Kurt Johnson2014

Kurt has been involved in wildlife education and tour guiding for more than 15 years, including organizing and leading safaris in Kenya and Baja. He also teaches photography and leads astronomy programs. His recently published book, a Field Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, is the most comprehensive identification and natural history guide ever written about these two famous parks. It represents Kurt's efforts to communicate the "big picture" of an ecosystem, rather than focusing only on the most charismatic megafauna.

As a wildlife biologist, animals are definitely a priority in Kurt's photography, but he is equally inspired by landscapes in the constant search for unique lighting on mountains and other epic vistas. While great wildlife portraits can arise from being close to subjects, Kurt is a bigger fan of “environmental” shots that depict the landscape surrounding the animal(s), which add to the power of the composition by capturing the holistic moment, with wildlife one part of the entire image. Another of Kurt's favorite styles is backlit images where an animal is perfectly silhouetted with the sun behind the subject. Kurt also does a lot of astrophotography of the night sky, including the Milky Way, northern lights and eclipses. When the moment is right, Kurt will use his mid-range lens to stitch landscape images together in Lightroom to make billboard-sized prints. Kurt also embraces the convenience of smartphone photography—and while these images may not end up in his portfolio, he enjoys helping travelers understand the full power of their devices to capture amazing imagery.

Kurt leads wildlife and photography safaris every week of the year, mostly in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, but also in many other places around the world. He tends to shoot with Canon and Nikon equally but is currently using a Nikon system. Kurt’s gear varies depending on where he is guiding, but he always has two camera bodies, one set-up for landscapes, and one set-up for wildlife.

What Our Guests Say

It is unimaginable to me that a better Expedition Leader than Kurt could exist. He's the complete package: he is thoroughly knowledgeable but is not pedantic; he is enthusiastic but is not a fake cheerleader; his patience is infinite but he is able to diplomatically move discussions along; he's attentive but not nosy; he's imaginative and has a great sense of humor; he's a natural manager of people and he was able to meld many different personalities into a cohesive unit.

C. Hill

Kurt went well beyond anything I would have expected! He actually wrote the book on Glacier (not yet published). He had an uncanny ability to spot wildlife and knew so much about animals, plants and rocks that he didn't repeat himself in more than a week! In addition, he was superbly conscious of the individual needs and wishes of each participant and offered multiple options for every activity. He went well beyond what I could have hoped for.

D. Langmeyer

Kurt was an exceptional Expedition Leader. He did everything he could to see that everyone on the trip was well catered to and made a special effort to see that each person's goals were met. His prodigious knowledge on many subjects really enhanced the trip. He was extremely thoughtful, even in details such as our lunch picnics. We would love to go on another trip with him.

L. McKee

Our Story

Kurt Johnson2014

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