Taiga Meanders

Fly out of Talkeetna with Sheldon Air Service

Canon EOS 5D II; Canon EF 28-70mm @ 53mm; RAW capture: f/5 @ 1/250 sec, ISO 100; Auto exposure; Centerweighted-average metering; Auto WB

Returning from our flight seeing tour with Sheldon Air Service over Mount Denali we passed over this view—deep in the taiga a small stream meanders through the muskeg, with its golden Fall colors, to a beaver pond ending with its well-maintained dam. The only way to see this fabulous landscape is by flying. We were aboard a De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk1. 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 gimbal to counteract these movements and absorb the vibrations.