The light returns! This image of a mountain peak in the Chilkat Range in Alaska illustrates the month of November in the 2024 Alaska Calendar . Purchase your favorite Mark Kelley calendar in Juneau stores or at markkelley.com. Thank you for visiting and for the gift of your time. Enjoy – Camera: Nikon #D850, Lens 24-70mm, Digital Capture, […]
Mountains
Mendenhall Glacier, Thunder Mountain, Juneau, Alaska #3358
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 […]
Sitka, Alaska #3357
An all-time Mark Kelley favorite! With all the many requests for this photo we just had to bring this Sitka image back. Sitka is a small island community located on the Sitka Sound. This image illustrates the month of August in the 2024 Alaska Calendar . Purchase your favorite Mark Kelley calendar in Juneau stores, at […]
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 […]
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
A 2022 WINNER
December 2022 The National Wildlife Federation has announced the winners of its 2022 annual National Wildlife® Photo Contest. Thousands of photographers from around the world submitted more than 30,000 photos of wildlife, rich landscapes, and incredible encounters with nature. The collection of ten images of the bears of Anan Creek I submitted in the portfolio category […]
Ice Cave, Castner Glacier, Delta Junction, Alaska #3444
Living in Juneau, Alaska, I have had many opportunities to explore the ice caves under the Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau’s backyard glacier. As the Mendenhall retreated, its easily accessible ice caves disappeared. I had heard of the ice caves near Delta Junction and went to check them out on a mid-March shoot. The small entrance to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Carcross, Yukon, Canada #3437
I just got back from spending a sunny week in Canada driving around the Yukon and British Columbia to check out the fall colors. Autumn is in full swing, and the colors should be good for another week. This photo was taken along the South Klondike Highway out of Carcross on the way to Skagway. […]
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 – […]
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 […]
Aurora Borealis, Brooks Range, Arctic Alaska #3432
In March I spent five days in the Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle photographing the aurora borealis. I shot this image around 11pm while temperatures hovered around minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The lights lasted for about four hours and I was in bed by 2:30am. The elongated stars are caused by the combination of […]
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
Aurora Borealis, Brooks Range, Alaska #3431
Getting to experience the northern lights is one of the unique pleasures of living in Alaska. One of the best places to watch the lights, also called the aurora borealis is in the Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle. I watched this amazing display on a frozen riverbed next to the Dalton Highway, the only […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Humpback Whale Breach, Alaska #3405
A large adult humpback whale breaches in Icy Strait with the Bear Track Mountains in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, as a backdrop. 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 fundraisers […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Aurora Borealis, Arctic Circle, Alaska #3376
Every March for the past five years I have headed up to the Arctic in search of images of the Northern Lights. I usually travel up the Dalton Highway, the road that was built along the pipeline corridor to support the building and continuous upkeep of the Alaska oil pipeline. My favorite place to photograph […]
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 […]
Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska #3372
As a photographer I am always searching for a new and unique view of well-photographed subjects like Denali in Denali National Park. I discovered this vantage point totally by accident. I was traveling the Park Road, beelining for Wonder Lake about 80 miles into the Park, when I got held up for a day by […]
Caribou, Wonder Lake, Denali NP, Alaska #3369
I arrived in Alaska in August 1974 to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). I showed up a week early to visit Denali National Park and immediately fell in love with the park. For the next four years at UAF I skipped the first week of classes to head to Denali for ten days. […]
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 […]
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 Whales, Icy Strait, Alaska #3364
The Fairweather Mountains in Glacier Bay National Park create a perfect Alaska backdrop for a group of approximately nine humpback whales swimming along the surface after completing a bubble-net feeding off Point Adolphus in Icy Strait. Bubble-net feeding is a particular whale behavior only associated with humpbacks and mostly occurring only in Southeast Alaska waters. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Jokulhlaup, Mendenhall River, Juneau, Alaska #3356
Since 2011 the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area has been experiencing glacier lake outburst floods called jokulhlaups. A jokulhlaup is an Icelandic word describing a glacier event where a large body of water created by rainfall and glacier melt collects in a big lake behind a glacier ice dam. Eventually the water pressure gets too great […]
