Congratulations to Carl Battreall

Carl Battreall, an Alaska Stock contributor, has won this year's Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award for Excellence in Still Photography!

As noted by the Alaska Conservation Foundation, The "Alaska Conservation Foundation established the awards program to recognize the remarkable achievements of individuals committed to protecting Alaska's magnificent wild places, intact ecosystems, and sustainable communities. ACF greatly appreciates the opportunity to celebrate and honor individuals with a strong commitment to protecting Alaska's environment with this program!"

The ACF is honoring Carl and all of this year's award recipients at their Annual Banquet which is open to the public. Please see details below if you would like to attend this event.

At Alaska Stock, we are proud of all of our photographers and pleased when they receive recognition for their photography! So a hearty "job well done" to Carl and congratulations.

Some of Carl's work is posted here, but if you would like to view more, please visit our Carl Battreall gallery at Alaska Stock.


~ gina




ACF Annual Banquet
Date: Friday, September 28, 2007
Location: Anchorage Marriott Downtown, 820 West Seventh Avenue
Time: 6:00pm doors open; 7:00pm Awards program begins
Price: $25 per ticket; $250 for a table of 10
RSVP: Please RSVP by September 21, by calling ACF at 907-276-1917 or by email at acfinfo@akcf.org

Alaska Stock Takes it to the Far East!

Well, it's not as if we're moving the state or anything, but yes, it's true ... you can find Alaska in Asia. Here at Alaska Stock we are continuing to grow via our two new partnerships with Far East stock photo agencies, Top Photo Corp. based in China and Topic Photo Agency of Korea.

Both these agencies enjoy strong market presence, impressive collections, and deliver excellent customer service. We are excited to partner with Topic and Top Photo and believe we have a bright future together.

Top Photo’s Sales Manager remarks, "We are very happy to have a new photo supplier which focuses on Alaskan images. In today's market, as local images become very important and local suppliers can deliver more images that speak to global consumer's concepts, feeling and thoughts, we find that we have a great source for Alaskan photography with Alaska Stock Images, which industry giants Corbis, Getty, Jupiter do not have." Head quartered in Taipei, Taiwan with three branch offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, China, Top Photo is the premier stock agency in the Greater China market.

Established in 1992 and based in Seoul, Topic Photo Agency is the leading stock photo resource in Korea. "We are pleased to let our clients experience Alaska Stock's unique, fresh and specialized images of Alaska," says CEO of Topic Photo Agency, Myungjo Lee. "There is no doubt that these promising images would meet our fastidious clients, who are accustomed to Topic's high-end images."

Owner of Alaska Stock Images, Jeff Schultz, comments, "Alaska Stock is thrilled to expand our global presence into Taiwan, China and Korea. I am very excited to be able to partner our images with the wonderful people at both Topic and Top Photo. We look forward to a fulfilling on-going relationship."

Great Wall here we come!
~ Laurie

Click http://www.alaskastock.com/whatsnews2.asp?filename=newpartners.txt to read more

Goodbye to the Analog World .... We're Going Green!

Big news here on the Alaskan front ... Alaska Stock is leaving the analog world behind! We're revamping our files and recycling like crazy. While we're keeping our original transparencies in-house for quick rescanning if needed, we've returned all the old slides dups we used to send out to clients for submissions. Gone are the days of printing delivery memos for every comp scan sent. We are emailing invoices whenever clients will accept electronic transmissions and looking into streamlining procedures to send electronic reports and commissions to our photogs and subagents.

Our office looks like a tornado came through it and these guys haven't been much help! Already we've freed up a ton of space. Phase two is a new coat of paint with accent walls and hardwood flooring. Phase three will be revamping workstations and installing energy efficient lighting. We're still trying to talk Jeff into napping pods for the staff!!!

If you'd like to go green and save a tree ... just send an email to laurie@alaskastock.com and tell me you'd prefer to have your invoices emailed instead of sent via snail mail. Thanks!

~ Laurie

Adobe + Alaska Stock = Convenience

I have to admit, I think Adobe is the best thing to happen to designers and photographers this decade. The interface between applications, tools and attention to digital developments make Adobe workspaces incredibly convenient.

