The view from Thunder Mountain overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier is one of my all-time favorite views in Juneau, Alaska. This image illustrates the month of July in the 2024 Alaska Calendar. Purchase your favorite Mark Kelley calendar in Juneau stores or online at markkelley.com. Thank you for visiting and for the gift of your time. Enjoy […]
Juneau
Sunset, Out the road, Juneau, Alaska #3356
I am a sucker for sunsets. I always shoot them, yet most fizzle out. But, when the light is going bonkers, I go into a full-throttle rush chasing the light hoping to catch the peak moment with the right background. I got this one overlooking Lynn Canal and the Chilkat Range from the Juneau road […]
Bald Eagle, Auke Bay, Juneau, Alaska #3355
Under the watchful eye of its mate, a bald eagle carries a talon full of grasses to fluff up its nest in preparation for egg laying, which usually happens in late April through May in Southeast Alaska. This image illustrates the month of April in the 2024 Juneau Calendar . Purchase your favorite Mark Kelley calendar in Juneau […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3354
I took this photo in May just after the winter ice disappeared from Mendenhall Lake. Right after break-up, the water level in the lake is usually very low. The glacier’s ice is coming out of a deep winter freeze and just beginning to thaw starting the process of refilling the lake. The low water level […]
March Madness Alaska Style #3445
Sunset, Serenity, Lena, Shelter Island, Chilkats
Moon Set, Juneau, Alaska #3443
February’s full moon is known as the “snow moon” due to that month’s typically heavy snowfalls. According to the National Weather Service, on average February is the United States’ snowiest month. This “snow moon” sets over the Chilkat Mountains, Shelter Island and Lena Point and was shot in February 2021. I posted this image back then […]
Black Wolf, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska #3442
An image of the wolf who captured our hearts, Romeo. A special moment to remind us of how lucky we are to live with a glacier and wildlife in our very own backyard. This image illustrates the month of February in the 2023 Alaska Calendar. Purchase your favorite calendar in local Juneau stores or at markkelley.com. I will […]
Bald Eagles, Juneau, Alaska #3440
A pile of bald eagles seek shelter from a raging storm in a large stand of Sitka spruce trees across the road from Western Auto in the Lemon Creek area of Juneau. For over 40 years I have been watching the eagles use these trees. As Lemon Creek experienced growing commercial development, I feared some entity […]
Aurora Borealis, Juneau, Alaska #3439
It was an amazing night of northern lights storming over Auke Lake, Mt. McGinnis, and the Coast Mountains. Unlike the high arctic which is regularly awash in the aurora, many outsiders seem surprised to know that Juneau gets northern lights. I usually go out five to ten times a year hoping the shoot the lights […]
Black Bear Cub, Juneau, Alaska #3436
A black bear cub pauses to take a break from ravenously feeding on dandelions along Juneau’s road system. Each spring dandelions line the roadside of, what Juneauites call “Out the Road.” The yellow banquet of flowers, although invasive, provides a much-needed food source for the bears. I love that the dandelions are taller than this first-year cub. […]
Fall in Juneau, Alaska #3442
I shot this image at Moose Lake in the Dredge lake area of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. Juneau can be extremely wet during the fall and is not famous for its fall colors (unlike Interior Alaska which can rage with fall colors). With some luck and a few dry spells every once in a […]
Juneau Morning, Alaska #3439
It is a rare day in Juneau’s typical weather cycle to have heavy snowfall followed by clear skies the next morning. But, forecasters were predicting just such a rare event. I had been waiting for years to shoot just this moment at a secret predetermined spot. It meant getting up at 5am, driving 16-miles into […]
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3438
After 43 years of photographing Mendenhall Glacier, this photo rates as one of my most favorite images of the glacier. On this fall day, I waited for the sunrise to light up the Coast Range mountains behind the glacier but before the light actually lit the glacier face. Once the sun hits the glacier, the […]
Sliver Moon, Juneau, Alaska #3437
This summer in Juneau we have been enjoying many sunny days that drift into long lasting sunsets. I shot this image on July 2nd at almost exactly midnight when the dying embers of a fading sunset filled the sky and ocean with color. Thank you for visiting and the gift of your time. Enjoy – […]
Auke Recreation Area, Juneau, Alaska #3436
Alaska native canoes arrive at the Auke Recreation Area celebrating the informal start of Celebration 2022. Celebration first started in 1982 and is a biennial Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultural event. Approximately 1,200 dancers will perform during the four-day event at Centennial Hall, the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, and the new Sealaska Arts Campus. Events start on Wednesday, June 8th, and run through […]
Lynn Canal, Juneau, Alaska #3435
Dwarfed by the Chilkat Mountains, the Alaska Marine Highway’s 235-foot ferry, LeConte, cruises up Lynn Canal on its daily roundtrip between Auke Bay and Haines. Thank you for visiting and the gift of your time. Enjoy – Camera: #Nikon #D850, Lens: # Nikkor 80–400mm, Digital Capture, Hand Held ©Mark Kelley
Aurora Borealis , Juneau, Alaska #3434
Last Saturday night, April 4, Juneau experienced a stunning display of northern lights. The best of the lights happened between 10 and 11pm. I showed up just as the lights started to dwindle away and hung out for a long time south of downtown Juneau next to the Douglas Harbor hoping for some additional night […]
Bald Eagle Nest, Juneau, Alaska #3433
An eagle lands in its nest with fresh nesting materials of dry grass in its talons. Spring is coming fast in Juneau, Alaska, and March is the month eagles start sprucing up their nests to prepare for laying an egg sometime in April. Bald eagles are more abundant in Alaska than anywhere else in the […]
Amalga Harbor, Juneau,Alaska #3433
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This image illustrates the month of December in my 2022 Juneau, Alaska Calendar.
Full Moon, Chilkat Mountains, Juneau,Alaska #3432
The last full moon of the year, also known as the Cold Moon, sets over the Chilkat Mountains in Alaska. Thank you for visiting and for the gift of your time. Happy Solstice – Camera: #Nikon #D850, Lens: # Nikkor 80—400.0 mm, Digital Capture, Tripod, ©Mark Kelley
Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska #3430
Juneau’s local ski area, Eaglecrest, is opening for the season this Saturday, December 4th. The snow has been dumping on Juneau for more than a week and there are 52 inches of snow on the top and 22 inches of snow at the base. In this image my son, Owen, skis through a forest of […]
Bald Eagles, Juneau, Alaska #3429
Two bald eagles find shelter from a raging storm in the spruce trees across the road from a local store in Juneau, Alaska, called Western Auto. The winter is rough on Alaska’s eagle population. There are no rivers filled with salmon and making a living is tough. Many eagles end up scavenging at the local […]
Lion’s Head Mountain, Echo Cove, Juneau, Alaska #3427
This is one of my favorite images that I have shot in a long time. While I was shooting this huge scene some unknown person over a half a mile away walked into the image exactly where I needed a person. Twenty motor drive images in my camera later the person disappeared into the forest […]
Northern Lights, Douglas, Alaska #3426
The Juneau area celebrated some of the most amazing northern lights ever a couple weeks ago and I saw some incredible images on Facebook. I was traveling and very sorry to have missed those nights. A couple of years ago I got a great opportunity to shoot the northern lights over the Douglas Harbor. There […]
Humpback Whale, Inside Passage, Alaska #3425
An adult humpback leaps out of the ocean along the shore of Admiralty Island. This behavior is called “ whale breaching.” This 45- to 50-foot-long marine mammal lifts its 35- to 45-ton body almost entirely out of the water. I am always amazed at the unimaginable strength this must take. To me, this behavior is […]
Seiners, Amalga Harbor, Juneau, Alaska #3423
Purse seiners anchor in the Amalga Harbor area waiting for the annual chum salmon opening. The Douglas Island Pink & Chum (DIPAC) hatchery has a release site at Amalga Harbor. After the hatchery does their cost recovery fishery, DIPAC opens the area for a free-for-all purse seine fishery. The openings usually happen around the fourth […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3422
I visited the Mendenhall Glacier with good friends and we found this amazing surface lake on the ice. Glacier streams and sometimes small rivers can be found on the glacier surface in temperate climates. In places those streams can create lakes. These lakes often disappear just as quickly as they were created. Eventually, the water […]
Juneau Alaska 2022 Calendar #3415
This 2022 Juneau Alaska Calendar marks the 33rd annual edition. The 1990 calendar was the very first Mark Kelley calendar. Since then, over 396 Mark Kelley images have illustrated 33 calendars and sales have reached over 165,000. As you read this, I am making the final picks for the 2023 edition, and I am shooting images for […]
SEAL Trust, Quarterly Report, Juneau, AK #3414
The Southeast Alaska Land Trust (SEALT) is a nationally accredited land conservation non-profit based in Juneau, Alaska, that has been helping local Alaskans preserve local lands in Southeast Alaska since 1995. I have been a proud board member for the past three years. The Southeast Steward is the organization’s quarterly publication. I donate my images […]
Goldbelt Tram, Juneau, Alaska #3413
I wanted to get out to enjoy the stunning weather earlier in the week and grabbed a quick Goldbelt Tram ride up the mountain for a short walk out of the rainforest and into the blinding light of a blue-bird autumn day. I just hung out while enjoying the mountain peace and passed the time […]
Mendenhall Glacier & Lake, Juneau, AK #3412
Last Saturday the Juneau area experienced wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and an atmospheric river that dumped so much water on us, I felt like we were getting washed down the drain. Then Monday showed up calm, clear and breathless. The contrast between nature’s wrecking ball and nature’s peaceful serenity was stark […]
Rie Muñoz, Frye Museum, Seattle, WA
I am honored that the Frye Museum in Seattle found my image of Rie Muñoz and requested to use it in their online video “Guided Artwork Discussion: Rie Muñoz.” Rie was an amazing artist and I started collecting her work when I was an undergraduate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks between 1974-1978. I never […]
Humpback Whale Breach, Juneau, Alaska #3404
A baby humpback whale breaches in the whale waters around Juneau, Alaska, with the Eagle Glacier and the surrounding Coast Mountains in the background. I, along with Ralph Lee Hopkins, Lindblad Expeditions Director of Photography, and Flip Nicklin, National Geographic Photographer and Whale Trust co-founder, volunteered for two four-day photo safaris out of Juneau as […]
Last week I spent a day in Tracy Arm onboard the Captain Cook. I love going to Tracy Arm in the early summer because the harbor seal pupping season starts in late May and goes into early July. There are literally hundreds of harbor seals giving birth on icebergs in the bay in front of […]
Sunset, Juneau, Alaska #3397
This past May was one of the rainiest Mays ever in Juneau. June has been a much more enjoyable month with a balanced mix of sun, clouds, and rain. The sunsets over the Chilkat Mountains and Lynn Canal have been fantastic this past week. I shot this image last Wednesday, June 9th. Thank you for […]
Black Bear Cub, Juneau, Alaska #3396
A black bear cub pauses to take a breather from its ravenous feeding of dandelions along Juneau’s road system. Each spring dandelions line the roadside, what Juneauites call “Out the Road,” starting around mile15. The yellow banquet, although invasive, provides a much-needed food source for the bears. Thank you for visiting and enjoy – Camera: #Nikon #D850, Lens: # Nikkor 80-400mm, […]
Calendar Giveaway, Juneau, Alaska #3395
Nancy Lehnhart, the Juneau School District’s Elementary Art Specialist, created this wonderfully whimsical, hand drawn instruction sheet to accompany an art kit project built around my 2021 calendars. The project came out of a conversation I had with her about having an overabundance of 2021 Mark Kelley calendars after the cruise ship season was called […]
Full Moon, Juneau, Alaska #3393
The locals in Juneau, Alaska, have been feeling like Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day.” The past twelve days we have seen the sunrise at 5am. Meanwhile, the moon changed from a small sliver to a full moon setting over the Chilkat Mountains by this morning. Add in about six nights of northern lights […]
Northern Lights, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3392
I had a wonderful shoot on Friday night (see previous posting), and the northern lights’ predictions were strong as well for Saturday night. To tell the truth, I have not had much luck shooting the aurora for the past year. Understandably, I was overjoyed but a little skeptical with the possibility of shooting the lights […]
Northern Lights, Echo Cove, Juneau, Alaska #3391
This past weekend was dreamy. My nights were spent shooting northern lights into the wee hours of the morning. My days were spent skiing Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area under blue bird skies and 70-degree temperatures. Life just doesn’t get much better. I shot these northern lights, reflecting in the still calm waters of Echo Cove […]
Sunset, Juneau, Alaska #3390
Juneau has been blessed with several clear weather days with clouds coming and going. Last Sunday it was mostly sunny while turning cloudy just in time for the sunset to light up the sky over Shelter Island and the Chilkat Mountains. The sky appeared to be on fire. Thank you for visiting and be well […]
Full Moon, Juneau, Alaska #3389
“Snow Moon” February’s full moon is known as the snow moon due to the month’s typically heavy snowfalls. According to the National Weather Service, on average February is the United States’ snowiest month. I think Texas might agree. Juneau skiers have been blasting through fresh powder every day at the local ski area, Eaglecrest, this past […]
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3388
About two weeks ago a few intrepid glacier explorers found a network of ice caves along the north side of the Mendenhall Glacier. Ever since then there has been a constant daily line of hundreds of Juneauites marching out to check out the caves. Two Sundays ago, I walked out to the caves starting around […]
Juneau, Alaska #3387
Juneau, Alaska, is spread out along the ocean’s edge. Driving the morning commute to downtown or Douglas on the Egan Highway from out the road or the valley is a scenic joy ride. Juneauites have been lucky to be experiencing cold, clear weather for the last two weeks. The night before I took this image […]
Aurora Borealis, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska
This aurora borealis photo is my new Facebook banner image that I took some time ago. This fall/winter I have spent a number of very long, frustrating nights out thinking I was going to get strong showings of the northern lights, only to have no luck. I used to plan on three to four good […]
