Alaska is a very large state, and Denali National Park is over 6 million acres. In that amount of land, there is tons of backcountry and areas most people never see. While hiking across the tundra I was hoping to find moose, and one evening I finally found one. This moose was just in the tundra at first, but then made its way to the pond. It was incredible see the moose surrounded by the Alaskan backcountry!

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When brown bears are fishing they can become very excited and chase any fish they see.  This brown bear was patrolling the river all afternoon when a salmon got stuck in shallow water near where I was standing.  She turned immediately when she saw this and bolted like a freight train after that salmon.  She had every determination to catch that fish, and she was successful.

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Salmon are an incredible species because they know how to return to the exact river they were born in. They leave as a small fish to the ocean, and then migrate back as an adult with millions of other salmon. I had never found a location with so many fish in one spot until I found this area. As the bear sat in the river, the fish moved around the bear as they migrated up the river.

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Grizzly bear cubs are very playful when they are young. These cubs had been been playing and running around all evening. When they got a little further away from mother bear, this cub stood up to see where she was, and as when it did, it put its paws together to be able to stand and balance.

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For years I have been wanting to capture bears in snow. It’s difficult because once the snow shows up, bears are often foraging for their last meals before heading to hibernate. I was so thankful this bear had not left yet and was still looking for salmon. When it crossed this small island and headed to the river, the snowy scene and river came to life!

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I love getting off the road and away from everyone and finding my own shot.  There are many times I spend hiking through the tundra or woods and don't come up with anything.  But those moments when you do find wildlife to yourself are the moments you never forget.  When I found these three bull moose together I was ecstatic.  I followed them for over three hours before this special moment occurred, and I was more than happy that I waited and followed to see what photographic opportunities they would present.  

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There are moments that are hard to capture because of their incredible beauty! Nature surprises me all the time with how amazing it can be! I did my best to capture this moment to try and let others feel just how incredible it was. Having all the elements in nature come together was a moment to remember!

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Late one evening as I was beginning to think I wouldn’t find this special bear, I saw him near a river. It really was getting dark and I knew there wasn’t much time, but I stopped and waited and hoped for something to happen. He moved across an opening and went to this shallow, beautifully colored turquoise stream got a drink. I was ecstatic not only because of the color of the water but because the bear was reflected!

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Bison are designed to withstand very cold temperatures. They don't get cold until the temperature gets as cold as -40 degrees. They have very thick fur, and even though they may be covered in frost, the thick fur keeps them warm even in the coldest of winter. This bison was slowly moving on this cold day, but it never gave off that it was cold.

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In the Canadian Rockies there are lakes that have a beautiful deep turquoise color. This color is created by the glacial sediment settling in the bottom of the lake. The color of the lake changes with the clouds and sun. On this morning it had a deep rich color because of the recent snow and lower clouds.

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I’ve spent hundreds of hours on salmon rivers watching and photographing brown bears chase salmon. 99.99% of the time, the bears is not running in a way that is directly towards me. A bear can look like its running my direction, but if its looking to the side, it doesn’t give the same effect. I got a shot of a bear running right towards me many years ago, and I’m very excited to have finally gotten another bear charging through the water directly at me!

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A bald eagles wingspan can be greater than 7 feet. They are a beautiful bird and a very graceful soarer. When a fish below caught this eagles attention, it made a sharp turn to head to the river.

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Brown bears run many different directions while chasing salmon, and its hard to know where they will go, because they follow the fish. When a fish leads a bear my direction, it gets very exciting. This large brown bear showed off its large claws as it dove at the salmon right in front of me!

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In the mountains in the morning it is often foggy after a rain storm. The moisture in the air combined with the usually cooler temperature, can create a very heavy fog.  As the fog was beginning to burn off, the larger trees began to cast a shadow across the fog and add a neat effect to the look of the forest.  

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It is not very often that you have a crystal clear view of Denali.  On my last camping trip of the summer I was fortunate to come across this scene.  In Wonder Lake was a mother and calf moose taking there time eating the grass of the bottom of the lake.  I could not think of a better way to end my summer. 

