Archive for the ‘Katmai National Park’ Category
Katmai National Park, Brooks Falls, Brooks Lake, Brooks River, Naknek Lake.
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
A large male adult brown bear, or grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), stands and stares at the camera. Male brown bears may reach weights of over 1200lbs and easily stand 9' tall. Brown bear, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
One of my main goals last year, photographically, was to shoot more ‘bears in the landscape’ style shots; images such as this one were what I was really after. Of course, that doesn’t mean I would pass up an opportunity to fill the frame with a bear like this, either.
This kind of image is all about the bear; power, size and vitality. The bears in the landscape speak a little more about place. Fascinating subject, place.
I just got back from a trip to Denali National Park and Preserve, where I spent some time in a cabin in the woods, by a fire, trying to stay warm. The day we skied in to the park, the temperatures plummeted, from the 0 to – 5 degreeF range to minus 40 and minus 45. The experience of the Alaska backcountry at that kind of temperature is something else.
It was a cool experience, hanging out with my friend, Erik DeLuca, music composer from Virginia, while he concentrated on doing some soundscape recordings and trying his best to experience a ‘sense of place’ in a landscape like this. We chatted a lot about what that means, what it does for us, and why it might be important. I commandeered Erik’s book, “Place: A Short Introduction“, (author: Tim Cresswell) and read over it during the long dark nights. It’s interesting stuff. (more…)
Tags: Brown bears, grizzlies, Katmai National Park, photo tours
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Musings, Photo Tours, Wildlife | 2 Comments »
Sunday, January 8th, 2012
Tags: avian, ducks, Harlequin Duck, Katmai National Park and Preserve
Posted in Abstract Photos, Alaska, Art, Birds, Katmai National Park, Wildlife | 4 Comments »
Monday, December 26th, 2011
Hey Folks,
It’s that time of year once again. Thanks so much for stopping by to read the blog here and view the photos, I appreciate it.
Here are my pick of images (34) for 2011. I hope you enjoy them.
You’ll find a great list of photographers’ photos of the year on Jim Goldstein’s blog. Check it out.
Thanks
Cheers
Carl (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Brown bears, Grizzly Bears, Landscapes, scenics, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park
Posted in Adventures, Aerial Photos, Alaska, Anchorage, Backpacking and Hiking, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Landscapes, Photography, Wildlife, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 15 Comments »
Friday, December 16th, 2011
Grizzly bear lying on the ground, rear view, (Ursus arctos), Katmai National Park and Preserve. Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
I generally avoid articles built from numbered lists. The Top 8 anything is generally little more than billboardian nonsense.
That said, I read with some interest 12 things you were not taught in school about creative thinking: I’ll ignore the perfect opportunity to comment about the very clear LACK of creative thinking in the article’s title. For now.
The article is by Michael Michalko, “one of the most highly acclaimed creativity experts in the world and author of the best sellers Thinkertoys (A Handbook of Business Creativity), ThinkPak (A Brainstorming Card Deck), and Cracking Creativity (The Secrets Of Creative Genius)” - hhhmmm …. I’m seeing a pattern here.
I think perhaps the biggest ‘myth’ we hold about creative thinking is something that comes from this article and others like it. (more…)
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Art, Katmai National Park, Musings, Photo Tours, Photography | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
Brown bear, Ursus arctos, standing raised upright and rubbing her back against a birch tree in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
I can’t imagine my father ever calling himself a “professional University lecturer” or my brother referring himself to as a “professional math teacher”.
The word professional means many things; but when it’s followed with a vocation, such as “photographer”, it doesn’t mean that you enjoy photography a lot, or that you speak politely about it, or that someone bought a print from you. It doesn’t even mean that you have a website. It doesn’t mean you teach workshops and lead tours, either.
Show me a professional photographer, and I’ll wager a dollar I’ll show you someone who’s struggled to pay their rent, who’s sold gear to make their car payment (or sold their car to make their gear payment), someone who’s eaten peanut butter sandwiches because that’s what was available to eat.