Margerie Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Margerie Glacier is probably the most visited tidewater glacier in the world. During a regular, non-COVID summer, over half a million cruise ship passengers cruise up to this glacier and spend a couple hours hanging out. About a mile wide, Margerie Glacier is 21 miles long and stands 250 feet above and 100 feet below […]
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 […]
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 […]
Happy Holidays from Alaska 12-20-2020
This image just shouts “Alaska.” It has all the necessary ingredients: endless pristine white snow, beautiful mountains, northern lights, and a full moon lighting the whole scene. I took this photo of the Brooks Range along the Dalton Highway about 70 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Photographing northern lights around full-moon nights is especially cool […]
Caribou and Denali, Alaska #3135
Over my forty-plus years as a photographer in Alaska, I have had the privilege of photographing and publishing thirteen books on Alaska. I love all my books, but my favorite and most fun book to work on was the kids’ book “Once Upon Alaska.” I so much enjoyed reading Nick Jan’s rhyming verses and letting […]
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 […]
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 […]
Grizzly Bear, Gates of the Arctic NP, Alaska #3120
A grizzly walks down the Noatak River in front of the rugged Brooks Range Mountains on a beautiful autumn evening in Gates of the Arctic National Park. The light in the image is the light that photographers dream of. Just minutes after taking this photo the light completely disappeared from the bear and the mountains. […]
Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska #3119
Denali casts a mirror reflection on Wonder Lake at sunrise. I shot this image at the north end of Wonder Lake looking south at Denali and the Alaska Range. It is my favorite go-to spot in the park. On clear mornings I always start my shoot here. I first visited the park in 1974 and […]
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 […]
Pelican, Alaska #3108
A year ago I started planning this great trip on board the m/v Delphinus with my friends from Dolphin Charters. We boated from Sitka up the outside coast of Alaska, cut into Cross Sound, and headed to Juneau via Icy Straits. I just came back from the trip about a week ago, and while we had […]
Cunard MS Queen Elizabeth, Hubbard Glacier, AK #3107
Check it out! This summer we were contacted by Cunard’s corporate office in England to conduct a destination photo shoot of the MS Queen Elizabeth as it kicked off its inaugural season in Alaska. I spent about four weeks chasing the Queen Elizabeth around the Inside Passage waiting for the best weather conditions. We were […]
Astrolabe Rocks, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska #3106
At the end of May my wife, Jan, and I were able to spend two days exploring the outside coast of Glacier Bay National Park. The coastline is rugged, seldom visited, and stunningly beautiful with glaciers flowing to the shore. In this image Jan enjoys a skiff ride around the sea arch at Astrolabe Rocks […]
Northern Lights, Arctic, Alaska #3104
This will be the last northern lights image that I will post for a while. I say this because starting at the end of May the Alaska night sky is too bright for the lights to shine through. The latest I have every taken a photo of the aurora is May 21 to be exact. Summer solstice is […]
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 […]
Denali and Wonder Lake, Alaska Range, Alaska #3101
Our annual inventory has arrived! The Mark Kelley Alaska Calendar 2020 is now available. It might seem a wee bit early for a 2020 calendar, but believe it or not, the Alaska tour season is starting to kick into gear with the first cruise ship arriving at the end of April. We are busy filling […]
Aurora Borealis, Arctic Alaska #3099
I shot this photo while conducting an aurora photo tour for two photographers last week. This past summer I helped organize a very successful four-day whale watching tour out of Juneau in conjunction with the Maui Whale Trust. Two tour guests asked me to put together a private aurora photo tour so off to the […]
Caribou, Denali National Park, Alaska #3097
Springtime is a busy time in the office. Each year we look forward to receiving our new product inventory, and this year is especially exciting since we have worked hard to improve the quality of our magnet line that we sell at a few exclusive locations around Alaska. You may already be familiar with this […]
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 […]
Aurora, Gull Cove Lodge, Alaska #3095
Last week I finished printing the 2020 calendars in Manitoba. Now I am shooting for the 2021 calendars. On the rainy days I look through my digital collection of some 80,000 images, in search of the forgotten treasures to add to the 2021 calendar files. I found this gem from last September when Jan and I were […]
Cruise Alaska Magazine #3098
