I spent the last few days around Juneau, Alaska’s capitol, for the spring board meeting of Audubon Alaska. Twice a year I join the rest of the board and staff to discuss wildlife and habitat conservation in the state. Audubon Alaska…
Evening in the Kelly Valley- The Story Behind the Image
It was August 30. Though that is still summer in much of the country, in northern Alaska, autumn was in full swing. I was guiding my final trip of the season, a week-long canoe trip down the Kelly River.…
Getting High
I’ve got a thing for the Alpine. The word deserves capitalization because, for me, it is more than a habitat, or geographic zone. It is these things, certainly, but it also has personality and character. I relish the time I get…
The Story behind the Image- Ominous Sky
The final evening of my Artist Residency at Gates of the Arctic National Park, that’s when I made this image. Much of the trip was dominated by gray, and a few long days of rain. I don’t mind the…
Over the Noatak
Canon 5D iii, Canon 24-105 f4L IS, ISO 400, f8.0, 105mm, 1/640th sec, handheld. This August, for the third year in a row, I guided a canoe trip down the Noatak River in Gates of the Arctic National Park for Arctic…
Incoming Weather
Sun halo and the Kongakut River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105L f4 IS, ISO 50, 24mm, f9.0, 1/500th sec. I purposely underexposed this image by several stops to blacken the mountains and increase…
Atop an Arctic Ridge
When I first saw the Kokolik River from the approaching bush plane, I was disappointed. The undramatic river flows quickly out of the Brooks Range and does not become large enough to float a canoe until it is well away…
Wild Places: Storm over the Kokolik River, Alaska
Today I launch a series of posts reliving my summer’s travels. Since I was woefully absent here throughout the summer, I’m now given the opportunity to make up for it. Starting right here on the Kokolik River. The Kokolik is…
Snow on the Kelly River
I’ve finally finished my summer guiding season. It was a demanding and rewarding. I visited some extraordinary places, met some remarkable people, and had at least three separate days so beautiful I was actually brought to tears. (I’m a softy…