A professional photographer has made real sacrifice to do what they do (there are always exceptional cases, with trust funds, a wealthy spouse, etc). It’s a risk. It’s giving up an awful lot to choose to pursue a particular vocation. It’s losing on that risk, picking up, and swinging the stick again. And again. And yet again. Repeat, infinitum.
It sounds much more glamorous than it might be. It means you take the bus sometimes, it means you sit in the rain and wish you were somewhere else. It means you sometimes take a lower price for a sale because you need shoes. Pardon my French, but it means you’ve been sh** on. It means you’ve wished, cursed and swore that you had chosen some other manner to live by. It means you say ‘yes’ when you think ‘oh sh**, that gig sounds like hell’. It means you say ‘yes’ and then that gig actually IS hell. And you then say ‘yes’ again. Still you pursue it.
(more…)
Tags: Alaska, Grizzly Bears, Wildlife
Posted in Alaska, Art, Katmai National Park, Musings, Photo business, Photography, Rants | 3 Comments »
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
Borwn bear in the forest, fall colors, searching for salmon in a river. Brown bear (Ursus arctos) Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks
A few quick updates: though nothing is ‘final’ on the interwebs, it seems; the internet goes to infinity, I suppose.
The end of every summer/fall I’m busy with office work, paper work, reports, emails, photo editing, processing, prints, website updates, website tweaks, writing, photo submissions (Oh, how I detest that word “submissions”; yet it’s so wonderfully apt, isn’t it?) and heaven knows what else. It’s not so much fun, but (apparently) it has to be done.
Lately, here’s a few of the projects I’ve been dealing with and fires I’ve put out. Many more to come.
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Canada, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Photo business, Photo Tours, Photography, Wildlife | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
A brown bear patrols the river's edge at dawn, searching for spawning Sockeye salmon. Brown bear (Ursus arctos), Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
For regular readers here, you might well know of the photo tours and guiding I do with Alaskan Alpine Treks. I’ve just now set up a page to compliment those photo tours here on Skolai Images, and you can be the first to visit by clicking here: Alaska Photo Tours.
I’m currently booking 3 photo tours: the ever popular grizzly bears in the fall tour (2×1 week tours), both of which are almost full for 2012. I’m also booking 2 Alaska aurora borealis photo tours for winter/spring in 2012; March and April. And the Skolai Pass Alaska landscapes backcountry tour is a great summertime trip; July and August seem to be the popular dates for that trip.
You can find all the info you might want, and links and pictures, over on the new Alaska Photo Tours page.
Give me a call or drop me an email if you’re interested. Thanks so much.
Cheers
Carl
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Katmai National Park, Photo Tours, Photography | No Comments »
Saturday, November 5th, 2011
Tags: Brown bears, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Landscapes, scenics, Skolai Images, sunsets
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Landscapes, Photo Tours, Wildlife | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos. A large adult male grizzly bear stands in dawn's early light, shrouded in fog on a cool fall morning. Brown bear, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
We were treated to some gorgeous soft light in the cool fall mornings on our recent grizzly bears photo tour. Fortunately for our group, no one had any troubles with lenses fogging up, which can wreak havoc on shooting early, cold mornings. The ethereal, moody experience of standing in the mist in near silence, watching the bears go about their morning, was really a special experience we all were grateful for. The photos were just the icing on the cake. And this bear? Ted, the coolest bear in the whole wide world. Ever. 
I’ve shot this bear a number of years now, and it’s always exciting to see him on the river again. He’s a beautiful animal, and I’m lucky to have had so many great opportunities to see and photograph him.
Thanks Ted.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Brown bears, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Skolai Images
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Photo Tours, Wildlife | 3 Comments »
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Tags: Alaska, Brown bears, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Landscapes, scenics, Skolai Images, sunsets
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Grizzly Bears, Katmai National Park, Landscapes, Photo Tours, Photos Only, Wildlife | 2 Comments »
