USA Projects

Carl Johnson is a freelance nature, travel and outdoor photographer based out of Anchorage, Alaska. Born and raised in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, he started his photography career while serving in the U.S. Navy, where he was the ship's photographer. His work as a canoe guide in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota inspired his passion for nature photography. Carl moved to Anchorage in 1999 where he resides with his wife, Michelle.

Carl's photography has been published in several magazines, including Alaska, Art of the Hills, Coast, International Journal of Wilderness, Naturfreundin, Nature Photographer, Nature's Best Photography, South Dakota, and several calendars.

Carl photographs extensively throughout Alaska, the Southwest, Rockies, and northern Plains.  He is a member of the Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers, the North American Nature Photography Association and Nikon Professional Services.  

What is Carl's photographic philosophy?

"I consider myself a location photographer. Rather than focusing on any one of those aspects of the natural world, I strive to capture the full identity and character of each and every location I photograph. This involves exploring the location through examining its landscapes, wildlife and the small details of nature.  Whether through the frost crystals in a one-inch square spot on a tree branch or the twenty-mile view across a sea of five-thousand-foot peaks, I want to leave with a full appreciation of place. 

Behind every image I capture is a passion and love for photography. I love the feeling of being on location when the first light of day strikes the landscape. Photographing wild places also allows me to share with others a wonder and awe of nature they might not otherwise experience.  And while I am out there, I experience the wild world in ways that also enhance my own perspective.

Capturing a wild moment, whether the fleeting golden light on a mountain in the evening or the brief seconds where an adult Arctic tern feeds its chick, allows me to help create and preserve that moment for the future. So join me as I explore wild places and wild things, whether a city park or a nine-million-acre wilderness, and let the wildness touch you as well."