Kingfisher!

I was ready to leave.

 Rain had settled over Potter Marsh, and the afternoon felt gray and uninspiring. I had spent only a short time exploring the boardwalks, but the weather and flat light had me thinking the opportunity had slipped away.

 Then my friend pointed quietly and said, “Look at that little bird over there.”

 A Belted Kingfisher perched on a slender branch, completely at ease in the rain. Again and again, he returned to the same perch, as if that small corner of the marsh belonged to him alone. As I watched, I realized his world was very different from mine. Where I saw gray skies and disappointment, he seemed surrounded by the glow of autumn gold.

 What I remember most is the encounter. I stayed longer than I had planned, and the kingfisher rewarded my patience. Just when I was ready to leave, he reminded me that nature often reveals its greatest gifts when we give it a little more time.

 Come with me.

If this story made you smile—or reminded you of one of your own Alaska adventures—I hope you'll explore the galleries, read a few more stories, and perhaps even discover a favorite photograph to bring home.

Until next time...

Harry Banks
Alaska By Banks

Opening Day at Vagabond Blues

How a Little Girl Made My Day.

There are moments in life when you realize you've come full circle.

Last week, as I watched some of the customers at Vagabond Blues Coffee House check out the photographs on the walls, I thought back over nearly sixty years.

In the 1960s I was a young photographer working in Washington, D.C. I loved having a camera in my hands. Life, however, has a way of changing our plans. Careers changed, responsibilities grew, and somewhere along the way my cameras spent more time in the closet than around my neck.

Then, three years ago, I boarded an airplane bound for Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. I thought it would be the trip of a lifetime, and I was excited to capture the adventure in photographs.

Little did I know, that trip would become the beginning of an entirely new adventure.

It revived my passion for exploring Alaska.

I rediscovered the joy of paying attention.

Since that trip, Alaska has surprised me again and again—a Belted Kingfisher patiently waiting on a branch at Potter Marsh; a humpback whale disappearing beneath a curtain of golden water at Coffman Cove; Sandhill Cranes quietly sharing breakfast in a meadow; eagles, mountains, northern lights, totem poles, fishing boats, and people whose stories invited me to see Alaska with new eyes.

When the opportunity came to share these photographs at Vagabond Blues, I wanted the exhibit to be more than pictures hanging on a wall. Every photograph includes a short story I want to share that lets you see beyond the picture.

The table cards had my picture and a brief bio.  A little girl came over to my table and ask, are you the photographer.  I said yes and she said she was visiting with her mother and two sister.  The whole family joined me as I told stories about each picture. 

Other visitors said they were going to visit Katmai where some of the bear pictures came from the very next day.  Others talked about their trips to Kennicott mine.

What a nice surprise

The exhibit wasn't really about me.

People connected—with Alaska, with one another, and sometimes with memories of trips and somethings they hadn't thought about in years.

When people stopped to talk I asked them to pick out their favorite picture and we took selfies together… such fun… And some filled out the Fishing for Comments card and put them in the antique fishing creel…

These are the moments I hope these new friends carry home with them.

If you weren't able to attend the opening, don't worry.

The photographs are still on display at Vagabond Blues, through September 12, and I'd love for you to stop by when you have the chance. I hope you can take your time. And Oh My! even read the stories, funny how we hardly read any more… and if you let me know ahead of time I might even meet you there and tell you the stories with the pictures… That would be fun!

And if a photograph reminds you of an adventure you've had—or inspires one you hope to take someday—I hope you'll share your thoughts with me.

After all, that's what Alaska By Banks has always been about.

Not simply showing Alaska.

Sharing the surprises.

Because after forty years of calling this remarkable place home, Alaska is still teaching me something new every time I pick up my camera.

Come with me.

If this story made you smile—or reminded you of one of your own Alaska adventures—I hope you'll explore the galleries, read a few more stories, and perhaps even discover a favorite photograph to bring home.

Until next time...

Harry Banks
Alaska By Banks