Hey Folks,
They say 3 is a lucky number – so here’s my third grizzly bear photo in a row. This was one of the prettiest grizzly bears I’ve seen, a really light blond color, with darker bands around the lower legs and face – simply a beautiful animal. I spent a lot of time shooting this bear, and got a number of runs like this, the bear coming directly at me, great light, nice background – what’s there to not like?
So what exactly is going on here? Continue reading
Hey Folks,
So we’ve all heard that ‘the law of the jungle’ is ‘survival of the fittest’, right? Well, that might need a little qualifying, perhaps. Seems that here in Alaska, Survival of the Fattest might work better. This bear isn’t the biggest, most dominant male in Katmai National Park – though he’s certainly well up the list. But … I dare say he’ll enjoy a good winter’s nap, starting in a month or so, and he doesn’t look so ‘fit’ to me. 🙂 Something tells me he won’t wake up hungry – that’s a helluva belly. And one of the miracles of it all is .. no cholesterol problems!
Cheers
Carl
Hey Folks,
Sorry for the delay (again) in posting here. I’ve been busy the last 2 weeks, trying to photograph grizzly bears. I just returned, 24 hours ago, from a trip to Katmai National Park, where I focused on trying to get some grizzly bear photos that were different to what I’d shot in the past. Here’s the first of what hopefully won’t be too many that you get bored with them.
Yes, it’s true – I took some time out to detour away from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, when I promised myself not to – but the change did me great! One of the things I really wanted to focus on Continue reading
Hey Folks,
I read yesterday afternoon of a couple of pieces of legislation currently under consideration in Alaska that concern me greatly. Bill SB 176 and bill HB 348 are proposals by the Alaska Board of Game that prepare for a mandate by the Board of Game to pursue what they call “aerial predator control programs” of wolves, brown bears and wolverines. SB 176 is an attempt to give the Board of Game free reign over the decision making process, with no requisite consideration of input from the scientific community – i.e., if the folks on the Board feel like mandating aerial shooting, or den killings of wolf pups, they need show no concern or evidence of supporting scientific study. HB 348 is a proposal to shift wildlife to a category they call “public assets”, which includes minerals, oil, and so forth, effectively removing them from public voice. This means the Board of Game can then make decisions such as aerial shooting with no input from or responsibility to the people of Alaska. I’ve written to local legislators here in Alaska on this issue, and I thought I’d post an amalgam of my letters here. Continue reading
Hey Folks
Hey Folks,
So what have I been up to all this time, if I wasn’t pushing my van around Alaska in the winter? Well, I’ve been updating my website/s, giving them some new content and a slight aesthetic overhaul as well. Nothing too major, but learning a few things about design and tweaking some little things. One of things I’ve been working on is integrating a coding technique called “Flash” into the web pages. It’s pretty cool, though I know some web users are averse to Flash stuff.
For all you “non-web-design” people (i.e., my dad) “Flash” is Continue reading
WARNING: – The following journal was sent to me (Carl) from my dad. Read on at your own risk – he does tend to ‘go on’ a little.
JOTTINGS ON OUR TRIP TO ALASKA AND THE NORTH AMERICAN ROCKIES
Dear Blog,
I’m not sure whether that’s the correct way to address a blog, but it’ll have to do for now.
Sorry for the delay in penning these brief notes on our trip to Alaska and the North American Rockies. I had to wait till the ice melted in my veins and the blood started flowing again.
After a very pleasant stay of two days in the lovely city of Vancouver, made all the more pleasant by catching up with an old Aussie mate and his partner, we embarked on our Cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Continue reading
Hey Folks
Welcome back to the journal. I apologize for such a lengthy delay between posts. It’s been a lot of time in the backcountry, and very little time at the computer – which is just how I like it. I’m still traveling, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, at the moment, riding ’round with my parents for a few weeks, before I return to Alaska.
I won’t go thru all the details of my travels for this last few months, other than to say it’s been awesome. The weather has been very nice this summer, for the most part, and the hiking second to none.
This photo is of a bear we call “Evander”, because he lost an ear in a fight a few years back. He’s one of the largest bears I’ve seen, and here he is in his prime, fat and ready for the winter. I’ve been fortunate to photograph him a number of times now, and every time I’ve run across him it’s been an awesome experience for me. Thanks Evander, for being such a cool bear!
I’ll try to write some more along the way here, and add some updates of my trips during the summer, and a few notes about what I’m up to.
Thanks folks
Cheers
Carl