After postponing for two years, our entire workshop group was delighted to be going to Glacier National Park. We showed up in the early morning for our first shoot and an amazing rainbow appeared over Wild Goose Island. It was a spectacular year to be in Glacier!
Click on this link to learn more and to see images from our photo workshop in Glacier National Park.
We have a busy international schedule coming up from now until December. We are traveling to the Galapagos and then on to Greenland next.
Most of our trips are full but there are a few spaces available on our Lofoten Norway Workshop on September 11-18 Learn more This is the perfect place to cool down after a warmer than usual summer!
We also have a few spaces on our Botswana and Zimbabwe Workshop November 10-22 Learn more We visit Victoria Falls, ground level elephant blinds and boat on the Chobe River.
Thanks for reading our posts. Hope you are having a great summer!
At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images created on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For May we chose an image from our Texas Birds Workshop created by Carolyn Johnson. We hope you enjoy Carolyn’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to May 2022 ‘s featured photographer – Carolyn Johnson
Carolyn and her daughter Marni in Bryce National Park
The Story …
The bronzed cowbird was on the perch near the cactus and I was focused on him. The green jay came in and I saw him mid air. I kept the focal point on the cowbird and just kept pushing the shutter button.
At 30 frames per second, you can hardly miss!
This photo happened because of the Sony A1. I was on a photo outing with Artie Morris. He explained all the manual settings to me on an outing to photograph pelicans. The camera has an amazing dot that tracks the birds’ eyes. This feature took all of my frustration out of wildlife photography. In the past, images were never as sharp as I wanted them to be.
Now I can’t decide which mages to delete because they are all good.
Having a gimbal on the tripod also helped. It makes all the difference. I can no longer hold the weight of a longer lens like I used to.
May 2022 Photo of the Month
I decided to send the image of the green jay and cowbird to Bay Photo to get a metal print. Tom mentioned that he liked Bay Photo and especially the metal prints. When it arrived, I liked the result so much that I had 9 more metal bird prints made.
They arrived yesterday and I have them all over my kitchen table to figure out a good layout.
EXIF Data:
Sony A1 with a 200-600 mm lens , shot at 571mm
F6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 2000
Manual Mode, Spot Focus
Male Cardinal and Male Pyrrhuloxia sharing a perch
About Photographing Birds in South Texas
I liked both ranches. The owners were so careful with details and knew exactly what to do to get the birds there.
My favorite bird was Darth Vader – the bronzed cowbird. I loved when he was doing his mating dance. He has the most fabulous color of blue on his wings.
I had never shot from a blind before. I live on 4 acres in the shrub oak in California. My son in law has a back hoe. I think a blind is in my future.
Black Crested Titmouse
Tips for Bird Photography:
Don’t be afraid of using high ISO settings. In the past higher ISOs would create grainy and pixelated photos. The new technology has made it possible to shoot at high ISO settings and still get great photos. I use Topaz Denoise on all the photos I take with high ISO settings.
On Carolyn’s Horizon
Eagles in Chilkat, Alaska
Roseate Spoonbills in Florida
Galapagos Islands
Carolyn in the orchards at Capitol Reef
We are headed to Nome Alaska next with a small group to photograph musk oxen and arctic birds. After that we are headed to the South Dakota Badlands and Glacier National Park.
We have 2 spaces available on our Bears and Glaciers Workshop. It will be prime time for Spring cubs July 11-16 click here to learn more.
Welcome to summer and thanks for reading our posts!
At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images created on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For April we chose an image from our Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop created by Joe Campbell. We hope you enjoy Joe’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to April 2022 ‘s featured photographer – Joe Campbell
Costa Rica
The Story …
I had been sitting on a log having lunch by myself. I looked around and asked myself, “Where is everybody?” The guides said there was an anteater down the road so I decided to mosey down there.
I went down the road and everyone was shooting from the side by the road. Tom was on the beach side so I went and started shooting near him.
The anteater was climbing down the tree and sat down to rest for awhile. It was like I asked him to pose like that – sitting and enjoying the ocean breeze.
