Carl Johnson

Name: Carl Johnson
Address: Anchorage, AK, US
Telephone: +19077487040

Carl explores the wild places of the western United States and the Arctic.

06/04/2026

If you are my age, you grew up with Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. So with that in my history, I had a gleeful response to seeing a mongoose in the wild for the first time during my first trip to Botswana in 2021. They have become a regular part of each trip since then, yet seeing them is always a surprise and delight. They tend to set up colonies in all sorts of places, and you never know when you will find them. During my recent trip co-guiding for David W Shaw Photo Workshops, we saw four species of mongoose: common dwarf, yellow, banded, and common slender. Of course, our local guides with Early Kingfisher Safaris were always quick to spot them!

06/03/2026

"Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how, come on and safari with me." - The Beach Boys

People really do not think of Alaska when they think of surfing destinations, but we have something that you cannot get in Hawaii - a wave that you can ride for miles. That would be the "bore tide" that we have on Turnagain Arm. While a bore tide technically occurs every high tide (twice a day), the surfable ones only occur during a five-day period around the new moon and full moon.

On this particular bore tide in late May, I saw something I had never previously seen on the Turnagain Arm - a kayak. The paddler was there to ride the wave along with ten surfers and a guy on a paddle board. The high winds added an extra interesting element to the photos.

06/02/2026

I have been enjoying seeing the small birds this spring. We get a variety of songbirds that tough-out our winters, but spring brings so much abundance. It's also been fun getting to know these birds and identify them. Here's a collection from just a couple of outings in the last week.

06/01/2026

Spring is finally in full swing here in the Anchorage area. We are at that stage where the deciduous trees are leafing out, but not mature, where the ground plants are sprouting, and the spruce tips are budding. There is a wave of vivid green of varying hues exploding through our wooded areas and creeping its way up the lower elevations of the mountains. This green is one of my favorite colors. I often struggle each year to capture the essence of this color. This green wave is short-lived and I have to find the time in my schedule to get out and photograph it before it's shifted to the darker green of mature plants and leaves.

05/30/2026

During the Discover Botswana photo safari I co-guide guide for David W Shaw Photo Workshops, we give the clients four photo assignments to work on during the trip, with a winner of each category at the end of the trip. One of the assignments is to capture a lilac-breasted roller in flight. There are two reasons for this. First, it is a very pretty bird that gets even more stunning in flight. Second, it is great practice to continue working on birds in flight. It challenges composition as well as the technical mastery of your camera's exposure and auto focus settings.

Of course, to get photos of lilac-breasted rollers in flight, you have to take many photos of them sitting on a branch. Sometimes those shots are also interesting in the right light or with some prey insect (or amphibian) in its beak. Here are some of my favorites from this year's trip.

05/28/2026

Aside from the awe and wonder of seeing wild animals in their natural habitat, wildlife photography is often about the harder things, the tough life cycles that are difficult to watch but still part of the experience. During my recent trip to Botswana guiding for W Shaw Photo Workshops, we were out in the morning in the Okavango Delta in Moremi Game Reserve when we came upon a pride of lions feeding on an elephant. The elephant had not been predated; it appeared to die of natural causes. Our guides with Early Kingfisher Safaris estimated that it had likely been at least two days since the elephant had died; maggots were starting to work on the eye sockets and the body was starting to steam from decomposition. This is normally not a preferred diet for a lion; they favor fresh meat. Looking at these lions, you could tell they were quite lean. The recent, heavy rains in northern Botswana had altered available food sources for these lions, making them more desperate. It was fascinating to watch how hard it was for these predators with their large canines to break through the thick hide of the elephant. On the second day when we found them still working the carcass, which was steaming even more and being even more consumed by maggots, they still only managed to expose small areas of flesh to feed. The vultures maintained vigil on nearby trees to wait their turn.

05/25/2026

Today in the United States we honor those men and women who died in the military service of their country. Their selfless dedication to the ideals of this country and the Constitution that sustains it is laudable. We all wish their sacrifice was not necessary, but we are deeply grateful that it was made. May their service and dedication be an inspiration for us all.

May it also be a reminder to our leadership to not waste and squander what these brave men and women did for us. And to those currently serving in uniform, a reminder of what you owe them as well. Honor their memory by honoring your oath.

05/22/2026

Three birds, going after the same school of small fish in a marsh in the Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. From left to right: African spoonbill, yellow-billed stork (juvenile), and black heron. The African spoonbill and yellow-billed stork hunt for fish by swinging their bills from side-to-side, waiting until they feel a fish touch their bill and then sn**ch it up. In contrast, the black heron will spread out its wings and create a covering of shade (shown here) that encourages fish to take shade; it then sn**ches up fish one-by-one. (The black heron's hunting method is humorously depicted in this BBC video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibvc99E8u-E).

05/18/2026

The timing of the Botswana trip fits perfectly with the transition out of the rainy season into their autumn, which means cooler temperatures. But one of the primary reasons for the timing is to catch the great zebra migration. The zebra is the national animal of Botswana, which hosts up to about 30,000 of the plains zebra (Burchell's zebra). The migration involves about 1,000 kilometers of movement, with about 20,000 zebra spending their winter on the Chobe flood plains. In the Savuti region, we saw thousands, with some individual groups numbering about 700-800 zebra. While photographing one group one day, I gained an appreciation for what the striped patterns are supposed to do with confusing predators. I found the constant viewing of the stripes in doing some tighter compositions to be a bit dizzying.

Address

Anchorage, AK

Telephone

+19077487040

Website

https://arcticlight-ak.com/

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