Land Photography

Land Photography

Land Photography in Alaska
Land photography opportunities for nature lovers in Alaska’s Afognak State Park are spectacular, with the park known for its rugged topography and dense old-growth Sitka spruce forests along with some of the most unique wildlife in the world, including land species such as the Kodiak brown bear, Sitka black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk to birds like the Bald Eagle, Puffins and endangered Marbled Murrelet inhabiting the park.

Does this sound like a land photography dream? There is only one full-service lodge/residence located in the Afognak State Park, and that’s the Afognak Wilderness Lodge, which has been hosting sport-fisherman, nature lovers, professional and amateur photographers and other adventurous vacationers since 1974 in the Kodiak Island Archipelago in southwest Alaska – located about 250 miles south of Anchorage.




Afognak Island

While our location is a huge fishing area, the opportunities for land photography are just as varied if a day on the water isn’t your cup of tea or if you are looking for a change of pace for a day on your fishing adventure. And we certainly get people who just come for the land photography! There’s a reason that Afognak Island was identified in 1892 as one of the nation's first conservation areas, and most of the state park’s 75,000 acres is undeveloped and pristine and thus perfect for land photography of the landscape and wildlife. We have hosted several international filming crews who come to the area to capture the unique combination of wildlife and landscaping.




Land Photography in Alaska

Probably the most popular animal that people hope to photograph while here is the Kodiak brown bear, the largest bears in the world (reaching up to 10-feet tall on their hind legs and 1,500 pounds). These bears are a unique subspecies of the brown or grizzly bear and live exclusively in the Kodiak Islands Archipelago. These magnificent creatures have been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years and there are so many in this area – about 0.7 bears per square mile – that it’s practically impossible not to get them on film. You will find them both on the many saltwater beaches and along salmon creeks, and we do offer kayak tours if you want to approach from the water.

If your land photography goal is birds, you are in the right spot. On-shore species include Bald Eagles, Hawks, Magpies, Crows, Ravens, Snipes, Oyster Catchers, Varied Thrushes, Woodpeckers, Kingfishers and Water Ouzels – although there are many more. And of course there is the beautiful scenery and plant life that only Alaska offers. No matter your target for land photography, all of Afognak Island is nearly mosquito-free. We also hope you will check out the photo albums available elsewhere on our Web site.

Afognak Wilderness Lodge is Alaska's premier vacation lodge and finest combination destination for sport-fisherman, adventurers and lovers of land photography. It was named one of the Best U.S. Wilderness Lodges and Best U.S. Places To See Wildlife by Rusticvacations.com, as well as a Top 100 Rustic Vacation Retreat in North America by USA Today, among other awards.

Our space is very limited so we can best cater to our guests needs, and we are open May 20-Sept. 20 with no minimum stay requirements and any day arrivals/departures generally available. You will have a rustic vacation but with first-class accommodations, and we like to tell our first-time guests that once you stay once, “You’ll want to return.”

Call lodge owners Shannon, Josh and Luke Randall today at 866-978-4417 in the U.S. or 360-799-3250 for more information on land photography in Afognak State Park and to make reservations today.