A freight train curving along the shoreline of Turnagain Arm at sunset, Alaska
Nº 12Travel PhotographyAlaska

Alaska

On being the eyes and the heart of the universe.

A travel and documentary photography and film series from Alaska — on being small in front of something vast.

Are we the only species that experiences awe and wonder?

Does a duck think of the mountain ahead or contemplate the vastness of a river? It might sound egotistical, but I like to think the universe put us here to feel those things—to marvel at it, to stand in awe of its beauty. Who else would admire and wonder about this existence if not us?

A man standing on the float of a red floatplane on the water, mountains behind, Alaska
A calm lake mirroring the mountains, a lone spruce on the shore, Alaska
Moving image
An aerial of sharp snow-covered peaks and ridgelines, Alaska
Play film9:16
An aerial of a river meandering through golden autumn tundra, Alaska
A lone weathered cabin in a vast brown-gold valley beneath dark mountains, Alaska
Snow-capped mountains reflected in the window of a rustic wood cabin, Alaska
A snow-dusted mountain range under a blue, cloud-streaked sky, Alaska
A glacier's calving face meeting the sea, icebergs adrift below the mountains, Alaska
A blue tidewater glacier spilling into a still fjord, Alaska

I found myself deep in this thought during my adventures in Alaska. There, surrounded by towering mountains, glaciers, cascading waterfalls, the power of the epic landscapes pulls you away from any other thoughts. It’s almost as if the mountains, rivers, and skies exist to invoke that very feeling—an appreciation for something larger than ourselves.

You stand there, dwarfed by the sheer scale of nature, and it fills you with a sense of wonder and gratitude for being a part of this incredible world.

A hiker in an orange beanie and backpack photographing a glacier from the snow, Alaska
An aerial of a glacial valley, a braided river winding through autumn forest to the fjord, Alaska
A red floatplane taxiing across a turquoise glacial lake, autumn shore beyond, Alaska
A black bear wading at the edge of a turquoise river lined with autumn trees, Alaska
A straight-down aerial of a red floatplane over green glacial water, Alaska
A bear crossing a river below a mountain of golden autumn forest, Alaska
An aerial past a plane's wing of a braided river through autumn forest and mountains, Alaska
A lone autumn tree at the edge of a still lake at dusk, Alaska
A harnessed sled-dog team running a dirt road toward the camera on a fall training run, Alaska
A woman looking out a large A-frame window over autumn tundra at dusk, Alaska
A rustic wood cabin with an American flag and a vintage orange pickup parked outside, Alaska
Two small bush planes parked on a grass airstrip among autumn trees, Alaska
Snow-capped peaks above a braided glacial river and moraine, Alaska

There’s a kind of meditation that comes from these moments—feeling small yet connected to everything around you.

And in those spaces, it’s clear that maybe, just maybe, we were made to notice the beauty in the chaos, to be the eyes and the heart of the universe itself.

An aerial of snow-covered peaks rising from a vast icefield, Alaska
A man at the helm of a boat, misty mountains through the windshield, Alaska
A sailboat moored at a marina under an overcast sky, mountains behind, Alaska
A couple playing cards at a table in a lakeside wood cabin, warm lamplight, Alaska
A small abandoned white boat settled in tall golden grass at the forest edge, Alaska
A derelict fishing boat up on stands in the woods beside a road, Alaska
A driver's view down an empty highway toward fog-wrapped mountains and autumn trees, Alaska
Words & pictures — Jacob SigalaAlaskaThirty plates & one film