I was happy to see that Alaska Magazine selected this and two other images for their February 2019 Cruising Alaska issue. This image really defines cruising in Alaska. Wouldn’t you like to enjoy these amazing sights of Glacier Bay National Park, while a group of kayakers paddle by? Pick up a copy of this month’s […]
Cruise Alaska Magazine #3093
Last Monday evening Jan and I were enjoying a lovely dinner cruise in front of Lahaina, Maui when a rainbow broke through the sunset colored clouds, creating some real light magic. I was invited to Maui to be a speaker for Whale Trust Maui’s 14th annual four-day celebration of whales called “Whale Tales”. There were eleven presenters over the President’s Day weekend hosted at The Ritz-Carlton […]
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 […]
ALASKA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
January 2019 One of the most stunning views in all of Alaska is the sunrise over Denali, the Alaska Range, and Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. Spending a sunny morning walking around the northern end of the lake is the closest thing to heaven I know. I am happy the Alaska Conservation Foundation was able […]
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 […]
Alaska Conservation Foundation #3090
One of the most stunning views in all of Alaska is the sunrise over Denali, the Alaska Range, and Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. Spending a sunny morning walking around the northern end of the lake is the closest thing to heaven I know. I am happy the Alaska Conservation Foundation was able to use […]
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 […]
Alaska Calendar 2019 #3084
One of the most stunning views in all of Alaska is the sunrise over Denali, the Alaska Range, and Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. Spending a sunny morning walking around the northern end of lake is the closest thing to heaven I know. Come and visit me at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market this Friday […]
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 […]
Grizzly, Denali National Park, Alaska #3077
I love a big beautiful face-shot of a bear, but every once in a while I like to show my wildlife subjects in their environment. In the photo business this image is called an environmental portrait. The bear walking up a mountain on a windy day, and the river running through the valley below, defines […]
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 […]
Grizzly Bear, Gates of the Arctic NP, Alaska #3073
Two weeks ago I spent eight days canoeing the Noatak River in the Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve with my wife and six other friends. In spite of the cold and rainy weather we had an amazing trip paddling and hiking our way through 50 river-miles of the Brooks Range. The Gates […]
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 […]
Humpback Whales, Point Adolphus, Alaska #3070
The Fairweather Mountains in Glacier Bay National Park create a perfect Alaska backdrop for a group of approximately nine humpback whales that are bubble-net feeding off Point Adolphus in Icy Strait. The whales cooperatively locate schools of small bait fish like herring and then circle the school of fish while blowing bubbles. This net of […]
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, […]
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 […]
Aurora, Brooks Range, Alaska #3052
In March I spent three days on a northern lights shoot in Wiseman, Alaska, located on the Dalton Highway about 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle. What I like about this location are the mostly treeless mountains blanketed in snow. Everything is so pristine white, and once you add the northern lights streaming overhead, […]
Bull Caribou, Denali National Park, Alaska #3051
For the past several years a bull caribou has been consistently hanging out around the northern end of Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. I was working my way up a small hill to get an advantage point overlooking the lake. The brush and clumps of small spruce trees can be very thick in this […]
Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska #3050
While morning fog is clearing my friend, Ryan O’Keven, photographs Denali. Ryan and I were traveling under a Denali National Park photographer’s road permit which allowed us to travel the park road in our personal car. We were up before dawn and traveled much of the morning in fog. As the fog started to lift we parked and […]
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 […]
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 […]
Denali, Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska #3044
Denali casts a mirror reflection on Wonder Lake at sunrise. I shot this image at the north end of Wonder Lake looking south at Denali and the Alaska Range. It is my favorite go-to spot in the park. On clear mornings I always start my shoot here. I first visited the park in 1974 and […]
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 […]
Northern Lights, Meteor Fireball, Mt Dillon, Alaska-3038
I rented a cabin in the little town of Wiseman, population 11and about 250 miles north of Fairbanks along the Dalton Highway, for a week-long photo shoot of northern lights. With clear skies and a full moon I spent my nights driving up and down the road looking for great mountain landscapes and waiting for […]
