Trees

Ligonier Leaves

Aspens

Alaska

Glacial Peaks

Eagle with Fish

Rocky Mountain Wildlife

Buffalo Mud Bath



Mother and Baby Goat





Bighorn Sheep



Rocky Mountain Elk - Jasper National Park, Alberta

Rocky Mountain Elk II - Jasper National Park, Alberta

Yellow-Bellied Marmot

The Rocky Mountains stretch from Texas into Canada. The above images were taken in Colorado, Wyoming, and Alberta, Canada.

The American Bison, more commonly known as the Buffalo, like to wallow and take mud baths. While many speculate on why buffalo enjoy this behavior, others just enjoy watching and photographing the action.

Jasper National Park offers not only incredible mountainous scenery but also a wealth of wildlife. Grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, wolves, coyotes, bighorn, and goats are all possible photographic subjects in a day in Jasper. You will need a little "good animal karma" as well as some knowledge about the habits and habitats of the creatures you want to see.

The Goats and Bighorn Sheep were photographed on Mount Evans in Colorado where you can drive above the treeline to more than 14,000 feet. Yellow-bellied marmots are also high altitude dwellers and prolific out west.

Wild Places

Lion Group Geyser, Yellowstone National Park


Wyoming Landscape

Mount Moran Reflected

Mount Moran from Oxbow Bend

Wyoming, the 8th largest and least populous state, is one of the most beautiful places one could ever visit. Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks are well known, gorgeous, and "must see" destinations but there are fantastic vistas available all over the state.

Email me for travel tips on visiting these parks or Wyoming.

Floridian Friends

Woodpecker


Alligator Reflected

Florida offers a wealth of wildlife and bird viewing and photographic opportunities. Red-bellied woodpeckers are often spotted in wooded areas and have even been known to frequent hummingbird feeders.

Alligators are prolific, however, this one seemed particularly photogenic to me reflecting, not only the creature, but also its habitat.

Moose

Twin Moose Babies

Slurping Moose

Bull Moose in the Snow

Moose are among my favorite creatures. Growing up in Pennsylvania I had never seen one until I visited Wyoming for both work and pleasure. While I have seen and photographed moose in Alaska and the Canadian Rockies, the above images are all from the Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park area.

Polar Bears

Polar Bear Walking in the Sun

Bear Hug

Both of these Polar Bear images were taken in Churchill, Manitoba in November of 2002. On this trip I met Norbert Rosing, who's images are published in National Geographic often, while watching and photographing several bears outside of town. His photos from the trip were published in the February 2003 edition of National Geographic.

This trip still ranks as one of the greatest adventures of my life and I am constantly dreaming of winning the lottery so that I can return to Churchill, perhaps stay in the Tundra Buggy Hotel, and also visit the other major polar bear populations in Svalbard, Norway and Wrangell Island, Russia.

If you are interested in Polar bears and would like to watch them in Churchill, as they pass through, in October and November, they often have a live webcam.

Grizzly Bears

Resting Grizzly


Grizzly Babies with Mother




Alaskan Brown Bear


These images were taken in 2006 in Katmai National Park. We went on a "Grizzly Day" adventure flying from Homer to Hallo Bay, Alaska. This was one of the most spiritual six hours of my life, and the hour flight to Hallo Bay and back were also spectacular. We (a guide and 5 people) walked around in a field with 15-35 bears. While a couple bears were curious and approached us, in a completely non-threatening manner, most ignored us completely. This is bear viewing and photography as it should be! If you have an interest in seeing the Brown/Grizzly Bear in its own habitat this is the place to do it. We saw the mother grizzly allow her 2 year old cubs to nurse, several bears resting, a mother take her cub for a swim, and another pair doing some clamming. I would love to return and see the the bears when the salmon are in the river.

We went with the Alaska Hallo Bay Bear Lodge company and I highly recommend them, if you are interested, their website is: http://www.hallobay.com/

Wild Faces & Wild Places Photography Exhibit

This is the digital version of the Wild Faces & Wild Places Photography Exhibit by Kelly M. CourseyGray on display at the Jenner Art Gallery in the Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, PA from July 14th - August 2nd, 2009. All of the Photographs are available for purchase, matted and framed, matted, or prints only. Direct all inquiries to Kelly at kellymcourseygray@gmail.com. Kelly's webpage with these and many other photographs as well as her jewelry will soon be available at http://www.kellymcourseygray.com/.

Exhibition Statement:
Kelly M. CourseyGray was born, raised, and educated in Western Pennsylvania and her passion for nature was nurtured in the Ligonier Highlands. Growing up "in the woods" allowed her to appreciate her surroundings even as a small child. Wild Faces & Wild Places is a compilation of just a few of Kelly's photographs from her adventures out west and in the forests of Pennsylvania. Kelly firmly believes, the more one spends in our magnificent North American landscape the more you will be rewarded with incredible sights and creatures.

Note: All of the photographs with long lenses for the safety of both the creatures and the photographer. None of the creatures were harrassed, baited, or otherwise threatened or enticed. I thouroughly research the areas and creatures I can potentially photograph in an area before making the journey.