After Months Of My New Camera (OM System OM-1) Gathering Dust On My Office Desk, I Finally Embarked On

After months of my new camera (OM System OM-1) gathering dust on my office desk, I finally embarked on a day trip for some hiking and testing. The camera's weight and ergonomics are simply fantastic. Having something so lightweight and user-friendly has reignited me. The advanced image stabilization allows me to capture long exposures without lugging around a tripod—a small victory for someone who despises tripods as much as I do! As I imported the files into Lightroom and started processing, I was pleasantly surprised by how much dynamic range I could recover from the shadows. Combined with the AI-assisted tools now available for denoise, sharpening, and enlarging, I'm now confident that my micro 4/3 sensor won't hinder print quality. This next chapter in my photography journey with this new system has me buzzing. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

The Igloo Hotel

Located at mile marker 188.7 on the east side of the George Parks Hwy, this abandoned hotel is south of Denali National Park & Preserve and it is truly one of the most odd places in Alaska that you will come across. The nearest town to Igloo City is Cantwell, located about 20 miles away with a population just under 250 year-round residents. The cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks are both over two and a half hours away from this isolated structure in the middle of nowhere. Igloo City was constructed in the late 1970s by Leon Smith. He envisioned it as a hotel, though it was never completed due to code violations. The building suffers from undersized windows which do not meet code. In addition to some other code violation issues, the inadequate window size is the main reason the structure was never operational. Because this building was too big to demolish, it has remained standing for over four decades. The structure is so large in fact that airplanes can see it from over 30,000 feet high in the air. The round structure meant to mimic that of an igloo has four stories and is said to be constructed of 888 sheets of plywood with a urethane outside insulation Those who come from far and wide are urged to use caution. Because of the remote location, predators such as bears and wolves are in the nearby area and have been said to use this giant igloo structure as shelter during times of distress.

Kenai Fjords, Alaska.

Lake Moraine in fog.

South viewpoint of Denali.

Zion coming into spring.