I was telling myself, “This is a damn good shot” How can you miss with a pose like that.
April 2022 Photo of the Month
I like using the ring to set the exposure compensation. With the Nikon Z9 you can see it happen right in the viewfinder.
The ISO on the anteater was 2800. I used Topaz Denoise and it worked fine. It does a great job of removing noise most of the time.
EXIF Data:
Nikon Z9 with a 500 mm pf lens
F8, 1/640 sec, ISO 2800, Exposure Compensation +1.3
Manual Mode, Auto Focus Pattern wide-area small
Eyelash Viper shot with a 500 mm pf lens
This was the best shot I got from the eyelash viper shoot. Eduardo was using his hook to place the snake on the heliconia. I used content aware to remove the hook from the photo. I try to walk around the subject to get different angles and shading.
I recommend changing your position until you find something that works.
I had never really shot snakes before. I plan to do it again.
About photographing in the Costa Rica jungle
It’s hot. It’s sweaty. And it’s worth it.
I like the variety. Without the guides I would not have seen anything. I do not know how they drive and see things way up in a tree at the same time.
The same was true of the river guides. The boat driver would stop and say, “There is a boa in the tree.” How the hell did he see that. I look over and it looks just like a bee’s nest.
The Sierpe River is where I learned that toucans eat more than fruit. We heard a lot of noise up in a tree. We saw several great-tail grackles chasing a toucan. We saw that there were actually 2 toucans. One was distracting the grackles while the other stole a baby grackle from the nest.
It flew off and I was lucky enough to get a shot of the chick in its beak.
I thank the Z9 for that.
A Bare-throated Tiger Heron in the Jungle
On Changing Positions:
We got a lot of shots of the Tiger Heron from right below the tree branch. Jose, the guide, suggested we move to the other side of the tree.
It popped. That was the place to be.
On Joe’s Horizon
Rookeries in New Jersey at Ocean City and Cape May (great egrets, white ibis, night herons)
Machias Seal Island for puffin
Alaska for Grizzlies
Norway for Northern Lights
Joe in Fairbanks – not dressed for the Costa Rican jungle
We are off to South Texas next for two bird workshops at Laguna Seca and Santa Clara Ranch. After that we are headed to to Southern Spain with Strabo Photo Tours – space still available.
We will add another trip to Costa Rica in April 2024 and have a similar workshop in 2023 in the cloud forest of Ecuador, click here to learn more.
Enjoy your spring and thanks for reading our posts!
At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images created on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For March we chose an image from a dog sled photoshoot on our Fairbanks Northern Lights Workshop created by Jerry Bush. We hope you enjoy Jerry’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to March 2022 ‘s featured photographer – Jerry Bush
Jerry Bush in Alaska
The Story …
It has to start with our location. We were in the right spot thanks to Tom and Cree.
It was a beautiful spot. My goal was to get shots of the full sled first, and then get close up action shots of the dogs. Fortunately we had four different chances to photograph the dogs running by.
The first time around I just focused on getting the full dog team and the musher in the elements – the snow and the trees in the background.
When I went for the close up shots I didn’t see the tongues when I was photographing. I noticed the tongues were wagging all over the place when I went back through the images later. Even the dogs in the back had tongues wagging.
March 2022 Photo of the Month
Sometimes I struggle with finding the best image when I have hundreds to choose from. I use the grid view in Lightroom and bring the images up to a very large size. I go through them quickly the first time and use the X key to reject the images that are not in focus.
I use the compare mode after that and think about what I was trying to accomplish. Wow, I wasn’t shooting for a tongue shot – but there it is.
Jerry’s backed off version of the same scene
On the action shot there wasn’t much editing needed. I brought the highlights down and adjusted the exposure a bit for the snow. On my full sled image I brought down the saturation in the background to give it an aged look. I also cropped more than in the first image.
EXIF Data:
Sony A7 R4 with a 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm
F3.5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 400
Aperture Priority
About photographing in Alaska in the winter
I absolutely loved it. When Deb picked me up at the airport, I am sure she was ready for me to stop talking about it by the time we got home.
