Shorebird Migration

Hartney Bay is well known for the visiting migratory birds. This location sees a lot of birds the first week of May. How many? Oh… around 5 million. Give or take. Two photography tips for this location in May? Yeah… you’ll thank me later. Tip #1 – Wear rain gear at all times. Might be a good idea for your camera gear too. Tip #2 – Don’t EVER look up with your mouth open. Those aren’t wet snow flakes. Well, they may be. But do you really want to take that chance? You’re welcome. Annnnnnyway. In mid June, there are less birds and associated poop to dodge. The grass that grows in Hartney Slough is thick and lush green. The river is constantly changing appearance. When the tide is out, it is just few feet deep and is...

The world’s moving so fast, the man who says it can’t be done is interrupted by someone doing it. - Elbert Hubbard 2010 will be the 6th straight year that I’ve been shooting solely in Alaska. In truth, it feels as if I’ve just arrived. Everything is still new and fresh to me, even though I have experienced it (whatever “it” is) several times now, in most cases. I’ve witnessed glaciers calving, both from a boat and from just across a raging river. I’ve seen humpback whales hurling their 40 ton bodies into the air, then the added blessing of seeing young whales being nurtured by mothers. I’ve watched pods of orca actively hunting, and sea otters frolicking in water so close that I could literally reach out and...

This is the workshop I’ve been subtly hinting about for a while now. I’m very excited to be hosting this workshop along with my good friend Gary Gullett. Gary is the owner and founder of Chicago Photo Safaris, and we met over 1 year ago while photographing the wild waters wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park. No kidding, this is going to be a long post. I’ve written a trip description for our workshop/adventour – you will find it below. If you have any questions regarding this amazing photo workshop, please feel free to email any time. I will respond as quickly & completely as I can. If this trip sounds like something you want to do, consider this – it will fill quickly. Before the trip was formally announced, we’ve...

Grab the Kleenex (Kleenex is a Kimberly-Clark brand), make sure all your manly friends aren’t around to see you, and get ready to feel the need to cuddle up with something soft and warm. 1 week ago, I boarded the high-speed ferry in Whittier, bound for Cordova on the eastern edge of the Prince William Sound. The forecast had changed so many times over the past couple of days, that I really had no idea of what to expect. Honestly, is there anyone out there that can be so wrong, so many times and still get paid for their job. Weather forecasters can barely even tell you what happened yesterday, let alone what will happen tomorrow or the next day. I think they use a Ouija Board, a Magic 8 Ball, and a 24-sided die to make their forecasts. Sorry Al Roker, the...

Just a few quick shots from this past Sunday morning. Glorious weather in Kachemak Bay, too bright for typical landscape photography – so I concentrated on macro photography, areas small enough that I could block the sun with my shadow. Lowering the contrast with the worlds most portable sun shade:) A self-propelled sun visor made specifically for photographing lichen. Me. I’m unsure of what the actual name of this particular lichen is, but there were several patches of it covering various rocks above the beach in Jakalof Bay. Brilliant colors, and nearly perfectly round in many instances. Incredible shape and color, very complex & yet very simple. Mother nature is a fine artist and has the most varied palette you will ever see. Remember to look...

I’d like to start a new dialogue on my website – I hope that you will participate. I post quite a few images on this journal. It’s been a way for me to share my latest work, my writing trials, and my odd sense of humor (don’t worry, I’m back on my meds). Many of you have taken the time to comment on the images displayed here, and I thank you for that. I enjoy the very kind words that I’ve received, but my friends have questioned the effects on my ego:) I learn best through criticism though. So here it is, if you see something that you don’t like in an image – post a comment explaining why. Does the composition strike you the wrong way? Is there a stick lodged in someones head that I missed, or a feather angles in a...