challenge was getting these clear periods to align with the aurora activity. But camping out nearby ensured I was ready and wouldn’t miss anything.
    River of Water and Light
  • It was 2AM in the boreal forest outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. I had spent the last 6 hours waiting, driving around and dodging clouds. A faint green glow was visible in the far northern sky, but there was no movement. Still tired from my red eye flight, I was almost ready to call it a night. But patience pays off when aurora hunting. Finally the anticipated solar wind stream arrived. In a matter of minutes the aurora rapidly brightened as charged particles from the sun interacted with Earth’s magnetic field. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it, there’s nothing else like watching an active display of the northern lights. The pulsing, flickering motion was similar to a campfire, filling the entire sky. It came from every direction, lighting up the ground enough to see. At times the speed exceeded my ability to capture it. Even a 1/2 second shutter speed blurred the fine details. After taking thousands of pictures that night, eventually I had to put my camera down and just stare upward in awe.
    Twists of Green
  • The rivers in Alaska are unlike anywhere else I've been. They are very wide, but split into many channels separated by sandbars. Their courses are ever-changing, influenced by floods and ice jams. Some rivulets were deep and fast-flowing, while others were shallow and calm. This river is fittingly named the Delta. To reach the flowing water I had to walk farther than the map showed. The setting sun painted the high clouds gold while lower clouds hugged the peaks of the Alaska Range 40 miles away. There are no bridges over the Delta River so getting across it is tricky. Much of the land in between the river and the mountains is undisturbed forest and tundra. But there also exists unexploded ordnance since it's a testing range used by the military. After this I stumbled across a large carcass which reminded me that this isn't always the friendliest of places. Alaska is home to approximately 32,000 grizzly bears and I didn't want to stick around here long enough to meet one.
    Delta River Sunset
  • After snowing on and off all day, the clouds parted just before sunset and revealed a fiery sky to the west. First one peak would become visible, and then glimpses of even higher summits beyond. The Alaska Range is the tallest mountain range in North America. Not only do these mountains reach high, but they also start low at about 1,000 feet above sea level. This makes even the shorter peaks look impressive. None of the other high mountains of the world are located this far north. The Alaska Range is notorious for some of the harshest weather on the planet. 100 mph winds and temperatures below -50°F are not uncommon in the winter. Except for the occasional wolf howl it was a quiet evening. But the next morning very strong winds would start to blow. It was a warm southerly wind, melting the snow in a matter of hours. The higher gusts kept blowing open the door and bent the chimney of the cabin where I was staying. I never did get to see Denali during my trip, but that just gives me a reason to go back some day.
    Donnelly Sunset Reflection
  • Rampart Falls is located on the Cameron River in the Northwest Territories. In mid-September it was surrounded by colorful foliage.
    Under Rampart Falls
  • The moose is the tallest mammal in North America. And the Alaska Range is the tallest on the continent. They both came together for this shot. According to the sign at the overlook a herd of bison also roam here in the summer.
    Moose and Mountain
  • The haunting call of the loon echoed across Madeline Lake, while bright aurora swirls were reflected in the water.
    While the Loon Echoes
  • On a bluff above Prelude Lake in the Northwest Territories was a colorful grove of aspen and birch trees.
    Autumn Wonderland
  • At the end of October I had the the chance to spend a week in Alaska. I timed this trip with the arrival of a solar wind stream so the northern lights would be extra active. The sky only stayed clear for a couple hours on this night, but that was enough to see this bright ‘aurora rainbow.’ Only by shooting a panorama with my widest lens could I capture all of it. Most of the lakes and wetlands around Fairbanks had these bubbles in them. They are made of methane gas suspended in the ice. Just 30-40 cm underground is the permafrost, which normally stays frozen year round. But as the Arctic warms and the permafrost thaws, the decaying plant matter (also known as peat) releases methane into the atmosphere. During the summer this gas is invisible. But for a short time after the water freezes and before it gets covered with snow, these frozen bubbles are visible. Many area lakes have such a high concentration of methane that it’s actually possible to pop these bubbles and light them on fire.
    Rainbow of Aurora
  • The aurora display only lasted a couple hours on this night before a snow storm moved in. But it was very bright and active. I shot most of it from a frozen pond a few minutes outside of Fairbanks. Methane bubbles were suspended in the ice.
    Bright Green Stripes
  • At first the aurora was confined low on the northern horizon. But then it brightened and filled the sky. It's not often I can shoot a time lapse on a highway. But traffic was very light.
    Night On Richardson Highway
  • Once the aurora got going, I returned to this pulloff. I couldn't see it, but my camera captured a moose grazing on the left, which was likely the same moose I photographed earlier in the day. Seeing aurora colors other than green is rare in the Arctic. This was one of my only photos with a tinge of red.
    Midnight Moose
  • This area of the Delta River Valley was extremely windy during my time here. At the cabin I was staying at the winds bent the chimney and blew open the door multiple times. The southerly winds also made temperatures rise into the 40's the next morning and melted the snow in a matter of hours. Yet a few miles away it was calm. Wind is always tough to capture, but this was the best I could do, showing snowflakes blowing sideways.
    Windy Delta Overlook