Kenai Fjords

Humpback whale, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

We were sitting with the boat motor off watching a group of humpback whales when two of them swam right towards us and then dived right before reaching us – some thrill!

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Breaching humpback whale, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Even though I have seen humpback whales leap out of the water many times over the years – it still blows me away seeing such a massive animal coming so far out of the water!  The sight and sound is awesome!

I took a bit of a chance holding the camera in a vertical position – I think it better frames the action, but makes it harder to find and frame the animal in the limited amount of time you have while they are in the air.

This was with a Canon 7D with a 70-200 plus a 2x converter which I didn’t really need as this was captured at a focal length of 140mm at f/5.6 and 1/1250 of a second, ISO 800.  This was during my photo tour about a week ago.

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A humpback whale dives in front of Bear Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

With the arrival of wonderful weather to correspond with the amazing whale activity we have been seeing lately, I just had to get back out there.  I have to say thanks so much to Doug and Val for a wonderful evening of pizza, whales and friends!

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Iceberg in front of Aialik Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I’m going to resist calling this iceberg cool  – really is was awesome!  All sorts of wonderful patterns and colors, we circled it in the boat about 5 times taking photos and videos of this beauty!

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Humpback whales bubble net feeding, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I’m back from my Kenai Fjords National Park photo tour.  The bad news, we had pretty bad weather – well, really bad – it rained the whole time and clouds and fog obstructed what is normally an amazing view.  Cold and wet seems to be the theme for this summer in Alaska.  I have dreaded a trip like this and knew along the coast it was just a matter of time.

But, fortunately we still had a great trip!  We saw numerous humpback whales including one that repeatedly breached.  The highlight was seeing this group of humpback whales bubble net feed, more on that later.  We also saw orcas, sea otters, sea lions, Dall’s porpoise swimming with the boat and great glacier activity.  We had some of the most cooperative puffin I have seen out there and were able to get close to them perching and flying.  And fortunately my group had a wonderful attitude about the weather which is really the key to a successful trip in Alaska.  The right attitude is the key to a lot of things I think.

So what is bubble net feeding?  It is an amazing behavior in which the whales dive deep under an area with small fish.  In a cooperative dance, the swim their way to the surface in a circle while blowing out a string of bubbles.  As these bubbles rise to the surface, it confuses the fish who swim to the center of the circle of bubbles.  At this point the whales rise up from the surface in the middle of the circle with mouths wide open filling them with fish!  In many of my photos you can see numerous fish jumping at of the whales gaping mouths as gulls dive in for a free meal.  In this photo you can’t see any fish – but it also didn’t have any bright, white distracting gulls so I thought I would share it first.

I have seen this behavior in Southeast Alaska.  It was believed this was the only place it took place, but in recent years this group has been seen feeding this way around here.  Last year I think they were only in the area for a couple of weeks.  This year they have been around off and on much longer.  Some people have speculated that these whales may be transplants from Southeast, I don’t know if anyone really knows.

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Mountain Goat in Cataract Cove, Harris Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

This huge waterfall dumps straight into the ocean and is one of many places we visit on my Kenai Fjords photo tour.

All my workshops and tours are sold out this year except for this one which still has room.  I’m surprised, as this is maybe the best of the bunch!  So, if you want to see whales, eagles, bears, puffins and amazing scenery, check it out:  Kenai Fjords National Park photo tour.  

Note, there has been a date change.

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Porcupine, Seward, Alaska.

A porcupine along Exit Glacier Road last night at last light.  Reminds me of my hair when I wake up in the morning!

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Canoes in front of the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge, Pedersen Lagoon and Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Some good friends invited us along for an over-night trip to Aialik Bay on their fishing boat, as they were going to deliver some large water tanks out to the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge.  Now doing an overnight trip with good friends sounded like a great time, but it even got better!  We were actually able to stay in our own cabin at the Kenai Glacier Lodge on the shores of Pedersen Lagoon, and were joined for dinner and breakfast by Kirk Hoessle who not only owns this remote lodge, but is the owner of Alaska Wildland Adventures, a company that has been offering unique Alaska travel packages for many years now.

First a bit of history.  Years ago before I had a blog I would write an occasional piece for my website.  Back then I wrote one about my favorite place where I selected Pedersen Lagoon / glacier area as my favorite place.  Today, it is definitely still one of my favorite places.

