2008 Banff Mountain Photography Competition
Best Photo — Mountain Flora and Fauna
Jim Mitchell: Back Off
“The Chigmit Mountains, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska (just across Cook Inlet from Anchorage), provided the perfect setting to photograph coastal brown bears. The weather was overcast and salmon were scarce, but the bears were entertaining to observe and great subjects to photograph. Long periods of watchful inactivity were interspersed with frenetic bursts of energy when chasing elusive silver salmon through the tidal flats. When they were successful, the bears made quick meals of their catches, while making it visibly and audibly clear that they were not to be interrupted. As with most animals, theirs is a simple existence — eat, sleep, procreate and roam free. They are remarkably tolerant of humans. Let us hope that their tolerance is contagious.”
Jim Mitchell is an avid amateur photographer from Dallas, Texas, whose work has been recognized in numerous juried events, international competitions, and prestigious national publications, including a feature article in Shutterbug magazine. Primarily self-taught, he hopes to pursue his photography on a full-time basis in a few years upon retirement from his present CFO position. In the meantime he travels as much as possible, especially in the American West and many foreign locales. Although he has an emphasis on nature and wildlife images, his portfolio reflects a more diverse range of subjects.