Did you know you can find a selection of Alaska Stock's Royalty Free offerings through your Adobe Bridge browser? As the sole contributing Alaskan agency to Adobe Stock Photos via our partner, IPN, Alaska Stock RF can be quickly accessed through Adobe Bridge by choosing File > Browse from any of the Adobe Creative Suite® family products. But wait ... it gets better: You can also access images from our sister agency, http://www.stockpilephotos.com/.

StockPile is a collection of royalty-free stock photos made by a wide-range of talented photographers and spans the gamut of global life experiences including: adventure sports, the natural world, everyday life, travel, holidays, food, home, wildlife, art and conceptual visions.

Don't have the Creative Suite, yet? Just check out the latest Holiday RF (tons of new images) by clicking here:

http://www.alaskastock.com/resultsframe.asp?txtkeys1=061507%20%25or%20060507&pixperpage=64

Okay, it's a shameless ploy on my part, but I can't help being proud about the way Alaska Stock has grown (even if I am ever-so-slightly biased)!

~ Laurie

Downtown Wildlife!

I remember the first month that I lived in Alaska, I awakened one morning to my radio alarm clock announcing that there was a grizzly bear roaming around downtown and that everyone should stay away until the bear was captured for transport outside the city.

I remember thinking "we're not in Kansas anymore."

Currently a young brown bear (grizzly) has been spotted multiple times roaming around downtown Anchorage. While it has not been acting aggressively, the Fish and Game authorities are keeping a close eye on it and hoping to relocate the bear to a more appropriate location.

This year seems to be a good year for the bear; the last three years have produced many healthy cubs living in the wilds on the outskirts of Anchorage and Eagle River. These "yearlings" are now making their way closer and into the cities. Currently, Fish and Game are tracking a total of eight young brown bears living in and around Anchorage!

~ gina

New Face at Alaska Stock!

Hi everyone! I’m Kristina, the newest member of the team here at Alaska Stock. I’ve been here for 3 weeks now and loving every minute of it. It’s an in-depth job to get the hang of and I imagine I’ll be figuring it all out for a little while, but I’m working with a great team of professionals as well as patient clients! :) The best part of the job though, by far, is the opportunity to view so many amazing and beautiful images! It really makes me want to get out there and see all that Alaska has to offer.
On that same note, I’m so glad that summer is finally, and officially, upon us. I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of the winter months here, seeing as how I’m not originally from Alaska, so now is the time that I really get out there and enjoy the great outdoors….hiking, camping, cycling, etc. Although, now it’s also time to get out the black-out drapes for the windows…it’s kind of hard to sleep with the sun shining in your eyes…however, it does make it a little easier to wake up in the mornings!
Happy summer!!

Here comes the sun!

Happy Solstice!

It's the longest day of the year and here in Alaska we couldn't be happier about it. The weather is gorgeous, the salmon are runnin', the views are stunning and we'd like to keep it that way as long as possible! Today our sunrise came at 4:20am and sunset is expected around 11:42pm. Yippeee! 19 hours & 22 minutes of vitamin D. here in the office, we've got all the doors open ... it's almost like we're working outside!

And to summer solstice celebrate Anchorage residents make their yearly trek to the the summit of Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park. The end of this trail offers breathtaking panoramic views of Mt. Susitna, Fire Island, Cook Inlet and downtown Anchorage.

Wishing you lots of summer fun,

~ Laurie

Downtown Anchorage goes wireless!

Ok, not yet, but it looks like the mayor of Anchorage is moving that direction. Reports in today's ADN tell that a wireless company has been selected to provide free wireless internet throughout downtown Anchorage. This will be the trial area for the company and potentially the whole city could go to free wireless!

Alaska has always been known for being one of the most wired states in the US. Because the state is so large and so many people live in very rural communities, once the internet became accessible, these rural areas jumped at the chance to get wired. Everything from educational opportunities to Christmas shopping has become normal life for the remote villages.

