Tag: Alaska Photo Tour

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March 2026: Photo of the Month

Tom and I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For March we chose an image from our Iditarod Photo Workshop. The image was taken by Richard Epter at the official re- start of the Iditarod in WIllow, Alaska. Richard is a wildlife and landscape photographer from Augusta, Georgia.

Congratulations to March 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Richard Epter

Richard and Wendy mushing at the Dallas Seavey Kennel

The Story… 

There had already been a handful of mushers through the starting chute. Jessie Holmes was number 7. We had all talked about who would win this year. He won last year and was a likely candidate for this year as well. When I saw him coming around the curve and at me I started taking frame after frame.

I saw him lifting both of his hands into the air closer to the chute and banner. Then he started getting close to the crowd as he was coming down the hill. He touched one person’s hand and that was the frame I captured.

It was an emotional second. I was thinking, here he is at the beginning of a 1000 mile journey and he is making a connection with the crowd. The dogs were just raring to go. It was electric energy at the beginning of the race in Willow.

March 2026 Photo of the Month

Photographing the Iditarod was a life changer for me. Five years ago I did not even know what the Iditarod was. After we signed up for the workshop, I listened to a book on tape about the race with Wendy. It was all very intense: the challenging trail conditions, the worry for the dogs, possibly going over a cliff or running the dogs into open water. It really changed my idea of the race.

In Anchorage, it was a magical day with the snow. We used high shutter speeds to photograph the teams in falling snow. Taking photos in the snow with fast shutter speed. It was amazing being so close to the sleds in Anchorage. We were down very low to the ground to get eye level shots when they ran past us.

These dogs and mushers who do this race are like Olympians. They train for years. They breed the dogs and live with them. They are like family. Seeing that special bond was one of the coolest things ever.

EXIF Data:

Camera: Nikon Z9

Lens: Nikon 100-400mm at 210 mm

Aperture: f5.6

Shutter: 1/3200

ISO: 1250

Manual Mode, auto ISO

About Photographing at the Rainy Pass Checkpoint

That was amazing. We took a bush plane into Rainy Pass. I did not know what to expect. I had never been to a remote checkpoint before.

As we were flying there, I was looking at Denali on my right. I was looking down and I could see the tiny teams below us. The sleds were surrounded by white snow and magnificent scenery. Everything looked so small within the context of the vast Alaskan Range in winter.

When we landed it was breath-taking. It was a large frozen lake with cabins and outhouses. The planes coming in and taking off were very photogenic as well. Getting to ride on a snow machine was very cool.

It was a tranquil environment. The teams were magnificent coming into the checkpoint. You can read about it, but you have to be there to really understand it.

When they check in they have to show they have all the mandatory gear. The dogs are checked to make sure they are healthy and don’t have snow on their paws. I was relieved to see how much care there was for the dogs at the checkpoints.

Dogs resting at the Rainy Pass Checkpoint

We had gone in front of the officials to get a bit ahead so we could lay down on the ground. There was a person in a blue jacket taking pictures of three teams coming in at once. I wondered if it was normal to see three teams at once. I was laying down a little bit off the trail.. I wanted to make sure I got all three in the frame. It was an unbelievable site. It was lucky to be were I was. I’ll never forget that photo.

Three teams arrive at once in Rainy Pass

Richard’s Tips for Photographing Dog Sledding

1) Shoot wide open with your aperture. Use a telephoto lens. You only have fractions of a second to capture the perfect moments. Shoot at 20 frames a second. You have to be ready with your finger on the shutter, even in cold temps.

2) Decide whether you want the focus to be on dogs in the front, the whole team or the musher.

3) When choosing the best images in post, look for images that are sharp and have great dog expressions. Look for paws that are in the air. The bacon tongues just crack me up.

Bacon tongues on Jessie Holmes’ dogs in Anchorage

On Richard’s Horizon:

Katmai National Park in Alaska

Kenya

Northern Lights in Alaska

Iceland

Richard and Cathy Ahles at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod in Anchorage

Upcoming Online Events:

Happy Hour – Spring Image Celebration: Join us to celebrate images created by our community of photographers. Send in 3 of your best images from this spring and see what others have created. Tuesday May 19, 2026 at 6 pm Denver time. Everyone welcome! Send a note for the link.

Workshop Openings:

Just 1 Space Left: Alaska Black Bears August 8-14, 2026 Photograph huge Black Bears in Alaska’s coastal rainforest near the town of Wrangell. Cruise the pristine waters in a small boat and photograph whales, sea otters, calving glaciers and flaming sunsets. Read more

Northern Lights in Alaska – February 23-28, 2027. Join Tom and Cree at the Chena Hot Springs Resort for aurora photography at the top of a mountain dome. Read more

Thanks for reading our trip reports!

