Link 1

Link 2

And here is a link to my article on this area published on Photo Travel Review’s website.

Regardless of the weather, I can’t wait to get back up there. It’s vast beauty incarnate.

I also just read a comment on one of my recent posts and thought I would republish it here. A little shameless self-promotion. As some of you know, I just led a solo client workshop/tour earlier this month. My client, Matthew M., was from New Jersey. He contacted me after seeing an old ad I had placed in Outdoor Photographer Magazine. Here is his trip report from the epic adventure.

“Dave,
Loved your shots of our recent trip. Each one I saw brought back such strong memories. For those reading, I’m the solo client Dave just went out with. I had never met Dave but was intrigued by his ad in  Outdoor Photographer. I spoke with him on the phone and shared both my experience and my goals for this once in a lifetime trip to Alaska. He seemed like the perfect blend of logistics planner, pro photographer, Alaska guide, and patient teacher. Throughout the planning phase of the trip Dave carefully listened and expertly tailored the trip to meet both my needs and my abilities. I really appreciated his transparent approach to the costs and options while planning as well as his open and honest input as to where to put the money I had. His advice on what to bring (and what not to bring) was extremely helpful and saved me from spending hundreds of dollars on gear I didn’t need.
My arrival in Anchorage on a rainy Tuesday was was short lived as Dave met me at the airport and off we went to Homer. The drive was a great chance to get to know each other and Dave’s knowledge of the wildlife and terrain was encyclopedic. We arrived in Homer late that night, but already having shot photos of moose and a beautiful evening landscape outside Homer. Day 2 was a bit of a washout as our trip to Katmai was canceled due to weather. Dave was already thinking of ” plan B ” and off we went to shoot fireweed. The next day dawned overcast but we managed to get to Katmai via Bald Mountain Air Service. The team at Bald Mountain was knowledgeable and professional and the rest of the day was filled with shooting wonderful pictures of the bears. Dave really worked hard to help me see other ways to use my equipment and I quickly began to see an improvement in the photographs I was taking. The rest of the trip was just as rewarding. Dave was an outstanding teacher and guide and I would recommend him to anyone photographing in Alaska. Please feel free to contact me though Dave if you would like a personal reference. As for me, I’m already planning to return next spring for another great Alaskan photo experience with Dave. Thanks again for making this a once in a lifetime trip.”

Thanks Matthew, it was a real pleasure to work with you. Photo workshops are very rewarding for me, I really love doing them. Everything from the logistics planning ahead of time, the workshop itself, and the friendships made along the way. And all of my clients know that the learning doesn’t end when the workshop is over. I always make myself available beyond the workshop experience, and it is always great to keep hearing from past clients & new friends.

Workshop Client Matthew M. scoping out a field of tall grass at Tonsina Point, near Seward, Alaska.

It was a great trip. And like I said, and as you read what Matthew typed – I’ve got another one coming up early next summer. This will be a group tour, and a cooperative effort with a great friend and fellow photo workshop owner/instructor. But that’s all I’m going to tell you for you now… so check back often, I’ll have an announcement soon.

Now get out and shoot!

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 much higher species diversity. Kachemak Bay has a lot to offer, both in the way of birding and photography. There are grand landscapes & seascapes, whale watching (I saw a lone humpback on Sunday morning. He was in the ocean:) Sorry, I’m tired…), and a great variety of macro subjects. This was another scouting trip for me, as I am considering leading a weekend workshop (focusing on the Shorebird Migration) next year in Homer. I divided my time between shooting birds, scouting locations, picking the brains of several prominent birders, and doing tide pool photography across the bay in Kachemak Bay State Park.

In this post I’m going to stick with a theme: “Silhouettes”. The colors are super saturated. Brilliant yellows, glowing oranges, and pumped reds. They really look unreal, but I assure you – these are un-manipulated colors, no filters or saturation “creationism”. With the recent volcanic activity on Mt. Redoubt, the atmosphere is thick laiden with ash. The sky is hazy and long range visibility is diminished. In fact, after a weekend in these conditions, my throat is rebelling a bit. Try sucking in air with pulvarized ash and toxic chemicals in it – it does a number on you. But you know what? SO WORTH IT!