So, this July, dowtown will also become an oasis for internet users...locals and visitors alike! But beware Big Brother, the mayor could also have plans to run a high-performance camera enabling police officers in their cars to send or receive video from the scene of an accident or incident.

But the upside is that perhaps one of our next blogs will be from a cafe downtown while sipping on a cup of coffee!

~ gina

New upcoming images!

Holiday images what.... in June?

This past week I've been working on a large submission of about 300 +/- holiday images into our system here at Alaska Stock. It's been a bit weird entering in all these keywords when it's sunny outside and our office is just heating up. My head is filled with words like; winter, Christmas, holiday, celebration, and seasonal; but outside I'm thinking warm, sun, and how much more I want this summer inching it's way to us to just kick in.

We always have a plethora of images coming in from our various photographers; great new creative ideas, always newly captured adventures, truly "Alaskan" inspiring photos. We feel very fortunate to be spread out in order to cover our entire huge state, to bring you those fresh photos you may be looking for. So jump on in and take a look at some great images that say Alaska; to see what our creative photographers are seeing through the eyes of their camera; something that may inspire you to pick up your own and GO WILD in the state that's now called "Big Wild Life."

-Emily Sloth

I finally arrived and have settled once again in the land of the 48! My recent move from Alaska to Boise, Idaho was a fantastic journey filled with tons of sites, wildlife, and goodtimes with my long time friend of 16 years. Also accompanying me on my journey was my 12 year old "puppy" Chester.

Some of the fun items included the worlds largest hat collection at Toad River, the last remaining tressel bridge from the original Alcan highway, and the outrageously cute little town of Kimberly, BC (Bavarian Capital of Canada) which hosts an annual accordian contest in their town "Platzel."

I think what surprised me most was how much wildlife there actually was to see along the highway. Our "bear count" was a total of eight and included two grizzlies and six black bears (one of which was an adorable cub who loved climbing and romping among the trees...a real treat to watch)!

After spending a week to finda place to live and unload my belongings, I am now back to work for Alaska Stock via "telecommuting" and working out the kinks that come along with this new reality! So far so good, and I look forward to seeing and hearing from everyone once again....

~ gina

Green At Last!

This past weekend was the first weekend here where everything is finally green again and blue skies throughout! So practically everyone here in Anchorage was out doing something. Biking, hiking, gardening, flying kites and definately grilling. Our state birds, the mosquitoes, haven't taken over yet, but the salmon are running so the fishing types are already reelin' em in.

It's been hanging between 50 to 70 degrees so combine that with the incredible view, a helping of sunshine and the sweetest smelling fresh air on the planet and you've got a recipe for delight! Yippeee ... just in time for the long weekend!

~ Laurie

Just months after Alaska entered into statehood, Hawaii became the 50th state in the Union. Recently I had the pleasure of experiencing my first visit to this gorgeous Polynesian paradise. I truly felt blessed to have the opportunity to see Oahu. The plants and flowers there are amazing ... so lush, wild and fragrant! All the locals I met were kind and helpful. And I got to visit our friends at Pacific Stock, who have the best photos of Hawaii!

Though I stayed in the Waikiki Beach area I was fortunate enough to make several lovely drives exploring the sights and smells around the island. I found each area has something special about it. The peaceful refuge of the 400 acres of Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens at the foot of the steepled Koolau Mountains. The North Shore with waves as wild as their dedicated fans. And although Waikiki beaches are often crowded, there is still something wonderful about them. Everyday I saw people from all over the world on these tiny stretches of sand and shore ... all different shapes and sizes, infants to elders and I witnessed one thing they all had in common in spite of the barriers of language and culture. They were all having fun ... not just kinda-sorta fun, but the kind of exuberance only you feel when you are truly engaged in something. Whether it was a three year old discovering the ocean for the first time or an old timer getting reacquainted with the rhythm of the surf, their hearts seemed happy.

Maybe it's the Pisces in me, but I've decided that I am indeed a beach girl at heart, because I found myself to be supremely happy just standing in the waves. So I may have to make it my life's goal to visit all the beaches in Hawaii! My favorite escape was a fleeting afternoon searching for ocean treasures on My beach ... more commonly known as Kaaawa beach : - )


~ Laurie

WE'RE IN!