Spaulding Meadows, Juneau, Alaska #3385
Each year Lynden produces an annual calendar as a thank-you gift for their customers throughout the US, Canada, and the world. The calendar is an extremely well-designed and beautifully printed oversized calendar, 23 by 19 inches, featuring Alaska. For the 2021 Lynden calendar over 4600 images were submitted by photographers for consideration. I am so […]
Lions Head Mountain, Echo Cove, Juneau, AK #3384
Last Friday, January 22, 2021, we experienced the first sunny day in Juneau in a really long time. I was bound and determined to take a photo good enough for a calendar picture. I headed out to the end of the road, about 40 miles north of downtown Juneau. The road ends in a parking […]
Sunrise, Mt Troy, Juneau, Alaska #3383
Today is Monday, December 21, and the day of the winter solstice. Juneau will receive about 6 hours and 22 minutes of daylight. It is the shortest day of year. Ever since the summer solstice last June, when we were bathed in sunlight for over 18 hours, daylight has been slowly fading away and our […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3382
The weather service forecasted overcast skies for yesterday. This was just fine with me because we have been so busy at the office. At around 11AM I looked out my window and saw clearing skies, so I immediately left and headed to the Mendenhall Glacier to get some good reflection shots. While I was shooting […]
Cohen Island, Favorite Channel, Juneau, Alaska #3381
The pullout off Glacier Highway at Inspiration Point above Tee Harbor has to be one of Juneauites’ favorite spots to watch the sunset as it sets over Favorite Channel and the Chilkat Mountain Range. This pullout is one of my many go-to spots that has many great views as I travel out the road. This […]
Aurora Borealis, Juneau, Alaska #3378
This photo was taken from the Mayflower Island causeway next to Sandy Beach looking down Gastineau Channel in Juneau, Alaska. What is unusual about this photo is that I took it facing south. Northern lights usually get more intense the closer one gets to the Arctic Circle, about 570 miles north of Juneau. Northern lights […]
The 2021 Juneau, Alaska Calendar
Give Alaska! To moms and dads and family & friends who have moved or want to visit… Local Outdoor Calendar Signings First Friday, Dec. 4, 1-5PM The AK Grizzly Bar Saturday, Dec. 5, 12-5PM Alaskan Brewing Co. Tasting Room The AK Grizzly Bar The AK Grizzly Bar AKA The Griz Bar – Open Air Bar […]
Geoff and Marcy, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, Alaska #3374
Congratulations to Geoff and Marcy Larson, owners and founders of the Alaskan Brewing Company, who received the Juneau’s Chamber of Commerce “Citizens of the Year Award” on November 6, 2020. In December 1986 the Alaskan Brewing Co. officially began operations when Geoff, Marcy and ten volunteers spent twelve hours hand-packaging the first 253 cases of […]
Eagle River, Juneau, Alaska #3373
Juneau experienced a 20.6-foot tide yesterday, the highest tide of the year. I spent the day out at Eagle Beach with friends and watched the water completely cover the beach. The tide was still very high while we hiked back to the parking lot on a trail that led through the woods next to Eagle […]
Favorite Channel, Juneau, Alaska #3368
Juneau’s October weather is famous for being windy, wet, and mostly miserable. But, the last four days have been a sheer joy with cold, crisp and clear days with sunsets that seem to last forever. I was enjoying yesterday’s sunset but did not think it was going to go to the next level. Then luck and/or […]
A BIG THANK YOU #3366
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the City & Borough of Juneau and all Juneauites. We are all deeply affected by COVID-19, as are our local businesses. My business activity came to a halt this year, but thanks to a grant from the city I can keep my doors open. I am […]
Boy Scout Beach, Eagle River, Juneau, Alaska #3365
One of my favorite trees in Juneau, Alaska, is this cottonwood starkly standing on Crow Point at Boy Scout Beach. This tree is the lone deciduous sentinel in a sea of a bazillion evergreens. The trail out to Crow Point follows along a beautiful sandy beach and is one of my favorite hikes in Juneau. Every time I come upon this tree, […]
Humpback Whale Tail, Juneau, Alaska #3363
Last Thursday, on October 1, the skies cleared and the ocean calmed, a rare combination in this part of the world famous for fall storms that soak us. I took advantage of the moment and hopped on a large open skiff with my friends, Paul and Rick, to look for humpback whales. There was plenty […]
Alaska, Dog Mushing, Juneau Icefield #3362
In the 1880’s Mark Twain was so awed by his first site of a glacier that he wrote, “A man who keeps company with glaciers comes to feel tolerably insignificant by and by.” In this image I was trying to visibly illustrate his comment depicting the insignificance of humans in the vastness of this other-worldly […]
Humpback Whale Tail, Juneau, Alaska #3361
Last Thursday, on October 1, the skies cleared and the ocean calmed, a rare combination in this part of the world famous for fall storms that soak us. I took advantage of the moment and hopped on a large open skiff with my friends, Paul and Rick, to look for humpback whales. There was plenty […]
Mt. Juneau Ridge Hike, Juneau, Alaska #3361
The Mount Juneau Ridge hike is one of my favorite hikes. There are dozens of great hiking trails in Juneau, but the Mount Juneau Ridge is really very special. I only hike it on the most perfect days, sunny with light winds which is a rare combination. The Mount Juneau hike is a very strenuous […]
Moosehead Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3360
Yesterday I posted a wide image of Moosehead Lake that we are using as our new Facebook banner. Today’s image is a variation on the same theme. During that same shoot, I used a different lens setting and got a whole new image. It is not very often I can get what I call a […]
Moosehead Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3359
It has been one the rainiest summer I can remember in my forty-plus years of living in Juneau. The joke going around town goes as follows: It has only rained two times in Juneau this summer, one time for 40 days and a second time for 30 days. This may be slightly overstated, but it […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3358
A heads up… this weekend fall colors should be peaking at the glacier! I took this photo on September 12 several years ago. This Saturday is September 12 and currently the weather forecast for this Friday through Monday includes some sunshine! Get out and enjoy the Mendenhall Glacier, autumn colors, and the break from the […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3357
Bob Engelbrecht treks along an icy ledge next to a deep blue glacial lake on the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. Last week Bob Engelbrecht and Reed Stoops invited Jan McPhetres and me along on a photo trek on the Mendenhall Glacier. Bob moved to Juneau in 1981, arriving in a Hughes 500 helicopter. Originally, […]
Dock Jump, Juneau, Alaska, #3354
This image was taken in the late 1990’s when my sons, Gabe and Owen, were still in school. They would often celebrate the end of the school year by jumping off the downtown Juneau docks and invited a friend to jump with them. Of course, they would only jump on a sunny day and I was usually invited along to document the event. In this particular […]
Sunset, Juneau, Alaska
I love this view of downtown Juneau, Alaska, shot from the Juneau Tram at that magical hour where the disappearing sunset dissolves into evening. Picking an image for my calendars covers is one of my most enjoyable tasks of the year. My calendars sales are the bedrock of my business and trying to top all […]
Field of Flowers, Pt Bridget Sate Park, Juneau, AK #3352
Right now, the field of wildflowers at Point Bridget State Park is stunning. I took this photo last Thursday and the shooting stars and buttercups were everywhere and beginning to peak. The lupine was just starting up with some bunches here and there in full bloom. Chocolate lilies are coming up next in the blooming […]
Lions Head Mountain, Berners Bay, Juneau, AK # 3349
While on a low-tide walk along the shores of Berners Bay near Juneau, Alaska, a birder stops to observe a green-winged teal that just landed in the middle of the mirror reflection of Lions Head Mountain. Lions Head is one of my favorite mountains in Juneau but after photographing it for some 40 years, I […]
Hogsback, Juneau, Alaska #3348
For a second sunny weekend in a row I found myself hiking up the ski slopes at Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area with some friends. As demonstrated by the two skiers hiking above Heavenly Valley (far left), there is plenty of room to honor social distancing. We hung out wandering around the ridges high above the […]
Hilde Dam Cabin, Eaglecrest, Juneau, Alaska #3347
My wife and our two sons demonstrate social distancing while standing on the snow-covered roof of the new public cabin, called the Hilda Dam Cabin, at Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area. Our sons respectfully stay away from our home during this most unusual period of self-isolation. The last two weekends we have been holding family get-togethers […]
Chilkat Range, Alaska #3346
The last two weeks have been mostly clear in Juneau, Alaska. The sunny days have picked up the spirits of all of us, while self-isolating and dealing with this upside down, inside out coronavirus world. I shot this sunset last night looking at the Chilkat Range across Lynn Canal from 30-mile on the Glacier Highway. […]
Bald Eagle, Juneau, Alaska #3339
After taking the image that I posted last week in the morning, I went back in the afternoon to see what else our local bald eagles were up to. I found this large group hanging out together in the spruce trees in Juneau’s Lemon Creek area, hiding from the bad weather. According to Google a […]
Bald Eagle, Juneau, Alaska #3338
It has been snowing up a storm in Juneau these last two weeks. Last weekend Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area received almost four feet of snow! Today this bald eagle was hanging out in a spruce tree in Juneau’s Lemon Creek area. I love how the monochromatic and out-of-focus background of snow-covered trees makes the eagle […]
2019 Alaska Positive, Alaska State Museum #3131
This image titled “Winter Serenity” was one of two Mark Kelley images accepted in the 2019 Alaska Positive Exhibit. The exhibit at the Alaska State Museum opens this Friday, December 6, during Juneau’s holiday Gallery Walk, and runs through February 15, 2020. Now in its 49th year, Alaska Positive is a biennial exhibition of Alaska […]
Moon-Lit Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3126
I have always dreamed of lighting up the Mendenhall Glacier for a night shot. Of course, the only way I could figure out how to do this was to wait for a clear Juneau night sky along with a full moon. At the end of November, two years ago, I was out on a frozen […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3127
During clear and full-moon nights, when I was younger, I would ski or snowshoe up Spaulding Meadows, past the John Muir cabin, and then up to Auk Mountain to wait for the moon to rise here in Juneau, Alaska. This night in January it was especially cold, maybe zero degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind was […]
Iceberg, Tracy Arm, Alaska #3125
I love traveling to Tracy Arm, which is just a day trip from Juneau. I think I have visited almost all the tidewater glaciers in Alaska, and in my mind Tracy Arm offers the best glacier blue ice experience anywhere. The light of a cloudy overcast day works really well for accentuating the blue ice. […]
Rainbow, Admiralty Island, Alaska #3123
I love rainbows and I wish I had more opportunities to capture their amazing colors. The best I can do photographing rainbows in the Juneau area is about one great image every four to five years. I wish rainbows were as consistent as northern lights in our area, which seem to happen a good ten to twelve times per year. Before writing this caption I […]
Pigeon Guillemot, Juneau, Alaska #3116
Two pigeon guillemots squawk at each other on an island in Juneau Channel Island State Marine Park. The marine park consists of fourteen islands located between Auke Bay and Berners Bay northwest of downtown Juneau. Some of the islands have an amazing abundance of bird and other wildlife. This image illustrates the month of May in […]
Lena Cove, Juneau, Alaska #3115
Each year, as the fall season approaches, I like to share the images that I have picked for my upcoming Juneau and Alaska Calendars. I shot this photo of the sunset at Lena Cove in June of 2017. Between shooting, choosing, and publishing images in my two annual calendars two years go by! It gets kind of confusing: I am enjoying […]
Dog Mushing, Juneau Icefield, Alaska #3111
This summer I spent a full day on the Norris Glacier with NorthStar Trekking. In this image three dog sleds mush their way across the Juneau Icefield. The 1,500 square-mile Juneau Icefield is larger than the state of Rhode Island and hosts three dog camps that are only accessible by helicopter. Visitors can enjoy a […]
Wild Iris, Point Bridget State Park, Juneau, AK #3105
Point Bridget State Park in Juneau, Alaska, has erupted into fields of wildflowers as far as the eye can see. The wild irises, buttercups, and geraniums are peaking, and the lupines and shooting stars are just past their prime. The riot of color and flowers creates total chaos for a photographer, so I isolated everything […]
Aaron Island and Chilkat Mountains, Juneau, Alaska #3103
I have said it before, and I will say it again, and again, and forever. We are so lucky to be able to call Juneau home, and so lucky to be able to drive out the road and get these fabulous views of the Chilkat Mountains. This image was taken from the pullout north of […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3102
I have loved every cover of every Juneau Calendar since publishing the first calendar 31 years ago. Yet, this cover is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites. I remember the night well: I was standing along the edge of Mendenhall Lake in late November and it was around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. My car was […]
Chilkat Mountains, Lynn Canal, Juneau, Alaska #3096
I shot this photo Tuesday morning. I am so thankful to live in Juneau, Alaska, the winter full moons always set over the Chilkat Mountains. Starting at mile marker 16, there are about 15 miles of road heading north out of Juneau that runs parallel to the Chilkats across Lynn Canal. I can almost always […]
Lupine, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3092
This photo is of lupine growing along the walking ramp that leads from the parking lot to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center in Juneau, Alaska. January and February are typically very busy with deadlines as we get our publishing projects out to press. While looking for images for the reprint of the Mendenhall Glacier book, […]
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3091
In Juneau the last week of January was unusually warm and wet; rains washed most of the snow away at sea level, and covered the ice on the Mendenhall Lake with a thin pool of water. On Friday the skies cleared and the temperature nosedived into the low teens. The water that had pooled up […]
SO HONORED