Silhouettes are easy to shoot. They are composition simplified to its most basic form. Light and dark, shape and the void. Color and it’s absence. To photograph silhouettes, all you have to do is have a subject that is dramatically backlit (the light must be behind the subject). Then just take a meter reading of the background and expose for it. Any backlit subject you put in the frame will be underexposed with this meter reading. If the backlighting is bright enough and the subject not lit from the front, you’ll get a silhouette. Simple right? They can make for very effective images if done correctly.

I’ve always preferred “environmental portraiture” over wildlife action shots. Basically that means that I like to include the animals habitat and surroundings in my photographs. Rather than just making a full frame shot (which I still do when it is called for), a sense of place can tell a lot about your subject. To each their own. In the images below, the color variances are due to the ever changing light conditions. Early on, right after sunrise, the light was a deep red. Then it transitioned from orange to a brilliant yellow. I really enjoyed the mornings near Beluga Lake. Great light, fog, and birds.

Beluga Lake Panorama, Fog and Ducks. Click to Enlarge.

Beluga Lake, Morning Glow with Ducks. Click to Enlarge.

"Enjoys Long Swims on the Water..." Silhouette. Click to Enlarge.

Ducks and Dock. Click to Enlarge.

Forest on Fire. Click to Enlarge.

Water that Glows from Within. Click to Enlarge.

Ripples and Silhouette. Click to Enlarge.

Next up, I have some more shots from the Shorebird Festival. Stay tuned!

Shoot well & often.

Moonrise over Kachemak Bay State Park. Homer, Alaska. Click to Enlarge.

]]> http://sixtyonenorth.com/2009/05/moonrise-over-kachemak-state-park/feed/ 2 http://sixtyonenorth.com/2009/04/some-bald-eagle-images-from-homer-march-2009/ http://sixtyonenorth.com/2009/04/some-bald-eagle-images-from-homer-march-2009/#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:47:38 +0000 admin http://sixtyonenorth.com/wp/?p=372

Bald Eagle with Kachemak Bay State Park in Background

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 inches) from so many eagles. Hundreds of them at times.

Bald Eagle with Kachemak Bay State Park in Background

What an amazing sight. The photographer in me wishes I would have more opportunities like this in the future. But the wildlfe lover and environmentalist/conservationist in me is still very concerned about the drastic impact that we have had on eagle populations, as well as other wildlife species (to include other sea birds native to Kachemak Bay) that have been systematically driven out of the area by a surging eagle population. Not a lot of bird species have much of a chance against a 6 foot + wingspan Bald Eagle.

Bald Eagle Silhouette, Lenticular Cloud at Sunrise

Overall, I believe that it will be nice to see a more natural balance of wildlife return to the Kachemak Bay area. Ok, off the soapbox now & on to the pics. I’d like to hear your comments about the eagle feeding, it’s cancellation, and the possible impacts it may have. Please leave a comment – the floor is yours!

Stay tuned & good shooting!

As a side note, Jean usually fed 500 lbs of fish to the eagles, each day. Around 40,000 lbs throughout a winter. Quite a women.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CYHmZBHZcw

Eagles of Homer, Alaska

“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.

The Lady in Red - Jean Keene "The Eagle Lady"... Rest in Peace.

Jean Keene - October 20, 1923 -> January 13, 2009

Bald Eagle, Landing

Most of you probably don’t know this about me, but I have a long competitive shooting background. I started shooting Trap, then Skeet since I was around 12. Shot in local, state, regional, and national championships on several occasions – even won a bit of each. So this new Bushhawk felt very natural to me. My panning was smoother, I was able to acquire my target (ahem… I mean subject) much faster, and I was much more steady than simple handholding. I really think this new tool will be invaluable for wildlife/fast action photography. It works much better than a tripod for in-flight bird photography, much quicker. One thing I noticed about my short time with it, was that I was less fatigued and my back didn’t feel nearly as tight using it. It even has an incorporated 2 stage trigger; the first stage is for autofocus, the second is for taking the picture. It is fully customizable as well to each user, very nice. I’ll have a full review up here when I return from Homer around the 26th. I also recently purchased a new pair of winter gloves, specifically for photography. They are relatively thin and stretchy, but have a wind/water proof membrane, and are reportedly good to more than -30F. The key is, they are thin gloves, so I maintain my dexterity. I hate wearing bulky gloves while pursuing photography in the winter, but I also hate frost-bite. Looking forward to seeing how they work out. They are made by SealSkinz, and are distributed in the U.S. by Danalco. I’ll have a review of these as well.