Bull Caribou, Denali National Park, Alaska #3036
Two summers ago I was the lucky guy who got to spend a week in Denali National Park. First out of my camera was this image of a bull caribou standing in the shadow of Denali. In photography we talk about a concept called pre-visualization. This image is a perfect example of visualizing a shot […]
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 […]
Sunset, Prince William Sound, Alaska #3033
The last few summers I have been invited by Princess Cruises to present a photography show on Alaska on board an Alaskan cruise. I jumped at the chance to sail with Princess across the Gulf of Alaska. We set sail from Whittier in late June and sunset occurred pretty late – between 10:00 and 11:00 […]
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 […]
Moose with Calves, Chatham Strait, Alaska #3021
Moose are rather rare in most of Southeast Alaska, except in places north of Juneau such as Gustavus, Haines, and Berners Bay. In my 38 years of photographing Alaska I have hardly seen, let alone photographed, a moose in Southeast. What a surprise it was to come around Point Couverden to find a mother moose […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska #2995
Last summer I spent two weeks in Denali, which included a one-week stay at Camp Denali to lead their fall photo workshop. I shared this Wonder Lake moment with ten friends in the workshop. I never tire of photographing Denali at the northern end of the lake and cannot imagine a place more magical. During […]
Room with a View, Camp Denali, Alaska #2994
Last summer I spent two weeks in Denali, which included a one-week stay at Camp Denali to lead the fall photo workshop. After an evening presentation in the original hand-hewn log structure build in 1954, I sat at the desk enjoying the view from the library/lecture room. The worship participants had left to prepare for […]
“Line Up,” Denali and Wonder Lake in Denali National Park, Alaska #2993
Last summer I spent two weeks in Denali, which included a one-week stay at Camp Denali to lead the fall photo workshop. We were able to spend a morning at the end of Wonder Lake with the “High One” looming large. Once I got my photographers set up, I moved back to change my reference […]
Caribou Autumn, Denali National Park, Alaska #2992
I shoot and travel so much during the summer, I usually do not have time to edit my images. I know that during the quiet months of January and February I will finally have time to look back, and so it is again this year. Last summer I spent two weeks in Denali and now I […]
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 […]
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 […]
Admiralty Island, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2983
I shot this cloudburst over Admiralty Island from an Allen Marine whale watching boat approaching the southern end of Shelter Island. In the photo business we call it God Light. Photographers live for this moment of brilliance. This image illustrates the month of July in my 2017 Juneau Calendar. I will be signing calendars at the Juneau Public Market this upcoming weekend. Enjoy the photo and […]
“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 […]
Rainbow, Alaska Range, Denali NP, AK – Image 2979
When it comes to shooting rainbows I seem to have the best of luck during my trips to Denali National Park. Mountain weather moves through the Alaska Range quickly and brief storms are often followed by sun bursts. I usually use a polarizing filter when shooting rainbows because the filter improves the contrast between the colors. This image illustrates the month of October in […]
Grizzly Bear, Denali National Park, Alaska…Image #2969
I just returned from a rainy week photographing Denali National Park and this image of a grizzly bear is one of my favorites. Folks often ask me just how patient one has to be in order to be a successful nature/wildlife photographer. This shoot is a great answer to that question. I spent six days in […]
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 […]
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 […]
Aurora Borealis & Shooting Star, Brooks Range, AK #2956
Last week I spent seven days in a cabin in Wiseman along the Dalton Highway (the Haul Road) in the Arctic. My friend and fellow photographer, Murray Cohen planned this trip a while back in order to shoot the northern lights up north. The trip had all the great ingredients for a wonderful photo: the […]
Denali Dream, Denali National Park, Alaska-Image #2954
What a special moment to experience: pink clouds, Denali, and the Alaska Range casting a mirror image on Wonder Lake. I shot this classic view last August. I was that lucky guy that got to spend a week in Denali National Park traveling the road with a photographer’s special use permit, in my own car and on […]
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 […]
Denali Park Road, Denali National Park, Alaska #2951
On the road again… Mount Denali lies in the heart of Denali National Park. The 90-mile road is the only artery that links the front of the park with the back. Without a special permit, everyone has to ride a bus to see the wonders of this great national park. The bus pull-out at Stony […]
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 […]
Gulf of Alaska, Prince William Sound, Alaska-Image #2949