December 2018 I am so proud and honored to announce that National Wildlife® Magazine selected this image of my wife cross-country skiing through the snowy field in Spaulding Meadows for first place in the “People In Nature” category in their 2018 photo contest. Over 23,000 images were entered in eight different categories. The image was […]
Aurora Borealis, Juneau, Alaska #3089
All of us at Mark Kelley Photography send you our best wishes for the coming new year. I always try to save a really special photo to share on the cusp of the new year. This image is of an amazing night of northern lights I shot across Auke Lake looking up at Mount McGinnis […]
Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska #3088
This is a photo of my son, Owen, skiing through a field of fresh powder at Juneau’s local ski area, Eaglecrest. Skiers in Juneau are dreaming of days like this for the upcoming season. Starting this Thursday Eaglecrest will be open daily through January 7th for their holiday season, with the exception of Christmas Day. For now […]
Ice Cave, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3087
I first visited the Mendenhall ice caves in the summer of 2009, when my son Gabe took me under the ice for my first time. I was so visually amazed by what I was seeing! One of my images from that day’s shoot ended up in a Patagonia catalog. Between 2009 and 2017 the caves […]
So Honored #3083
I am so proud and honored to announce that National Wildlife® Magazine selected this image of my wife cross-country skiing through the snowy field in Spaulding Meadows for first place in the “People In Nature” category in their 2018 photo contest. Over 23,000 images were entered in eight different categories. The image will be featured in National Wildlife® […]
Glacier Blue #3082
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness near Juneau, Alaska, is one of my favorite places to search for beautiful icebergs. Locals sometimes refer to the icebergs in Tracy Arm as glacier jewels. The deep blue colors of glacier ice are such an amazing, almost unreal sight, and being able to take a piece of nature’s beauty home with […]
Moose, Lynn Canal, Inside Passage, Alaska #3081
Never in my born days did I think I would see a momma moose and her calves swimming across the open ocean, especially in such a large body of water like Lynn Canal near Point Couverden. I shot this image from a boat using a very long lens so our presence would not add any more stress to […]
Black Bear, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, AK #3080
One of the most beloved and recognizable bears along Steep Creek in the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is bear #25, also affectionately known by locals as “Nicky”. In this image I shot on Saturday, she catches a very large coho salmon in Steep Creek and brings it back to her two cubs. Two weeks ago […]
Bald Eagle, Tracy Arm, Alaska #3078
In springtime one of the best places in Alaska to photograph bald eagles on icebergs is Tracy Arm, and especially South Sawyer Glacier. April and May are lean times for eagles. The salmon have not returned to the streams and eagles are hungry. Eagles hang out on the icebergs to get elevation to watch for […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3076
This photo of Auke Lake illustrates the month of November in my 2019 Juneau Alaska Calendar. Besides being a beautiful shot of a classic Juneau scene, this photo defines the fall with fresh snow on the distant mountain peaks and autumn gold coloring both the alpine tundra and the marsh grass in the lake. It […]
Northern Lights, Auke Bay, Alaska #3075
Last Friday night I photographed the northern lights from Portland Island in Juneau, Alaska. I faced the mainland and my view included the Mendenhall Towers, Auke Bay, and Lena Cove. The light show started around 10 o’clock in the evening and it was still illuminating the night sky when I crawled into my tent exhausted […]
Juneau, Alaska Calendar 2019
When I developed my first Juneau calendar in 1988 I never imagined that it would still be around in 2018! Here we are thirty years and 360 images later and still going strong. The Juneau calendar has been the rock that has kept my business going all these years. What a great run and I […]
Killer Whales, Point Retreat, Juneau, Alaska #3072
I photographed this pod of killer whales on the last day of a four-day photo workshop I organized with Ralph Lee Hopkins as a fundraiser for the foundation, “Whale Trust Maui.” We spent the last hour of our trip surrounded by killer whales with glaciers and Point Retreat lighthouse in the background. We had such […]
Chocolate Lily, Juneau, Alaska #3063
Right now the Point Bridget State Park meadows in Juneau, Alaska, are erupting in endless fields of wildflowers, including chocolate lilies, shooting stars, irises, and buttercups. After years of shooting flowers with macro lenses, I have started to use my extreme telephoto lenses almost exclusively. I have been shooting most of my flowers shots for […]
Lena Cove, Juneau, Alaska #3062
The Juneau weather has been fantastic for the last couple of days with temperatures reaching the high seventies Fahrenheit. Along with this great summer weather mother nature put on a sunset lightshow last night that was off the charts. Enjoy the incredible beauty nature provides. Thank you for visiting, Camera: Nikon D850, Lens: Nikkor 24-70, […]
Celebration 2018, Juneau, Alaska #3060
Terri-Lynn Williams–Davidson drums and sings for the “Rainbow Creek Dancers” in the Celebration 2018 Processional down Willoughby Street before entering Centennial Hall for the Grand Entrance. The fun of being a photojournalist is showing up at an event and having no idea what I will find among a bazillion possibilities. My focus is to wade […]
Celebration 2018, Juneau, Alaska #3059
On Tuesday evening three canoes arrived at the Auke Village Recreation Area in Juneau, Alaska, from Haines, Alaska, marking the unofficial beginning to Celebration. The canoes were filled with Southeast Alaskan and Canadian paddlers dressed in regalia awaiting the traditional welcome ashore from the Aak’w Kwaan Tinglits leader, Rosa Miller. While two of the canoes […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3056
A constant problem for photographers is access and opportunity to photograph hard-to-reach places and events. This problem is especially difficult in Alaska because of its remote nature. I really appreciate everyone that has helped me get to locations that make photos like this one possible for the last forty years. I shot this photo of […]
Juneau, Alaska – Image #3053
One evening I found myself trapped in the Fred Meyer parking lot here in Juneau, Alaska, when this amazing light appeared during sunset. The light just started to peak and I knew I did not have much time. I grabbed my camera, ran around in the parking lot looking for an image, and this is […]
Boogey Boarding, Lena Cove, Alaska #3049
A growing number of surf enthusiasts are hanging out on Juneau, Alaska, beaches looking and waiting for just the right waves. This winter has been full of clear windy days, which has been really good for our local surfers. I have seen as many as ten riders at a time at Lena Cove here in […]
Northern Lights, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska #3048
In early November I spent two cold nights on a northern lights watch in front of the Mendenhall Glacier. I logged four-hours each night and got two ten-minute opportunities of actual shooting time, and what a great twenty minutes! I posted the first image from this shoot during the holidays in late December and named the image “Rainbow […]
Ice Caves, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3046
I have some70,000 digital images on my computer and I have been editing like a madman to cut that number in half. During this massive edit I am discovering images that I have overlooked in the past, and some will be included in my upcoming Fireside Chat presentation at the Mendenhall Glacier on Friday, March […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3045
According to the Juneau Empire January 2018 was the coldest January in Juneau for the last six years. Daily temperature averaged 28.5 degrees Fahrenheit. These crisp, cold days brought out many Juneauites to take advantage of the frozen Mendenhall Lake. Having a very accessible glacier in your backyard makes for a very special place to […]
Eagle River and Chilkat Mountains, Juneau, Alaska #3043
This past Monday and Tuesday were beautiful days in Juneau. I shot the sunsets both evenings between 3:45 and 4:20 in the afternoon as in winter the sun sets early in the far north. Eagle River is one of my go-to spots to shoot sunsets this time of year. What makes this image work, besides the […]
Alaska Magazine Cover, Juneau, Alaska #3042
Happy New Year! I was scanning the magazine covers in the checkout line at our local grocery store, and did a double take when I spied Alaska Magazine. The front cover image looked like one of my photos, and sure enough the credits showed that my photo agent had sold one of my photos to the […]
Northern Lights-Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, AK #3041
Rainbow Aurora over Glacier Lit by Full Moon During a northern lights’ shoot in Alaska, I usually spend the night in my car at a good overlook, and step outside to shoot if and when the lights appear. For this particular photo shoot in early November I spent two nights outside of my car and […]
Amalga Harbor, Juneau, Alaska #3040
Last year I received the really fun news that I got BING’ed on Christmas eve! The Microsoft search engine, BING, used this image for a day on their homepage. BING is the second largest search engine in the US with a more than 20% share of the US market and a 7% share of the worldwide […]
Sunset, Eagle Beach, Alaska #3035
This photo shoot of the sunset over the snowcapped Chilkat Mountain was turning out pretty well, but I felt something was amiss; the upper sky was looking rather blank. Within minutes after contemplating my problem Canada geese flew into the blankness and solved my dilemma. After just five seconds the birds flew out of my picture […]
King Crab Fishery, Juneau, Alaska #3034
FISHING WITH A VIEW – How about going crabbing at sea with the Mendenhall Glacier as your backdrop? Michael Blume prepares to set a king crab pot on the F/V Osprey. Fish and Game opened a red king commercial fishery in the Juneau area for the first time in seven years. The one-day opening started […]
Humpback Whales, Herbert Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #3032
I love images that tell a story. Alaska’s glaciers grind down mountains and dump their mineral loads into the ocean. These minerals hang in suspension and become part of the basic building blocks for phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are eaten by krill, and krill in turn get eaten by small schooling fish like herring. Each year humpback whales, with their 50-foot […]
SUNSET SURREAL – Eagle Beach, Juneau, Alaska #3031
A couple of times a year the colors of sunset can be so surreal that it is hard to believe what I am actually seeing is real. Nature’s color palette is beyond belief. While my wife, Jan, and I experienced this sunset I actually told her that no one was going to believe that this […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska #3030
OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING… A beautiful fall morning in Juneau welcomed my wife, Jan, and I back after biking, hiking, and railroading our way around Austria, France, Italy, and Germany for the past month. We had a wonderful adventure, but to quote Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.” We are […]
Bald Eagle, Tracy Arm, Alaska #3029
Many of you know that Tracy Arm is one of my favorite places in Southeast Alaska. I go every spring knowing that eagles are hanging out on icebergs, scavenging for anything they can find while waiting for the return of salmon in summer. Springtime is still a lean time of the year for our eagle population. […]
Harbor Seals, Tracy Arm, Alaska #3026
What great luck! A mother harbor seal and her pup cast a perfect reflection in the blue-green glacier waters of Tracy Arm. I have photographed seals with pups on the floating ice of Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm for over forty years and this is the first and only time I have been able to […]
Sunset, Lena Cove, Alaska #3020
After experiencing one of the coldest and wettest June and July in my memory, August has been a delight with temperatures soaring into the seventies and sunsets galore. I shot this image this past Wednesday at my favorite summer sunset location, Lena Cove. I wanted to share this sunny moment as it has been raining […]
Sunset – Tee Harbor, Juneau, Alaska #3011
I am a sucker for sunsets, how about you? This image was shot from the exact same spot as the previous shot, image 3010. The light, the tide, and the use of a longer lens make for a similar, yet very different photo. Once I find a great location I keep going back again, and […]
Sunset, Tee Harbor, Juneau, Alaska #3010
On Father’s Day I spent a peaceful evening with a friend on his porch watching the sunset while eating a delicious piece of homemade strawberry/rhubarb pie. I hope everyone had as wonderful a day as I did. Thank you for visiting. Enjoy – Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 24-120mm, Digital Capture, hand held ©Mark Kelley
Humpback Whale Breach, Juneau, Alaska #3009
What a Show! A humpback whale breaches in front of an Allen Marine catamaran along the shores of Shelter Island. I shot this photo from another Allen Marine cat on Tuesday evening. This single whale put on a show for quite a long while. We lost count of the breaches and fluke dives, and also […]
Pigeon Guillemots, Juneau, Alaska #3008
“Say What!” Two pigeon guillemots squawk at to each other on an island in the Juneau Channel Islands State Marine Park. This marine park consists of 14 islands, which are located between Auke Bay and Berners Bay here in Juneau, Alaska. Some of the islands have an amazing abundance of bird and other wildlife. Pigeon guillemots […]
Sea lions, Midway Islands – Alaska #3007
Sea lions gathered in a group almost always make me smile. When sea lions haul out in big groups you can hear them belch, burp, grunt, and groan. They have no sense of personal space and crawl all over each other growling, barking, and snorting until they settle down in a big pig pile and […]
Lena Cove, Juneau, Alaska #3006
I know some consider sunsets cliché, but after all these years I still get sucked in and love them all. Last Monday evening was just really sweet and I was glad to enjoy this beauty with my wife, Jan. Thank you for visiting, enjoy – Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 24-120mm, Digital Capture, hand held […]
Bald Eagle, Tracy Arm, Alaska #3305
Once again Tracy Arm provides. Yesterday was my first trip down to the Arm this season. This time of the year is great for bald eagles on icebergs and there were plenty of opportunities. I traveled with Captain Steve from Adventure Bound on board the Captain Cook, with flat calm waters and sunny skies all […]
Northern Lights, Pederson Creek Salt Chuck, Juneau, Alaska #3002
Oh What a Night! This weekend Juneau experienced an amazing show of northern lights. It all started Friday night and lasted through both Saturday and Sunday nights and into the wee hours of Monday morning. Each shoot started around 11PM and ended between 3-4AM. I am suffering from what we locally refer to as “a […]
Northern Lights, False Outer Point, Juneau, Alaska #3001
