This is the Tsaina River, ~37 mi. from Valdez, Alaska. It was taken in mid September which is late Fall in that area. There is a very short period at this time of the year where the river transitions from full and muddy to low and lightly silted which results in the blue color (probably the same minerals that cause the blue color in the glaciers that feed this river.) Another thing that is interesting in this scene is that the left side which gets the direct sunlight is populated with deciduous trees while the right side that is always in the shade of the mountains is populated with evergreens and tundra type lichens and mosses. It was a difficult situation because the sun was direct and intense and the shadows were very dark so I set up the tripod and shot 3 exposures for each of 3 vertical frames. On the computer, I blended the 3 exposures for each frame first then stitched the 3 vertical frames to get a panorama.
If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
@garyminish
