360 Pixels - Photos by Ayash Basu

Sail Boats

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:46 -0400

Sail boats docked by the pier at Seward.

Blue

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:39 -0400

On an overcast still day, the blues of the glacial ice are enhanced.

Success

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:18 -0400

This bear tastes success at last after half an hour of waiting at the falls. In the four hours that I was there, this bear caught three salmon. There were others that got about ten and a couple who got nothing. Success rates in catching salmon often depend on being at strategic locations on the falls, which is decided by some sort of a social hierarchy amongst grizzlies. As is the case with most animal species, hierarchy follows the "bigger and heavier gets first dibs" rule. For that very reason, these bears head towards shore immediately after a catch in order to consume the prize by themselves, away from other bears. This grizzly seemed to be certain of its catch a split second before it actually caught the fish, taking its first step towards the shore as the salmon latched on perfectly in its open jaw.

Photo Info - Nikon D300s, Nikon 200mm (FX 300mm), f/5.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400, Spot Metering, EV +0.3

Approaching Hubbard Glacier

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:56 -0400

This one is from my previous trip to Alaska, as our cruise ship was approaching Hubbard Glacier.

Polychrome Pass

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:01 -0400

Polychrome Pass, a vivid pallette of pastels in Denali National Park.

Glaciers

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:50 -0400

Taken somewhere from the Canadian airspace enroute to Alaska. Glaciers appear to be frozen rivers, but they never were flowing water bodies that froze later on.

Ice Field

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:38 -0400

Even though this is not an ice field, it looked and felt like one while walking on it. This is the terminus of Matanuska glacier.

Photo Info - Nikon D300s, Sigma 10mm (FX 15mm), f/10, 1/800 sec, ISO 200, 3d Matrix Metering, EV 0

Dinner

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:36 -0400

A grizzly catches on to a fast swimming salmon and devours it in a couple of minutes. Bears almost always, after catching a fish, carry it to the shore and eat it, away from other bears. Once done eating, they leave the remains for hungry sea gulls and go back to their fishing spot.

Photo Info - Nikon D300s, Nikon 250mm (FX 375mm), f/10, 1/400 sec, ISO 400, 3D Matrix Metering, EV +0.3

Katchemak Bay

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:39 -0400

An aerial view across Katchemak bay and the mountains on the other side. The water below on the left side is Beluga lake where float planes land and take off from. Right in the middle, the Homer Spit extends out into Katchemak Bay and comes alive in the summer time with lots of little stores, bars and fisheries.

Surveying Hunting Territory

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:01 -0400

A grizzly bear stands up to get a better view of the salmon at the Brooks river in Katmai. Summer is peak fishing season and the bear must consume to store valuable fat for the harsh winter months. Grizzlies are fishing experts but the sock eye are quick and agile. Plus, this bear is not alone, there are at least a dozen more grizzlies fishing, so, competition for food is fierce and efficiency is the name of the game.

Photo Info - Nikon D300s, Nikon 200mm (FX 300mm), f/5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 400, Spot Metering, EV +0.3

Matanuska Valley

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:28 -0400

Driving along the Matanuska valley.

Blue Ice

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:16 -0400

The blue ice of Exit glacier, near Seward. This is a lateral (side) wall of the glacier, a quick 1.2 mile hike away from the entrance. The blue ice is the older and more dense with a highly compacted crystal structure. One of the rangers told me that this ice can take 4 to 5 days to melt at room temperature and is about 300 years old.

Hiking on Matanuska

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:01 -0400

Taken while hiking on the Matanuska glacier.

Portage Lake

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:09 -0400

Ice, probably a few hundred years old, floating on Portage Lake.

Two to One

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 09:36 -0400

These two grizzlies were hunting together, standing at a prime location, making it almost impossible for any salmon to fly by. This one did get into the bear's mouth but still managed to slip out and get away.