It’s beautiful. It’s unique. If you don’t go to Alaska, you just don’t see that kind of environment.
It was cold. Fortunately it was not as cold as it usually is in Fairbanks. There were times it was so cold that it was hard for me to feel the controls on the camera.
It is interesting shooting with so much snow in the frame. The camera makes adjustments to middle grays because of all the snow. You have to tweak the exposure in the images to accommodate for that.
Between the dogs, the ice carving and of course, the aurora, the variety was awesome. I love everything about Alaska.
Jerry’s image of Northern Lights on top of Charlie Dome
Jerry’stips for photographing dog sledding:
1) It is all about capturing the face. At our first dog sled shoot, I cut off ears and paws in the frames – and they were throw aways. I’m a dog lover and I learned it is all about showing the dog’s face.
2) In your action shots, look for open mouths. Teeth and tongues make really interesting shots.
3) Look for dogs that are posing. If they are just sitting there, it will not be as interesting. Dogs are natural posers. Look for a face that is bending over a fence or a dog that is jumping up. Get them to do something.
4) I learned that a low perspective is so important. It’s a perspective that you don’t see that often. On Day 1 I saw Tom shooting on his stomach. After that I did the same thing.
From the World Ice Carving Contest in Fairbanks – by Jerry Bush
On Jerry’s Horizon
Iceland
Norway
Banff
Olympic National Park
Portraits
Jerry connecting at the kennel
Interested in photographing northern lights? We have two trips to Lofoten, Norway in the next 12 months with chances of seeing northern light on both: September 11-18, 2022 (for warmer temps) and February 18-25 (for hardy folks)
We are both off to Sicily, Italy for a few weeks with Strabo Photo Tours. We look forward to photographing rustic coastal villages and eating plenty of cannolis on the largest island on the Mediterranean Sea. We have space on our May trip to Southern Spain if you would like to join us in Europe this year.
Enjoy your early spring and thanks for reading our posts!
At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images created on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For February, we chose an image from Death Valley National Park created by Mike Foxworthy. We hope you enjoy Mike’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to February 2022 ‘s featured photographer – Mike Foxworthy
Mike in Death Valley National Park
The Story …
My first impression when I arrived at the Borax Works was that it was going to be a challenge. At first, I was not that impressed, especially when I saw the fence.
I walked around it and started looking at the details. I asked myself, ” How can I shoot something unique?”
I got more into it as I photographed it. I started looking at it in a different way. I noticed the details and the workmanship. Those wheels were built with rivets and without the use of modern tools. I started photographing the textures and I found them so interesting.
I started by photographing the wagon straight on. I found the spokes to be really interesting because it had so many details. The nut was rusty and there was interesting contrast with the wood.
Shooting straight on to emphasize textures
Then I wanted to give it some depth of field and a different look. I thought the wheels were the star of the show. They are the work horses of a wagon. I could imagine them going through the rough roads coming out west.
When you look down the row of wheels, you can see that the wheels aren’t the same size. Some are large, some are small. I found the shot to be challenging because I wanted to show the details in all of the wheels.
February 2022 Photo of the Month
I chose to do a focus stack at F11. I created 4 images at F11 and put them together in PhotoShop. I often use this technique for landscapes when I want to capture the details throughout the scene.
I ended up cropping the image and burning a bit on the bottom. The mountains on the right were a bit bright so I burned them as well.
I gave it an Old West flavor by using a profile in the editing process. I kept playing with them until I found one I really liked.
EXIF Data:
Nikon D850 with a 70-200 mm lens at 70 mm
F11, 1/60 sec, ISO 64, Exp Comp -0.3
Aperture Priority
About photographing at Death Valley National Park
I loved it. It gives you a variety of photographic subjects. I was glad that Tom revised our schedule to take advantage of the dunes without footsteps after the wind storm.
I enjoyed the sand dunes the most. I loved the textures. I could have shot them all trip long – as long as they were not trampled on.
Mesquite Dunes with black and white conversion by Nik
Mike’stips for photographing historical structures:
1) I recommend looking at it from afar first and then moving in to see the micro details. Walk around it. Do a 360′ and maybe do it a couple of times. Look at it from different angles. The Union Pacific train gave us an opportunity to shoot through the windows.
