As I mentioned yesterday, this year’s Junior Iditarod is set up in a “stage race” format for the first time. The mushers went out and back, for a total of about 60 miles, before spending the night at the Cantwell School. There was much excitement at the starting line for these amazing, young mushers. Once again the moose cooperated and the head-on passing went very smoothly, as expected. The kids did a fantastic job. One of them even noted at the end, “THAT was the longest 8 hours of my life, but also the fastest!” I can only imagine. 

2022 Jr. Iditarod Mushers Gather at Start in Cantwell (Photo Credit Jr Iditarod)

Mount Denali graced us all with its presence, right at the start of the race, which made for an amazing backdrop. After staying at the start for all of the teams to pull out, I was able to spend the majority of the day with race photographer, Whitney McLaren. After watching her techniques, remembering the things that I had read in Jeff Schultz’s book, and the tips that I had heard over the past couple years (such as focus on the dog’s eyes), I was incredibly pleased with the results of shooting after day one. 

Everything from the colors of the sleds, to the booties on the dogs, to the added “flair” on the dogs, made for some incredible shots. I didn’t have all of the cool gadgets and toys that she did – the drone was really cool – but I was, again, really happy with the end results. One of the things that I will always remember from talking with Jeff Schultz, is trying to “get the picture of a little dog team on a big landscape.” I have started to try to do this a little, but still have a long ways to go. 

Little dog team, on a big landscape.

Teachers: (Specifically high school Photography teachers) If you are interested in sharing some tips with your class about how to take better shots, check out this writeup by Terrie Hanke. https://iditarod.com/edu/taking-schultz-style-dynamic-photos/