In 1959, theAnchorage Daily Times announced that Alaska was to be the 49th state. What once was "Sewards Folly" (a land first thought to be too harsh & without financial merit), was finally recognized as a valuable and equal in the United States.

To commemorate Alaska's statehood, a new US quarter will be minted in 2008. Four designs have been created and are a Polar Bear, a Dog Musher, a Grizzly Bear, or a Goldpanner.

Online polls are already in place and requesting people's input, but it will ultimately be Gov. Sarah Palin who will make the final choice. The coin will be minted in the last half of next year just in time for Alaska's 50th Anniversary. To view the different designs and vote, you can visit: http://www.adn.com/money/story/8783031p-8683146c.html

Inspiration in Waves

Inspiration is something we photographers are always looking for, the engine or power to enable the index finger to press that shutter to create that "award winning" photo. Sometimes I find my inspiration comes in waves, sometimes tidal waves and other times 1 footers. Definetly not a constant stream of tidal wave evacuations going on here...

This past weekend I went on a hike with my husband and family. We hiked up the mountain, breathing in the fresh cold, spring air. I would turn around every once in awhile to take in the beautiful view and get a clear picture of how far we had come. When we summited and began our way onto the ridge we saw another hiker coming up the less steeper route. We made our way toward him, down the mountain slope. *Something to note for non-Alaskan's or just any average person, when hiking in winter or pre-spring always bring rain gear for your way down. *
As I reached the snow patch that extended down the mountain side I put my rain jacket hood up, zipped up my coat, laid down on my back and pushed my way down the mountain, along with my brother and husband, head first, sliding pretty fast for a rain coat. The "ghetto-glissading" I'd call it.
There is a great rugged, adventure, Alaska-ness feel that draws me to live in this great state, it's something I think you can find simliar in a lot of people who live up here. When I think about that, climb a mountain, get muddy mountain biking, or slide down a mountain slope in my rain gear like a kid, that wave of inspiration comes back and my index finger is excercised to push that shutter again (in the photographer's eye) or even just to clear my mind a little. Something good for the soul!
Be Inspired!

- Emily

Spring Clean up!

No matter how much you love Alaska, I think you will be hard pressed to find anybody that likes Alaska this time of year. Days are getting warmer and the temps consistently stay above freezing during the day...you would think that would be a good thing. However, the daily melting tends to leave Anchorage looking a bit dirty, muddy, and grimy.

All of the road sand used in the winter combined with dirt from cars leave the cityscape a general gray color. Additionally, as the snow melts, items that have flown out of people's cars at high speeds and general garbage that has collected on the streets but long since buried in snow starts appearing.

This is not the time of year to visit Alaska!

The good news is that people get inspired and motivated to do some intensive Spring cleaning. A couple weekends are dedicated to the citywide clean-sweep of Anchorage streets and creeks. Corporate and civic volunteers dedicate their time to picking up garbage from sidewalks, ditches, parking lots, creeks & streams. The result is that almost overnight, Anchorage becomes shiney once again and prepares for the onslaught of Spring growth.

Bring on the Green!

~ gina

Alaskan Treasure on the Horizon

Well it's springtime in Alaska ... still early in the season for us. The sun is just starting to peak over the magnificent Chugach Mountain range surrounding Anchorage. It's just the right time of year for me to witness this glorious sight ... the sun's rays spilling over the snow capped peaks as I drive down the hill from my house to Old Seward Highway. It's a wonderful way for my day to start. We are in what we call "break up" season now. In town, the huge snow piles are melting during the day and mud seems to be everywhere. It's pretty much pointless to wash the car till May. During this time Alaskans start getting a little crazy, eager for the brown to be replaced by gorgeous lush greenery. And although my winter patience dwindles, invariably I know that the treasure of an Alaskan summer is worth waiting for.

~ Laurie

Back in the AK!

