Amy Kropp Photography

Alaska outdoor photographer Amy Kropp

Welcome to my blog!

I live in Anchorage, Alaska and have lived here since 2003. I relocated here with my husband and kids from Indiana, where my husband and I grew up. Moving here was a bit of a culture shock for us, but in a very, very good way. We have immersed ourselves in the Alaskan lifestyle and now can't imagine living anywhere else.

Except maybe Indiana. But only in the winter.

The photos you see on this site represent my view, my perspective on life in Alaska. I take my camera everywhere, and try to document as much as possible of what we see and do here. My photos reflect my journalistic background (I have a degree in broadcast journalism), and could be described as a mash-up of documentary/photojournalistic/candid styles. I don't liked staged or posed photos, or overly processed photos. I like to capture life the way it is, as it's happening.

My philosophy: Real life is awesome.

Aside from taking photos of my family's adventures, I also specialize in family, children, portrait, pet and events photography.

All photos on this site were taken by me, unless otherwise noted. Please contact me if you'd like to use one (or more) of them.

Sunny day fishing

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 Posted in Adventure, Alaska, People

I’ve been away for awhile, taking my daughter back to college and visiting with family and friends back in the Midwest. While I had a great trip “outside,” it felt so good to be back, and so good to get back on the boat.

As you can see, I brought a little sunshine back with me.

After boating through a stretch of dense fog on Prince William Sound this past Sunday, we hit a big patch of beautiful, sunny weather. If you live in Alaska, you know that sunshine has been a rare commodity here this summer. With the days getting shorter, and winter looming in the not-too-far distance, this beautiful day was a very welcome change.

A bright, sunny day isn’t always the best for photography, however. I ended up with lots of shadowy faces and burned-out backgrounds. So, instead of trying to fight the brightness, I finally decided to work with it and try a few sun flare photos.

We’re hoping to have another month of boating, but the days are getting cooler and the leaves are already starting to change. We’ll just have to see what the weather has in store for us over the next few weeks.

I would love just a few more weekends of summer before the snow starts to fly!

by Amy Kropp

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A day for rockfish

Friday, August 13, 2010 Posted in Adventure, People

Rain, miserable rain. That’s all we’ve been seeing around here lately, but we did manage to get out during a break in the weather last weekend. Still, it was chilly and cloudy (I bought some gloves on the way to the boat, and actually wore them). The cold didn’t stop MIchael from enjoying the day, though – he caught two rockfish. Although rockfish are relatively easy to catch (easier than halibut and salmon), Michael had to fight the second one to get him on the boat. He did it though, with no help at all from Larry or me.

To my delight, we found this small octopus in one of our shrimp pots. I’ve been hoping we’d catch an octopus, just so I could see one up close. I only had time to snap this one quick shot, though. As Larry held the pot over the water, the little guy oozed out through the holes in the pot and fell back into the sea. It was slimy, gross and very, very cool.

When he wasn’t busy reeling in fish, Michael picked up a camera and snapped some pictures. I always bring several still cameras on the boat (my Nikon D90, a Lumix point-and-shoot, this Fuji point-and-shoot, which is waterproof and shockproof – perfect for Michael) and a Flip video camera. Yes, I have a very large camera bag that I carry all my gear in, and yes, it is water resistant, but not totally waterproof. I’d be in big trouble if I dropped it in the water.

Along with my cameras, I also bring my iPad. We don’t get cell phone coverage out in the Sound, so the internet doesn’t work out there. However, GPS does work, and I have a very cool marine navigation app that helps me figure out where we are. (We have a GPS system installed on the boat, but if Larry’s driving, I can’t see the monitor, so I follow our trip with my iPad). The app is iNavX, and it is extremely cool. I can mark all the spots where I take photos, so when I blog them later, I know exactly where we were. The iPad also acts as a backup, in case our boat’s GPS system failed. I love it when I can justify my electronics purchses by saying we need them for “safety reasons!”

We’re hoping to get out again this weekend, but it all depends on the weather. Rain is okay, but fog makes navigating pretty difficult, so we’ll have to wait and check the webcams before heading to Whittier.

by Amy Kropp

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My favorite moose family

Saturday, July 31, 2010 Posted in Wildlife

Late one evening last week, my favorite cow and calf moose came into our yard to visit.

This is the same cow and calf that became separated a couple of weeks ago, and the calf spent a very sad morning huddled up in a corner of our neighbor’s yard. Luckily, mom showed up in the afternoon, and they had a reunion in our back yard. It’s not uncommon for cows to become separated from their calves, and they don’t always find their way back.

The calf was born in another neighbor’s yard in June, and is getting bigger every day. I love when they stop by to see us, and I’m always reassured to see them together.

by Amy Kropp

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