2) Just shooting a rivet can be a dramatic shot. You can frame it and put it on the wall.
Shooting through train windows at Rhyolite Ghost Town
On Mike’s Horizon
Milan, Venice and Florence in Apri
Alaska
Banff
Olympic National Park
Portraits
Mike finding textures and details
Coming soon: Tom will be presenting online to 800 members of the Maryland Photography Alliance tonight. Maybe we will see you there! Also, this might be a good time to check our listings for 2023 and 2024 as workshops are already filling….
We are both off to Fairbanks for two Northern LightsWorkshops. We will be out of the office and checking messages on the road. Hopefully we will get a few magnetic storms to light up the northern skies!
Enjoy your winter and thanks for reading our posts!
Tom and Cree Bol celebrate great images created on workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For December, we chose an image from White Sands National Park created by Julie Berryhill . We hope you enjoy Julie’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to December 2021 ‘s featured photographer – Julie Berryhill
Julie in White Sands National Park
The Story …
The sun had already set. Brian and I were wandering around and we set up our tripods really low. We pushed out the tripod legs and were on our bellies in the sand. It was really fun. We were down and dirty.
We were underexposing because we did not want to blow out the red channel. I was also using focus peaking. After Tom recommended it, I used it throughout the workshop. I would start by using auto focus and then switch to manual to engage the focus peaking. It shows what is in focus in red highlights.
For me the three important elements of the photo are the sand, the yucca and the sky. I used a low perspective to put the yucca higher in the sky. I also wanted to keep some of the sand in the foreground. But what the image is really about is the sky.
December 2021 Photo of the Month
I used the comparison mode in Lightroom to chose the best image. I was looking for the image with the best light in the sky. I didn’t crop the image at all. I was also looking for an image that was sharp. It was windy that day so I made sure that there was not any blur in the plants.
EXIF Data:
Nikon Z7 with 24-70mm lens shot at 34.5 mm
F11, 1/200 sec, ISO 400
Aperture Priority with focus peaking
About photographing at White Sands National Park
You think it is just about photographing sand. But it is amazing how many different shots you can get there.
One day it was windy and the backgrounds became almost impressionist. The down side of the wind is that you can’t easily change lenses in those conditions. The upside is that the wind erases all of the footprints there.
A windy day on the dunes
About the orange photo below: It was a windy evening and there were different things happening in each direction. I turned around from where we were shooting and took the shot. I got down low to get a different perspective of the sand.
Evening skies over the dunes
Using a speed light on the yucca was really fun. I am glad Tom showed us how to do it. I get intimidated by using flash. Flash gives it a whole different look, which I really liked.
Soap Tree Yucca in stormy skies illuminated with a speed light
Julie’stips for photographing at White Sands National Park:
1) Bring two bodies if you have them. It is often difficult to change lenses because of the sand. This is especially true if you are shooting mirrorless.
2) Get the permit to enter the park early (available on the park website). That way there will not be people in the way.
3) Use focus peaking. It lets you see want will be in focus in the frame.
On Julie’s Horizon
Costa Rica in April
Back to Patagonia – the light is amazing and I love to hike
Eastern Europe – Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary
Julie and friends at White Sands
Space available on our next workshop in Bosque and White Sands – Nov 2023. Click here to learn more
Coming soon: Free Happy Hour in late January -all about the new Nikon Z9. In the meantime we will be off scouting Route 66 Oklahoma and Big Bend National Park. We just returned from Louisiana and have already posted our Louisiana Bayous and Birds.
Ready to travel and looking for a workshop? Space available on our Northern Lights in Fairbanks Workshop in March. Click here for more info. Want a warmer destination? Join us in Ecuador in 2023 to photograph birds in the highlands
Thanks for reading our posts and congratulations to Julie!