Oh What a Night! This weekend Juneau experienced an amazing show of northern lights. It all started Friday night and lasted through both Saturday and Sunday night and into the wee hours of Monday morning. Each shoot started around 11PM and ended between 3-4AM. I am suffering from what we locally refer to as “a […]
Eagle Beach, Chilkat Mountains, Juneau, Alaska #3000
We have been so blessed to have had a week of sunny and clear weather here in Juneau, Alaska. Of course this means that I am up before sunrise to look for my next photo. Two mornings ago I found the early light hitting the cloud bank over the Chilkat Mountains across from Eagle Beach. […]
Picture Window Perfection-Juneau, Alaska #2999)
I had planned to shoot the setting full moon at 5:30 AM this morning so got up pretty early. Lo and behold, as I walked out into my living room there was the moon setting right through our picture windows. I quickly walked down to the beach to shoot this image of the moon above […]
Eaglecrest, Juneau, Alaska #2998
Although it is very much spring weather at sea level, there is still a ton of snow at Eaglecrest. It is the area’s final weekend. Eaglecrest will be open this Thursday and closing for the season on Sunday. I shot this image of my son, Owen, tearing up the powder a couple of years ago. […]
Powder Heaven, Juneau, Alaska #2997
If you like winter, then Juneau’s winter of 2016-17 has been pretty perfect with plenty of snow followed by plenty of sunshine. Recently my wife and I enjoyed a cross-country ski adventure through miles of untouched snow in the meadows in Spaulding Meadows just above Auke Bay. Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski area has over five feet […]
Surfing in Winter, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2991
I apologize for not posting any new images for the past month. We have been enjoying a long and well-deserved break. This past week has been gorgeous in Juneau and there were plenty of sunny days along with some big winds. Although Juneau is not a hot spot for surfing there is a dedicated cadre […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska Image 2988
The clear ice of a frozen Mendenhall Lake gives us a mirror reflection of the face of Mendenhall Glacier. The people in this image are a bonus, serving as a reference point of just how big the glacier really is. I have only seen the ice this crystal clear a couple times in my forty […]
Spaulding Meadows, Juneau, Alaska-Image 2986
Untouched snowfields are a photographer’s delight because they catch the light in the sky. The snow in this photo is picking up the colors of an outrageously beautiful sunrise. It is the light on the snow that makes this photo work. I captured this moment while winter camping in the John Muir cabin in Spaulding […]
Oh What a Night! Juneau, Alaska – Image 2985
Two winters ago Juneau experienced an amazing show of northern lights in the beginning of March. After this particular shoot I knew I had a winner. Some years I struggle to find the right calendar cover image, but this image is a quintessential Juneau image and is featured on the cover of my 2017 Juneau […]
“Fogged Over” Auke Bay, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2981
Recently, I moved from downtown Juneau (Starr Hill) to out the road about 15 miles. I think I have one of the most beautiful commutes in the world. I shot this sunrise lighting up the fog in Auke Bay just two-miles into my seven-mile commute. Juneau’s new state museum, which opened in 2016, used this image as the wall […]
Kayaker and Paddle Boarder, Lena Cove, Juneau, Alaska # 2974
Sunset was shaping up to be quite unbelievable in Lena Cove, just a half mile from my home, and when I arrived on the beach just one element was missing to set the scene. Out of the blue a kayaker and a paddle boarder came cruising by while sunset colors were peaking. How lucky was that? It felt like winning the lottery. This image […]
Humpback Whales and Eagle Glacier, Juneau, Alaska-#2968
For the past three years my good friends, Rich and Lori, have come up to visit Juneau and they charter Jayleen Beedle to take them whale watching. I am so lucky for being invited along, and for actually getting a calendar photo on each trip. I took this image during their visit this summer. I have known Jayleen since she […]
Deckhand Dave’s, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2964
This summer our family friend, David McCasland, opened a food truck called “Deckhand Dave’s” on the waterfront next to the cruise ship docks in downtown Juneau. Dave and our son Owen worked together on a commercial salmon purse seiner for three years. Dave was the cook on the boat and took that experience to shore […]
Celebration 2016, Juneau, Alaska #2963
The Git-Hoan Tsimshian Traditional Dancers performed at Celebration 2016 during the welcome ceremony and closed out Celebration on Saturday, June 11. I shot over 3,000 images during the four-day festival. It took me awhile to dig through the pile and decide on my favorites. I love the moment of energy between three of the lead […]
CELEBRATION 2016, Juneau, Alaska #2962
The canoes have arrived, marking the unofficial beginning of Celebration 2016. Join the festivities! It is a great honor to be an official photographer for Sealaska for this four day event. For more information click on the following Sealaska Heritage web links and I hope to see you there! Sealaska Heritage Institute Celebration 2016 Schedule Information Dance […]
Alaska Sunset, Eagle Beach-Juneau, Alaska Image #2959
The color of this sunset is unbelievable, and believe me, it was really this good when I shot this photo on March 30. With zero hocus pocus or image enhancements, this is the real deal. The heavens provided all the magic. Enjoy. Thank you for visiting. – Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 digital […]
Auke Lake Aurora, Juneau, Alaska #2958
Last night I went to bed with my world covered in clouds. But I knew the northern light predictions were calling for strong aurora displays. I happened to wake around 3 am and looked out my bedroom window to a star-filled sky. I checked three aurora websites showing current and strong aurora activity. I quickly […]
Bald Eagle, Sandy Beach, Douglas, Alaska #2957
When I leave the office for a photo shoot, I usually have a subject in mind. I almost never go out without a preconceived image in my head, as I don’t like to wander around aimlessly. Sometime this directed approach provides for unexpected surprises, and this is exactly what happed during a recent foggy day in […]
Sunset Flight, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2953
The last three days in Juneau have been just drop-dead gorgeous. It is these days that thrill me to be living here. Yesterday I was shooting the sun setting over the Chilkat Mountains at Eagle Beach when a flock of Canada geese flew by. They turned towards me just in time to place the silhouette of their […]
The Faces of Celebration, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2952
Celebration is a biennial festival of song and dance, food, arts, crafts, and fellowship of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures. Every other year the streets of Juneau fill with Native People of all ages dressed in the signature regalia of clans from throughout Southeast Alaska and beyond. Native Elders created Celebration in 1982 to bring […]
Aurora Borealis, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2952
Last night (2-17-2016) I shot this photo of the Aurora Borealis over the mountains surrounding the valley and the Mendenhall Glacier from the North Douglas boat ramp. Although I spent most of the night and early morning hours looking for northern lights, I only witnessed one powerful display sometime between 11:30pm-12:30am. The northern lights created […]
Our New View, Auke Bay, Juneau, Alaska #2950
Jan and I are celebrating our one-year anniversary in our new home “out the road”, as Juneauites like to call it. We went to an open house on 2-7-2015 and that same afternoon the previous owners accepted our offer. After living in the heart of downtown Juneau for 30 years, we were moving to the […]
Amalga Harbor, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2945
Happy New Year, I sure hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Personally, I received a really fun gift on Christmas Eve: I got Binged! Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, used this image I shot of Amalga Harbor as their homepage image of the day on Christmas Eve. How fun is that! Bing is the second largest […]
Amalga Harbor, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2944
What a great moment to represent the holiday season…a lighted holiday tree on a dock in an Alaskan harbor, with the Chilkat Mountains as the backdrop, and a clear night with northern lights dancing overhead. I could not wish for more… This is the December image in my 2016 Juneau, Alaska calendar, enjoy! Happy Holidays and we will see […]
Alaskan Solstice, Juneau, Alaska #2943
Alaskans love to celebrate winter solstice to welcome the turning of darkness into light. For the past 20-plus years a fun group of locals have celebrated the welcoming of the light with a bonfire on a local beach. This year they carried a sea monster placed in a kayak frame into the bonfire. Let the long Alaskan […]
Mendenhall Glacier Ice Cave, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2942
A frozen Mendenhall Lake made for easy access two winters ago to the now world famous Mendenhall ice caves. All of Juneau turned out for a visit. This particular ice cave has since collapsed. In this image my friend Stephanie is catching the sunlight shining into the cave through a moulin. A moulin is a […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2941
Mt McGinnis, Mt Stroller White, and the Mendenhall Glacier reflect in an open-water pond created by the flowing water of Steep Creek in winter. Juneau and Southeast Alaska experience warmer temperatures during the winter months compared to interior Alaska, and we often have open water in the middle of winter. Lucky me, as I am […]
Aurora, Echo Cove, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2940
Green northern lights, or aurora borealis, stream in the sky above Lions Head Mountain in Berners Bay, while casting a mirror reflection in the calm waters of Echo Cove. In Juneau, Alaska, the northern lights do not display as often or as strongly as for our Alaskan neighbors to the north, and of course a […]
Wedding Bowl, Mt Ben Stewart, Juneau – Image #2939
I mentioned last week that I love snow and we just heard that the opening of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area has been moved up to this Saturday, November 28! Juneau skiers and riders are having visions of knee deep powder. This is my son, Owen, skiing dream powder in Wedding Bowl on Mt. Ben Stewart […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2938
I love snow, and the Juneau area has been getting hit with large dumps of snow for the past few days. The world of winter white looks great. Virgin snow and sunshine makes any place look oh-so perfect, yet last year our town did not get much snow, and I missed it. This shot is from the […]
Sandy Beach Pump House, Douglas, Alaska -Image #2937
I love this view of the Sandy Beach pump house. On a clear winter morning in Juneau sunrise can be spectacular, especially in December around the time of solstice. In the winter the sun rises directly down channel from Juneau, giving the scene a surreal light. I am often asked how much I digitally enhance […]
Coast Mountains, Port Snettisham, Alaska-Image #2934
An important element in a successful photo is design. I like to give the two-dimensional presentation of a printed image a three dimensional feel when possible. The effect is called layering. This image has a natural layering as the mountain ridges pile up on each other with the help of the early morning fog, giving […]
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, Alaska-Image #2933
If someone told me they only had one day to visit Alaska, I would send them to Tracy Arm. I have been living in Juneau for over 35 years and have gone to Tracy Arm so many times I have lost count. In Tracy Arm you are almost guaranteed to see harbor seals, glaciers, and […]
Nugget Falls, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska-Image 2930
The Juneau 2015 summer tourist season comes to an end this Thursday, September 24th, with the final arrival of the Holland America ship the Oosterdam. The Mendenhall Glacier is Juneau’s number one tourist attraction, and one of the most visited spots at the glacier is Nugget Falls. I love it photographically when I can get […]
Thunder Mountain, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska-Image 2929
One of my most favorite views of the Mendenhall Glacier is from Thunder Mountain. The Mendenhall is about 13 miles long and from the visitor center one can see about 4 to 5 miles up the glacier before it makes a turn to the left and goes out of site. This view gives you the rest […]
Lesser Yellowlegs, Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2927
To be successful in shooting shorebirds, one needs to get down and dirty. I shot this image of a lesser yellowlegs in the tidal pools in the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge. To get the good reflection one has to be as low to the ground as possible. For this shot it meant lying flat on my […]
Killer whales, Herbert Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2926
I am known as the photographer that only takes photos on beautiful sunny days and this reputation is somewhat valid. I have so much work to keep my small business running, I chose to do my office work on the rainy days and save the sunny days for shooting. However, more and more I find myself shooting on the non-sunny days and […]
Kayakers, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2924
Paddlers in a double kayak cruise by the monolithic ice face of the Mendenhall Glacier. I shot this photo from a high rock wall across from the front of the glacier. When I climbed to my perch for the photo, I was pleasantly surprised by the reflections of the ice walls. I had not expected the reflections, and they […]
Humpback Whale Tail, North Pass, Alaska-Image #2920
My friends, Rich and Lori, invited my wife and I on a whale watching tour during their stay in Juneau. They hired one of my favorite whale captains, Jayleen Beedle. We headed out last Sunday evening, July 12th, for a four hour tour. The whales were spotty, with maybe six individual humpbacks hanging out in the North Pass […]
Humpback Whales, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2917
Humpback whale bubble-netting groups arrived in Juneau waters last week. There are two main groups of whales with a combined total of some 20 individuals. These two whales surfaced after finishing a bubble-net. Humpbacks are mammals that surface to breathe air and their lungs are the size of VW Bugs. When they surface, the water covering […]
Mendenhall River Rafters, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2915
Houstonia, a Houston, Texas city magazine, chose this Mark Kelley image for their June 2015 cover. The magazine is doing a story on great escapes and Alaska is part of their focus. The design director, Chris Skiles, discovered markkelley.com in his web search and found this cover image. How cool is that! Thank you for visiting. […]
Dandelion Bear, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2914
A black bear along the Auke Rec bypass here in Juneau, Alaska eats the succulent spring stems of the dandelion flower. Black bears are omnivores and spend much of the spring and summer and sometimes all summer just eating plants to sustain themselves. Lucky bears can fatten up on salmon when the fish return to […]