Alaska is a favorite cruise destination and last summer I joined Princess Cruises as an on-board lecturer. I presented a photography show to almost four hundred guests, featuring Alaska nature and wildlife images, while cruising from Whittier across the Gulf of Alaska. We were crossing the Gulf in the evening and the water was flat […]
Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska – Image #2948
This is another image taken on my week-long pass on the Denali Park Road in August 2015. The most classic view of Denali and the Alaska Range is taken from the north end of Wonder Lake, almost at the end of the park road. My new Facebook banner features this great view with Denali reflecting […]
Bull Caribou, Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska-Image #2947
This past August I was the lucky guy that got to spend a week in Denali National Park traveling the road with a photographer’s special use permit, in my own car and on my own time schedule. It was an amazing productive week. I plan to showcase some images from the shoot these next two months. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Setting Moon, Icy Strait, Alaska-Image #2936
When I go out on a shoot I almost always have a definite image I am looking for. On the evening when I shot this photo I was camping on Thunder Mountain to shoot a cover image of hikers on the mountain with the glacier and mountains as a stunning backdrop (see image posted on 9-16-2015). Having a specific image to focus on […]
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 […]
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 […]
Nugget Pond, Camp Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska-Image 2928
Fall in Denali National Park usually starts sometime in late August with the peak colors arriving in the first week of September. Usually by mid-September the rich crimson tundra turns to brown. I shot this photo from the dining room steps at Camp Denali. I was there in fall of 2014 leading a photo workshop for […]
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 […]
Humpback Whale, Pt Retreat Lighthouse, Juneau, Alaska-Image #2919
Alaska’s humpback whales returned to Juneau from their annual migration from Hawaii sometime in May. This single whale is diving off the northern end of Admiralty Island with the Pt. Retreat Lighthouse in the background. During the fireweed season the lighthouse is surrounded by fireweed, and the fireweed came really early this year because of the amazingly […]
White Pass and Yukon Route, Skagway, Alaska – Image #2918
The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad links the port of Skagway with Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon in Canada. The railroad has no direct connection to any other railroad and is one of Alaska’s most popular tourist attractions. I like photographing the train in early June because the lime-green leaves of the […]
Photography in Action, Denali NP, Alaska – Image #2915
Camp Denali has invited me to lead the Autumn Nature Photography Workshop in 2016 and one spot has already been taken, wow!While the photography should be great, the food will be divine! The lodge provides a 24/7 view of the mountain, as long as the weather cooperates. I shot this image of photographers photographing Denali […]
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 […]
Denali National Park, Sunrise Wonder Lake, Alaska…Cover Image of my Book, “Alaska: A Photographic Excursion” – Image #2906
This image was shot on the same morning I shot last week’s web image, #2905. This photo was taken about 45 minutes later when the first rays of sunrise started to light up the top of Denali and other peaks in the Alaska Range. I chose this image for the cover of my Alaska book over […]
Denali National Park, Pre-Dawn Wonder Lake, Alaska – Image # 2905
I took this photo from the north-end of Wonder Lake in Denali National Park while staying at Camp Denali in 2006. Camp Denali is the only place in the park where one can see Denali, or Mt. McKinley, 24 hours per day. Denali is famous for only showing itself about 25-30% of the time. Its view often clears […]
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 […]
Fairweather Sunset, Idaho Inlet, Icy Strait, Alaska…Image # 2894
This is one of my all-time favorite sunsets. Some look at this photo, and think I just added a black box below the mountain horizon. Actually, the lighting conditions were such that the ocean turned black. Ask any mariner and they will agree that there are times when such a lighting condition happens. As great as the lighting is over […]
South Sawyer Glacier, Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, Alaska…Image # 2891
If someone just had one day to visit Alaska, I would send them to Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. My other hot spot would be the north end of Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. If the weather cooperates, the view of Denali in the Alaska Range is to die for. But, if it’s cloudy it is just another […]
Sea Lions, Marble Islands, Glacier Bay National Park…Image 2882
One of the best spots to view sea lions in Southeast Alaska is around the Marble Islands of Glacier Bay. Besides sea lions, the islands are one of the best places in the park to find puffins along with a huge nesting colony of gulls, cormorants, and guillemots. The Fairweather Mountain range backdrop makes for […]
