Photo Expeditions

Over the years Mark Kelley has led photo expeditions and workshops in some of Alaska’s most beautiful settings for Dolphin Charters, Glacier Bay Cruise Lines, Cruise West. and Camp Denali & North Face Lodge. Contact us to schedule Mark for your next photography event, or even better, join Mark in Alaska on your next photo expedition.

Autumn Nature Photography Workshop at Camp Denali in August, 2014

Upcoming Alaska Photo Expeditions

Glacier Bay 2018

About Mark

“As a kid in Buffalo, New York, I always wondered what it would be like to encounter a whale,” says Mark Kelley. “I moved north in 1974 and four years later graduated from the University of Alaska with a journalism degree. During those college years in Fairbanks, Alaska, I would skip the first week of school to photograph wildlife in Denali National Park as fall colors in Denali are magical.” In 1985 Mark Kelley continued on to work towards a master’s degree in photojournalism at Ohio University, where he was awarded the Paul Schutzer Memorial Award. Mark joined the staff at the Juneau Empire, Juneau’s only daily newspaper, as a photojournalist for thirteen years before going back to his roots to pursue a full-time career in nature and wildlife photography.

Having called Alaska “home” for the past forty years, Mark Kelley’s deep photographic knowledge of the great state of Alaska is unsurpassed. “I envision a shot and sometimes wait for years for the parameters to be just right. I think about an image of a whale breaching with fireweed in bloom on the island in the background. Most photographers miss a whale’s first breach as it is impossible to know where a whale will surface. Patience and the knowledge that many whales will breach a second time keep me inspired to be in the right place at, hopefully, the right time, and year in and year out if that is what it takes, until I get my shot.”

“I love sharing my knowledge of Alaska with fellow photographers. It is not easy to learn all the how’s, where’s, and when’s in this vast state. I always recommend connecting with locals in order to gather all the details necessary to place yourself in the right spot at the right time for your next best photo.”

 Waiting for Bears, Pack Creek 2013

Reviews

“I really liked Mark as the workshop leader. He has a way of dealing with each person. He was calm while at the same time showing leadership. I recommend him as a leader for another workshop. The entire trip was so good I’m coming back next year!” – Paul

“I was very impressed with Mark Kelley as a workshop leader. He was personable, easy to talk to, had a great sense of humor, and was charmingly modest for a man of his accomplishments. He had a great deal to offer regarding technical details of photography” – Ralph