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Keith Moore

@keithjamesmoore

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📍Katmai National Park and Preserve, AK
@savebristolbay ambassador
@wildlifeexpeditions snow coach operator/wildlife guide

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Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ve been working on lately…

There’s no question that salmon are the life force of so many coastal Alaskan ecosystems. Their presence weaves the strands of which entire ecological processes are held together by. Culturally, they have shaped humanity since time immemorial and are a sacred part of this world. If we lose these amazing creatures, we lose more than just a fish; we lose ourselves and the complex interactions that depend on their existence. This is why we must protect our remaining watersheds from being destroyed and why we need to prioritize the reclamation of preexisting ones.

In this video, a school of sockeye salmon approach their spawning ground after being out in the ocean for the last two to three years. The last time they saw this gravel bed was when they were only an inch in size. Using the earth’s magnetic field and incredible sense of smell they are able to return to almost the exact same spot on the river in which they were born. These gravel beds act as the perfect nurseries for developing eggs, but it comes at a cost. With all of their energy directed towards returning and reproducing they simply don’t have enough left to make it back to the ocean, and roughly 10-14 days after they spawn, they die. This ultimate sacrifice ensures that their eggs have the best chance of survival, and should inspire us as a society to ask ourselves, “what are we willing to sacrifice for the next generation?”

#sockeye #salmon #underwaterphotography #wildlife #katmai #alaska #nopebblemine #conservation #savebristolbay by @keithjamesmoore

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2 years ago

Of all the wildlife encounters I’ve had in 2024, this might be the one I’m most thankful for. Meeting the untamed eyes of this young Grey Wolf was nothing short of mesmerizing; a humbling experience I won’t soon forget.

To commemorate this moment, I’ve included this image as well as several other new additions to my website www.keithjamesmoore.com (link in bio).

Now through December 31st, I will be lowering all of my print prices by 25% (use discount code PRINT25). Please reach out if you have any questions or would like assistance in ordering.

Have a great weekend! 🙏🏽

#smallbusinesssaturday #greywolf #alaska #katmai #wildlife #sonyalpha #wildlifephotography #natgeopoy24 by @keithjamesmoore

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2 years ago

Words can only just barely describe the experiences I’ve had this summer and the connections to nature I’ve made. There are many stories I’d like to share with you, but it will take time. I invite you to follow along as I attempt to describe and narrate what my life has been like the last six months. As some of you know, I am still in Alaska helping the Katmai National Park and Preserve media team with this years Fat Bear Week.

When I found out I would be working and living in Katmai I began thinking of all the photographs I wanted to take. I spent weeks visualizing what I had hoped to capture. But there was one scene that stood out. In my head it’s the quintessential photo of this remarkable ecological story: a brown bear pulling a spawned out sockeye salmon from a river. It represents the culmination of evolution and the synchronization of one of the last intact ecosystems of its kind.

More to come later…

Sony A7III + Sony 200-600mm f5.6/6.3 G OSS

#sonyalpha #sonya7iii #sonyalphapro #natgeo #natgeotravel #natgeoyourshot #natgeowild #yourshotphotographer #wildlifephotography #katmai #alaska #ilcp #outdoorphotomag #wildlifeplanet #bbc #smithsonian by @keithjamesmoore

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4 years ago

🍂 + 🐻 + 📷 = 🤩

Definitely been putting the low light performance of my @sonyalpha A7V to the test this season. This image was taken well past sunset in a notoriously dark stretch of the Brooks River. I generally try to keep my wildlife images at or below ISO 6400, so when I bumped it up to 8000 I was skeptical how it would turn out. Details often get lost in the noise and grain of a high ISO, but not with this camera. I don’t use any denoise software aside from basic corrections in Lightroom, and I don’t think I’ll ever need to with the A7V.

I have to say, after a season of use in Alaska, this has easily become my new favorite camera. For me, it checks all the boxes: solid low light performance, incredibly accurate autofocus, a “goldilocks” 33MP resolution, and exceptional video quality.

