Field Notes

January 2016 I have been photographing Glacier Bay for over 35 years, and this last summer was the first time I was able to get really close to Johns Hopkins Glacier. As soon as we got there on July 5, Johns Hopkins started going off like the 4th of July fireworks. In the space of two hours we had at least seven major calvings. This image is the first calving and I just pulled up and shot.  I was shooting my Nikon 80-400mm in DX mode which gave me the equivalent of a 600mm lens. Everything happened so quickly, I did not even see the kayakers in the frame. What a PATAGONIA moment!

December 2015 The current issue of ALASKA MAGAZINE features a photo story of my trip in Glacier Bay last summer with Dolphin Charters and guests. Check it out…

Christmas Eve, 2015 I received a really fun gift today: I got Binged! Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, used this image I shot of Amalga Harbor as their homepage image of the day today. How fun is that! Bing is the second largest search engine in the US with more than twenty percent share of the market. A big thank you to Bing and to the Kegler family here in Juneau. The Kegler’s purchased the Christmas tree on their floating dock from state surplus and used a forty foot under water electrical cable to light it up. A true Alaskan moment.

November, 2015 I will be signing calendars at Hearthside’s Annual Holiday Event this Saturday, November 21, from 1-3. See you at the Nugget Mall!‪‬

September 9, 2015 Richard Hebhardt took this photo unbeknownst to me. Richard joined up for this year’s Glacier Bay photo expedition, which turned out to be just an awesome trip. More info on photo expeditions can be found at www.markkelley.com/alaska-photo-expeditions photo by Richard Hebhardt

August 1, 2015 Two of my images are featured in this month’s issue of Alaska Magazine. This image I call “Hanging Out” and was taken in Anan Creek, near Wrangell, Alaska. Anan has both a black and brown bear population. When mama black bear goes fishing in the creek she will send her cubs up a tree to wait for her in safety.

July 31, 2015 This past month I spent seven days onboard Ronn Patterson’s M/V Delphinus as photo leader for Dolphin Charters. Eight photographers joined us for a full week in Glacier Bay National Park, what an amazing trip. Glacier Bay just keeps calling me and I will keep going back.

I am really glad I had the opportunity to collaborate on the project:  The View from the Future 2017, Fifty Years after the Alaska Purchase Centennial, by shooting the images for the section on Southeast Alaska. Worth a look…more info at Taku Graphics: “As the Purchase Sesquicentennial approached, six writers and six photographers all-Alaskan notables-were asked to travel the state and share what became of those big ideas of 1967. What they found was more than just a memory.”

May 15, 2015 The weather has been great in Juneau this last week, and is forecasted to continue into next week. Tracy Arm is one of my very favorite places to go on a sunny day. I joined Adventure Bound Alaska and captain Steve Weber for a great day on the water in Tracy Arm. Wildlife was out in force and we saw killer whales, harbor seal, sea lions, bears, and many eagles.

May 6, 2015 I enjoyed working with the folks from Princess Cruises on this shoot. Can’t beat hanging out with sled dogs and mushers on a sunny day on the Juneau docks. Happy Summer!

April 22, 2015 Glacier Bay National Park is the star in New York this Earth Day and in Forbes Magazine! I have spent more than eight months of time in Glacier Bay over the years and it holds a special place in my heart. It is a wild land of silence and glacial thunder. Celebrate Glacier Bay today…Thank you UNESCO and Jaeger-LeCoultre.