I am a wildlife biologist working for the
U.S. Forest Service in Cordova, Alaska. I have now lived here, on
beautiful Prince William Sound for over 19 years, and in western
 Montana
for the 20 years previous to that. Although most of my research has been
with ungulates, especially moose and elk, I have worked with a wide
variety of species, including bristle-thighed curlews on a remote Pacific
Island, owls in the mountains of Montana, and grizzly and black bears in
both Montana and British Columbia. I am currently working on a Black
Bear study in Prince William Sound. These experiences have helped me
develop an interest in all wildlife and allowed me to spend a lot of time
outdoors. They have also alerted me to many conservation issues and the
importance of how humans interact with wildlife.I have photographed wildlife for over 20 years and published images in National Geographic, Audubon Magazine, Ranger Rick, Time, Sports Afield, Outdoor Life, Alaska Airlines and many other local, national, and international publications. I was invited to photograph wildlife on China's remote Tibetan Plateau in 2002 and returned with BBC in 2005, with a crew working on the television series Planet Earth. I have also spent time in the Rocky Mountains, desert southwest, Florida's wetlands, and rainforests of Costa Rica and Ecuador. We have also now made 3 trips to Australia I try to photograph just about everything that lets me, but have particular interest in illustrating the wide variety of animal life near where I live, documenting lesser photographed species, and those with conservation concerns. My photographs feature almost exclusively wild subjects. The only exceptions are mice, voles, and shrews which I have live trapped and then released. Some reptiles and amphibians have also been handled as well. I use digital editing to improve exposure, saturation, and contrast to get the greatest impact from a photograph, but do not alter any subject matter. My wife, Paula, and I married in August
1999. Paula (www.PaulaPayneArt.com) is an artist and when she's not
accompanying me on photo trips, she works on various freelance projects.
Paula has painted on movie sets, including Silence of the Lambs,
Red Dragon, and TV programs such as Mister Roger's Coincidentally (or not!), my brother, John (www.JohnBurcham.com),
is also a photographer, specializing in climbing and outdoor recreation.
His images have graced the cover of National Geographic (January
2006), and appeared in National Geographic Adventure, Climbing, Rock and
Ice, and Backpacker. He has done
assignment work for Mountain Hardware, Patagonia, IMAX and others.
For a well told story of one of his epic adventures (a 700 mile traverse
of the Alaska Range), illustrated with
music and his photos, check out this link:
Dirtbag Diaries - "No Big Deal"
(large download but worth the wait). Contact Information: |
Neighborhood.
How's that for diversity! We spend as much of our time as possible
in our small boat on Prince William Sound fishing for halibut and salmon
or looking for whales and bears. We also like to hike, ski, ice
skate, hunt, and travel.