Wildlife Photos, Pictures, Prints

Humpback Whale Breach 101

Posted on August 7, 2010 September 11, 2013

Two weeks ago, I photographed this humpback whale on Frederick Sound. I find this image particularly striking due to the unusual, head-on perspective. The humpback breached towards me which helped illustrate its streamlined body. Also, the pectoral fins in this shot are perfectly angled at the whale’s side as it thrusts itself out of the water. This young whale must have breached at least 50 times over a 2 hour period. Incredible! I was able to anticipate the breaches about 50% of the time and zeroed in on about 12 different sequences that will yield publishable humpback whale images. My dad was with me and managed to capture this breach on video using my iPhone, which you can view on YouTube.

Humpback Whale Breach 100

Posted on July 24, 2010 September 13, 2013

A few months ago, I stopped posting images while traveling, because I didn’t like the results of my color processing on my 13″ MacBook Pro. I thought that I would make an exception for this new humpback whale breaching image from my last week of cruising Southeast Alaska.

Last Sunday, I left Juneau and motored my 22′ C-Dory 90 miles south down Stephens Passage to Frederick Sound. The weather forecast was typically miserable, however, I was elated to experience sunny skies for 3 days. My previous attempts at photographing humpbacks breaching have not been very successful, so I assumed that my chance of capturing anything epic was miniscule. The several hundred whales on Frederick Sound typically only come to the surface for 3-4 breaths before deep diving to feed for 20 minutes. The most common photo is of their tails. In order to photograph a breach, I have to locate a playful whale that is not several miles away, which is what I did with this youngster. It repeatedly breached, slapped its pectoral fins, and tail lobbed near my small boat for over 2 hours. Incredible! To see more incredible humpback whales, go to my humpback whale photos gallery.

Atlantic Puffin 7

Posted on July 13, 2010 December 8, 2012

I want to share another one of my favorite Atlantic puffin images from the bird cliffs at Latrabjarg in the Northwestern Fjords of Iceland. It took me 9 years to return to this fantastic location so that I could photograph these cute birds. I was fortunate that the clouds parted late in the evening allowing the sun to bathe the cliffs in golden light. I like this puffins open beak with the fantastic bokeh background of the cliffs behind it.

Atlantic Puffin 18

Posted on July 6, 2010 December 8, 2012

Yesterday, I spent 6 hours editing, processing, keywording, and sizing my Atlantic puffin photographs for the web. As busy as my summer is, I am not going to finish processing the rest of my Iceland trip any time soon. This is one of my favorites. I like how the puffin’s breast is pointing forward with the orange bokeh from the sunset illuminating the cliff. I always preach that the most important part of a great wildlife image is not the subject, but what is going on behind it. Clean, simple background like cliffs and mountains in the distance yield the best results. I created this image with my Canon 7D and 400mm f4 DO IS lens on a Gitzo GT2931 tripod with an Acratech Ultimate ballhead and Wimberley Sidekick.

Alaska Airlines July 2010 Cover

Posted on July 1, 2010 December 8, 2012

I am pleased to share my latest cover image on Alaska Airlines. This is the 3rd time this year and the 2nd month in a row that they have selected one of my photographs for the cover of their in-flight magazine. I photographed this brown bear diving for a salmon when I visited the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary & Refuge in August 2006. My buddy & I were fortunate to be the only visitors the last week of August, so the ranger gave us a private tour. Even he said that he had never been to some of the areas that we hiked to. I had applied several years in a row for the lottery but never got a permit. Like most people, I had applied for the height of the salmon run and the bear congregation in July. This time I applied for the last week of the season and received a permit. So did 8 other people, but none of them showed up. I’ve was told that it is also easy to get a permit for the first week or two of the summer. So, keep those shoulder season dates in mind if you ever want to photograph brown bears and have McNeil River all to yourself.

Kaikoura Billboard

Posted on June 24, 2010 September 13, 2013

Kaikoura Billboard

One of my underwater humpback whale images appears on billboards in New Zealand this month. (Anyone in NZ able to send me a picture?) When I first set out to make a living as a professional photographer, I initially found success selling fine-art prints through galleries & art shows. That business model ceased being effective with the down-turn in the economy, so I turned my focus to my website. Many of my modest sales now come from having good SEO. This sale is a perfect example. A design firm contacted me a few weeks ago after searching the web, offered me a reasonable usage rate, I emailed them the file, and they wire-transferred the money to me. How easy was that?

Atlantic Puffin 1

Posted on June 21, 2010 December 8, 2012

This is my favorite Atlantic puffin image from my Iceland trip. I had wanted to do-over the puffins I shot on my first visit to Iceland 9 years ago. I was glad they were still around, though not in the same numbers I remembered. I only spent 1 night photographing them on the cliffs at Latrabjarg, but was fortunate the sky was clear at sunset which bathed the puffins in golden light. Just when I thought I would have the cliffs to myself, a tour group showed up. I can’t complain because I moved around enough to avoid the puffin-jams and still photographed some beautiful poses. The cliffs are between 50-100m high, so I got as close to the edge as I was comfortable, but people have fallen to their deaths by getting too close, including an unfortunate German tourist a week after my visit. My heart went out to his family when I heard the news. I’ve got many more puffin & Iceland images to share in the weeks ahead.

2010 International Conservation Photography Awards

Posted on June 18, 2010 February 8, 2018

Tonight is the awards ceremony for the 2010 International Conservation Photography Awards at the UW’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The exhibit opens to the general public tomorrow. My image of a Steller sea lion underwater won 2nd Place in the Underwater category. It is featured on most of the promotional materials, including this poster that is currently displayed all around Seattle. I also received an Honorable Mention in the Landscape category for my “Badwater Salt Crust Sunrise 1″ image from Death Valley National Park. I am really looking forward to seeing some of my friends, like Stuart Westmorland & Sean Bagshaw, and meeting a number of photographers that I only know online, including Todd Mintz, Jim Patterson, & David M Cobb.

Popular Photography May 2010 Alaska Article

Chilkat Bald Eagle 114

Posted on February 12, 2010 December 8, 2012

I stayed home the last 4 weeks, so I was able to accomplish some serious photo editing. It has been hard work, but also fun reliving all of last years’ amazing adventures and discovering some real gems that I missed during my initial edits, like this bald eagle portrait. I photographed this majestic bird during my Haines Bald Eagle Photo Tour last November. My 3 clients all had a great time, learned a ton, & came home with some real keepers. I already have requests from several people to go back this November. Since I will not take more than 4 clients on my trips, space will be very limited.