Konicki Photography and Art

03/25/2026

https://konickiphoto.smugmug.com/Landscapes/2026-Chena-River

Greetings and welcome to my page! I am Rhonda Konicki, a life long Alaskan, born here in Fairbanks. My personal motto: "I Play Outside!" When folks ask me about life in Alaska, I point out that with our weather and light to dark extremes, the key to survival in Alaska is to get outside in the fresh....

03/23/2026

A little photo dump. Ice formations from the back yard along the Chena River. Even though we're still below freezing, the sun is starting to affect the snow and ice along the shoreline.
I can hear water trickling under the ice shelf, and there are now small open areas.

03/05/2026

Field Notes: from the front yard, River access. Gear: Snowshoes, in addition to winter outerwear. Trekked down to River's edge to photograph the abstract shapes that appear after the past week's heavy snow. Two back to back storms that deposited over 12 inches of snow in a week's time.
Despite the peaceful exterior, and smooth surface of the river, we know there's a river under all that pack. Along the shoreline, it never fully freezes, and that leads to some interesting abstract shapes in the snow.
Note: I did follow river safety, use my camera's zoom because those soft spots might not support my weight even with snowshoes on.

03/04/2026

Retiring the Tank
After nearly 20 years, I must retire my old Sony. Not because it's a bad camera, but because after 20 years the battery no longer holds a charge. AND - I live in Fairbanks Alaska where shipping the specialized $75 camera battery is not available to me.

Compared to my newer cameras, this camera is big, bulky, no frills basic DSLR that has carried me through -40F (-40C) temperatures and never failed. I primarily used it for aurora photography because I could operate it outside for hours even at -20F (-29C) on a single battery.

I still have another Sony Alpha mount body, a newer model that can use the lenses, with batteries that are still common enough to purchase locally. However, with the new tech leading more into the E-mounts, I may off load those to maybe someone who's just starting out and needs a full kit to experiment with.

02/14/2026

Getting back to basics. It's been awhile. Started a new photo journal, taking notes, practicing in sunlight, flat light, backlight. Ice Alaska starts it's first competition on Monday, with the Multi block

01/20/2026

Went back outside one last time, for another round of photos. It's a work night, so can't stay up too late. Happily, there's still 8-10 weeks of good sky watching nights left of this season! Plenty of opportunities

01/20/2026

Around 2030 Monday evening 19 Jan 2026
From the front and back yards in Badger Alaska. My crazy velociraptor is so excited to be playing outside in the middle of the night, while I'm trying to work he runs up and tosses his frisbee at the tripod. This results in a few more deleted scenes than I planned.

01/18/2026

0200 Sunday 18 January 2026
Aurora came out for a little show! I've noticed a few of the neighbors never turn out their yard lights. I can only imagine what their electric bill looks like each month!

01/18/2026

January on the Chena.

12/29/2025

RESPECT THE RIVER
December 27 and 28, beyond -40F
Even after a couple months of sub-zero you can still find weak spots, and in some cases open water in the Chena.

12/21/2025

Good morning! 6:00 a.m. impromptu run outside with the camera. -40F while letting the dog out for his morning wee, I noticed the sky was aglow.
So, grabbed my camera, and the bigger coat, yes, still in my pajamas, and shot a few frames.
Now time to get on with my day,
Stay Warm everybody!!