Bald Eagle Profile, Frozen Beak

Anyway, here are a few more photos from Homer a few weeks ago. 

STAY TUNED:)

Anyway, back to my “eureka” multi-ment… I’m a lucky guy. No not with women – I’ve tripped and fallen through most of my relationships with the fairer sex (a few of which didn’t seem so fair, in the end); not with money – I probably owe more than my net worth; not with luck – if I had that perhaps the relationships would have been one with a really rich woman and I’d be retired by now.

But I do travel, and I meet people. Fascinating people, brilliant people, talented people, passionate people – people that shape lives. Mine to be more appreciative. I’ve compared my travels with old friends, I’ve done better than most – like I said I’m a lucky guy. I’ve been to Europe: Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina. I’ve been across the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean. Most recently, I live in Alaska – if there was a postcard for planet earth, Alaska could generate the best wild-lands/wildlife shots. Along with some of the most eclectic people. I have plans/dreams to visit Europe again, the Far East, the Mid-East (possibly the most misunderstood region inhabited by the most misunderstood people on planet earth), Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand, etc. 

Back to those people. Each and every one has been a life changer. Another multi-ment here. No matter who you are, or what you do – you shape others through your actions or lack of action. You shape opinions, biases, conceptions or fuel misconceptions. How you treat people will forever alter those peoples lives, consciously or not. Some people are generous, some are guarded, some are rude – but all are life changing because you react, again consciously or not. Reactions are like dominos, tip one over and the line topples. The butterfly effect… a butterfly flaps it’s wings in Australia and a few days later it rains in L.A. See? I told you this was deep.

My travels in Alaska have been the best yet. I’ve met a family of travelers from Holland (hello Jos, Jeroen, Sophie, Emma! Thank you for the Christmas Card!) experiencing America for a summer. Met them in Ken and Chris Day’s prepping cabin by Beluga Lake before we all boarded a floatplane for Katmai to visit the bears. I don’t know what it is about the Dutch and Swedes, but they don’t seem to produce unattractive people – or mean ones. The Berings could have modeled as a family, and given lessons on friendliness to the Dalai Lama – not just good, but great people. I hope they won’t mind, but here’s a pic they emailed me that I took with their camera as they posed in front of “Peaches”.

Copyright Bering Photography 2008

Then there are the aforementioned Ken and Chris Day of Emerald Air Service – a bear guide service based in Homer. Generous with their knowledge of bears and business, I will forever be indebted to them for their kindness and the experiences that I have due only to the same knowledge. I’ve met The Eagle Lady of Homer, Jean Keene. She’s been feeding tons of fish to the Bald Eagles on the Homer Spit since the late 1970′s, and just turned 85 this past October. She averages about 40,000 pounds of fish thrown to the eagles in a 130 day “season”. It’s late, so I won’t attempt the math. But suffice it to say, that’s a lot of stinky, slimy fish. But she loves the eagles, and all the other avians that frequent her yard. Those of us who visit her, some just get that once in a lifetime chance, others – like myself – see her several times a year to photograph the gathering of the eagles, will be forever changed by the spectacle of seeing 200-300 Bald Eagles gathered so close in such an idilic setting. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. And thank you to Steve, another Homer local, that helps nearly every day with Jean’s responsibilities.

Jean "The Eagle Lady" Keene taking a well earned break.