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Moments like this are not something I take for granted. I’ve tried untold amount of times to photograph lights, and a large portion of them ended with the lights not even coming out. So when this spectacular show occurred, and there was so much movement and colors above the mountains, I took it all in and watched in amazement!

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Photographing a mom and three cubs is difficult because it’s very rare for them to all be doing the same thing at the same time. When mom went to get a drink, her cubs all followed at the same time and somehow all got a drink at the same time!

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I’ve been on many salmon rivers with hundreds of different bears, but not once did I see a wolf also fishing for salmon. I’ve heard them howl nearby, but not seen them fishing. To say this shot was a shot I have wanted for years would be an understatement! It was amazing watching this wolf catch this fish and hold it to show us what it had caught!

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Many waters in Alaska are crystal clear and you can see through to the bottom. This makes it especially neat when there are salmon and you can see all the salmon in the river. This brown bear could also see the fish and knew where to swim to, to catch them. I really like that you can see the bears paw under the water as it swims.

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It is not a common sight to see a cub on its mother's back. This cub had climbed up while eating grass, and still had some in its mouth. Mother bear didn't seem to mind as its cub moved on her back.

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Bald eagles take advantage of any opportunity to eat fish. Many of the fish are too large for the eagles to carry away, so they must wait on bears or other animals to eat some of the fish first. This eagle saw its opportunity and swooped in snag some fish.

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It is hard to understand just how vast Alaska is until you have been.  Denali is over 6 million acres, and the majority of that land is all backcountry access only.  Wildlife can truly live their lives and never be influenced by human activity.  A large moose takes advantage of a nice evening to eat from a pond and to get away from the bugs.

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Elk get to live in some of the prettiest places. They definitely know how to choose a home. This male had a large harem and was doing his best to keep them together on a beautiful evening in the mountains.

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Finding a white-phased grizzly bear was not something I ever expected to find! It is very rare for a grizzly to be white, and each time I saw it was a special encounter. On this day it decided to walk in our direction as it was foraging for grasses. Seeing it close and headed right toward us really showed off just how special this bear was!

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There are many, many mornings I get up and don’t even take a photo. But the reason I keep getting up is because moments like this only happen in the morning. As the sun was just beginning to come over the ridge, a low fog in the valley ignited in an orange glow. This mom and cub were moving along a small ridge, which allowed them to be silhouetted against the fog. I loved how I could still see the mountain in the background above the fog and how peaceful the scene felt as the valley and sky lit up with the first light of the day!

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On only the coldest of mornings can hoar frost happen. Not only does it have to be cold, but there has to be moisture in the air as well. When the sun made it over the ridge, the trees began to shine because of the hoar frost. A buffalo was underneath this tree trying to stay warm and find some food as it was -40 degrees.

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Wolves howl to get the attention of other wolves in the area.  This wolf had gotten separated from its pack members and was trying to locate where they were.  At first she was calm and relaxed, but then she really started to howl.  As she stood on the rock howling, it was a cold enough morning that her breath was visible as she howled.

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Catching polar bears against the setting sun was above what I hoped for when I took this trip. It is cloudy a majority of the time where I was, and any light would have been great. I saw these polar bears at a distance and hoped they would keep walking on the same path and come closer. They did, and they went to the ridge of the sand back and the pink light hitting the clouds made for a special moment!

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It's not often you come across three bull moose hanging out together.  I first only saw one moose, and it was only once I hiked up and over a hill did I see that there were three moose.  After spending over three hours with them and only getting mediocre pictures, that all changed in a heartbeat.  I couldn't believe my good fortune when they all left the pond and went up on the ridge and stood still for just a few moments.  Being all along with these moose with this setting was a moment I will never forget.  

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Not long after I spotted this bull elk, his females headed for the river.  It was a foggy morning, but when I got to the river, there was more fog there than in the meadow.  It was such a neat, eerie feeling seeing the elk go in the river and disappear in the fog.  In the fall when the temperature drops over night, a fog can occur, and it provided a dramatic scene for this large bull elk as he entered the water.  

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There is nothing like salmon to a brown bear. They know salmon are what sustain their life and help them make it through hibernation. Once this bear was close to the salmon, it puts its claws out to make sure there was no way the fish could escape.

