Parks, refuges, preserves & special places.
While flying over the Copper River Delta in south central, Alaska, I grabbed a few frames of Harbor seals hauled out on a sand shoal along the river delta. They were pretty densely packed together and I was curious as to how many were present in the picture. Field biologists have methods for counting and…
If you are a bird, the condition of your feathers means everything. And so the process of preening is a continual one. It is also at this stage that a bird can ingest oil and other contaminants that may adhere to their feathers in polluted waters. This Surfbird (Aphriza virgata), was one of thousands along…
I’ve spent the last two weeks photographing in the Prince William Sound region with a primary focus on the birds migrating through the area at this time of year. Eight days were spent on the MV Discovery, owned by Dean Rand of Discovery Voyages. I met Dean while working on the Exxon Valdez Oil spill…
The Copper River Delta in eastern Prince William Sound, serves as an important refueling stop for the shorebirds that migrate along the western coast of the US. Hundreds of thousands of birds congregate here in early May and spend a few days on average feeding on the rich inter tidal shores before journeying on to…
Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks range, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105mm IS L (35mm) 1/1250 sec @ f 8, ISO 400 I’ve long wanted to see and photograph the Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks range, and a recent visit only increased my desire to return for a more…
Where is your favorite place to photograph? I’m often asked this question, but find it very difficult to answer. Part of Alaska’s lure and fascination to me is found in its tremendous diversity of environment. Sampling from one makes the other’s uniqueness more prominent. I like winter because of summer and I like summer in…
Brown bear and sunrise, Katmai National Park, AlaskaCanon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105mm 4.0L (32mm), 1/250 sec @ f/11, ISO 100 The versatility of zoom lenses is so appealing that I use prime lenses less often these days. However, they are notorious for lens flare and controlling that can be difficult. On this trip, I did…
Dall sheep ram, Denali National Park, AlaskaCanon 1Ds Mark III, 400mm 5.6L, 1/125 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400 In the unhunted mountains of Denali Park there are some good sized Dall sheep rams. With virtually no pressure from humans, the sheep have slowly been habituated to human presence. I know a place where a band…
Raven in the mist, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 500mm f4L IS, 1/640 sec @ f/4, ISO 400 While waiting on a hilltop in Denali Park, I watched and waited as fog moved through the boreal forest shortly after sunrise. The angle of light was still low enough for good shadows. After…
Autumn rain storm over the Plains of Murie, Denali National Park, Alaska Canon 1Ds Mark III, 70-200mm 2.8L, 1/200 sec @f/8, ISO 100 Professional photographers who meet certain qualifications by the National Park Service are allowed to travel the Denali park road in their own vehicle for 10 days out of the summer. The only…