I had a great and amazing opportunity to travel to Las Vegas and attend the annual WPPI meeting. I learned tons about the photography industry and made some great new friends too! I'll admit it was hard to share a room with 4 other women, but since they were all other photographers as well the energy and conversation was worth all the bathroom sharing, and towel hunting!!! Here's a photo that Anne Ruthmann took of all the girls I stayed with there! From left, Anne Ruthmann, me, Abby Rose, and Kristen Taylor. Shout out to room 6033! I'll miss you guys! Can't wait to see the shots from Vegas.. mine are coming soon.. stay tuned!

-Jessica

Imitation is the best form of flattery!!

A few short years ago, Alaska Stock put out our direct mail piece titled "Alaska: Discover White Space Road Trip." This was our version of the journal motif complete with coffee stains, taped in photos, scribbles and doodles, funny commentary, receipts, postcards, etc. all made to look like someone's personal account of their trip in Alaska.

Imagine our surprise to recently discover Hewlett Packard's latest direct mail piece titled "Mike's Photo Journal" that is made to look like a homemade journal complete with pieces of tape, coffee stains, taped in photos, scribble, and other signs of wear and tear.

Although the journal theme can be argued to have been around for quite some time in the design world, these two pieces are SO similar that it is hard to deny our creative influence over HP's design team! We're talkin' coffee stains and grease stain effects that are almost exactly in the same placement and have the same look! The handwritten font is also strikingly similar. Ok, there is one difference: we used duct tape and they opted for masking tape. Go figure!

We'll take it as a compliment...and be happy that our direct mail pieces are making it around the advertising world. Thanks HP!

~ gina

Cool Iditarod 2007 slide show

This year's race was one of the wildest

on record.

Check out this cool slideshow featuring some of the memorable moments from Iditarod 2007 ~ The Last Great Race! http://www.alaskastock.com/iditarod/slideshow/index.html

I also found this cool Iditarod Limited Edition Border @ http://www.printroom.com/pro/iditarod/

Enjoy the ride!

~ Laurie

Halfway to Ninety!

Happy Birthday Laurie! Today is Laurie's birthday and we all had a fun lunch Thai food fiesta! Thanks to Jeff! I was asking Laurie about what to blog and she told me to mention that Alaska has over 3 million lakes, yet only 650,000 people live in the whole state! Also, Alaska can brag about the 44,000 miles of coastline compared to the rest of the Continental US, which has only 6,053!..... So Happy Birthday Laurie from all of us here at Alaska Stock, and interesting facts about Alaska's lakes and coast lines.. (not to mention two awesome photos!) Woo Hoo! Double Blog Day! - Jessica

A legacy in the making.....

It's official, Lance Mackey is this year's Iditarod champion!! To most people "outside" this is an unknown name, but the story behind Lance's run is pretty darn cool.

First of all, Lance is this year's Yukon Quest winner which is probably the most comparable sled dog race to the Iditarod that draws big time names and money. The Yukon Quest took place only 2 or 3 weeks ago and running in both races is challenging but winning both is un-heard of. This will be the first time in the history of the races!

Secondly, and I think more amazing, Lance's is the third musher in his family to become an Iditarod champion. Both his father and half brother have won the race. In fact, father, Dick Mackey, won it in a "foot race" with only one second separating him and the second place winner Rick Swenson.

Finally, what really makes this cool is that both his father and brother won their races in their sixth attempt at the race AND wearing bib #13.

You know where this is going, right...?

Yes, this is Lance's sixth time in the Iditarod and he is wearing bib #13 this year! Feel those shivers go up your spin? Stories like this is what Alaska is all about

~ gina

yes Virginia it's BRUTAL out on the Iditarod this year

working in Nikolai at 15 below ...

and after being out at 35 below zero for 2 hours in Nikolai.

Don't you just love a warm fire.
~ Jeff

Photos by Al Grillo

Legends on the Iditarod Trail

Leading the race, Iditarod champs Martin Buser and Jeff King high-tailed it in and out checkpoint Shageluk (SHAG-a-luck) this morning around 8:30. Shageluk is an Ingalik Indian name meaning “village of the dog people,” and when the Iditarod hits town, that is especially true.