So I must admit I was concerned when we were contacted by a developer looking to buy images of the area for a financing proposal to develop a lodge on a piece of private in-holdings within the National Park – the wrong development could really ruin the area.  That deal came and went until finally Alaska Wildland Adventures came along and leased the land.  This was good news as Alaska Wildland is an Alaska based (Girdwood) travel company with other lodges in the state and a reputation of doing things right – if it had to be developed, they were an excellent choice.  They ended up building Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge a few years ago and I was eager to finally see in person how it turned out.

So how did they do?  Frankly, they couldn’t have done a better job!  I have always been pleased that you couldn’t see any sign of the lodge from Aialik Bay, but even from within Pedersen Lagoon the shoreline cabins are barely noticeable.  The cabins have “peak a boo views” through the trees as they sit just back from the shoreline.  This not only hides the buildings, but has maintained the historic paths used by the local bear population, and I think almost enhances the view as you feel like you are part of the forest looking out at the lagoon and glacier.  They made every effort in keeping every tree possible, they even went to great lengths to protect the mossy ground cover by using special mats to move the limited equipment around the site for foundations.  Really they couldn’t have done a better job!

The wonderful development is exceeded by the actual operation.  Wonderful food, very friendly staff and nice, clean cabins and lodge.  They offer a wide variety of activities including canoeing, hiking and kayaking.   Like most nice remote lodges in Alaska that have to get by with a 100 day season, it isn’t cheap, but when you consider the price includes boat rides meals and activities, I think it is a good value.  To stay in such comfort in such an amazing remote location looking at the amazing scenery and wildlife is an opportunity that I definitely highly recommend!

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Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Been busy having fun with visiting family so haven’t had time to post on the blog.  Here is a little older one from one of my favorite places – and a place we spend time during my Alaska Whale / Eagle / Bear photo tour into Kenai Fjords N.P.

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Photos all from Kenai Fjords National Park and / or Seward, Alaska.

Imagine waking up anchored in front of an amazing tide water glacier – a glacier you watched and heard calve large ice bergs through out the night!   Off to the side is a beach where we often see bears walking to and from the nearby salmon stream.  Passing by us is the occasional harbor seal or bald eagle.  And, all this is surrounded by magnificent mountains.    And, this is just one morning of an amazing 3 day trip!

At other times during this trip we spent hours hanging out with whales – we did that on numerous occasions.  Or, we spent time with sea otters or at sea lion haul outs.  At one point we spent time at an island full of nesting puffin and numerous other sea birds.  We stuck the bow under a water fall that plummeted hundreds of feet down a granite cliff straight into the ocean.   Another night was spent in  spectacular Northwestern Fjord.

I could go on and on as this is really an amazing trip.  Did I mention the nesting bald eagles, the other active glaciers, waterfalls and amazing scenery?

I offer the only overnight photo tour into KFNP where you are accompanied by a professional photographer who can offer tips and suggestions and will make sure we are at the best places for the best light.  Not only this but I am the least expensive overnight option available.

To learn more, check out this page: Kenai Fjords Alaska photo tour scroll to the bottom to see more photos from the trip and of the research vessel I use.  You can feel free to contact us with further questions.  If you would like to see more photos of the place the Travel Channel named one of the 10 natural wonders of the world, here are more photos:  Kenai Fjords National Park photos.

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Sunrise on Aialik Glacier and Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.

I’m out the door this morning for a quick over night assignment – thought I would share a quick photo before leaving.  This is another one from my Kenai Fjords National Park Photo tour last summer.

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Close-up of an iceberg, Aialik Glacier and Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.

Here is one from my Kenai Fjords National Park trip from earlier this month.  It has been such a busy month that this trip seems like a life time ago!

I photographed it both ways, this version with the rocks along the bottom, and a version without the rocks.  The rocks give it a visual anchor, and some context, the version without rocks is more of an abstract.  So which do you like better?

I wasn’t going to post the version without the rocks – you can either scroll up until the rocks are out of sight, or use a piece of paper or your hand to block the rocks, and that will basically give you the same image.

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Sunset in Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Here is the view from the boat from our second nights anchorage last Saturday night.  We had some nice light the next morning as well – what a great trip!  This was our first nights stop:  Aialik Glacier.

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Sunrise over Aialik Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I photographed this from the boat during last weekends Alaska photo tour into Kenai Fjords – this is where we anchored for the first night!  And if this view wasn’t enough – we could spot bears on the nearby beach!  This is the same beach we went to shore on and photographed bears and icebergs.

Unlike the cruise-ships, my tour doesn’t offer a formal night – that is unless jeans and xtra-tough boots count as formal ware.   But, I think this kind of view more then makes up for it!

