About Ken Kollodge

“...the brilliant (image of Mount McKinley and the Moon)...brings back

wonderful memories of 1948 for me. I thank you!"

–Ansel Adams, personal note to Ken 1/17/84

“His work is funny, intelligent and dazzling."

–Anne Biberman, Daily News-Miner 5/12/00

“Kenneth Kollodge made me laugh and I’ll always be grateful for those opportunities.

But his ‘Democracy’s Essential Elements’ also surprised me…”

–Anne Wilkes Tucker, Curator, The Museum

of Fine Arts, Houston, Juror’s Statement 2002

Ken Kollodge has lived and photographed throughout Alaska for 30 years. He is best known for his exquisite color photography of pristine Alaska landscapes and wildlife, brilliant close-ups of flowers, berries and the Alaska tundra. However, the range of his work goes beyond the beauty of Alaska. Ken developed an abstract color show, "Iced Light," and is continually adding to his black & white image collections: Italy, Musicians, Humor, and 2nd Amendment Issues.

Ken is a straight photographer striving for high sharpness and contrast following the genre of Ansel Adams. Color images are presented in a way that makes the viewer feel a part of the scene. Ken has an intuitive sense for selecting the best lens to accomplish that and then prints to large sizes appropriate for the grand Alaska landscapes. Ken relies on classic composition and makes his photographs without color filters. He creates the images with three different film formats: 35mm, 6x7cm and a 4x5 inch view camera. Ken also has a full-frame Canon Digital SLR System.

Growing up in Minnesota, Ken developed a love for nature and wildlife. He began photographing at age eight with a 620 roll-film camera his father had brought back from World War II. He has a Master’s Degree in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Minnesota but with the exception of short workshops, Ken is a self-taught photographer.

In addition to his art photography, Ken has developed a career as a free-lance commercial photographer, managing his own business, Alaska Chromes, Inc. in Fairbanks, Alaska for 25 years. He is a member of ASMP and has published images of the far north in books, magazines, posters and calendars worldwide.

In 2005 Ken and his wife Kathy moved to Duluth, Minnesota and opened Kollodge Gallery in Canal Park. They are now in the process of closing that gallery after 3 years and developing this web gallery to give them more freedom and time to create more art.