Sony A7V + Sony 200-600mm G OSS

1/400sec | f6.3 | ISO 8000

#sonyalpha #wildlifephotography #alaska #katmai #brownbear by @keithjamesmoore

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7 days ago

Mama bear teaches junior the art of the scent rub tree…

I may have gotten a little carried away in making this reel, but I couldn’t resist 😂

Scent rub trees are such an important part of bear ecology. By rubbing their signature scent into the tree they can alert other bears to their presence. For an animal whose sense of smell is their greatest strength this is the perfect form of indirect communication. Bears will often chew or scratch these trees to get the sap and resin flowing, which will help leave behind clumps of fur. Some examples of why this behavior occurs include: a female in estrus alerting males she is ready to reproduce, a bear establishing their dominance, or just simply to leave a “I was here”.

In this example, bear #901 had just unsuccessfully intimidated bear #909. Without anthropomorphizing too much, it appeared that in her frustration she went over to this scent rub tree to assert her dominance. Her cub watched studiously and proceeded to follow suit.

Equal parts fascinating and hilarious.

#brownbear #alaska #wildlife by @keithjamesmoore

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8 days ago

Boss says I keep getting distracted at work 🤷‍♂️…

Five years later and working here still never gets old. The fact that this is the view from my “office” is just wild to me. At this point, we were surrounded by bears when a mom and her two spring cubs decided to come into camp. As soon as the cubs sensed danger with the oncoming bear in the background they bolted up the tree. Mom then put herself between the bear and the tree. Once the tension eased up the cubs came down and all was well.

With only one week left in this amazing place, I’m really starting to feel all the emotions. This has been the hardest, but most fulfilling season I’ve had in my career. Despite all of the challenges, moments like this (and so many more) remind me that I made the right decision coming back to Brooks Camp.

Disclosure: this video was taken INSIDE the visitor center at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. You should never approach bears and always give them space. Follow park rules and regulations specific to the park you are in.

#wildlife #brownbear #alaska #katmai by @keithjamesmoore

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13 days ago

A Familiar Face 🐺

If you’ve been following along this summer you may remember an encounter I had with two young wolves; the moment where I didn’t have my camera on me. Well, I’m excited to share that I was given a second chance (with the same wolf!)

I won’t lie, I have been trying the capture this image for YEARS. There have been so many failed attempts and close calls that it began feeling unattainable, which is why this image means so much to me. Wolves are such a misunderstood animal, and I hope this image can inspire us as a society to see the beauty in this remarkable species.

Sony A7V + Sony 200-600mm G OSS

Huge shoutout to @eric_in_the_wild for spotting this wolf 🙌

#sonyalpha #alaska #katmai #greywolf #wildlife by @keithjamesmoore

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15 days ago

Morning commute 🐻☀️🏔️

Hard to complain about going to work when this is the view! The last two weeks have been plagued with bad weather here in Brooks Camp, so when I woke up to clear skies it felt surreal. In fact, the mountains have been obscured for so long that when they finally revealed themselves I was shocked to see how much snow we received.

I stepped down to the beach to photograph the sunrise hoping there would be a bear, but to my surprise, nothing. So I had to reminisce about a time several years ago when I captured one of my favorite sunrise photos with bear #901. Coincidentally, it was also right after the first snow of the season.

Moments later, as if it were scripted, 901 popped out of the trees and proceeded to walk the beach my direction. Full circle moment, for sure. For those wondering, her cub is out of frame, distracted as usual.

Of all the bears I’ve observed in the last five years, she definitely wins for taking the longest walks on the beach 😂

#alaska #katmai #fatbearweek #sonyalpha by @keithjamesmoore

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19 days ago

Bucky the bear teaches pottery class…😂

Seriously though, watching bears dig up volcanic ash will always put a smile to my face. It’s so goofy, but at the same time ecologically fascinating. It’s possible that the ash helps with their digestive system, or serves as a source of minerals. Regardless, when you watch a 1,000lb bear pull up a slab of dirt and start going to town on it you can’t help but laugh. When bear #164 Bucky snorkeled his way up to this spot I knew exactly what was about to go down, but I didn’t realize it would be such a massive piece of ash.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! This week starts #FatBearWeek and it’s gonna be a doozy. Go ahead and unfollow me now if you hate cartoonishly oversized bears.

