Photographer: Scott McClurg

Camera: Nikon D1X

Two male pink salmon fight over the right to spawn with a female in a stream near Valdez, Alaska. The fish make the trip from the Pacific Ocean to the stream where they were born to spawn and die.

Lens: Nikon 80-200 zoom, shot at 100mm

ISO: 400

Shutter: 1/400

Aperture: 5.6

When I was in Valdez, Alaska, I discovered an overlook with a view down to a stream used by pink salmon to spawn each year. I leaned over the edge and shot hundreds of frames. I tried slow shutter speeds and fast shutter speeds. It was a rainy, overcast day, and the main problem was the glare from the water’s surface. I had to shoot directly down on the fish below to minimize the glare. Flash seemed to help a lot and really added some snap to the pictures.

Still, I could only see the fish’s backs. Occasionally, I would catch males fighting. I began to follow the biggest males — the fish with the pronounced humpback and hooked jaws. They fight each other for the right to spawn with a female. That’s what’s happening in this shot. I ended up spending a couple of hours at the stream watching the salmon struggle against the current.

“Behind the Lens” is an ongoing weekly series that features an image selected by the Journal-World photo staff that previously ran in the newspaper or online. Wondering how a certain picture was created? Nominate it for “Behind the Lens” by contacting chief photographer Mike Yoder at 832-7141 or myoder@ljworld.com.