Katmai National Park

These are shots from early August, and my “One-on-One Guided Tour” with my client Matthew. Did some more work on those images and found a few more I wanted to put up for display and critique. The first is a classic head profile shot, the second a more unorthodox over the shoulder view – what the bear was looking at & trying to find his next meal in the cold blue depths. I’d love to hear if you think this second comp works, it is something different. I’m always looking for new perspectives, so I happen to like it. Mainly because of the warm brown fur (recently washed and dried) and the cool blue water. Your thoughts? And now, for something a little different. Stay...

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...

Here are a few more shots from my trip last week. Remember to get out and shoot. Take care and stay tuned.

Yep, I did it. I had one of those “Oh… I get it” moments, a realization… Eureka! If I examine it more thoroughly, it really wasn’t a “moment of discovery” it is a culmination of multiple moments. I nearly typed multi-ments, QUICK someone call Websters – I conjugated an adjective with a noun into a real-life usable word! My friends might argue, but I think I’m a frickin’ genious… 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...

Here are another pair of images from the brown bears on the Katmai Coast. The reception for these b&w versions has been great, and I’ve got to say – I’m hooked. For me, b&w puts more stress on texture and composition. You also have a little more flexibility with b&w. All of these images were shot in mid-day light. Not the soft, warm light you find at the small hours of the day – known as the golden hours. Often times, creativity begets creativity. I now have more favorite images from the trip (and the b&w’s outnumber the color). This exercise has boosted my creativity, and reminded me that creativity shouldn’t end in the...

Here I go, “doing the twist”… oh wait. No one wants to see that. Here are two more images I’ve been working on from Katmai. The first was from a staring contest that I admittedly lost. The second is more of a pondering pose. The bear seems to be pondering, “are these things sharp enough?” I’d have to say yes, although I thankfully didn’t have any first hand knowledge or interaction with ‘said’...