#katmai #alaska #sonyalpha by @keithjamesmoore

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23 days ago

Forest Dweller 🍂🐈

On my way home from a river walk a few nights ago, I was thinking to myself how I wish I had some images of a lynx in fall foliage. Something that captured the essence of how elusive they can be, while also highlighting their densely vegetated habitat. It’s a hard balance though because if there’s too much vegetation you lose their striking presence, and too little vegetation feels less secretive for such an enigmatic animal. I’m a big believer in the importance of pre-visualizing photos before they’re ever taken. I think it’s a good way to perfect your craft, and when the moment comes to take the shot you’re less likely to miss.

Just as I was about to step out of the dense forest, I noticed the unmistakable shape of this lynx walking on a bear trail perpendicular to me. Amazingly, we noticed each other at the exact same moment and both immediately froze. We locked eyes long enough for me to capture my favorite Lynx image I’ve ever taken. And just like that, it silently disappeared back into a hidden world. What a gift!

Sony A7V + Sony 200-600mm G OSS
1/160 sec / f6.3 / ISO 2000

#sonyalpha #lynx #wildlife #alaska #katmai by @keithjamesmoore

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25 days ago

Canid Revelations Part Two

The first time I saw a wild grey wolf was just after my 16th birthday. I was on a family roadtrip from Glacier to Grand Teton. That trip was actually the moment I realized I wanted to pursue a career with the National Park Service. During that roadtrip all I wanted was to see a wolf, and my family patiently entertained me. On our last day, we woke up at an ungodly hour to drive into the Lamar Valley, where one of the densest concentrations of wolves in North America exists. But it was quiet. We scanned for hours and asked every wildlife watcher if they had seen anything, but nothing was reported. Our time was up. We had to press on to keep up with our itinerary. I remember driving away feeling so disheartened. I didn’t want the search to be over, so as we were driving out of Lamar I’d be like, “Wait! I think I see something!”, just to buy more time. My parents caught on, and put an end to the boy who cried wolf. But just as we were leaving Lamar Valley a lone, light colored wolf emerged less than 100 yards away. We were the only car around. The wolf came down to the road, looked both ways, and then crossed into the valley. Since that day, I have been captivated by wolves.

8/9/2026 8:33PM
As soon as I spotted this lone wolf moving across the tundra I knew I had to act fast. Keeping up with this animal was out of the question, so I decided to walk towards a spot I thought MAYBE the wolf was heading. It was a total gamble. At about a 1/2 mi away, the wolf course corrected and started heading my way. I knew my best chance of getting a decent view was to just sit and be patient, and hope the wolf would come within photography range. I had my 200-600mm lens attached thinking, surely I’ll need the zoom. These are some of the last frames I took before the wolf became too close for my lens. In my bag next to me was my wider angle lens, but out of fear of ruining the moment I opted to stay still and let it play out…

#wolf #alaska #katmai #wildlife #sonyalpha by @keithjamesmoore

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a month ago

Lynx in camp!

Three minutes into my work day I heard the faint voice of my coworker, “Lynx in camp at auditorium”. Conveniently, I was just around the corner. However, I was ill-equipped, again, and didn’t have my dslr on me. Seems to be a theme lately, *sigh*.

Regardless, I was stoked at the possibility of seeing this elusive cat, especially in camp where they are seldom seen. Finding Lynx in dense brush is like the greatest game of eye spy. Fortunately, it was on the move. I immediately dropped to the ground, morning dew soaking through my uniform, and waited for the cat to hopefully walk past. My presence was obvious, but it came way closer than I was expecting. Such an epic start to the day, and a reminder that you never know what you’re going to see in camp!

#lynx #wildlife #brooksfalls #alaska #katmai by @keithjamesmoore

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a month ago