Tom and Cree Bol like to celebrate the great images created by their photo community by selecting a Photograph of the Month. For November we chose an image of a Sandhill Crane at the Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge created by Riley Brissey . We hope you enjoy Riley’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to November 2021 ‘s featured photographer – Riley Brissey
Riley Brissey on location
The Story …
This was day one in Bosque. That evening we had crazy clouds. The whole time we were there cranes were flying in from the left and the right. They never stopped.
Most of the people were photographing birds in flight. I felt like I should be doing the same. I kept looking at the reflections in the water and was thinking how beautiful it was. I wanted to get something in there too.
I started focusing on the water. I was sitting in the grass beside the road, looking for a cool pose or something really neat that would be worthy of putting on the wall.
This crane was a bit further away, probably 12 yards from me. I saw it walking towards the golden light of the reflected clouds and knew I needed to get ready. I was also watching several other cranes and their position. This was the one that was right where I wanted it.
I lowered my exposure to keep the red channel from blowing out. Tom had mentioned this earlier. Because it was a moving subject I kept my shutter speed relatively high for the light conditions. I always like to shoot birds at wide open apertures and I just let the auto ISO do its thing…..
November 2021 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Nikon D850 with a Nikon 500mm PF lens
F5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 2000, exposure comp of -1
Manual mode with auto ISO
About photographing on at Bosque Del Apache in New Mexico
It is a very interesting place. The way the refuge managers have handled the drought is great. They adapted to the conditions this year and still kept it a beautiful place to photograph. They gave the cranes new places to feed and roost.
If you go there any other time of the year, it would not look nearly as beautiful. I came back to Washington after the sunshine in Bosque and it was cloudy and forecast to rain for the next week and a half.
Riley’stips for photographing Sandhill Cranes:
All these things I managed to catch came down to being observant. Blink and you miss it.
On the first morning, I missed the mating dance of two cranes in good light. I was looking to the right and completely missed it.
Keep an eye out all of the time. Put the camera down and look around. There’s only so much you can see from the viewfinder.
Be really attentive and observant of the moment.
Sandhill Crane portrait in the new crane pond
On Riley’s Horizon
Lake Tekapo in New Zealand. I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan
Iceland
Backpacking in Germany
Riley getting close at White Sands National Park
Ready for a bucket list photo adventure in the United States? We have a few spaces open for our Northern Light in Fairbanks Workshop. Click here for more info.
Tom and Cree celebrate the great images created by their community of photographers by selecting a Photograph of the Month. For October we selected an image of a classic car at the WigWam Motel created by Gary Taylor on our Route 66 ABQ to WinslowWorkshop . We hope you enjoy Gary’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to October 2021 ‘s featured photographer – Gary Taylor
Gary working the details on a classic DeSoto
The Story …
I kept trying to shoot from the other direction but the steering wheel was obscuring the dashboard. I tried moving to the front and back windows but that did not help. I realized I needed to move to the other side of the car.
On the other side of the car I had to line it up so I would see the teepees in the background and also get a good view of the dashboard.
Doreen and I were trying to use reflectors, Lume Cubes, even a small LED light to illuminate the car from inside. Nothing was working.
I finally decided to try HDR and hoped it would work. When I got home I did the post processing and it just fell into place.
October 2021 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Nikon D810 with a 24-70mm lens, shot at 31mm
F8, 1/320 sec, ISO 800, exposure comp of -2
About photographing on Route 66 from Albuquerque to Winslow
I took a lot of pictures. Most of them were record shots – to record what I saw.
Some of them were really fun shots…..the type of image I would hang on my wall. The car interior and the waiter at the diner where these type of shots.
I really enjoyed the camaraderie of traveling with a group of people. I enjoyed being able to share what I got and seeing what they captured.
Gary’s tips for photographing Route 66:
For most of the shots I bracketed. With the neon lights this is important so the highlights are not blown out. I learned this by shooting holiday lights in my neighborhood in the Chicago area.
Bracketing also helps if you forget to use exposure compensation. It gives you several images to choose from to get closer to the right exposure.
I also did a lot of panoramas while on Route 66. The Petrified Forest and the Yellow Horse Trading Post were very wide. Shooting a panorama gives you more details in the image, instead of just using a wide angle lens.
