As with most of the wildlife I photograph, I try to put myself in the best situation possible to increase my chances of coming away with quality imagery. This trip was no different.

Following months of researching, planning and scheduling, I was finally climbing on a plane to photograph the majestic Bald Eagle. After arriving in Anchorage, Alaska, we made our way to the small airplane that would fly us out to the little town of Homer, Alaska. Scott Davis (a fellow wildlife photographer who joined me on this adventure) and I climbed into the small twin engine plane with every ounce of camera gear we owned. I always dread flying with my camera gear, especially for wildlife shoots, because large lenses are both expensive and, well, large -- and most flight attendants are not very tolerant of oversized bags. When you say, "Ma'am, this bag contains over $30,000 in camera gear and I'm not about to put it in the belly of this plane..." it doesn't usually help. So far, I've managed to find a way to avoid having my gear tossed about by baggage handlers.

We arrived in Homer, to an amazing sunset...I had been watching it from the plane window and had high hopes we might witness another during this trip. The weather forecasted to be unusually good, but given my luck with weather and timing, I wasn't getting my hopes up.

Homer, Alaska, is world famous for its high concentration of eagles and thus my reason for spending the next week in this tiny little fishing town. Not only is there a high concentration of these amazing birds, but it's even more popular for photographers because of Jean Keene, "The Eagle Lady." Part of my timing for this trip was to arrive in Homer at the height of the feedings, to increase my odds of getting up close and personal with these giant creatures.

Keene lived on the end of the Homer Spit, a land mass that stretches four miles out into the Kachemak Bay. She had been feeding fish to the local eagles during the winter months, when conditions were harsh and food sources were limited. After over 30 years, the town of Homer banned feeding eagles, and only Keene was permitted to continue, given special permission until 2010. But, sadly, she passed away just a few weeks before my arrival, leaving the fate of this trip unknown.

Lucky for Scott and me, the Homer council extended a permit to Keene's assistant feeder, Steve, and allowed him to finish feeding the birds for the 2009 season (March 2009). So, at 9:30am (roughly) each morning, we braved the cold Alaska mornings to photograph eagles. This doesn't mean it's easy though...these birds are fast and even though there are over 100 birds in this small location, it's difficult for natural photography, given they are congregating at the end of a fishing area, so there are boats, power poles and other elements in the background that are just plain ugly.

Not satisfied with what we were getting in Homer, we decided to charter a boat and go explore the remote coves at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. Within minutes of arriving in the first cove, we quickly realized this was a very good idea, as there were eagles everywhere, in a pristine natural setting...and the light and weather could not have been better. We watched eagles circling high in the air, then quickly turn and dive to snatch fish from the icy waters. It was truly an amazing sight.

It turned out to be an incredible trip photographing eagles, looking for moose (which we did find and photograph) and exploring the remote coastlines of this remote area of Alaska.