Augustine Island

Fly out of Homer

Canon EOS 5D II; Canon EF 28-70mm @ 70mm; RAW capture: f/22 @ 1/200 sec, ISO 400; Auto exposure; Centerweighted-average metering; Auto WB

While flying out of Homer to Katmai NP to photograph Brown Bears at Brooks Falls we crossed Cook Inlet in close proximity to Augustine. Steam and clouds shroud the top of the volcanic island of Augustine in the Cook Inlet. Across the inlet, Mt. Douglas rises above the Aleutian Range on the Alaskan Peninsula. I waited for our de Havilland DHC-Otter Twin to align the peak of Augustine with that of Mt. Douglas. As with photography, flying is heavily dependent on good atmospheric conditions. Under different conditions we may have taken a completely different route. Small, fixed-wing aircraft have vibrations associated with the engine and propeller, and are easily jostled by wind gusts. The photographer must use his arms to form a gimble to counteract these and absorb the vibrations.