Lena Cove Sunset, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2919
These last three weeks we have been having the most beautiful weather in Juneau, creating wonderful sunsets. My wife Jan and I were in Lena Cove when a paddle boarder and kayaker cruised into view right at the peak of sunset. Sometimes I get lucky! Juneau is on track for the warmest and driest May […]
Rie Munoz, Tenakee Springs, Alaska – Image #2916
Rie Munoz, Alaskan artist and great neighbor, died on Monday, April 6. This is one of my many favorite images of Rie, shot on the front porch of her beloved cabin in Tenakee Springs (population of 134). She was a wonderful Starr Hill neighbor and friend who was always willing to come out for a photo shoot. […]
Aurora Borealis, Juneau, Alaska – Image #2912
Juneau experienced an amazing show of northern light on Sunday, March 1. For some reason it took me a while to check out my images from the shoot-OMG! I could not believe that I did not post this image sooner. It reminds me of the song, “Oh What A Night.” On another note – PLEASE VOTE for my entry “Silver […]
Fireworks, Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, AK…Image # 2904
And so another year is coming to an end. And what a year it was. While cherishing the memories of loved ones passed this year and celebrating career highlights with an image in the Nature’s Best Photography exhibit at the Smithsonian in DC, I wish you all the best in 2016! Celebrate those special moments, […]
Snowboarding, Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska…Image # 2903
I photographed this snowboarder, Sam Buck, during the same shoot with my son (the image in the month of January in the Juneau Calendar). Sam’s colors really worked against the winter white background. For the last two years, I have been shooting with the Nikon D800 camera body. This camera delivers a 36 megapixel image, the […]
Mountain Goats, Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, Juneau, Alaska…Image # 2902
As the winter progresses in the Juneau area, the snow keeps getting deeper and deeper in the high mountains and mountain goats start moving down to lower elevations. I photographed this nanny goat and kid on the, what the locals refer to as, the Rock Peninsula jutting out into Mendenhall Lake. The Mendenhall Glacier parking lot […]
Juneau-Mt. Roberts Trail View…Image # 2901I
I strive to shoot a new image of town for every Juneau calendar. The 2015 calendar marks the 26th year of continual publication and it is a true challenge to find a new fresh angle that is calendar quality. I have been shooting this location for years and finally decided it looks best right after […]
Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska…Image #2900
This is my son, Owen, performing as my model in a ski shot. I am lucky to have two sons (Gabe and Owen) and their many friends who are exceptional skiers and snowboarders. I get to use them as models and ask them to do skiing moves that seem impossible. Owen had to work his way through a […]
Northern Lights, Juneau, Alaska – Image # 2899
I took this image of the northern lights the same night that I shot the cover of my 2015 Juneau Calendar. Many folks ask how I know when to shoot the northern lights. I wait for the next clear night and then check out several websites that make predictions on the relative strength of the […]
Gastineau Channel Sunrise, Juneau, Alaska…Image # 2897
In November, December, and January the sun rises directly at the south end of Gastineau Channel in Juneau, Alaska. The morning light rising above the channel is simply gorgeous on a clear morning. Many of you know that I have set a challenge for myself to produce a calendar quality photo of the historic pump […]
Summer Solstice Sunset, Juneau, Alaska…Image # 2893
On summer solstice the sun in Juneau sets around 10 o’clock in the evening and rises around 4 o’clock in the morning, giving us approximately eighteen hours of daylight. If you like to shoot during the photographer’s “golden hours” in Alaska’s summer be prepared to sleep mid-day! On the flip side, on Juneau’s winter solstice, the sun […]
Ice Cave, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska…Image # 2892
I have been visiting the ice caves of the Mendenhall Glacier since 2009 when my son, Gabe, who guides for Above and Beyond Alaska, first took me under the ice. This particular ice cave is changing all the time and is slowly disappearing as the glacier retreats and thins. As a matter of fact, this summer (2014) […]
Killer Whale Breach-North Pass, Juneau, AK – Image # 2887
A large 30-foot (9 meters) male killer whale, or orca, with a 6-foot dorsal fin jumps out of the water. Also referred to as breaching, many theories exist about what makes a whale breach and in reality no one really knows. What I do know is that this breach happened right after this orca’s pod […]
Mendenhall Rafters, Juneau, Alaska…Image 2884
I never tire of photographing Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier has been in the news quite a bit this last year, and in my mind it deserves all the attention. From the now famous Mendenhall ice caves to two jökulhlaup events in one summer, the Mendenhall demands attention. This image brings together action and beauty […]
“Once Upon Alaska” 19th Spread…Image 2878
It was a beautiful January day and I was dying to go outside to photograph but I was waiting for a business call from San Francisco at 1PM. Once I got the call I asked my friend to make it quick. This worked for him as he had another business meeting scheduled. After the meeting […]
“Once Upon Alaska” 18th Spread…Image 2877
I photographed this porcupine in my own Alaskan backyard. The porcupine was hanging out in a small tree and I climbed up another tree with my 500mm lens just across from the critter. I wedged myself between some branches as I stabilized my big, heavy lens on another set of branches. I hit the motor […]
“Once Upon Alaska” 4th Book Spread…Image 2863
Salmon returning home is an iconic Alaska event. I shot this image of pink salmon through the window of the fish ladder at the Douglas Island Pink and Chum (DIPAC) Ladd Macauley Visitors Center. Pink salmon, the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in Alaska, weigh on average 3.5- pounds and average 20-25 inches long. […]
Downtown, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2855
This is the view from my home on the top of Starr Hill. I think it is one of the beautiful views I can image of any city and am lucky to wake up every morning taking all of this in. This winter has been wet and warm at sea level. Eaglecrest, the local ski […]
Coastal Range, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2854
Happy Holidays! The night lights of Juneau stretch across the Coastal Mountains from the frozen Mendenhall Lake, pass under Thunder Mountain, and continue down Gastineau Channel. Camera body:D700, Lens: Nikkor 16-35mm, ISO 100, Digital Capture © Mark Kelley
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2852
This is my friend, Dave Haas, horsing around in front of the face of the Mendenhall Glacier. I was on an assigned shoot for Bradley-Reid, the State of Alaska’s advertising agency, to promote winter tourism. I wanted to show the scale of the glacier and just how accessible it is. In the winter it is […]
“Harnessing of the Atom” totem pole – Image 2024
Purple lilacs, mountain ash and red hawthorne flowers surround the totem outside the Juneau-Douglas City Museum in downtown Juneau. Every June there is about a week’s time when the three different flowers reach their peak blooms. I shot this with a 300mm lens on Fuji 50 film with a Nikon F3 camera.-Mark Kelley
A bald eagle skims the water’s surface in the waters around Juneau, Alaska – Image 2026
A mature bald eagle snatches a herring off the ocean’s surface. In Southeast Alaska, we are lucky to have an estimated 10,000 eagles living as our neighbors. I love my many opportunities to photograph these beautiful birds. I shot this photo on a Nikon F4 with a 300mm F/4 lens on Velvia film pushed one […]
A Kayaker paddles out of Amalga Harbor into the sunset – Image 2032
Bethany Bereman of Juneau paddles her kayak through the August sunset-colored waters of Amalga harbor about 25 miles north of downtown Juneau in Southeast Alaska. I shot this photo on speculation for Patagonia’s outdoor wear catalog. Their photo editors returned the photo unused, saying I shot too pretty for their needs and that they would […]
Alaska Airlines Jet, Mendenhall Towers, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2942
I have been after this shot for years and years and years. The necessary ingredients are lots of snow on the Towers to reflect the morning light; and a plane leaving the Juneau Airport timed to hit the gap between the towers at sunrise during the months of December and January. During these months the […]
Alaska Airlines on Approach, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2803
I love this view of planes landing with the Mendenhall Glacier as the backdrop taken from the wetlands. Here, an Alaska Airlines jet looks like it landing on the glacier when in reality the glacier is a good five to six miles from the airport. I shot this image with a moderate telephoto lens trying […]
Alaska Airlines, Take-off, Juneau Airport, Alaska – Image 2727
With the Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding mountains as a backdrop, an Alaska Airlines jet takes off from the Juneau Airport. I love this perspective. Jets on the tarmac look so large. But when you throw them against an Alaska-sized background they look so small and insignificant. Enjoy the photo and thanks for visiting. Camera body: […]
Alaska Folk Festival – Image 2770
The 38th annual Alaska Folk Festival hosted in Juneau, Alaska started on Monday, the 9th, and goes through Sunday, the 15th. This photo was my favorite image I took at last year’s folk festival. Terri Tibbett plays her 15-minute set with friends. So much of photography is about capturing the moment, and this moment of […]
Alaska’s Governor Knowles Family Christmas Portrait – Image 2237
I have had the priviledge of photographing Governor Knowles’ annual family Christmas portrait for four different years. This year I shot the Christmas photo in June on the Governor’s Mansion front porch. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 80-200mm f/2.8 Nikkor, film: 35mm Fuji 100.-Mark Kelley
Alaskan Brewing Company Ad “Our Crew, Our Brew” – Image 2300
I just love advertising. In September, the Alaskan Brewing Company asked me photograph a guysnowshoeing for their winter ad campaign. Even in Alaska, there is not much winter in September. Thesolution was to fly up to the ice fields locked into perma-winter about 5,000 above Juneau for the shoot. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 35-70mm f/2.8 […]
Alaskan Brewing Company Ad “Our Crew, Our Brew” – Image 2299
Living in a small town of 30,000 plus people does not give me many opportunities to shoot commercialadvertising. The local brewery has used me off and on over the years. Their beer is wonderful, and theirgrowth has been astronomical. This shoot of one of their workers running by me with the Mendenhall Glacierin the background […]
Amalga Harbor, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2595
Amalga Harbor is a little bite along the Juneau shoreline about 30 miles from downtown Juneau. I was looking for a fresh snow shot in the early morning just after a big dump the day before. I always start at Amalga, and this is the first time I got it close to right. The area […]
Auke Bay Alaska – Image 2802
Today it is snowing in town and snowing very heavy in the mountains. I think winter is officially here. This image was taken in early January of the docks at Auke Bay. Mostly the ice does not form around the docks because there is too much tidal action. But, in this case it had been […]
Auke Bay Harbor Juneau, Alaska – Image 2694
November usually brings the first heavy snows of the winter. During one extreme winter I can remember six feet of snow around my house in downtown Juneau by the end of November. I think the earliest the local ski area opened was around November 16th. Auke Bay is a beautiful setting for a harbor, and […]
Auke Bay Winter Docks, Alaska – Image 2586
I photographed this scene after a week of below-zero temperatures. The water was over 50 degrees warmer than the air, creating the steam rising from the harbor while the extreme tidal action prevented the harbor from freezing over. The sunrise lit the steam, giving the scene its rich warm color. This image illustrates the cover […]
Auke Bay, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2845
A friend of mine built a house on Auke Bay that has a commanding view of the sunset. He lets me shoot from his deck, and this spot is one of the hottest places for evening light, especially in the winter. The image illustrates the month of March in my Southeast Alaska, 2014 Calendar. Thanks […]
Auke Lake, Fly Fishing, Juneau, Southeast Alaska – Image 2376
Two years ago we had a very foggy fall. I was scrambling around trying toproduce fog photos. Rich Culver, one of Juneau’s best known fly fisherman, agreed to work with me on this image shot in a very early morning along the shore of Auke lake. I had pre-scouted this location. I like the strongelement […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2276
Auke Lake is one of my most popular photo subjects. The serene lake backdropped by the Mendenhall Towers and Mendenahll Glacier is just drop dead beautiful. Even if I don’t produce a photo, I love my hours exploring the shoreline and all of the possible angles. The University of Alaska-Southeast campus is located on Auke […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2347
A pair of cross-country skiiers heads out across the frozen Auke Lake. This view is taken from the Chapel by the Lake parking lot. Auke Lake is the campus of the University of Alaska-Southeast in Juneau and the students get to check out this view every day. In the background is the edge of the […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2458
Chapel-by-the Lake has of the best known views in Juneau. The view of Auke Lake back-dropped by the Mendenhall Glacier during the peak of the fireweed bloom is a must see in mid-summer. Auke Lake is the home of the University of Alaska-Southeasts Juneau campus. This photo illustrates a card in my collection of blank […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2472
One of my favorite places to photograph is Auke Lake. Located just nine miles away from my home, almost every Juneau Calendar over the years has featured a photo from this beautiful lake. This photo illustrates the month of May in my 2007 Juneau Alaska calendar. Camera: Nikon F/5, Lens: Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8 polarized, Film […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2540
Another year and another image from Auke Lake. Almost every year in the Juneau calendar, I feature an image from Auke Lake. After nineteen years of Juneau calendars, it still amazes that I can still find new and consistently beautiful images of this small treasure just eight miles down the road from downtown Juneau. This […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2692
The first snow fall happens in Juneau sometime in late October or early November. I love photographing Auke Lake. What makes this photo work for me is the mirror reflection of the house lights and snow capped mountains. I shot this photo in early November. After shooting this image, I returned the next evening to […]
Auke Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2801