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Sunrise in Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I was interviewed recently  by the Manlleu Camera Club in Barcelona Spain.  Since they asked a lot of great questions, I thought I would share a link to the interview here.  I answer questions about my typical year, the best way to sell photos and who some of my inspiration have been.  To read the interview, click on this link:  Manlleu Camera club.

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Aialik Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Imagine being anchored up for the evening in front of these amazing mountains and very active tide water glacier!  This is your view as you enjoy dinner and breakfast – tell me what restaurant can compete with this.  When we are not eating meals in front of this amazing view, we are running to shore to a place with wonder fields of wildflowers, in a place that often has numerous black bears.  And, this is just the first evening!

When we aren’t here, we are watching humpback or orca whales, checking out a huge puffin colony, or spending time photographing eagles, sea otters or at one of the numerous sea-lion haul outs.  I have timed this years tour around the peak of the wildflower bloom – the landscape possibilities are endless.  This is an awesome tour.

All this, for less then the cost of a typical 3 day tour into Kenai Fjords without a photography guide!  To learn more, check out our page here:  Kenai Fjords National Park photo tour.   I have room for two more folks.  I haven’t updated the page, but I need to add – the boat I am using now has two separate sleeping cabins, so a couple can now come along and have their own cabin.

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Our tour at our first night anchorage in front of Aialik Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I have had a number of inquires, and can now finally say I have my dates for next summers overnight photo tour into Kenai Fjords National Park!

This was our boat at anchor the first night of last years tour.  The boat will look a little different next year thanks to the addition of a second sleeping cabin to the back half – although I’m not increasing the number of participants, so this should give everyone a bit more room and privacy.

Let me tell you a bit about last years tour to give you an idea as to how amazing this trip is.  On the first day, we spent some time with a group of sea otters and then we explored along the coast getting up-close to waterfalls and amazing pinnacle rock and arch formations before finally running into a group of humpbacks   We spent a fair amount of time with the humpbacks, then broke away for some harbor seals and finally a nice pod of dolphin – the dolphins played in our bow wave for a pretty long time.  Later that day we checked out the action at Holgate Glacier, an active tide water glacier, before deciding to anchor for the evening in front of Aialik Glacier – this evening we spotted a black bear on shore and saw some huge calving events on the face of the glacier including one of the biggest ones I have ever seen!  That is the beauty of spending time in such an amazing place!  No one wanted to go to bed in case they might miss something.

The next morning we went to shore and explored a number of lagoons and open fields where we not only saw a number of eagles, but were able to photograph a nice black bear.  After going back to the boat for a warm lunch, we motored over to the Northwestern Fjords where our captain placed the bow of the boat at the bottom of a waterfall – an amazing waterfall that tumbled in multiple places down a 1,000 shear granite wall!  We spent the night well in the Northwestern Fjord in direct site of a couple dramatic glaciers.

For the third day we went out to the Chiswell Islands and photographed puffin and other sea birds.  We took a detour thanks to a report of orcas, but weren’t able to find them.  But we did see a number of sea lion rookeries and haul outs, more eagles and sea otters, as we cut across and worked our way along the dramatic coastline of the East shore of Resurrection Bay.

Every trip will be a bit different thanks in part to our Captain and his many many years of boating /leading tours and working with wildlife researchers in the area.  He will be in touch with the other day tour boats so we will have a good feel for where the wildlife is at any given time – but, we can enjoy it in the nice evening and morning light when all the people are gone!

You can learn much more about this trip on our Kenai Fjords National Park Photo Tour page.  Last year this tour didn’t fill until spring, but given how much faster the bear photo tours filled this year (they filled in about a month despite more then doubling the number), I wouldn’t wait.  If you have more questions, feel free to send us an email or give us a call.

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Orca or Killer Whale, Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.

Back-lit spray from a couple of orcas from this past August.

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Aerial photo of Aialik-Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I’m trying to get caught up on my editing going back to last August!  Here is a little different view of Aialik Glacier taken from a helicopter with the door removed a few months ago.  If you look close, you can see waves in front of the glacier – it must have just calved.

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Bear Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Flying into the lagoon where we went kayaking last month.  Bear Glacier isn’t a tide water glacier – the strip of land you see in the distance separates the lagoon from the ocean.  I’m looking forward to spending a couple nights here next summer!

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A pair of killer whales, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

I can be difficult to catch these guys as the break the surface and “blow”, but that task was made much easier here thanks to the nice clear water – we could actually see them underwater getting ready to surface!  This was from my trip into Kenai Fjords National Park a couple of weeks ago.  Some people might be surprised to learn that killer whales are actually a member of the dolphin family.

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