On this island, birdlife is everywhere. Tufted puffins, murre, cormorant, and gulls all vie for space on this tiny piece of real estate. While we circle the island, a sea otter preens itself near the base of the rocks. For more than an hour, we watch all kinds of birds fly in and out of the island. It is a true birder’s hotspot.

It’s been a long day and after dinner, we turn in to our hotel for the night. In the morning, we’ll embark on another adventure that promises to be exciting.

Day 4
For the third day in a row, the weather at sunrise is rainy but the forecast calls for clearing throughout the day. So we start with breakfast and talk about the day ahead. Soon, we are back on the road with Nikiski, Alaska, as our destination.

The road is long but the drive is beautiful. We arrive at the little town early so we have time to have a picnic lunch before our plane departs. Soon we are climbing aboard the de Havilland Otter seaplane and flying over the Cook Inlet en route to Crescent Lake – a long, narrow lake nestled at the base of the still-active volcano Mount Redoubt.

The flight takes about half an hour and along the way, we make a close pass to the volcano before landing on the lake’s placid waters. As the plane taxis toward the shore, a sow and her trip of cubs hang out near the beach as soon as we climb from the plane, all of the cameras are out and we begin to snap pictures.

Raised in rural Texas, Russell is the product of a modest, blue-collar upbringing, a stalwart work ethic, and a family who put no bounds on his imagination and creativity. When Russell was a junior in high school, he wrote a research paper for his end-of-year English project. The research paper (which he still has today), titled simply Wildlife Photography, earned him an "A" for the project. Still, more importantly, the mini-tome served as a manifesto of sorts that would define his life's work.

When he was 19, he had his first photographs and article published in a magazine. When he was 20, he earned his first magazine cover. By his own admission, the work now appears marginal and sophomoric. It was the spark, however, that ignited the fire to keep him going and perfect his creative craft.

Upon leaving a career in teaching, Russell continued his life's work by capturing the people and places outside of city limits in innovative and authentic ways. In the ensuing years, he continued to build on his experience and churn out content for clients through magazine pieces, advertising campaigns, television projects, and numerous books. In addition, he also worked with a small West Texas town to help them develop a marketing strategy and put together development deals that would bring jobs and prosperity to that little corner of rural Texas. 

Russell came to Backcountry Journeys in the fall of 2017 as a guest. He met owners Russ and Crystal Nordstrand as they were the leaders for the Katmai Bears trip. A few months later, Russ asked Russell if he wanted to guide trips. Since then, Russell has led nearly 500 guests on adventures worldwide. 

Russell says he feels like he's come full circle by combining his love of photography with his teaching ability.

In the media, Russell's been called a rural renaissance man, recognized as one of the top photographers in Texas, and praised by editors, art directors, and audiences alike for his ability to connect people and places through his written, spoken, and photographic stories. He's had nearly a million words published, authored six books, has had thousands of images grace the pages of magazines and advertisements all over the world (including about 600 magazine covers), is an in-demand speaker, has photographed some of the most prominent people in our country, and is the owner of two businesses. Still, he insists that his most significant accomplishments fall under the heading of father, husband, brother, son, and friend. 

When he's not in the field teaching or doing projects for one of his clients, Russell is found on his beloved Hackberry Farm driving his tractor and doing tasks that benefit the land and her denizens therein. He now lives a mile from the small stock farm on which he was raised. Black dirt and creek water are a powerful poultice. 

His parents are still proud of him

You can see Russell’s work and portfolio on his webpage at www.russellgraves.com