Happy Spring

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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Photographer of the Month: March 2025

Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For March we chose an image taken on our Iditarod and Northern Lights Workshop. The image was taken by Nancy Lehrer on the frozen Chena River at the Fairbanks start to the Iditarod. Nancy is a California street photographer who uses creative inspiration when she tries new genres.

Congratulations to March 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Nancy Lehrer

Nancy on the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska

The Story… 

I looked at my pictures from the ceremonial start two days before and they were lousy. I said, “I have some practicing to do.” In many of the photos the whole bottom part was just snow. The focal patterns weren’t working. It was good practice for the next session.

The first few mushers that came through hadn’t decided where to pass us on the river. We kept running back and forth, from one side of the river to the other. It was just like the 50 yard dash. This was good for me. I had to think about where I wanted to be every time I changed positions.

With each musher going through I got more dialed into figuring it all out. I set up a button for “start tracking” on my Sony and it was finally working for me. By the time Dane Baker came through I was getting more comfortable with the settings. I knew it was Dane Baker because of his big red beard. Cree had told me on the first day to study the line up and learn who was who.

Dane had a great big dog in the front. Most of the dogs came through with their ears back and this dog had it’s ears straight up. That’s the way photography is. If you are working at something, all of the sudden just the right sequence will happen. The dog had the right coloring, his ears were up and he was out in front.

It was the perfect day for this kind of photography. There was never too much direct sun like in Southern California. The sun came out and then clouds would move through and cover everything up. We did not have to deal with high contrast.

We were belly down in the snow. This made it easy to hold a 100-400mm lens. I don’t often shoot with big lenses. We were right next to the tracks from the dog sleds. It wasn’t an outrageously cold day. You could not have asked for a better set -up for first time Iditarod shooter. It felt like we had the place all to ourselves.

March 2025 Photo of the Month by Nancy Lehrer

EXIF Data:

Camera: Sony A7R5

Lens: 100-400 mm

Aperture: f5.6

Shutter: 1/4000

ISO: 1600

Aperture Priority

About Photographing in Alaska in Winter

First of all, it could have been a whole lot colder. If you aren’t from a cold climate, you have to guess what kind of clothing, gloves and shoes will work. The cameras seemed to be just fine in the cold. There used to be a day when cold was an issue for cameras but it is not anymore.

I had been to Northern Japan in the winter the year before. I knew that most of my gear would keep me warm. That was comforting. We were fine. The biggest challenge is trying to move with all the clothing on. You feel less agile.

You have to compensate for the fact that everything is white around you. I ended up using positive exposure compensation on overcast days.

You can’t step off the trail two steps to your right or you will go from hard packed snow to waist deep in the snow. The zoom lens got a little more use for me because of this.

Ice Checkers at the Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks

Nancy s Tips for Photographing the iditarod

Tip 1

I asked myself, “How do I document this activity, that is so unusual”. Most people never see a dog sled race. That was one of the things that was so unique about going to Ruby. We were the only people there who were not locals or involved in setting up the race.

I was surprised about how open the mushers were to us being around them and the dogs even during the race. At first I was afraid to get close and used my zoom lens. I started getting closer and nobody told me to get back. That was surprising to me. They were in the thick of the race but chill about it.

It is a lot like street photography. Be where you want to position yourself. If they are accepting of it, keep doing what you are doing and assume it is going to be okay.

Tip 2

The Mushers’ Gala was the funnest thing I did on the whole trip. I heard from Cree that there would be a Meet & Greet. I thought that it sounded boring so wanted to make it more fun. I wanted them to sign something more personal than an autographed poster. I decided to buy an Instax Camera and have them sign their portraits. It was fun for me. I got a lot of great feedback from the musher when they saw their pictures. They all got a kick out of it.

I am going to make a book out of my photos. The Instax photos will be a big part of it. It is hard to recognize the mushers on the sled aside from things like brainds for Anna Berrington or Dane’s red beard. The Instax photos show them having fun and has details of their faces. They all have big smiles in their portraits.

Nancy’s Photos of Rookie of the Year contenders

Tip 3

Don’t be afraid if you don’t know anything about dogs. I think it helped me experience what was going on around me. I didn’t have pre-conceived notions of how dogs behaved. I didn’t try to pet them. I just noticed what they were doing.

On Nancy’s Horizon:

Japan – Cherry Blossoms

Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Latvia, Poland

China & Russia

What’s coming up?

Where are Tom and Cree? We are at home in Palmer, Alaska after a week full of colorful birds and wildlife in Costa Rica. Next they will be heading to the cactus forests of Tucson, Arizona and then on to South Texas for bird photography.

Workshop Openings?

Join us for the 2026 Iditarod! We have space available. Photograph the Last Great Race and fly into the remote Iditarod Checkpoint of Rainy Pass. Read more

We have one last minute opening for our popular Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Cruise through the cypress swamp on a flat bottom boat photographing beautiful swamp scenes. Photograph Great Egret chicks at a private photo session at a remote rookery. Read more

Happy Spring!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com