Auke Lake is one of my all time favorite photo locations in Juneau. The calm water and mountain backdrop make for wonderful mirror reflections. The Juneau campus of the University of Alaska Southeast shares this view just how lucky can a college student be? I try to put a new photo of Auke Lake in each […]
Auke Recreation Area, Auke Bay, Southeast Alaska – Image 2375
I wanted to show the lushness of the coast around Southeast Alaska. I useda wide angle emphasising the lush, green, jungle-thick plant growth alongthe beach. The high tide of the aqua-blue waters reminds me of tropicalwaters. Only the snow capped mountains in the background reminds the viewerthat we are in Juneau. This photo illustrates the […]
Black Bear by Governor’s Mansion, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2419
Black bears parade through Juneau on a fairly regular basis. I photographed this bear within two hundred feet of the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Juneau. Last summer, a sleeping exchange student was sun bathing in our neighbors yard and got nuzzled by a bear. Without opening his eyes the swedish student pushed away what he […]
Bicycler, Iceberg, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2562
This is an old photo I am reviving for my next book on Juneau that I am beginning to gather material for. I love this photo because riding bicycles around icebergs defines wild fun adventure for me. To realize that I can do this, just minutes from home, is one of the reasons I live […]
Bear Sculpture, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2619
R.T. “Skip” Wallen bronze bear sculpture in front of the Alaska state capital building is the locals and tourists’ favorite piece of public art in Juneau. A group of local citizens in Juneau is trying to line up money for his next project which will be a life-scale bronze sculpture of a breaching humpback whale […]
Black Wolf “Romeo” Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2649
Surrounded by the Mendenhall Glacier and Towers, a black wolf the local Juneauites nicknamed, “Romeo,” crosses the frozen Mendenhall Lake to get between his hunting grounds. Wolves mate for life and as the story goes, his pregnant mate was killed in the spring of 2002 on the road to the glacier visitor’s center. Romeo showed […]
Black Wolf (Romeo), Mendenhall Lake, Juneau – Image 2696
The black wolf known as Romeo had spent over seven years in and around the Mendenhall Glacier and was one of Juneau’s most beloved treasures. I took this photo of him in late March of 2009, and in September of 2009 two thoughtless low-lifes illegally killed him. There will be a memorial service for Romeo […]
Black Wolf, “Romeo”, Alaska – Image 2550
I have always shot film and started experimenting with digital in January 2007. This was my first shoot with my new digital Nikon D200. I wanted to see how well the digital would do balancing the white snow and black wolf. This wolf is a consistent visitor to the Mendenhall Glacier area in the winter […]
Black Wolf, “Romeo”, Alaska – Image 2551
This image was taken during the same shoot as the previous photo. This was my first and only time photographing “Romeo”. I have seen the wolf several times but never attempted to photograph the animal before experimenting with my new digital camera. There is a lot of controversy around photographing “Romeo” and the different methods […]
Northern Crow, Mountain Ash, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2590
This photo won the Alaska Department of Fish and Game photo contest many-many years ago and ran across two pages in National Wildlife Magazine. Besides winning all this accolades, what amazes me about this photo is that I took it out of my car window while parked in the Juneau Empires parking lot. This shot […]
“A View to a Bubble-net” Humpback Whales, Bubble-net Feeding, Juneau,Alaska – Image 2704
I am re-running a photo that appears in my 2011 Juneau Alaska Calendar of bubble-net feeding whales. In December, I got good news that it received an honorable mention in the 2010 National Wildlife Magazine’s Photo Contest. I entered it in the category called “Connecting People with Nature,Professional”. There were over 50,000 images entered, and […]
A floatplane cruises above the giant Juneau Icefield – Image 2033
A Wings of Alaska Otter airplane piloted by Juneau pilot, Rusty Staub, flies over the Juneau Icefield. The icefield consists of about 1,500 square miles of ice sprawling from Juneau east over the border to Canada and north almost to Skagway in Southeast Alaska. This Rhode Island-sized ice mass spawns more than 30 major glaciers […]
Black Bear, Mt McGinnis, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2941
When I look for a cover for my calendars, I am looking for an image that shows the essence of Alaska. Rule one is the image has to have great light. Next the image has to show the essential elements that make Alaska special to me and the world: wilderness, wildlife, mountains and glaciers. One […]
Black Bear, Steep Creek, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2681
As referenced in last week’s photo, I took the photo of this black bear gingerly carrying a salmon out of Steep Creek in the exact same spot as the photograph of the great blue heron. I had watched the bears over the summer and had noticed they regulary moved through this section of stream. I […]
Black Bears, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska – Image 2577
A lone black bear crosses Steep Creek. I shot this photo early in September which in Juneau means early autumn. What I love about this photo is the great light of the evening sun illuminating the grasses along the creek showing the first signs of autumn yellowing. But what sends this photo over the top […]
Black Bears, Steep Creek, Alaska – Image 2735
A black bear mother leads her cubs along Steep Creek. By mid-August, sockeye salmon have swarmed up Steep Creek right next to the parking lots for the Mendenhall Glacier visitors center. With the arrival of the sockeye as many as 18 black bears move down to the stream to feast on the fish. With up […]
Black bears, Steep Creek, Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, Alaska – Image 2791
These three black bears roam the bear trail along Steep Creek at the Mendenhall Glacier. The sockeye salmon usually show up in the creek between the third week of July and first week of August. This shot is of the bear that the locals refer to as “Nicky” with her two cubs. Over the years […]
Black Wolf “Romeo”, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2561
My What Big Teeth You Have quote Little Red Riding Hood I have been trying to get within shooting range of the wolf for years. Although this wolf is used to people, like most animals he maintains a certain distance before moving or being displaced by approaching people. I have learned that my tall 65 […]
Black Wolf Romeo, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2560
The black wolf hanging out at the Mendenhall Glacier has amazing eyes. In certain light the yellow/orange just glows. I have been working on getting a portrait of the wolf emphasizing his eyes. This is my best effort to date. I shot this image with my 500mm F/4 lens on my digital body which gives […]
Brotherhood Bridge, Mendenhall Glacier, Fireweed, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2431
Photographing this incredible landscape is easy and has Juneaus most popular and accessible photo points. This photo is taken from a parking lot just off the Egan Highway about 10 miles from downtown Juneau. This photo illustrates the month of July in my 2006 Juneau Alaska calendar. Camera: Nikon F/5, Lens: 35-70mm f/2.8, Film 35mm […]
Brotherhood Park, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2615
Brotherhood Park, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska #2615 I am dreaming of summer. This image of bicyclers pedalling through the fireweed on the path at Brotherhood Park with the Mendenhall Glacier in the background is an August image. But for the past couple of weeks, Juneau has been bathed in sunshine and warm spring temperatures, and […]
Celebration 2010, Centennial Hall Stage, Juneau Alaska – Image 2675
A member of the “Rainbow Creek Dancers”, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson drums during the opening entrance dance at Celebration 2010 that happpened June 2-5, 2010. The “Rainbow Creek Dancers”or in Haida “Tuul Gundlass Xyall Xaada” were the lead dance group welcoming some 2,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsiimsian dancers from 51 dance groups. Started in 1982 by the […]
Celebration 2010, Centennial Hall Stage, Juneau Alaska – Image 2676
Coronell Brothers from Juneau perform on stage during Celebration 2010 entrance dance. I shot this photo and the previous week’s photo in a high balcony way above the packed dance floor. I needed the reach of the 500mm lens but also needed a steady position. There is too much movement on the floor of the […]
Celebration 2010, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2745
Celebration is a biennial gathering of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribal members organized every two years by Sealaska Heritage Institute. Held in Juneau on the even years, the festival attracts thousands of participants for a four-day celebration of dance and culture in early June. It has become the largest cultural gathering of Southeast Alaska natives […]
Celebration Parade, Downtown Juneau, Alaska – Image 2258
Celebration 96 participants parade through downtown Juneau. Every two years, Sealaska Hertiage Foundation hosts thousands of Southeast Alaska natives for a long weekend of cultural celebration and dance. Dancing goes all day and night with the parade usually happening on Saturday. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 300mm f/4, Film: 35mm Fuji Velvia-Mark Kelley
Chilkat Mountains, Lynn canal, Sunshine Cove, Juneau – Image 2940
I got up four mornings in a row at 5am to get this photo. This setting moon was shot about 35 miles out the road (an hour drive from my home). I wanted the moon setting over the mountains right at first light. The first three mornings my timing was off, and unbelievably there was […]
Coastal Range, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2854
Happy Holidays! The night lights of Juneau stretch across the Coastal Mountains from the frozen Mendenhall Lake, pass under Thunder Mountain, and continue down Gastineau Channel. Camera body:D700, Lens: Nikkor 16-35mm, ISO 100, Digital Capture© Mark Kelley
Cover of the 2005 Juneau Calendar – Image 2384
The Mt. Roberts Tram opened in 1996 and has become a central focal point ofsummertime downtown tourist trade. The tram climbs from the waterfront upto the 1,800 foot level on Mt Roberts. This shot is the view from the uppertam terminal. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 35-75mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Polarized, Film:35mm Fuji Velvia (35mm color slide […]
Cover of the Juneau Alaska 2013 Calendar – Image 2795
I shot this sunset over Juneau from Spaulding Meadows in January. The temperature was hovering around 0 degrees F with a slight breeze. Although not very cold by Alaska standards, it was coldenough to be sapping my camera batteries, gumming up the works and freezing my fingers. Some might say that I over saturated the […]
Cover of the Juneau Vacation Planner, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2758
I have been lucky lately with a lot of really fun publications including publications in Patagonia and the cover of the State of Alaska Vacation Planner. The Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau puts out an annual vacation planner and over the years I have had a number of covers for the bureau, but none recently. […]
Cover, Juneau Community Foundation, Alaska – Image 2826
As a photographer and business person, I try to support many different community groups either by cash donations or free use of photos. I have donated photos for inside and the covers of the Juneau Community Foundation annual report for the past several years. Its is a great group that gathers funds to help support […]
Cross Country skiing at Spaulding Meadows, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2096
The Chilkat Mountains make a stunning background as Jeff Wilson cruises the fresh powder in Spaulding Meadows by Auke Bay in Juneau, Alaska. Spaulding Meadows is one of Juneau’s most popular cross country ski areas. I shot this photo using a Nikon F-3 with an 80-200mm F/2.8 Nikor zoom lens with a polarizing filter on […]
Cross Country Skiing, Spaulding Meadows – Image 2441
One of my favorite winter playgrounds is Spaulding Meadows out the road above Auke Bay. My friend, Laura, cruises the fresh snow with Mt McGinnis and Stroller White in the background. This photo illustrates the month of February in my 2006 Juneau Alaska Calendar. This photo is available as a print (print number P-140) with […]
Cross-country Skiing, Spaulding Meadows, Juneau , Alaska – Image 2653
Here, we are again…Spaulding Meadows. The meadows are absolutely my most favorite place to enjoy the snow and sunshine in Juneau area. I have never had a bad day in the meadows, and I have been there too many times to count. Spinning in a circle, one has views of Mendenhall Glacier, McGinnis Mountain, Mt […]
Cross-Country skiing, Split Thumb, Juneau Ice Field, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2038
It is still raining in Juneau today but this time of year turns my attention to winter and the hopes of snow. This photo was taken on the Juneau Ice Field by the distinctive mountain feature called Split Thumb. Split Thumb stands over 5,500 feet high. A bunch of friends helicoptered up to the Ice […]
Cross-Coutry Skiing, Thunder Mountain, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2043
Jeff and Bethany ski the bowl between Thunder Mountain and Heintzleman Ridge with the Mendenhall Glacier as the backdrop. I shot this photo with a Nikon F/3 camera body with an 80-200 F/2.8 Nikor zoom lens and Fuji 50 film. This photo illustrates the month of December in my 2001 Spoutheast Alaska Calendar.-Mark Kelley
Cruiseship Docked in Juneau – Image 2358
The cover of the May/June issue of Alaska Magazine features my photo of aJapanese cruiseship at dock. I shot this photo from a helicopter. Thisimages marks my fourth cover for Alaska Magazine over the years. Camera:Nikon F5, Lens: 35-70mm Nikkor, Film: 35mm Fuji Velvia-Mark Kelley
Dike Trail, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2839
Theres is a saying in Alaska,”when the fireweed blooms top out and the white downy seeds take flight summer is over.” Juneau area and Southeast Alaska in general had the best summer anyone can remember. But, the rains returned this weekend and the fireweed has topped out. It is now time to get ready for the […]
Dog Camp on the Juneau Icefield, Alaska – Image 2476
One of the favorite tours by the cruise ships passengers in Juneau is the trip up to the Icefield by helicopter to go dog sledding in the middle of the summer. Three helicopter companies in Juneau offer this excursion. This shot is of the Temsco Helicopters dog base on the upper reaches of the Mendenhall […]
Dog Mushing, Juneau Icefield, Alaska – Image 2477
This image shows the mushers perspective of the trail returning to the Temsco Helicopters dog sled camp on the Mendenhall Glacier. Tourists going on this shore excursion actually get to drive the dog team accompanied by an experienced musher. This season I started a line of postcards with this image being one in a line […]
Dog mushing, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska – Image 2630