They are headed to Anvik (pop. 82), the first checkpoint on the Yukon River, which is the longest river in Alaska, stretching 1,875 miles from its headwaters in the Yukon Territory of Canada to the Bering Sea. The church bell signals the arrival of the first musher to this picturesque village. The Millennium Alaskan Hotel serves a seven course dinner to the first musher arriving at this checkpoint as well as a cash award.

At this point the dog teams of both contenders are looking strong for the long push through the steady, cold head winds on the frozen Yukon River. They'll have to keep a pretty good clip to keep veteran Iditarod racers, Zack Steer, Lance Mackey, Paul Gebhardt and Ken Anderson away from the prized feast in Anvik.

We are fortunate here to see the action from the trail from our owner and official Iditarod photographer, Jeff Schultz. From the comfort of our office we catalog, convert and post images Jeff sends us from the various checkpoints. You can see several of these daily updates at http://www.alaskastock.com/daily_iditarod.asp

Trail conditions have been exceptionally brutal this year, particularly through Dalzell Gorge in Rainy Pass. Barren, bumpy, frozen trails and freezing high winds characterized the harsh ride into Rohn and took their toll on dogs, sleds, and mushers, resulting in 16 teams withdrawing from the race, including veterans DeeDee Jonrowe, G.B. Jones and Doug Swingley. Yesterday the temp at the Ophir checkpoint was around -40!
~ Laurie

The Iditarod is Here!

Welp, it's that time of year again... The Iditarod! Dog mushing across the 1049 miles in the vast beauty of Alaska. Here at Alaska Stock, we have the best collection of Iditarod photos ever! The owner, Jeff Schultz has been the official photographer for over 25 years! I was fortunate enough to photograph the start, and I've never seen anything like it before! Dogs were everywhere, yelping and howling and jumping in excitement. Spectators taking photographs and requesting autographs of the mushers. It's not uncommon for offices to have bets on who they think the winner will be. The winner gets a free lunch at Alaska Stock! My bet this year is Martin Buser who has raced in the Iditarod over 20 times, winning four, last in 2002. His son Rohn won the Jr. Iditarod this year, and I think that will inspire Martin to achieve another win. Like Father like son! Here's a couple pics I took, one of Martin Buser at the ceremonial start in Anchorage, and the other of a little surprised spectator! How cute!

-Jessica

Lunar Eclipse

I shot this image of the nearly full moon earlier this week while I was snowshoeing in Hatcher’s Pass (A beautiful mountainous area about an hour’s drive north of Anchorage). Tomorrow, not only will the moon be completely full, but most of the world will experience a lunar eclipse. Alaska will miss out this time. In North America the best place to experience totality will be along the eastern half of the continent. The eclipse will be at its maximum at 6:21 p.m. EST.

-Greg

Resources

Alaska Stock's website has a little hidden gem that a lot of people may not have realized. We have a whole page of "professional resource" links that are handy for the graphic artist or photographer alike. There are links to popular trade magazines, font and clip-art houses, interesting tid-bit websites on Alaska (including weather cams), and some of our favorite hardware and software websites.

These links can be found at: http://www.alaskastock.com/professional_resources.asp

One of my favorites is the Northern Lights forecast site which for this week has been showing a lot of aurora activity!
http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/

have fun!

~ gina

The five basic points to successfully keywording stock images.

Ok , you’ve just taken what you feel will be the greatest picture that the world has ever seen. The problem is how are you going to get the world to see it? In this digital age the old saying that “a picture is worth a thousands words,” proves to more true than we could have ever imagined. While a thousand words is a pretty lofty goal when keywording an image, it is good to remember that each additional word that you can use to describe a picture will add exponentially to the likelihood that someone will be able to find that photo. Thus it has become paramount that we are able to ascribe as many words as possible to a given image. When attempting to find your thousand words there are five basic points to remember and consider.

1. Address the basics of the image; what, when, and where. For instance, are there people in the picture, and if so how many? Are they men or women or are there both? Where was the photograph taken? What time of year was it when the image was captured?

