It requires rigorous hiking across difficult terrain, while burdened under the weight of an enormous pack full of absurdly expensive, high-tech equipment that must be protected from impact damage and the assault of the elements. Even good days usually mean being cold, tired and hungry. The quest for the perfect photograph keeps wildlife photographers going, Walker says. We fantasize endlessly, imagining the perfect picture, or what lies around the next bend in the river. I could see in my mind's eye, for example, the loon picture well before the elements came together.
Some dreams are elusive, but occasionally the elements oblige.
Less than half an hour later, a herd of caribou trotted over the ridge precisely where desired. Walker's willingness to work for the perfect photograph is reflected in this splendid collection of photographs of Alaska's animals. Other than the loon, the photographer doesn't tell us much about how he got these images, but one can only imagine. Murres nest on a vertical rock cliff and a mountain sheep and her lamb listen warily from their rocky lookout. Walker lives just outside Denali National Park, and many of the images probably come from the park.