Wild Shots: A Photographer's Life in Alaska

by Tom Walker

Overview

This new memoir by renowned wildlife photographer, author, and naturalist Tom Walker shares his adventures living in Alaska for more than five decades. Wild Shots blends natural history with stories about Walker’s wide-ranging forays into the wilderness to photograph animals--beginning as a clueless "cheechako" (newcomer), but ultimately becoming a seasoned old-timer revered by many. Vivid, clear prose beautifully captures the landscape both around his home just outside of Denali National Park and wilderness destinations across the state.

Following a loose chronology, Tom tracks his evolution as a novice wildlife watcher raised in the dusty hinterlands of Southern California to a more knowledgeable observer to homesteader and photographer to vocal conservationist. Collectively, the stories convey how, through all life’s travails, nature remains his source of inspiration, joy, and solace through visceral experience and his patient lens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680512281
Publisher:	Mountaineers Books, The
Publication date:	09/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Tom Walker has lived in Alaska for fifty years and is the author of more than a dozen books centered on his adopted home. A freelance photographer and writer, his work has been published in Alaska Magazine, Field and Stream, Readers’ Digest, Newsweek, Audubon, Sierra, and many other regional and national publications. Tom lives in Denali Park. Visit him online at TomWalkerPhotography.com

Table of Contents

Awakenings 9

Cheechako 19

Camping with the Wehrmacht 41

Ram Country 51

Wolf Howls 63

Apex Predators 77

Making Contact 95

Bears and Salmon 111

On the Edge 127

Grizzly Tragedy 141

Tumultuous Shores 161

Ice Bears 173

The Goddess of the Dawn 183

Refuge 195

Calving Grounds 207

Arctic Loons and Foxes 219

Wolverine 231

Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow 235

To the Mountains Again 245

Editorial Reviews

Tom Walker has published numerous books, on everything from wildlife to mountaineering history. In his new memoir, he turns the lens on himself for a rich romp through an adventurous life.

Alaska: The Magazine of Life on the Last Frontier

If Alaska were to elect an ambassador for its wildlife, I’d vote for Tom Walker. This book is his resume; a wonderful tribute to fifty years of patience, knowledge, artistry, and respect—especially respect.

Kim Heacox

Whether describing the rutting season of moose or his warm welcome to a friend’s cabin where tradition and modern amenities blend together, the book is captivating.

Manhattan Book Review (5 star review) - Jane Manaster

Stories to fascinate anyone who loves the outdoors.... These tales and images from years in the backcountry give insight into a living landscape that only a few hardy souls get to experience closely—and serve as a worthy testament to a naturalist's life well lived.

Natural History - Laurence Marschall

Wild Shots can be said to amount to a work of philosophy, an examination of a life that reveres other life, studies it in often uncomfortable circumstances, and achieves a kind of blissful satisfaction with a realized image.

Anchorage Daily News - Nancy Lord

Among Alaska photographers, writers, and naturalists, Tom Walker is an inspiration to us all. His encyclopedic knowledge, impeccable craftsmanship, unassuming character, and rock-solid integrity are on full display in Wild Shots—a must-read, must-see book for all lovers of Alaska.

Nick Jans