#359 • Johnny Johnson "In the Land of Giants", "River Dance" & "Breach of Worlds" Photographs

Part of The Johnny Johnson Estate Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

Starting at $5.00

Status: Available

Bidding closes Nov 3, 2026 7:58 PM AKST

Category: Art

Three signed photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947–2025). The first work is entitled "In the Land of Giants," c.2007, numbered 39/950. Johnson describes the scene: “Few sights are more memorable than a face-to-face encounter with a monster grizzly. Standing over eight feet tall, my 600mm lens only magnified the bear's power and my own sense of vulnerability and awe. Weighing in excess of a thousand pounds, these huge males keep to themselves and are rarely seen. Since I was downwind, the bear couldn't catch my scent and stood, nostrils flaring. I spoke to him in a calm tone. "Hey, big bear. Hey, big bear...... Hey, big bear". I kept talking as he dropped to all fours and slowly ambled away.” The second photograph is entitled "Breach of Worlds," ©1994, numbered 92/950. Johnson describes the scene: “A humpback whale performs a full body breach near Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. When 40 tons of whale bursts from the water your heart stops and for a few quick seconds this behemoth of the deep appears. Then in a great crash of water it is gone.” The third photograph is "River Dance," ©2015, numbered 41/950. Johnson describes the scene: “As the sun set, I knew it was time to get off the river, but it was just too beautiful—too exciting.  I decided to stay a little longer and was rewarded when an adult grizzly emerged from the crimson current with his prize— a large sockeye (red) salmon.  It seems the gulls are always present hoping for scraps. During the three months I spent documenting life on a salmon stream for the National  Geographic, I learned a great deal about the importance of salmon to a healthy watershed.  Each day was an adventure, a new chapter in my understanding of our vanishing wild world.” All three are signed and dated in gold leaf ink. The attached artist information identifies Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss prints for "In the Land of Giants" and "River Dance", and Cibachrome/Ilfochrome for "Breach of Worlds". The photographs are shrink-wrapped on board; the largest measures approximately 24.5" x 20.5".