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Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3381

Every day when I leave my office to go home, I pass Auke Lake. It is a complete visual delight; the deep lake nestled between forested hillsides. My drives along the lake shore have created plenty of images for many of my publications over the years. The mountains, including Shark Fin and a partial look at the Mendenhall Towers, create an especially eye-popping vista. Auke Lake is the picturesque home of the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus. This image is the February image in ...

Sea Otter, Icy Strait, Elfin Cove, Inside Passage, AK # 3380

As a wildlife photographer, I spend an inordinate amount of time just waiting and waiting — and more waiting. Every once in a while, one of those long waits pays off. I have been trying to get images of sea otters in Icy Strait for more than ten years, dreaming of an amazing close-up portrait. Icy-Strait sea otters can be hard to photograph up close because they are leery from hunting pressure, making them very skittish. I finally came upon one friendly otter outside Elfin Cove. He swam ...

Aurora Borealis, Brooks Range, Arctic Alaska #3379

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! This is my ode to Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” I shot this image of the aurora’s night sky packed with stars on my annual visit to the Brooks Range in Alaska’s Arctic. This image is the December image in my Alaska 2026 calendar. The calendar is available for purchase at the Juneau Public Market, in Juneau-area stores and at markkelley.com. This year marks my 37th year at the Juneau Public Market. I look forward to seeing everyone. The market opens Friday, November ...

Nugget Falls, Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3378

Tourists and locals alike visiting the Mendenhall Glacier love walking out to Nugget Falls, so I decided to work on getting a great image of the falls. When I am considering a photo shoot, I ponder what is special about the spot and how I can capture this for others to see. There are probably thousands of waterfalls in the Lower 48 states, but none can claim icebergs floating up to the shoreline like Nugget Falls. Locals are so lucky to have the Mendenhall Glacier in their viewfinder. This ...

Mom and Calf Killer Whale, Cross Sound, Inside Passage, AK #3377

Sometimes I go far afield to find out what is going on beyond my everyday world. I found myself on the water with other photographers as we headed out Icy, past Cross Sound and on to the open ocean. We came across a pod of orcas that circled our boat as they decided to hang out with us. This mom and calf kept close to the boat, providing a whale of photo opportunities. I had never photographed a mom and calf together. We all finally felt like we had taken plenty of photos and left the pod ...

Aurora Borealis, Brooks Range, Arctic Alaska #3376

This image is of the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) streaming over the mountains in the Brooks Range, located about 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The photo was shot under a full moon night at about 2 a.m. with temperatures hovering around minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. I love how the full moon lights up the snow, making for a surreal landscape that looks like high noon. Look closely and you can see the trees casting moon shadows on the snow. The dark foreboding night sky reminds me ...

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“As a kid in Buffalo, New York, I always wondered what it would be like to encounter a whale,” says Mark Kelley. Learn more about Mark...