Alaska Marine Highway, Malaspina, Lutak Inlet, Alaska – Image 2774

A long time ago, I did a photo book on the Alaska Marine Highway System for Epicenter Press. The 5,000 book press run sold out. The book never got reprinted. A client needed some ferry shots, so I scanned a few images used in the book for the submission. Most of the ferries have been around a really long time. I shot this image of the ferry, Malaspina, from a helicopter with the door off to give me a big unobstructed view. The ferry was approaching Skagway with the sun just setting behind the high mountains that line the Lutak Inlet between Haines and Skagway. I liked the evening light that created the shadow of the ferry on the water. Literally, 30 seconds after shooting this image, the sun dropped below the mountain leaving the ferry in shadow. This image ended up as the cover of the landscape formatted book. The book came out in 1995 and my friend, Kent Sturgis, from Epicenter Press assigned me the project. Enjoy the photo and thanks for visiting. Camera body: F5, Lens: Nikkor 20-35mm F/2.8, ASA 50/ 35mm slide film, digital scan, polarized© Mark Kelley