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Fall time is one of the best times of the year. As the trees turn yellow the mountains come to life. I love it when an early snowfall comes and creates a dramatic scene with the snow and fall colors. It was a long hike to this area, but I could have spent a week up their taking in the views!

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I had seen this lynx just briefly as it crossed an opening and then disappeared. I wanted to find it again, but finding lynx is a very difficult task even if you know exactly where they are. After searching a while, I decided to try one more area, and as I walked around a tree our eyes met. It was an incredible feeling! Thankfully the lynx just sat there and looked at me and didn’t run away. Seeing a lynx’s eyes looking at you in the forest is just incredible!

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The fall time is definitely a beautiful time of year! With the trees and entire forests changing colors, it’s an exciting time to be out in nature. When I found this forest, I loved that it was at peak color, and also that the trees were not super tight and that you could see through the forest and see all the yellow!

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Watching brown bears chase after salmon never gets old! The bears are so powerful, so determined, and they know it is the food the need to survive the winter. With this elevated view, it was fun watching this bear sneak up on the fish, and then charge after them from close range!

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Polar bears are by far the largest bear. Seeing a large male in person made me feel so small. And when it came close, it really showed just how large this male was.

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Yellowstone is a beautiful park with many unique features in many different areas. At the Mammoth Hot Springs I had always wanted to photograph bison in front of the massive hot spring, but never had bison go close enough. Finally, after years of waiting these bison passed in front of the hot spring and were close enough to the hot spring that I got my shot!

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While watching other bears fish below them, mother bear got nervous with her cubs on the cliff. So, she bent this tree down and it made a great barrier for the cubs to not go past. I couldn’t believe all 4 cubs came and looked across the long at the same time though!

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During the fall in Denali, the underbrush all turns a beautiful red. The fall is also when moose shed their velvet and show their polished antlers. This bull moose was just starting to shed his velvet and get into the spirit of fall.

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I’ve encountered many brown bear cubs on my trips, but this cub was one of my favorites! It had so much personality and always put on a show when we saw it. One of its favorite things to do was put its paw in its mouth and chew on it. I had never seen a cub do this before.

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Hearing a wild wolf howl is one of the greatest sounds in nature. Often times I hear the wolf, but never get to actually see the wolf. This white wolf howled for a long time, so it gave me time to track the sound and maybe find the wolf. When I went over a rise and saw this white wolf on the top of the ridge, my heart about stopped in pure excitement! Moments like this is why I'm a wildlife photographer.

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Bears are just like humans when they wake up from a nap, groggy.  This bear family had a good rest on the tidal flats, and were woken by the rising tide.  They weren't ready to get up yet, but had to.  The two cubs clung to their mother and wanted more rest, but mom knew better because of the rising tide.

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Great grey owls have the largest wingspan of any owls.  They can have a wingspan of over 60 inches.  Seeing this large bird fly directly at me was an intimidating experience.

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Large bull caribou can have really strange looking antlers once they are fully grown. They roam the far north and are continuously on the move looking for food and to get away from the bugs. There is not a really large herd in Denali like there use to be, but this large guy was alone one morning and went on a small ridge to look out over the valley and up at Denali.

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Finding the elusive bobcat is a hard task.  After putting in days and days, I finally caught a break.  I found this cat along a river as it was hunting for ducks.  With a heavy snow falling and it walking a little ridge, it was a perfect winter setting.

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I’ve been to Moraine Lake many times, and wanted the lake to be calm. to get a reflection like this. But because the lake is high in the mountains, it is a windy location and hard to get a reflection. So on this morning, when the whole lake was calm, the lake color was beautiful and reflecting the light hitting the peaks above!

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Sea otters are a very playful animal. This otter had just finished playing hard with another otter and was ready for a rest. It looked as if it went to give the other otter a high-five to say it was fun playing with him.

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The night before this while hiking in the mountain was fully enclosed in clouds and I had no idea where Denali was. I happened to wake at 4 a.m. and when I looked out my tent the great mountain was clearing from the clouds. I ran back to a marshy area from hiking in and got some amazing clear pictures on a beautiful calm morning.

