Alaska Braided Coastal Channels Black and White Aerial Photography
Bright Channels Divide Dark Textured Ground Along Alaska’s Coast
I made this aerial photograph while travelling along Alaska’s coast on the way to a brown bear photography expedition. Looking down from the small plane, I could see broad pale channels dividing darker ground into long, irregular islands of texture. The view offered a natural abstract composition, with the coastline’s branching forms taking the place of a conventional horizon.
A wide channel rises through the lower centre before splitting across the frame. Finer branches thread between the dark sections, creating a second, more delicate pattern inside the larger one. In black and white, those differences become especially clear. The bright areas have a soft, almost silvery appearance, while the darker ground holds closely packed ridges and marks.
The vertical framing follows the channels’ length. There is no single stopping point: each curve leads into a new division, and small routes disappear beside much broader sweeps. I wanted to keep that sense of continuity, as though the pattern extends beyond every edge of the photograph.
What I enjoy most is the difference between the smooth-looking pale expanses and the intricate dark surfaces beside them. Their shared boundaries give the image its rhythm.
This is a close view of a large landscape, made possible by seeing it from above. The monochrome treatment lets the actual coastal forms carry the photograph, from the strongest branching shapes to the smallest visible textures. It preserves the moment when Alaska’s land and waterways became both a recognisable place and a study in flowing lines.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2011
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
My photographs are available in multiple sizes so the same image can work in anything from an intimate wall space to a large statement installation.
