I’ve just returned from leading an autumn landscape photography tour in the Brooks Range. This was a private, custom trip with three extremely skilled and enthusiastic photographers. We spent five days and four nights along the Dalton Highway, basing out of the community of Wiseman, and I don’t think we could have timed it better. The colors were at their peak, and the weather was variable, from fog to bluebird days.

While a full trip report will follow, first I wanted to share a few photos. One of the things we discussed as a group was the concept of “Intimate Landscapes”. This term, which originated with Eliot Porter’s famous book of the same name (out of print but available as a free download), is a great description for what I’ve previously described as “details”. But the word “details” falls short in describing this type of landscape photograph. Porter’s work, and what I strive for, shows only small portions of the larger scene, but the images stand alone. They are more than supporting shots in a series, they are complete in and of themselves.

During the variable light of the recent trip, we had a couple of overcast days that were perfect for these kinds of shots. But I also tried not to limit myself, and made an effort to make “intimates” in all kinds of conditions, as I experimented with isolated compositions within the larger landscape.

I can’t really decide if these sorts of images are harder or easier to create than large-scale landscape shots. In this type of image, the way elements in the frame interact really drives success or failure, more than the tangible input of light, shadow, and depth, which plays such an important role in large-scale landscape photography. I found these compositions challenging, and maybe a bit frustrating, as I searched out patterns, color, and stories told in a small scale within the tundra and forests of Alaska’s northern mountains.

With a tip of the hat to the great Eliot Porter, I give you a few from my series of Brooks Range, intimate landscapes:

I’m curious to hear from other photographers who have worked with these kinds of compositions. Thoughts or opinions of my images, your own, or the style in itself? Feel free to email me, or leave a comment below.

Alaska brooks range landscape Photography photos