The most expensive and outrageous shore excursion available off the cruiseships visiting Juneau is the helicopter flight up to the Juneau Icefield to go dog mushing. Most people have never flown in a helicopter, never seen a glacier, never walked on a glacier and never driven a dog sled. Well on this excursion you get […]
Dog Salmon, Gold Creek, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2331
As the tide goes out, Dog salmon struggle up the low water in Gold Creek. Juneau has a late fall run of dog or chum salmon that usually head up Steep Creek in the Mendenhall valley. This photo illustrates the month of June in my 2004 Juneau Calendar. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 300mm f/4 Nikkor, […]
Dog Sledding, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2468
Tourists dog mush across the Mendenhall Glacier in the Juneau Ice field. This TEMSCO helicopter tour offers you a helicopter ride over the Juneau Ice Field and then a dog sled ride where the passengers actually get to steer the dog team. It is an amazing trip. This photo illustrates the month of July in […]
Douglas Island Taku Winds “Blow’n in the Wind” Juneau, Alaska – Image 2671
Like the previous image #2670, this image was also accepted in the State of Alaska Museum’s biennial juried photo show, “Alaska Positive”. The original print will hang with the show for this summer at the Juneau museum and then will spend the rest of the year traveling to different museums around the state. I displayed […]
Douglas Island, Alaska with Admiralty Island in background – Image 2094
David LaChapelle cuts the fresh powder on the backside of Douglas Island just out of bounds of the Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska. The backdrop is Glass Pennisula and Seymour Canal on Admiralty Island. I shot this photo with a Nikon F4 using a 20-35mm Nikor zoom lens on Velvia film.-Mark Kelley
Downtown Dock, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2338
The waterfront docks of downtown Juneau provide a great early morning walk or ski on the those days with a fresh snow followed by a fresh sunshine. This photo illustrates the month of January in my 2004 Juneau Calendar. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 20-35mm Nikkor polarized, Film: 35mm Fuji Velvia slide film.-Mark Kelley
Downtown Juneau in Winter from Mt. Roberts Trail, Alaska – Image 2292
I waited years to do this photo. I needed a fresh snow fall during nightand a crystal clear morning. If you know Juneau at all, you know this is arare day. I liked the photo enough to put it on the cover of my book onJuneau called Juneau Portrait II. Besides being the cover, I […]
Downtown, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2494
Merry ChristmasA fresh winter snow brings such a hush and quiet to the normal hustle and bustle of downtown. This photo was shot at Front and Franklin around Christmas time at about 4:30 in afternoon. This image illustrates the month of February in the 2007 Juneau Alaska calendar. Camera: Nikon F/5, Lens: 14mm f/2.8 Sigma […]
Downtown, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2594
This is a December evening shot of downtown Juneaus evening lights shot from Douglas Island next to the Douglas Breeze-in. When shooting evening shots I always try to time the shoot so there still is a hint of light in the sky so the mountain tops separate from the sky. The snow helps with this […]
Downtown, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2855
This is the view from my home on the top of Starr Hill. I think it is one of the beautiful views I can image of any city and am lucky to wake up every morning taking all of this in. This winter has been wet and warm at sea level. Eaglecrest, the local ski […]
Dwarf Fireweed, Granite Creek Basin, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2532
I stumbled on this field of dwarf fireweed or river beauties on a hike up into Granite Creek Basin. I had no idea these fields of flowers were up there and was just on a cloudy day hike with no real goal. I was happy to have had my camera and tripod along to make […]
Dwarf Fireweed, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Southeast Alaska – Image 2372
We have had an extremely dry, sunny and hot summer. The fireweed which isusually peeking this week has already gone to seed two weeks ago. I shotthis photo of the dwarf fireweed at the swimming pond by the MendenhallGlacier. This pond is closed off from the larger Mendenhall Lake and warmsto a very comfortable swimming […]
Eagle Beach Slough, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2263
As the tidal waters flood the sun-drunched slough behind Eagle Beach, my son and his friends charge across the water for a swim with our family dog, Rosie. The incoming tide warmed by the warm earth makes for a very enjoyable swim. This photo illustrates the month of July in my 2003 Juneau Calendar. Camera: […]
Eagle Beach, Boy Scout Camp, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2755
Eagle Beach is probably one of my favorite places in Alaska. I try tovisit the area at least once per month. It is an wonderful amalgam ofsandy beaches, pristine waters filled with whales and sea lions and amountain backdrop to die for. For several years our family friends, Pauland Tammi, rented the Boy Scout Lodge […]
Eagle Beach, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2491
One of my favorite hikes is to Eagle Beach. I try to go there once a month but can not always kept this commitment to myself. I loved the pattern the retreating tide left in the sand and combined with the glorious day, I knew I had to find an image worth publishing. This image […]
Moose Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2483
This picture was taken near the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau at Moose Lake,which is part of the Dredge Lakes trail system. This area is very popularwith dog walkers, mountain bikers, and hikers. It’s also a great place tocatch some fall color this time of year. This picture can be also be seen inmy Juneau 2007 […]
Float Plane over Juneau Icefield, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2248
On a clear day in April, a Wings of Alaska float plane cruises over the Juneau Icefield. I shot this photo from another chase plane. The Juneau Icefield is a Rhode Island-sized ice mass that spawns more than 30 major glaciers including the Mendenhall and the Taku. Camera: Nikon F4, Lens: 35-70mm f/2.8 zoom, Film: […]
Gilkey Glacier, Juneau Icefield, Alaska – Image 2785
I jumped on a helicopter for a glacier trek with NorthStar Trekking which is a company specializing in taking people to the glaciers surrounding Juneau. Once the helicopter has landed on the glacier, their clients go on either a one, two or three hour guided treks across the ice. We went to the Gilke Glacier […]
Helicopter Tour, Juneau Icefield, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2273
Helicopter tours over the Juneau Icefields are one of Juneau’s most popular and awesome adventures. I shot this photo of a Temsco helicopter from the open door of another chase helicopter. This photo illustrates page 41 in my book, Juneau Portrait II. Camera: Nikon F/4, Lens: 35-70mm Nikkor, Film: Fuji 50, Polarized-Mark Kelley
Helicopter Touring, Herbert Glacier, Alaska – Image 2296
Helicopter tours over the Juneau Ice Field are a very popular way to visitthe frozen glacier world. Juneau’s Icefield is the size of Rhode Island andseperates us from our Canadian neighbors to the east. This photo was acommercial shoot for one of the three local helicopter touring groups.Camera: Nikon F3, Lens 80-200mm F/2.8 Nikkor, Film; […]
Helicopter Tours, Herbert Glacier, Alaska – Image 2481
A Temsco helicopter cruises over the Herbert Glacier. The Herbert Glacier is the 36 glaciers spilling out of the Rhode Island-sized Juneau Icefield. This season I started a line of postcards with this image being one in a line of 42 different styles. Camera: Nikon F/4, Lens: 35-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens polarized , Film 35mm […]
Juneau Icefield, Hole in the Wall Glacier – Image 2422
Glacier trekkers on tour with Northstar Helicopters cross the Hole in the Wall Glacier in the Juneau Icefield. The four helicopter companies in Juneau take over 150,000 visitors a season to see the glaciers. This photo illustrates the month of May in my 2006 Juneau Alaska Calendar. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 35-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Film: […]
Winter on Juneau Icefield – Image 2444
The Rhode Island-sized Juneau Icefield stretches from the Taku River in the south, to Juneau in the west, to Skagway in the north and across the Canadian border in the east. This photo was shot in late November in the Death Valley area of the 1,600 square mile Icefield. This photo illustrates the month of […]
Black Bears, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska – Image 2576
A mother black bear with her twin cubs stroll the banks of Steep Creek at the Mendenhall Glacier. Many people think black bears are black. But, in fact black bears come in all colors from white to grey to black to brown. This photo illustrates some of the color phases. The mother is two-toned with […]
Fields of fireweed grow at Brotherhood Park, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2023
Mendenhall Glacier is the backdrop for the Brotherhood Park meadow. Fields of fireweed fill the meadow from July through early August. All summer the meadow blooms with wild flowers first starting with wild irises and chocolate liies, and then comes arctic cotton and Indian rhubarb and finally ending with fireweed. I shot this on Fuji […]
Fireweed, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska – Image 2626
It is the height of the fireweed season in Juneau. It has been incredible summer filled with more sunshine than rain and record setting temperatures. So far every day in the the month of July has been sunny (as of 7-14). This fireweed was shot along the airport dike trail several years ago. This year, […]
Fireweed, Mendenhall Glacier, Brotherhood Bridge Park, Alaska – Image 2530
What I like about this image is the color change in the fireweed from the flowers in the foreground shade to the distant sunlit flowers. I shot this photo just before the light fell completely off the field. What I have learned about shooting glacier scenes is to let the glacier fall into shadow if […]
Fireweed, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2378
One of the most photographed scenes in Juneau is the field of fireweed atBrotherhood Park next to the Mendenhall River with the Mendenhall Glacier inthe background. Most photos only show the scene. There is a great hikingtrail right through the middle of this scene, and I love to put people in myphotos. This photo illustrates […]
Fireweed, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2731
Fireweed season in Southeast Alaska is July through mid-August. This field of wild flowers at Brotherhood Bridge is just off the highway going out the road about 8 miles from downtown Juneau. It is probably one of the most photographed scenes in Alaska as it should be—a glacier, mountains, and a field of wild flowers. […]
Fishing Bear, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska – Image 2631
My favorite time of the year for bear viewing is the month of August in Juneau at the Mendenhall Glacier. The salmon have arrived in Steep Creek and historically up to a dozen or so black bears are there to welcome the returning salmon. Black bears live all over the world, but the only place […]
Frozen Ice Berg, Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2341
I was out photographing the ice bergs frozen in the Mendenhall Lake when two ice climbers showed up on their bicycles. I knew this was going to make for some good photos. We spend most of day messing around on the frozen lake. This photo illustrates page 19: theweek of 2-15 to 2-21-04 in my […]
Geese, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau – Image 2231
Canadian geese fly in formation past the Mendenhall Glacier and surrounding mountains. The geese spend much of the winter eating on the Mendenhall Golfcourse. I was lucky to get them to flush in front of the glacier and luckier still to get them all to seperate. This photo illustrates the month of November in the […]
Heintzleman Ridge and Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2098
Bethany “three pins” her way down Heintzleman Ridge with the Mendenhall Glacier as the backdrop. I shot the photo with a Nikon F-4 with an 35-70mm Nikor F/2.8 lens on Fuji Velvia film with a polarizing filter.-Mark Kelley
Heintzleman Ridge, Mendenhall Glacier Juneau, Alaska – Image 2656
Heintzleman ridge is my favorite overlook of the Mendenhall Glacier. The hike up the trail takes two plus hours and climbs over 2,500 feet. I shot this photo in October and what looks like a lake in the bottom of the photo is really a large pond. I cropped the image in camera to make […]
Ice Caves, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2693
The approaching winter starts freezing up the local environment, and the ice caves under the Mendenhall Glacier become relatively safer to explore. Exploring the ice caves along the edge of a moving glacier is dangerous and probably not a recommended recreation. But with that said, a lot of Juneauites go to the glacier to visit […]
Ice Climbing, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska-Image – Image 2565
A climber claws his way up the face of the Mendenhall Glacier with Mount Stroller White in the background. Since the glacier can calve from its front edge or face, climbing a glacier face is not a recommended practice. I just happened to be at the glacier when the climber was ascending. I would have […]
Ice Climbing, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2233
The blue ice of the Mendenhall Glacier surrounds the ice climber. Stroller White Mountain stands as the backdrop. Beautiful clear days bring all sorts of winter enthusiasts out to the Mendehall Glacier and Lake for skating, ice climbing, skiing, bicycling and strolling. This photo illustrates the month of January in the 2002 Juneau Alaska Calendar. […]
Ice Climbing, Mendenhall Glaicer, Alaska – Image 2647
Ice climbing the front of a glacier is very dangerous. I was out walking around on the frozen lake when I saw a group of climbers top roping the glacier and started climbing. I backed way off using my 80-200mm. I was captivated by the small ant-like climber against the incredible blue ice wall with […]
Ice Climbing, Nugget Falls, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2751
It was a beautiful sunny day, and I headed out to the Mendenhall Glacier and Lake to see what I could see. Since it was mid-week, the place was empty. On a sunny weekend there would have been hundreds of folks enjoying the ice, snow and views. I saw two people ice climbing the Nugget […]
Ice Skating, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2752
This is my brother , Michael, skating across the Mendenhall Lake in front of the Mendenhall Glacier. He was visiting us at Christmas so the image was taken during the height of the winter darkness. This time of year the sun comes up around 9:30am and is getting dark by 3:30pm. During the day, the […]
Ice skating, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2246
It is still very wintery in the Juneau area. Skating on all of local lakes and ponds has been fanastic. I shot this photo of my brother skating on the Mendenhall Lake looking from the glacier back up the Mendenhall Valley to the west. Disney used this photo for a European poster advertising a movie […]
Ice Skating, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2344
