steve_kaufman

<p>Charlie, keep an eye on the weather; it could alter your chosen destinations. http://www.arh.noaa.gov/ Right now we are having what appears to be autumn storms already. Anchorage has had 70 MPH winds and rain the past few days. I live near the Denali park boundary. We've had rain and fog the past five days, and the coming week has virtually the same forecast. The area around Seward has had very heavy rain, and the road to Exit Glacier in Kenai Fiords NP is flooded and closed. We normally don't get this sort of weather until late August/early September. Hopefully this weather patteren will change for the better! My tomato plants in my greenhouse need some sun and warmth (tomatoes don't do well when it doesn't get warmer than 50F, which is as wam as it's been this past week).</p>

<p>Amy, unless you are good at driving on the left side of the road, and can read Japanese, driving in Japan can be a bit of a challenge. There is good bus service from Kushiro to the Crane Park, the bus depot is next to the train station in town. Generally, the crane park has lots of people. Be friendly, and you are likely to find someone who will offer to take you to other areas in Hokkaido to photograph the cranes (there are several popular areas, though the crane park is probably the best). Business cards are a big thing in Japan. I had some made with my name and address and other information printed in Japanese on one side, with a photo and English on the front. If you take some cards with you, it's easy to get someone in Japan to translate, and have them printed for you.</p>

<p>Lawrence, while I've been to both Ester Dome and Chena Hot Springs, I have been there in the summer, not in the winter. There are good views of mountains and Mount McKinley along the drive from Anchorage to the Denali Park area. Broad Pass, which is to the south of Cantwell is also pretty spectacular in the right conditions. A week may be enough time, but figure two full days of driving if you plan to go between Anchorage and Fairbanks and return to Anchorage. </p>

<p>Lawrence, you need to get away from the lights of town to see the aurora well. North of Fairbanks is the ideal location, that's why I gave you that advice. There can be storms in December, with difficult driving conditions along the highway. The storms are generally on the south side of the Alaska range, and through the range, and in the interior (Fairbanks and north) it will be clearer. Clear means cold in winter. -60°F isn't uncommon in December in Fairbanks and areas north and east of there. From Fairbanks to Anchorage in winter, count on a 8 hour drive, but it could be longer. Remember, it's dark most of the time.</p>

<p>Lawrence, the road into the park is closed at mile 3 (park headquarters) in the winter. The pull outs along the Park's Highway are mostly not plowed in the winter. The hotels near the park entrance are also closed. We typically get lots of cloudy weather in the Alaska Range in the winter. The aurora is based on sunspot activity, and lately it's been quiet, with not many nice auroras this past winter. http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/<br>

I live near the park boundary to the south of the entrance. In December we only get about an hour or less of sunshine as it stays behind mountains. The snow can be deep. We typically get nine or ten feet around where we live, but it would be less towards the park entrance. Temperatures in December will generally range from 0°F to -60°F <br>

For the aurora, you'd usually be better off north of Fairbanks. http://www.eaglestation.com/dick/aurora.html gives good information on photographing the aurora. A popular place is Chena Hot Springs: http://www.chenahotsprings.com/</p>

<p>Generally speaking, where there are salmon in fairly shallow waters, there will be bears and eagles. </p>

<p>Eagles are pretty common on the Kenai. In July, they are going to be where the fish are, which would be along the Kenai, Russian, and Anchor rivers. In the Homer area, look for them soaring along the bluffs. A good place is the pull out above town as you are driving in to Homer. You won't find the huge congregation that the feeding in Homer produced, but they never were fed in the summer anyway, as it is a time when there is plenty of natural food available. Feeding is now illegal. There are a number of nests along Kachemak Bay, and a few that are fairly close to East Road in Homer, but generally they are not so visible, as they are normally in Cottonwood trees and the leaves make it difficult to see them. Another nesting area is along the Kenai River. The area around Cooper Landing is usually a good place to see them. From Anchorage to the Alaska Range there are many places where you might see them as well. Should you be planning a trip to Katmai, you would see plenty of eagles. </p>

<p>Arthur, last summer was wet, and we didn't see the mountain very often. The summer before was dry, and we could see the mountain about 70% of the time. When it's clear, we can see the very top of the mountain from our house. May is too early to go into the park though the road has now been opened to Savage River, 14 miles in from the entrance. There isn't much snow at the park entrance this year, but I understand it's pretty deep in the west of the park. We live in a heavy snow area just south of Broad Pass in the Alaska Range; we still have 5 feet on the ground, and it's snowing today.<br>

For salmon, King Salmon show up in the Chulitna (we live about a mile from the river) the first week of July. Late June and July would be the times to see/catch salmon in streams that flow into Cook Inlet, and mid July would be when fish are in the Yukon near the Dalton Highway bridge. Fish arrive a bit earlier on the Kenai. </p>

The month of June is generally good in Denali. I live a few miles from the border of the

park, and this spring was a bit late. Teklanika Campground had 2-3 feet of overflow ice

cover the campground, and fill all the toilets and buildings with ice, so it is still closed.

