Iceberg in Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon spot-lit by bands of clouds

A large iceberg floating in the glacial laggon of Jokulsarlon, Iceland, is lit by the sun while the foreground icebergs and background glacier are all shadowed by clouds

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Icefall Reflections

On a calm, fall afternoon, the evening light breaks through the clouds to light up the rugged Mt. Wickersham above the icefall of the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska. Still shaded by a large cloud, the crevasses and broken seracs of the icefall seem to take on even more blue color than usual. The entire scene is reflected in the shallow water of a supraglacier lake – a lake on top of the glacier – near the terminus of the Matanuska.

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DC_20170621_008 "Evening Light on a Dark Day"

In 2017, the summer solstice saw a gloomy overcast of low clouds and dull light in the Matanuska Valley. Finally, around 10pm, the clouds broke just enough to spill a narrow band of late evening sunlight across the glacier’s parking lot, slowly moving toward the ice waiting in the darkness beyond. I hurried to retrieve my camera and completely guessed at what settings I might need, raising the camera to my eye just in time to snap this photo, with only seconds before the clouds had moved on and again brought darkness to the glacier. The low-key exposure and heavy contrast brings an abnormally moody feel to the Matanuska.

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DC_20170630_026 "Matanuska Sweet Pea"

Every spring, just beyond the toe of the Matanuska Glacier, fields of green turn to pink as the Alaska Sweet Pea plants begin to bloom. One of few plants in the moraine (unsorted rocks and dirt ground up and deposited by the glacier) closest to the ice, the Sweet Pea are able to thrive in low nutrient dirt, and are typically the first to grow in the harsh conditions. The Sweet Pea plays a vital roll in preparing new soil to sustain larger plants later on, and without pioneer plants like these, the ground up rock could take centuries to begin supporting life. Beyond the bright pink flowers, the icefall of the glacier can be seen above the headwaters of the Matanuska River. Crevasses break the ice into seracs as it flows over a drop in the bedrock to create a dramatic end to the 26 mile long glacier. Canon 7D and 24-105mm f/4L lens at 105mm and f/20 for 1/50sec, ISO 200

Paddling to the Beloit Glacier (Blackstone Bay, Alaska)

Kailey stops to soak in the view of Beloit Glacier in Blackstone Bay. We made it to the glacier after two full days kayaking on a 3-day Exposure Alaska tour with Kailey as our guide. We sit in our boats, floating among many small icebergs drifting around the bay and hoping to catch a glimpse of a large calving event from a safe distance. Though we see no large breaks that day, many smaller chunks of ice fall from the glacier into the ocean in front of us. To catch the full story from our adventure, check out www.cryophotos.com/2017beloit.

Matanuska Moonrise

I set out just before sundown to hike up the Lion’s Head formation (also called Glacier Point) where I would spend a sleepless night hoping to catch a glimpse of the Auroras overhead. As I neared the top of the rock formation, the late summer sunset cast a pink glow on the clouds over the Matanuska Glacier and the full moon peeked out from behind the distant peaks of the Chugach Mountains. I hurried to set up the tent in time for this unexpected shot - a great consolation to the Northern Lights, which would not be seen that night.

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Dart Glacier Sunrise (New Zealand)

After a grueling climb of 1,250 meters in 4 kilometers (4,125 ft in 2.5 mi), the final obstacle to reach the Cascade Saddle in New Zealand’s Mount Aspiring National Park, I set up camp in the dark beneath the glow of the stars illuminating the Dart Glacier. After a few hours of sleep I awoke to watch the sunrise illuminate the peaks around the glacier before breaking down camp to walk down to the ice. That task would prove much more difficult than planned, though, taking nearly the entire day to reach the glacier. Read the rest of the story online at www.cryophotos.com/2018dart.

Glacial Slumber

In summer, with only a few hours of darkness, it is rather difficult to photograph a sunset or sunrise in a remote location. Often, I will sleep on-site in order to capture the light I am looking for. Anyone travelling on a glacier in the summer quickly learns that anything touching the melting ice becomes saturated with water immediately, making camping on a glacier logistically difficult and requiring a lot of equipment. For this shoot in an ice cave, I got around carrying extra gear by tying in a hammock directly to the walls of the ice cave. The hard part was finding a place the ceiling wasn’t dripping onto my sleeping bag!

Melting Ice Cave

Looking out from the depths of a large ice cave on the Matanuska Glacier, the sun is just peeking inside with a starburst effect on the image. As the sun’s heat hits the ice, water pours down over the open cave’s entrance and drips from the walls and roof. The cave takes on a shimmering, reflective appearance as the ice melts.

Autumn Flight over the Matanuska

A small, Alaskan Bush Plane flies over the icefall at the toe of the Matanuska Glacier. It’s September first, but already fall has turned the leaves beyond the glacier a beautiful golden yellow. Cold air flowing over the ice of the glacier convinces the trees down valley autumn has come sooner than for those higher up the valley walls, outside the reaches of the cold air. Soon, though, the entire Matanuska Valley will turn gold, orange and red as the plants and tundra take on their fall colors.

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