PHOTOGRAPHIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONSERVATION

Kalon has photographed rare and endangered wildlife in the Northern Rockies for years employing a number of techniques. He uses automated camera traps to monitor rare forest carnivores in Montana, working with both the U.S. Forest Service and several non-profits to further conservation efforts targeting these elusive animals.

Not only do Kalon’s photographs serve as vital scientific records, but as artistic reminders of the beauty and value of life on Earth.

PHOTOGRAPHER + ARTIST

Kalon uses his photographs of the natural world to inform his work as a fine artist. He strives to document the full range of animal emotion in both his photography and his artwork. Using photographs for reference material, he meticulously translates these images into evocative paintings capable of connecting their owners with power and passion of the natural world every day.

LIMITED EDITION AND CUSTOM PRINTS 

With myriad prints to choose from, Kalon’s photographic work is a unique way to bring nature indoors at your home, office, institution or public space. Select images are available as framed limited edition fine art prints, and can be printed as archival prints in a variety of sizes. Visit the photography gallery to view Kalon’s recent work, or get in touch for a custom consultation and to select a unique image from his archive.

DIGITAL IMAGE USAGE

All of Kalon’s photos on this site are available not only as fine art, but also as stock photography. His style naturally caters to publishers, academics, and nonprofit organizations. For nonprofits, substantial discounts are available—please contact Kalon for pricing. His work was recently featured on the cover of Montana Outdoors, and, depending on end use, his images are available both as royalty-free or rights-managed.

CUSTOM TRAIL CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHY

A remote camera trap can be pretty simple, but Kalon approaches his custom trail camera setup strategically and composes each scene with the eye of an artist. His carefully selected setup includes the Panasonic Lumix GH4 camera body paired with the Vario 7-14mm f/4 lens. This kit allows him to capture vivid images of wildlife in with every detail of their natural environments.

Beyond the gear, Kalon puts much thought into the location and placement of his trap cameras. He takes special care and ample time assessing the landscape for animal signs such as game trails, tracks, broken branches, distance to water, and any other signs that a location may be a prime wildlife habitat. All of these factors converge when Kalon chooses the placement of his cameras. Some of the best locations he has found are after a migration has happened—he sees the tracks, and returns the following year to set up a camera trap before the wildlife arrives. In this way he is able to take intimate wide-angle photos of wild animals without disturbing them.

THE WILDLIFE ON YOUR LAND

Curious about the wildlife that may be around when you are not? Whether your land is prime habitat, or provides a corridor for a specific species, or if you simply want details about animals that may be using a certain portion of your property, Kalon has the perfect camera kit and skill set to document the wildlife in any location.

An artist behind the lens, with countless hours spent in the wild, Kalon is an expert when it comes to positioning the camera in places where animals will pass within close range of the trigger and lens, such as water sources, heavily used game trails, and natural funnels formed by topographic features.

Not only does his camera yield valuable insights about the size, quantity, location, and timing of animals that are on your land, there is also a good chance the you’ll receive fine art quality images of these fascinating creatures.

By capturing striking scenes of wildlife in their native habitats, Kalon’s images give us remarkable windows into the lives of these charismatic creatures. Contact Kalon to discuss options for harnessing his extensive camera trap experience to photograph the wildlife that roam your property.

RARE CARNIVORE MONITORING IN MONTANA

Wolverines are mid-sized carnivores that inhabit large (up to 500 sq mi) home ranges. Historically, they ranged throughout most of North America’s northern hemisphere, but today survive in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, California, Alaska and parts of Canada. Wolverines thrive in winter landscapes, relying on mountain snowpack for denning and raising young. They live in rugged, high elevation habitats and naturally exhibit low population densities, which can make research challenging. However, efforts by various non-profits, research organizations and government agencies continue to unravel the mysteries of this enigmatic creature. 

Wolverines have captured Kalon’s imagination since he was a young man growing up in Michigan (once known as the “Wolverine State”). Since his childhood, Kalon has nurtured a curiosity for all things wild, and that ultimately led him to begin experimenting with trail cameras, which, for him, provided an ideal, non-invasive opportunity to “capture” elusive animals in their natural environments.

In 2010, Kalon’s passion for conservation, skill as a self-taught naturalist, and burgeoning knowledge of trail cameras led him to volunteer, and then work with several regional organizations collecting data on lynx and wolverines as part of rare carnivore monitoring efforts. Through partnerships with state and federal agencies, as well as non-profits, the data gathered from these efforts is being used to inform species-specific conservation and management in Montana and surrounding areas.

To date, Kalon has taken thousands of photographs of at least seven individual Montana wolverines using trail cameras. These experiences have offered him a unique, personalized window into the world of this rare wild animal, but when he first began his work monitoring wolverines for research, he found visually identifying individuals difficult. The artist in Kalon was compelled to know his subjects and to find ways to confidently identify each one over time without having to rely solely on genetic analysis of hair samples. Building on methods first developed and tested by Magoun et al. (2011), Kalon developed a systematic, non-invasive protocol for photographing the unique ventral markings that characterize individual wolverines using trail cameras.

Kalon uses a wooden framework and an attractant to entice wolverines into an upright position on their hind legs while facing strategically placed trail cameras. The photographs taken of wolverines in this position not only allow individuals to be identified, but provide information on the sex of individuals and their reproductive status (for instance, if a female wolverine is lactating). In addition, Kalon’s framework sets are equipped with a series of gun brushes used to snag hair samples for DNA analysis from individuals.

In recent years, reports of wolverine sightings in Montana and some neighboring states have been increasing. There is still much to be learned about the species and Kalon hopes to continue to contribute to wolverine monitoring and research efforts into the future. 

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