2. Describe the image - how would you sum it up in a sentence. Imagine that you are describing the image to someone who can’t see or you are trying to describe it over the phone.

3. What feelings are invoked by the image, does it portray any concepts. Does it give you a sense of solitude, does it make you feel cold, does the image make you feel festive?

4. Put yourself in the place of the person searching for the image. If you were looking for an image like this one, what words would you use to search for it.

5. Check your spelling and check accuracy. For instance very few people will ever see your wonderful image of a Caribou if the keyword that you have assigned to the image is: cariboow. Is the symbol in the photograph a pictograph or is it really a petroglyph. If you can, have someone else check what you have done, it never hurts to get a fresh set of eyes to look over your work.

- Jim

I took the photo challenge! In my backyard! This past weekend I looked out my window and realized there was this awesome lil' tree still lit from Christmas...I decided to be adventourous and photograph it... Well after about 30 minutes of packing on layers, I finally made it outside. This photo was taken while I was waist deep in snow! The tripod maneuver was fun, but a little tricky.. My house is the one all the way on the left!

-Jessica

Yes, that is a wall of snow behind my ride, Ruby! She sported icicles close to two feet long up until a week ago. Truly this winter has been one of the strangest winters across America in many years. Several areas across the US, including Anchorage, have experienced record storms. Alaska's largest city has gotten over 76" so far ... more than the 68" we normally receive in an entire winter. And we still have three more months of chilly goodness ahead! This hearty snowfall comes after several years of lame, low-snow winters in proudly rugged Alaska, and so for outdoor enthusiasts and shutterbugs it is an exciting time of year.

The key to enjoying being out in all this white stuff is to wear layers of polypropylene, silk and wool to help you take stay warm so you're not running for the car just about the time that great light shows up. Hats, earmuffs, parkas, and boots are necessities. Many seasoned outdoor photogs wear thin knit gloves inside heavy mittens and remove the outer gloves to operate their cameras. While you can also buy photographer's gloves with finger openings, I've found just cutting the fingertips off of an old pair of gloves works well, too.

- Laurie

Iron Dog!

I had a friend who once did practice "runs" with Iron Dog competitors and he told me that these guys average 80 mph in order to make it from Anchorage to Nome on their snowmobiles in about four days. That's really flying! Especially when you're skimming over snow and tundra in possible whiteout conditions. These guys are nuts! Here's a website to learn more about the race and see GPS tracking of where a bunch of the guys are currently on the trail: Iron Dog Snowmobile Race

Moose Lick Car Wash

Gina isn't the only one whose had moose in their yard lately... At my house, we had as many as five at a time this past weekend. They have been hanging out alot near our vehicles. Yesterday afternoon I discovered why...

As I was getting ready to leave I discovered Moose slobber all over our cars. Nearly half of my wife's car had been licked clean of the nasty road grime that had covered it earlier in the morning. I can only assume they did this to get the salt that is put down on the roads here to melt the ice. Not the tastiest way to get your daily dose of sodium...

-Greg

Gina's 10th year with Alaskastock!

I had a cow moose and its yearling calf in my yard and neighborhood this morning! My dog's barking brought me out of the house at 6:30 am (thanks, Chester!). These two moose have been hanging around in the general vacinity of my neighborhood for a few weeks now.

A friend had them walk right in front of her living room window last week. The size of the female moose took up almost her entire front window.

These things are huge!

~ gina

Alaska Stock Blogs!

Alaska is considered one of the most "wired" states in the US (yes...we are a part of the United States!!). We have many remote communities that have no road access to the "big" city of Anchorage...and even Anchorage has what many would consider limited access (it's true, we have no Target).

Many schools rely upon the internet as a resource, internet shopping is a hit of course, and, yes, even keeping up with blogs on occassion passes time during the dark hours of winter.

So here we are... our first blog at Alaska Stock! You will hear from all of us at Alaska Stock in this little forum...maybe even a picture or two from our lastest weekend adventure or the moose that wandered through our parking lot or the latest features on Alaska Stock's website. We promise it will be random. Come say Hi!

~ gina