Until last year when Juneau built its first indoor rink, the only place to skate was on frozen lakes. The skater is my brother who was visiting from down south. He was a college hockey player and had really only skated in rinks. He found the freedom of racing across miles of unbroken ice without […]
Ice Skating, Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2701
Until this day, I had never seen the ice on the Mendenhall Lake so smooth that it would reflect the glacier so clearly. What happened is that a very heavy January rain of about 10 inches fell in two days and washed all of the snow away. After the snow was melted the water just […]
Iceberg Fall, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2635
I have been waiting 30 years to nail this photo. I previsualized a wonderful shot of an iceberg in great light surrounded by a blast of autumn foliage. It took me a long time to realized I needed to do the shoot from a kayak and not from the shore using telephoto lenses. I waited […]
Iceberg, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2546
Every year the Mendenhall Lake freezes providing a great surface for cross-country skiing and skating. If the Mendenhall Glacier calves late in the fall season, the icebergs get trapped in the ice making a wonderful landscape for recreationalists and for photographers. This image illustrates the month of December in my 2008 Southeast Alaska Calendar. Camera: […]
Iceberg, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Southeast Alaska – Image 2393
An ice climber repels down the face of an iceberg frozen into MendenhallLake. A bicycle works great as a means of traveling on frozen lakes.Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 35-75mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Polarized, Film: 35mm Velvia(35mm color slide film).-Mark Kelley
Iceberg, Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2648
Several years ago the Mendenhall Glacier calved the largest icebergs that I had ever seen in the Mendenhall Lake during my 30 plus years of photographing the glacier. Having calved late in the season, the icebergs did not melt and ended up frozen in the lake. The ice-locked icebergs provided an unbelievable landscape and an […]
Icebergs, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2433
The summer of 2004 was one of the hottest summers on record for Juneau. The Mendenhall Glacier retreated over 600 feet leaving huge icebergs in its retreat. Only about 10% of the iceberg is visible above the water which means that these are huge icebergs. This photo illustrates the month of September in my 2006 […]
Kayak on Moose Lake with Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2240
I have had the cover image for the Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau’s vacation planner for four years in a row. In the past the bureau has always wanted a hint of the Mendenhall Glacier in the photo. Camera: Nikon F/5, Lens: 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom Nikkor, film: 35mm fuji Velvia.-Mark Kelley
Kayak, Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska – Image 2679
Both my sons, Gabe and Owen, have grown into adventurous young men. Gabe who is 24 sent himself through university working the summers as a guide. Presently he is working with Above and Beyond in Juneau, Alaska as a kayak and glacier guide. Above and Beyond specializes in guided hikes on the Mendenhall Glacier and […]
Kayaking, Moose Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2260
A kayaker enjoys the morning reflection of Mendenhall Glacier in Moose Lake in the Mendenhall Recreation Area in Juneau, Alaska. I shot this photo as a cover of the Juenau Convention and Visitors Bureau brochure. This photo illustrates the month of May in my new Juneau, Alaska Calendar for 2003. Camera: F5, Lens: Nikkor 35 […]
Kayaking/ Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2736
Kayaks paddle the lake in front of the Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier is an incredible recreational opportunity for the locals and tourists alike. I shot this photo of my son, Owen, and our friend, Cris, in the kayak from the rock face to looker’s left of the glacier. The rock face allowed for a steady […]
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2492
The frozen Mendenhall Lake is a winter play land for Juneauites. With motorized vehicles prohibited, the frozen surface provides unbelievable opportunities for skating, cross-country skiing, strolling and glacier gawking. On this day, my wife and I counted over 200 cars in the parking lot and down the access road. It seemed if everyone we knew […]
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2493
Like everyone else in Juneau, I was fascinated by this mushroom shaped iceberg frozen into the lake. I kept photographing and photographing until I got this image. This image works for me because it shows just how big the iceberg is, and the man walking his dog in a walk-by videoing seems so nonchalant. This […]
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2597
Clear weather, smooth ice and huge icebergs are magnets for the Sunday strolling crowd. I shot this photo from the front doors of Mendenhall Glacier visitor center. It was such a fabulous day that my wife and I counted over 150 cars parked in the two parking lots and the road leading to the visitor […]
Mendenhall Glacier from Brotherhood Park, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2117
The Brotherhood Park, named for the Alaska Native Brotherhood, frames the Mendenhall Glacier. The meadow is a favorite wildflower walk for Juneauites. In early August, it is covered with fireweed blooms; earlier stages of summer display wild irises, Alaska cotton and chocolate lilies. The photo was taken with a Nikon F/5 camera body and a […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau Ice Field, Alaska – Image 2611
You probably think this is a continuation of the winter photos made so easy by Juneaus snowy winter. Actually I shot this dog mushing photo on the Mendenhall Glacier in the summer. There is a great shore excursion available in Juneau where the cruise ship passengers or for that matter independent travelers get a helicopter […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2348
Cross-country skiers collect at the face of the Mendenhall Glacier. The frozen snow-covered Mendenhall Lake makes for a great ski. This photo illustrates the month of March in my 2004 Juneau Alaska wall calendar. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: 20-35 f/2.8 Nikkor zoom polarized, Film: 35mm Fuji Velvia slide film -Mark Kelley
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2436
Fresh snows had just fallen the night before in the mountains of Juneau on this early November day. When I got to Mendenhall Lake, fog was covering most of it, obscuring my view of the glacier. I waited and waited hoping that the fog would lift and leave the glaciers mirror reflection in the lake. […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2520
Mendenhall Glacier is one of Alaskas most popular tourist attractions with over 350,000 visitors per year. Located just 13 miles from downtown Juneau, the Mendenhall is a favorite among Juneauites and is commonly referred to as our backyard glacier. The lone man walks the sidewalk to the visitors center. This image illustrates page 70 in […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2678
The Mendenhall Glacier is over 13 miles long and in some places is over a mile wide. Lakes and streams exist on top of this huge ice mass. Because the water on top of the ice is always eroding the ice it creates holes and cracks causing the streams to always change course, and lakes drain and form new lakes […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2792
The autumn (mid-September through October) in Juneau is usually very wet with tons of rain. Once in a while the area will experience a clear day or even a semi-dry fall. When this happens, the fall foliage in and around the Mendenhall Glacier can be spectacular. To do this shoot, I spent the day out […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2794
In the past 34 years, I have literally shot tens of thousands of images of the Mendenhall Glacier, and this one is my favorite image. It was shot on the westside of the lake across from the visitors center. I have only seen the water right in front of the glacier go mirror calm once. […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2841
The Mendenhall Glacier is a retreating glacier. The glacier has been in retreat since the mid-1700s and in the last 250 plus years has retreated about two and a half miles from its terminal moraine. As seen in these two mirror images, the glacier has retreated over 5,380 feet (more than a mile) and has […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2852
This is my friend, Dave Haas, horsing around in front of the face of the Mendenhall Glacier. I was on an assigned shoot for Bradley-Reid, the State of Alaskas advertising agency, to promote winter tourism. I wanted to show the scale of the glacier and just how accessible it is. In the winter it is […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Kayak, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2426
On a beautiful August day in 2004, a kayaker paddles the Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, Alaska. This photo illustrates the month of September in my 2006 Southeast Alaska calendar. Camera: Nikon F/5, Lens: 80-200mm f/2.8 polarized, Film 35mm Velvia slide film-Mark Kelley
King Salmon Fishing, False Outer Point, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2256
With the Chilkat Mountains as a backdrop, Anglers fish through the sunset at False Outer Point at the end of Douglas Island. False Outer Point is probably the hottest sports king salmon fishing area in the Juneau from mid-May to early June. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens: Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8, Film: 35mm Fuji Velvia.-Mark Kelley
Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2848
Just this past week the Mendenhall Lake finally froze over with a thin layer of skim ice. In my 34 years of photographing the Mendenhall Glacier, I have never seen the water right in front of the glacier go mirror calm. I have many images of the mirror calm lake from the west side but […]
Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Southeast Alaska – Image 2394
A mom plays ice hockey with her son and his friend on the frozen MendenhallLake with the Mendenhall Glacier in the background. This photo illustratesthe month of December in my Juneau 2005 Calendar. Camera: Nikon F5, Lens:35-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Polarized, Film: 35mm Velvia (35mm color slide film).-Mark Kelley
Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall River, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2330
The Mendenhall Glacier reflects in the Mendenhall River next to Brotherhood Park. Usually in Juneau, we only get one or two good days in October, except for this year which has been extraodinarily warm and dry. Shots like this have been easy to come by this autumn. This photo illustrates the month of October in […]
Mendenhall River, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2644
Today, Eaglecrest Ski Area is reporting 50 inches of snow at the top of the mountain. The last three winters in Juneau have been record setting snowfalls, and I could not be happier. The more snow the better life gets. On one really snowy day, I went out to photograph the local lone black wolf […]
Photo Point, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska. – Image 2741
The Mendenhall Glacier on a multi-cruise ship day is a very busy place. Somewhere between 40 to 50% of all cruise ship passengers coming to Alaska go to the Mendenhall Glacier making the glacier the most visited natural wonder in Alaska. Photo point is the place most visitors go to view the scene. For several […]
Nugget Falls, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2783
This is another lucky, found moment. I usually go out to photograph with an image in my mind. This day, I wanted to get a photo showing Nugget Falls and people interacting with the environment. I thought I would get a bunch of people standing around enjoying the amazing seen. I worked the situation as […]
Tree Carving, Brotherhood Park Trail, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2617
The Haines area natives used to mark the trading trails between the coast and the interior with tree carvings. A local Juneau carver, Rick Beasely, revived this Tlingit trail marking artform and created seven new tree carvings in Southeast Alaska. There are three tree carvings at the top of the Mt. Roberts Tram, this one […]
Spaulding Meadows, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2807
Spaulding Meadows is my go-to place when the snow is fresh and the skies are clear. Once again, I return and keep returning to Spaulding meadows for more and more images. This evening image of the Juneau area is shot up in the upper reaches of Spaulding Meadows from Auke Mountain. It is the only […]
July 4th, 2000 fireworks over Gastineau Channel, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2112
I was looking for a different angle to shoot the annual July 4th fireworks. I got permision to shoot on top of an oil tank at Taku Oil for this photo. This shot was taken with a Nikon F/5 equipped with a Nikor 35-70mm F/2.8 lens on Fuji Velvia film pushed one stop. The exposure […]
Fireworks, Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2443
For the past several years Eaglecrest Ski Area has celebrated the New Year with a fireworks display on New Years Day. What I love about this photo is the size comparison between ski lift towers and the fireworks that dwarf the 30-foot tall towers. This photo illustrates the month of January in my 2006 Juneau […]
Sitka Black-tail Deer, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2319
I was up and out shooting at first light. These deer walked right by me while I was out exploring the wetlands around the Airport Dike Trail. They saw me and were not too bothered. I was able to walk with them for about a 100 yards before they veered off. This photo illustrates the […]
Sitka White Tail Deer, Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, Alaska – Image 2608
Two Sitka black-tailed deer walk the tide line searching for food. Deer are mostly considered forest animals, but in the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge deer spend their time searching the tide lines for food while finding safety inside the forested islands dotting this tidal state game refuge. I got lucky on this shot. I […]
Hale-Bopp Comet above Gastineau Channel with northern lights – Image 2031
April 1997 was a month of cloudless skies. Comet Hale-Bopp was our constant companion from mid-March through April. As the end of April approached, I had not taken a photo of the comet. It seemed like I was the only photographer in the world without some shot of this phenomenonal celestrial event. Towards the end […]
Juneau, Alaska – Image 2846
The other great place to shoot winter sunsets in Juneau is along Fritz Cove Road on the southern shore of Auke Bay. The March and April sunsets happen on the northern edge of Auke Bay. This image shows Eric Lindegaard watching the view from his dock. This image is not digitally enhanced. The colors truly […]
Juneau Ice Field, Alaska – Image 2535
Keeping with last weeks theme of people enjoying the Juneau Ice Fields, this week I am featuring a photo my friend, Shannon, defending herself in a snowball fight. In the middle of the summer the first thing people do getting off the helicopters for their visit to the glaciers is have a snowball fight. I […]