Meet the Photographer
“As a kid in Buffalo, New York, I always wondered what it would be like to encounter a whale,” says Mark Kelley. “ I moved north in 1974, and four years later I graduated from the University of Alaska with a journalism degree.”
In 1985, Kelley went on to pursue a master's degree in photojournalism at Ohio University, where he was awarded the Paul Schutzer Memorial Award. He then joined the staff of the Juneau Empire, Juneau's only daily newspaper, working as a photojournalist for thirteen years before transitioning to a full-time career in Alaska nature and wildlife photography in 1991. Having called Alaska home for over fifty years, Kelley's deep photographic knowledge of the state is unsurpassed.
Kelley is an award-winning photographer. He placed first in the 2022 National Wildlife Magazine Photo Contest with a portfolio featuring the bears of Anan Creek, and first in the 2013 Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice Photography Awards' Outdoor Adventure category. He is a recipient of the Juneau Mayor's Award for the Arts and the Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award for Excellence in Still Photography from the Alaska Conservation Foundation. His work in journalism has been recognized by the Alaska Press Club, the National Press Photographers Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Kelley has published fourteen photo books and two annual calendars, with combined sales of over 750,000 copies. His books Glacier Bay National Park: Alaska, Alaska's Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glaciers, and Alaska: A Photographic Excursion each received a Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association. Several of his calendars, along with his children's book Once Upon Alaska, received an Award of Excellence from Communication Arts. Once Upon Alaska is also a Mom's Choice Awards Gold Recipient.
Kelley has worked on assignment for Cunard, UNESCO, Jaeger-LeCoultre, National Geographic Adventure Magazine, Outside, Alaska Magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Boys' Life, and USA Today. His images have appeared in National Wildlife, Sunset, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic World, Alaska Magazine, Outside, Alaska Airlines, Time for Kids, Sierra, Runner's World, Travel & Leisure, Boys' Life, USA Today, and the Washington Post, among others. His photographs have appeared on the covers of more than three hundred publications.
"Alaska is a place of solace in a complicated world. Alaska is my story, and the camera is my companion. The time and effort I put into my work allow me to keep reaching for perfection. In the end, I know it will be worth it." — Mark Kelley
Community Supporter
Mark Kelley products help support local causes in a variety of ways. Since the inception of the Mark Kelley Alaska Calendars in 1989 calendar sales have helped generate over $20,000 in total annual donations to Discovery Southeast and the Juneau Raptor Center. Mark is a former soccer coach, and during the Christmas holiday Mark Kelley’s calendar sales support fundraising efforts by local soccer teams, raising more than $10,000 each year. A percentage of sales from Mark’s book “Alaska’s Watchable Whales” supports the work of whale researcher Jan Straley, and the Sitka Sound Science Center.
Mark is a regular speaker at community events and with his slideshows shares the beauty of Alaska with locals and visitors alike. In 2006 Mark Kelley self-funded the exhibit “Alaska’s Watchable Whales: Humpback and Killer Whales” featured in the Governors Gallery at the Alaska State Museum.
