Haines photographer Kathleen Menke has published her third book of photographs, “Spirits of the North.”

The 80-page, self-published softcover represents three years of photos taken on trips through the North including ones from the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Denali National Park and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Other locations include Copper River Delta, northern British Columbia and the Chilkat Valley.

Shots include one of a sow grizzly nursing two cubs, a bumblebee hovering over fireweed and a Native fisherman netting for a leaping sockeye at a steep waterfall in western British Columbia.

Familiar scenes include killer whales at Letnikof, eagles in the council grounds and baby lynx at Steve Kroschel’s wildlife park.

More than half the photos are wildlife shots, but the book also includes photos of landscapes, flora, and people from Haines, Klukwan and other northern communities. “I wanted this book to be a little bit about people, as well as about nature. My last book was mostly on nature,” Menke said.

Two pages on music and dance include shots of Klukwan dancers and bands with local musicians. “I resurrected the Pimientos and preserved The Preserves,” Menke said.

The book includes shots from her first trip to Inuvik, N.W.T. That trip brought the cover shot, one of Native elders Laura Firth and Tabatha Nerysoo walking home from church on a bright late summer Sunday. “It just kind of spoke to me of strong spirit, their character. They were very rooted in place, but they were also friendly.”

Menke makes two or three 12-day trips each year to Denali, which allowed her to follow up on the same grizzly sow and cub over the course of several years. She also captured several photos of collared pikas, a rodent in the rabbit family that lives at high altitudes.

Pikas are smaller than ground squirrels and marmots, have round ears and make a high-pitched whistle.

“I hope that people will see spirit in a lot of things and if you live in the North, you already have your own feeling for that. That grows stronger in me with each year I live here,” Menke said. “In the book I hope people will see some of their own values from living up here and maybe want to share that with others.”

Menke said she thinks the book will appeal to travelers who experience the state as she does. “It’s a good memory of their visit, especially people out on the road camping, meeting people and developing their own connections.”

“I’m very happy with the final product. It has the spirit that I wanted to capture.”

Menke said she shoots on film, instead of making digital images, because she prefers not to have electronics between her and her subjects. She shoots slides, which she scans and manipulates a minimal amount. “I try to get the exposure to match what I actually saw and felt.”

Autographed copies of the book were to be stocked at the Haines bookstore this week.