Homer

Greetings everyone, sorry for the few posts recently. I’ve been very busy planning an epic workshop next June – I’ll be formally (and fully) announcing it asap! So stay tuned. I’m leaving on Friday for my annual fall color solo adventure “up north”. I’ll be traveling along the Denali Highway for several days. Hiking and photographing the tundra along the 135 mile long gravel “highway” during the peak of fall color. Last year I had a great trip again, and I always look forward to this time of the year. The fall is so short lived up north, but the colors are absolutely breath-taking. Oh, and the rolling tundra, dotted with lakes and ponds, and taiga forest and the Alaska Range to the north ain’t too shabby...

Not too much writing here, just wanted to introduce you to some of the shots I got this past weekend in Homer. There are two main shorebird festivals in Alaska. The first is the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, based in Cordova and the eastern Prince William Sound. It is more secluded, logistically challenging (you can’t drive there, you have to fly or take a ferry), and has much larger numbers (bird wise). In Cordova, they regularly see 5 million shorebirds during the festival. 5 MILLION! I find that if you say it with a Doctor Evil accent, it really helps it sink in. The other major shorebird festival is in Homer, and is known as the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. Homer sees only a fraction of the numbers of the birds that Cordova does, but with...

So yeah… this is what happens when there is an active volcano nearby. Ash in the atmosphere causes objects that appear white in the night-time sky to take on a beautiful red glow. I had just checked into my “secret hide-away” in Homer, just after 11 pm. I was getting settled in and just happened to glance out my living room window and saw this peaking above the mountain tops. I ran to my car and got my tripod, mounted the 600 f4 on my camera (equaling a 960 mm lens) and blasted away in Live View. I really hope the color translates somewhat over the internet, because the original RAW file is spectacular – I didn’t touch it, except to resize it for the web. These are the real colors – just as I saw them. What an amazing sight to...

Not gonna get long winded on this one – just wanted to show some pics from Homer in March. My final trip there of the year, and likely the last time I will witness eagle feeding there. Unless they change the rules. In short, I hope they don’t. I do think it would be better if they would taper the feeding of eagles. I fear that the sudden loss of a food source may kill off several of the hundreds of bald eagles that have wintered over there. Some may say that this is natural selection. However, it is natural selection by human intervention – or rather, lack of participation. A phased tapering of feeding over 3-5 years may be more eagle friendly, but this remains to be seen. I will always cherish my memories of standing just feet (and sometimes...

As a preface, most people can’t believe how many eagles are in one location… this is untouched footage, no video trickery:) This video was made on a typical morning shoot in Jean Keene’s yard, back in 2007, shot from a point and shoot camera in movie mode. The person with their back to Tim in the opening clip is Jean, as she preps and tosses fish over the wall. I have been in her yard when there have been easily twice this number of Bald Eagles at one time… and yes, they do get that close. Closer at times, I’ve seen them land on abandoned tripods, cameras, and even the occasional human head! This is usually accompanied by a muffled, “Hoooooly, sh!t” It’s a quick clip, but fun. Favorite part? When Tim says, “Too...

Just got this message from Lonnie, the son of the Eagle Lady – Jean Keene. “Hello Everyone It is with a very heavy heart that I let you know that my beautiful  and amazing mother has departed this mortal coil and is soaring over  the mountains into a gorgeous sunset… Thank you all for so much. I  truly appreciate it. The celebration begins now, OK?” Lonnie   Jean has been ill for a while now. But she left this life the way she lived it, on her own terms. She will be missed, but never forgotten. I feel lucky to have spent some time with her over the past 3 years, I am a better person for it. This image was taken just 2 weeks ago, on my last trip to her yard.   Jean Keene - October 20, 1923 -> January 13, 2009