This weekend I met a Iranian born American named Ali Darvish. He’s possibly the most talented photographer I’ve ever seen, or met for that matter. And you won’t find a more passionate photographer and lover of life. This past Iditarod, he was flying in a small plane in rural Alaska (rural Alaska is different than rural Illinois…) when the plane suffered a catastrophic failure (I love that description, almost as much as this one…) and key pieces of the airplane fell off – namely, THE WINGS! I’m not a pilot or an aeronautical engineer, but even I know, planes don’t stay aloft very well when they lack wings. They tend to take on the trajectory of a lawn dart – remember those things? You can’t buy them for your kids anymore, but you can send your kids to pilot school… My dad has a phrase, “any landing you can walk away from”. But I take issue with what Ali went through as being a “landing”, don’t you need to have your gear down and still have the majority of the plane you took off with, to be considered a landing? Anyway, Ali is a fascinating guy – great stories from his world travels. I’d love to be able to post a link here to his online portfolio, but he actually knows less about computers than my own grandfather… sorry grandpa… But the key to Ali is – and he readily admits it – he has not desire to learn Photoshop and image manipulation. Seems ok with me, especially when you look at his raw, untouched images straight out of the camera. They don’t need to be worked on, immediate and perfected artwork. The guy just has raw talent, Photoshop CS4 (or whatever version is out now) be damned. He took about 50,000 images during his coverage of the Beijing Olympics. I’ve only seen a couple of them, but they are iconic in a way that I’ll probably never fully understand. They are a mixture of color, motion, and emotion. I hope he does a book soon, because I could look at his images over and over. They are just that inspiring. He has dreams of shooting for National Geographic, they could only be so lucky.

Then there were the Gullett’s. Spent a day with them on a boat in the Kenai Fjord’s National Park, near Seward. I don’t think I’ve ever met a happier or closer family. They welcomed me into their Alaska experience for a day, “forced” me to join them for dinner that evening, and I happily am still in touch with them. I hope to see them again next time they visit my “post-card state”. 

Team Work on the Mariah - Father Son "Gullett" Style

There are many more people that I’ve met in just 3 years, if you’re not named directly here – please know that you’ve shaped me just as much. I am only running out space in this novel;)

I overheard a conversation about me today, mostly by accident. I think it was meant as a criticism (which is fine, I can take it – I’ve found that once you’ve been shot at (oddly enough, not in the military), or walked near an unmarked mine field in a region torn apart by war and genocide, a persons criticisms are a pretty easy thing to handle – no matter how damning). This person said that I “approached photography to socialize, instead of take pictures”. I take issue with the second part, there’s nothing that I like more than taking photos, anyone who knows me understands that quickly. But the first part, “socialize” doesn’t seem as damning as it did when I first overheard the conversation. To meet people & share a moment (or if you’re really lucky, a multi-ment) of each others lives (even if just for a cab ride, or a weekend) – to socialize – what a lucky guy I am. Up to very recently, I’ve always resisted taking group photos or being a part of them – now, these people and having a photo memory of them, are some of my fondest photographs. I will endeavor to take more group shots, because traveling (and life in general) isn’t about where you’ve been or where you are going, it’s about who you meet along the way. To the life changers, each and everyone of us.

p.s. – watched a great documentary tonight. It’s about a guy that quits his great paying job to travel the world on the cheap for a year. It reaffirms my idea that it’s the people that make your life better, rather than the places you visit. A world tour is something I’ve wanted to do for some time now. I’m making a promise to myself right now, if Sixtyone North allows it, I’m taking a year off in the future, to do just that.

A Map for Saturday – documentary about a life changing backpacking trip around the globe. Highly recommended.

The first image is an eagle on one of the many perches set up in Jean Keene’s yard (The Eagle Lady). The sun had just peaked over the mountains (at camera left), and was casting a gorgeous warm side light across the bay… and onto the eagles. The perches are set up for the benefit of both photographers & eagles. The eagles gather by the hundreds in her yard waiting for the fish scraps to be tossed over the wall. Many times, early in the days feeding, a chunk of herring will be thrown over the fence and a huge bald eagle will fly in within seconds, lower it’s massive talons and scoop up it’s prize – all while never touching the ground! It’s a blur of feathers and power.

Bald Eagle Staring Intently... They do everything intently!

The second image is part of my detail series, like this close up of “Peaches” the bear in Katmai (the last image in the linked post). I love the detail shots of wild creatures that allow you to get close. The texture and patterns are mesmerizing as a photographer.

Immature Bald Eagle Detail

STAY TUNED:)

Bald Eagle Silhouette Over Kachemak Bay

The next 3 images are a series of shots, a more humorous take on things.

"You could use a mint."

"Hey you with the big camera! You got any Binaca?"

"Yeah, we're not talking till you brush your beak."

One day down, two to go with the eagles… this month. Keep checking back, I’ll post more pics ASAP. Take care and have a happy holidays.