“Once Upon Alaska” 14th Spread…Image 2873
A float plane flies over the Juneau Icefield, a massive sheet of ice more than 80 miles long and 50 miles wide and larger than the state of Rhode Island. About 38 large valley glaciers and over 100 smaller glaciers flow from the Juneau Icefield. One of the best ways to see the 5th […]
“Once Upon Alaska” 13th Spread…Image 2872
Margerie Glacier is a tidewater glacier located deep inside Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and can only be reached by boat or plane. The glacier ice seen above the waterline is about 25 stories high. The additional ice below the water is estimated to be about 10 stories high. Together the total height of […]
Alaska Marine Highway, Malaspina, Lutak Inlet, Alaska – Image 2774
A long time ago, I did a photo book on the Alaska Marine Highway System for Epicenter Press. The 5,000 book press run sold out. The book never got reprinted. A client needed some ferry shots, so I scanned a few images used in the book for the submission. Most of the ferries have been […]
Alaska Marine Highway, Matanuska, Skagway, Alaska – Image 2772
It seems like summer is upon us and arrived a lot earlier than normal. In March and April, northern southeast Alaska witnessed almost five weeks without rain and plenty of sunny days. In early April, we had some days in the low 60’s and set multi-records for the hottest days ever. With the advent of […]
Alaska State Marine Highway ferry, Southeast Alaska – Image 2454
The ferry, Malaspina, cruises the waters of Southeast Alaska between Haines and Skagway. Built in 1963 for a cost of $5 million, the Malaspina is 408 feet in length and carries over 750 passengers and about 120 vehicles. I shot this photo from a helicopter right at sunset and was the cover a book I […]
Alaska’s Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, South Sawyer – Image 2777
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness features three tide water glaciers: the two Sawyer Glaciers and the Dawes Glacier. In 1880, when John Muir first explored Tracy Arm, he found only one Sawyer Glacier. By 1990, a photo taken by the USGS showed the Sawyer Glacier had split into two. The north arm is called the Sawyer […]
Auke Lake and Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2228
I shot this as a cover for the local wilderness guiding group called Alaska Discovery. After I shot this photo, the Chapel by the Lake expanded its parking lot and most of the fireweed in the foreground got paved over. Slowly, the fireweed is returning to this area. This photo illustrates the cover of the […]
Auke Lake, Fireweed and Cow Parsnip, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2677
I shot this same scene about 12 years ago, but there was only one stock of fireweed. The images were acceptable, but never reached calendar/portfolio level. Twelve years later and the one stock grew into a field of fireweed. It rains a lot in Juneau. Most people really don’t realize just how much it does […]
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 […]
Backpacking, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska – Image 2825
Last week Lynn Schooler and myself presented a slide/lecture show to an standing room only crowd at the University of Alaska Southeast Alaska lecture hall on what we refer to as the lost coast. I had hiked this area twice, once in 1998 while shooting film for a book on Glacier Bay National Park, and […]
Big Goat Lake, Misty Fjords National Monument, Alaska – Image 2622
I photographed this image in early June while on assignment for my book on Alaska. Located just outside Ketchikan in southern Southeast Alaska, Misty Fjords is a huge land mass cut up by deep glacier-carved fjords and dotted with many high alpine lakes. The outlet for this lake is a very tall waterfall. I photographed […]
Beartrack Mountains and Fairweather Range, Glacier Bay National Park, Southeast Alaska – Image 2290
Lituya Bay, Alaska – Image 2110
Lituya Bay, on the western edge of Glacier Bay National Park, is the site of dramatic and deadly earthquakes and landslides. In 1958, an earthquake set off in turn a landslide, a splash that climbed 1,720, the crumbling of the face of Lituya Glacier, and a massive wave that carried three fishing boats out of […]
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, Alaska – Image 2583
The air in Juneau is really blue on clear fall days after long periods of rain. On just such a day, I headed out to the glacier on an early morning photo quest to catch the blue-bird sky above the glacier. I had no idea I would find a mirror reflection. I shot this scene […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2773
Even though it is the first week of May, we are still hiking the mountains and skiing on plenty of snow around Juneau. Climbing to the top of Douglas Island just out-of-bounds from the Eaglecrest Ski Areas, a hiker can get an amazing view of Seymour Canal and Admiralty Island. This is one of my […]
Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2771
The official ski season at Eaglecrest Ski Area ended last weekend. We are now what the locals call the “Second Season”. We hike for our runs because there is still plenty of snow left in the mountains and at the area. When the area closed on Sunday, the 15th, it still had 144 inches of […]