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The fall in Denali is my favorite season of the year! The colors and activity of the animals always gets me up early in the morning. I hiked many miles to have an opportunity to photograph this moose. I had gotten good shots, but after he moved up the hill to scare another bull moose off, did I finally get a shot that showed just how endless the valleys of Denali are.

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I knew this morning that the sunrise would be nice. When I heard an elk bugle, I began to search quickly for him. Seeing him stand their in front of the mountain as he called out was a great moment.

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Just seeing a wolf with a salmon was high on my bucket list of things I wanted to photograph. But getting to actually photograph a wolf chasing after a salmon was incredible! I love that you can see the fish that the wolf is chasing after, and see all the action of. the chase in the water movement from both the salmon and the wolf!

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Watching red foxes never gets tiring, because you never know what they will do. When this fox turned back and looked at me, it looked as if it could never hurt anything.

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Elk are very active in the morning during the rut trying to chase off other males and corral their females. After an exhausting morning, an elk takes a break and just reflects on the morning and looks over his harem.

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Bison sustain living in the winter without being able to find much food to live on. They are very tough animals and not much deters them. I’ve been trying for years to capture a photo that truly shows the toughness of these animals, and during this heavy snowstorm I felt like it all came together!

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Caribou love the high country to try and get away from the bugs. They love the fall even more because the bugs begin to die and they can focus more on eating than running away from bugs. This nice bull caribou was moving the ridge when he stopped and looked at us before going back to eating.

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For many many years I have wanted and tried to get a great photo of a wolf in front of a great scene. Wolves are hard to find and photograph to begin with, so also getting them in front of a scene means the timing has to be insane. After years of searching and waiting, my moment finally arrived, when on the first nice day in days, a wolf walked in front of this volcano and I had the shot I had been wanting for years!

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Black bear cubs are such amazing climbers. Not only that but they are completely comfortable in a tree and act as if they aren’t even off the ground and could fall. After walking pretty far out onto this branch, this cub found a good spot for it to lay down and rest.

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Observing the northern lights never gets old.  Each show is very different from the last, and unpredictable.  This night started off very slow, and then all of a sudden this beam appeared and started moving around!  Watching it move over the mountains was a memorable experience.

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Hunting for ducks is not easy for a bobcat.  Trying to get out far enough into the river to jump for a duck can be a difficult task, since they don't like to swim.  After deciding not to jump for a duck, the bobcat jumped between logs to avoid getting wet and swimming in the cold water. 

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When the wolves started to chase the bison, the bison got in a tight formation for protection. They stayed in that tight formation even as the wolves were on their heels and pushing them. I like in this photo how you can see different wolves looking to see where they can get the bison herd separated.

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Finding tigers in the wild is not an easy task. They mostly stalk their prey, but will sit and wait for hours in the middle of the day for something to walk by. When they are in the tiger grass they disappear completely, and only once they come out do you realize why they cannot be seen in the grass.

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Being a sloth bear cub is the good life. Mother watches carefully over all day, and anytime they are on the move the cubs get a free ride. As this family moves through a boulder field, the cubs watch carefully so they don't hit any rocks. 

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Great grey owls are a majestic owl of the forest.  They perch on tops of trees to have the best vantage point to hunt from.  With this view, it looked as if it was watching over the Tetons.

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Most of the time whale watching humpback whales is seeing their tail before they dive. Just seeing that is neat because of how large they are. Every once in a while they jump and show just how large they are. Capturing this is hard because it is often unexpected and over in just a few seconds, but it so impressive seeing just how large these whales are.

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Most of the times when I’ve seen an ermine it’s in the middle of a large meadow with nothing but snow. It was that way at first with this one, but eventually it made its way to a few trees. I so badly wanted to capture it with something other than just snow, and this was my chance. It took a while, but it finally stopped and looked at a place where the branches were in the snow!

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The winter in Glacier is not pleasant. It is often quite cold and snowy, and the wind will blow up to 90 mph at times. On this day, the wind was around 40-50 mph and making it hard to take a still shot. Fortunately, I was able to position myself in a place to capture the bighorn in front of the mountain when it walked on the ridge.

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