Otherwise, June is a time to photograph spring babies and flowers, and it's really my

favorite time to be in the park.

Simply drive up East Hill Road, and look for nice views over town. There should be some nice

fields of fireweed if the weather gets warm enough for awhile. Also take a drive up Diamond

Ridge Road (can be accessed from East Hill). Don't worry, there aren't many roads; you can't

get lost. You might also try East Road (also referred to as East End Road). There are some

nice spots with open views of the Bay. If you want to walk off the road, ask permission from

property owners; most will be friendly to you.

Beidler Forest is a swamp area managed by Audubon which would be about an hour or so

from Hilton Head. It is some of the last virgin area of swamp in the SE. It's very good for

birds, reptiles, and amphibians. http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/beidler/

beidlerforest.html

 

Another area is Cypress Gardens. http://www.cypressgardens.info/ They have a very nice

butterfly house as well as other nice displays. Take a row boat out on the swamp.

I'm a professional wildlife photographer. I have a collection of over 200,000

transparencies shot in 24 countries. I have not shot a roll of film in at least 6 months. I

use three digital bodies (Kodak SLR/n and two D2X's). Without a doubt, the digital files

surpass the quality of images I captured on film (Velvia 50, 100, Provia or older KR 64). It

does involve more time to caption & keyword images with digital files, and I find it more

difficult to sell digital files to my traditional markets, but I'm still happy I've switched.

I have no experience with Equinox nor with rafting on the rivers in ANWR, but I have spent

a number of months in the refuge during the summer time on several different trips. The

caribou generally pass through the area of the Kongakut around the 1st of July, so the

timing is good. That said, the caribou are not always dependable in the routes they take,

and weather doesn't always cooperate either. I would choose the Kongakut over the

Hulahula at that particular time. I also have the impression that the Kongakut trip might

be more scenic than the Hulahula. Enjoy the trip!

I've followed this thread for a few days, and feel I now need to make a comment. First,

Kevin, did you have Steve's permission, and that of Alamy to post the penguin image on

this site?

 

Whether Steve used digital manipulation or not does not seem to be such an important

matter. Certainly, you and I have had images published which were improperly captioned

by the publisher. A few examples for me: Alaska moose were put into an article on

Maine; National Geographic credited an assignment I shot for them to another

photographer; and animals I clearly captioned as captive (Jaguar images) were used in an

article stating they were photographed in the wild. I've had publishers digitally change

images of mine; if you viewed them you might tend to blame me for the alterations, but

quite simply put I do not have the technical expertise to make good alterations.

 

If you don't like Steve's book, don't buy it. It doesn't do any of us good to be so critical of

other photographers in a public forum, especially when the photographer being critiqued

isn't actively involved in this discussion.

Galen also had plenty of money. When he didn't get a permit from the park because all

permits had already been allocated, he hired a private company who has access to the

park (Grandfather rights as they were in existance before the road restrictions) to drive

him through the park to allow him to do his photography.

Thanks Tom. The issue is a bit more complicated than John describes. First of all, the

park has two bus systems. There are shuttle buses which provide transportation to

anyone using the park, and there are Tundra Tour buses which are an expensive tour

which caters more to the hotels around the park. Note that the shuttle buses aren't being

increased; only the Tundra Tour buses are being considered. A Tundra Tour now costs

$94/adult. Multiply that by 40 people/day. It's not difficult to see why they want to keep

increasing the number of Tundra Tour buses. With each increase, there is more wear and

tear on the road, and there is an increasing need to provide more service facilities (toilets!)

to benefit a commercial enterprise.

 

There are very strict regulations against approaching large animals or nesting birds in the

park. It is not legal to approach bears or other large animals on foot. The buses are not

allowed to drop off people near a large animal that is near the road. The buses also do

not run at all ours of the day, and frequently the best times to photograph animals is in

the very early morning or late evening (and in Alaska during the summer, that means

between the hours of 10 PM and 4 AM are the often the optimum times)

 

For what it's worth, Tom is one of those people who does hike long distances from the

road to pursue his photography. Tom's been photographing in the park for many years.

His images grace numerous books, calendars, and magazines, and not only do they

promote the park, they also provide millions of people a glimpse into the lives of animals

and promote conservation of wildlife everywhere (not just in Denali).

Actually, Beidler has the largest intact virgin cypress-tupelo forest in the US, while

Congaree has the largest cypress trees. Cypress gardens, a private reserve NE of

Charleston is also nice, and has a good butterfly zoo.

Though December isn't the optimum time, a beautiful area is Francis Beidler Forest, an

Audubon refuge: http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/beidler/

Jack, it's been a long time since I've been to Brooks Camp; many things have changed in the interim. Are you sure there are commercial flights in and out during the time you plan to visit? If not, it will involve a charter which will be much more costly. Bears will be in the area if there are salmon. The peak of the run is July; that's why most people go during mid-summer. There are always some later fish, but if the fish disappear entirely for a few days, so will the bears. Late in September, and into October, there will usually be a few bears around Brooks dredging up old salmon before leaving for winter denning. Fall weather can be terrible, with lots of rain and fog, but when there is a break in weather, the autumn colors are nice.

Plenty of people fly and photograph in the winter. Dress warmly, use neoprene gloves to protect your hands & still maintain dexterity. It is cold, but then you don't leave the window open for long periods of time, only when you are actually shooting photos (reloading, flying around to get in position, etc, you'd have the window closed)

 

We are rapidly gaining light. Remember, by the 21st, we will have 12 hours of daylight and still be gaining light fast.

 

Hope for clear weather, and enjoy!

Bill, if you are looking for nice nature opportunities on and near Hilton Head, consider taking a boat ride from the Harbor that's just on the right as you come on the island (Can't remember it's name). There are bottlenose porpoise in the harbor area, and in Marsh Creek as you go in and out. Other places to seriously consider are Hunting Island State Park (about an hour) and especially, Francis Beidler Forest http://www.pride-net.com/swamp/index.htm (probably a bit more than an hour)

 

There is a population of bottlenose dolphin in the Hilton Head area that strand feed at low tide (chase fish up onto tidal slopes and actually come out of the water and eat the fish on the beach). I know somebody takes tours there, as I saw tours when I was out there trying to photograph a biologist & her study on those animals, but I'm sorry, I don't know who it was who takes those tours.

Come on guys. What's going on here? This isn't very "new" news (December '99). Have things become so boring here that we have to flame other people, and even post a personal address and phone number encouraging others to harass them?

 

I know Stephen, and I've spent a fair amount of time with him in the field at various times over the past 25 years. He's an excellent photographer, and I've never seen him harass an animal. I have seen him get into arguments with "officials" and biologists in the field; I might say that his "people communication skills" aren't always very good.

 

But what really happened here. From the sounds of it, he used grain to encourage deer to come into his yard to photograph them. Is it wrong? Should we feed any wildlife? How many of us have bird feeders? I do.

 

I also live in an area where black and brown bears are both common. In some places around South Central Alaska, black bears frequent people's bird feeders, and it does get to be a problem. I've watched brown bears investigate my own feeders, and so far, at least these bears haven't shown any interest in bird food. If they do, and it gets to be a regular occurance, of course I will stop feeding the birds.

 

David Crossley posted a response in July 99 about photographing wolves. In that response, he told about how he'd been invited to join researchers who were feeding road-killed ungulates to wolves, and those animals had become somewhat habituated to man. Can't that lead to serious problems,too? Sure it can. And how about the famous photos of wolves on Elsemere Island by Jim Brandenberg? An NGS film special showing how they filmed the story showed Brandenberg feeding a sandwich to a wolf. Do you think that improves that particular wolf's chances of staying away from humans with guns or traps? No.

 

What's really important here is that all of us should strive to do our best to make sure that our own actions don't harm the wildlife and natural areas we are viewing or photographing. We all make mistakes at some time. Let the authorities take care of the serious problems. There's so much that is good and positive in this world; we don't need to get so enraptured with negative things that we don't see the beauty around us. Get out, and spend more time photographing and don't obsess so much about the mistakes others have made!

Jack: March is generally a good time to visit Homer. We get a bit more sunshine then, and it is still winter time, so there's generally plenty of snow. Jeanne is still in her trailer at the campground on the Spit. Weather here is highly variable. March can be our most stormy month, with heavy snowfall likely; it could also be clear and cold. There are a number of places to stay. Check out: http://www.xyz.net/~artntype/guide.htm for a guide of the area.

Rates are low. In the nature editorial market, some have declined in the past few years. Some very well respected magazines have lost subscribers. Editorial rates, and advertising rates are based on subscription sales. Meanwhile our own costs to do photography are up.

 

My own business has seen a sharp decline in the past few years. I've been shooting nature full time for 20 years. My gross income last year was half what it had been in 1995, 20% lower than 1998. Why? Maybe the subjects I've been photographing the last few years aren't very popular. Maybe I've done a poor job at marketing; spending far too much time reading silly things on the internet. I know, for me personally, that is a factor.

 

But the internet is also a factor in other ways. As more and more of us use the internet, fewer of us are actually reading printed magazines. How many magazine subscriptions have you let slide lately? Also, stock photo sales through internet sites have changed the way that agencies determine sales prices for photo use. Fees for advertising, web use, corporate brochures, and many other markets are all declining, driven down by strict competition between stock agencies.

 

So what can we do? Market more aggressively. Produce more marketable stock. Cut our own costs as much as possible. Refuse to accept rates that are unreasonable, but instead of being indignant, try bargaining those rates up a bit, explaining how that particular image that they want was really hard to get. If your work is really good it pays an editor to pay you a bit more, as you will likely offer them more good work in the future.

 

Remember, we are selling a product. Don't sell it if the price is too low, but be reasonable or someone else will sell the client another one. Try to find new markets for your product if the traditional ones aren't buying. Good luck for each of us! It's time to get back to the basics....it's easy to take good photos, but very difficult to sell them!

Look at: http://www.nanpa.org/