Private shoot at the 66 Diner in Albuquerque
More about the image with Miles, the waiter
Many of the shots I got weren’t so great. It was crowded in front of him so I moved in the other direction to work the room. That was the shot that worked for me.
I liked how the blinds ended up creating backlighting on Miles. The broken lights of the Venetian blinds added a lot of interest to the image.
On Gary’s Horizon
Oregon and Washington Coasts
Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival
Ireland, England and Scotland
Gary photographing in the 66 Diner
Interested in joining us on Route 66? We just added another workshop from Albuquerque to Winslow in 2024. Click here for more info.
Want to head out sooner with us? Two spaces have opened up on our Bosque & White Sands Workshops in December, 2021 . Click here to read more .
Thanks for reading our posts and congratulations to Gary!
Tom and Cree celebrate the great images created by their community of photographers by selecting a Photograph of the Month. For August we selected an image of Crystal Lake outside of Ouray created by Thomas Black on our Ouray Fall Colors . We hope you enjoy Thomas’ images as much as we do!
Congratulations to September 2021 ‘s featured photographer – Thomas Black
Ouray Fall Colors Workshop 2021
The Story …
I would not have positioned myself where I did if it had not been for Tom’s suggestion the night before. He said to put something in the foreground. I did and it was a big help.
I was able to line up in front of the red grass without pushing anyone into the water. I set up the camera. I used a two second timer. I took a hundred photos and hoped one would work out.
I hate using a cable release. In fact I often forget to bring one, so the timer works well. Sometimes I use the Canon dedicated phone app for remote control of the shutter. There was no cell connection at the lake so I used the 2 second timer instead.
September 2021 Photo of the Month
Of the 100 photos I took of Crystal Lake, I had several that I liked. The one I selected had the most rose color in the water reflection. That was the differentiator.
EXIF Data:
Canon EOS R6 with a 24-205mm lens
F8, 1/60 sec, ISO 100
“Try to find an unusual angle so you don’t end up with a cliche” Thomas Black
About photographing fall foliage in Ouray
In retrospect, it was fantastic! I have never been anywhere with that much fall color.
I have spent weeks at a time in the Northeast. Last year I was on a self-guied photo safari in the Northeast while visiting my daughter. I got some good photos. the timing was good. But there was nothing that compares with Ouray. Yooray for Ouray!
It’s cold there. I brought shorts, sandals and my Speedo. I went out the second day and bought more outerwear. The Ouray merchants were glad I visited.
Thomas’ Start as a Photographer
I got into photography based on a four letter word……golf.
When I retired I went out and bought golf clubs. In five years I never broke one hundred without the use of a pencil erasure on my scorecard. I was horrible. My son said, “Dad, maybe this isn’t the game for you.”
I thought, “Gee, is there some other hobby I can pursue at least as expensive as golf?” I went down to the local camera store and bought a Nikon D60. I needed wall art for a new mountain home, so went around taking photos of local barns. It took off from there….
Fallen leaves near Silver Jack Reservoir
Thomas’tips for photographing fall foliage:
Have an idea of where you want to go….but pray that you are lucky. The reason I go on workshops with Tom and Cree is that they know where to go.
You could spend days on your own, even on horseback at the True Grit Ranch and not find a wall-worthy photograph
Also, bring a tripod. My hands were so cold they were shaky. Without a tripod I would have had Shake and Bake landscapes.
On Thomas’ Horizon
The Oregon Coast and Redwood Forest
White Sands National Park
The True Grit Ranch off the Last Dollar Road
There are two spaces on our Ouray Workshop for 2023 . Click here to read more .
Tom and Cree celebrate the great images created by their community of photographers by selecting a Photograph of the Month. For August we selected a brown bear image created by Teri Manchen on our Brown Bear Safari . We hope you enjoy Teri’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to August 2021 ‘s featured photographer – Teri Manchen
Teri Photographing Brown Bears in Katmai National Park
The Story …
At first the mother bear was really far away. She started coming closer to us and I was excited to get the shot. I wished her cubs were in the image too. The were down at the end of a cove and then they walked right past us.
I was happy with the bear and the fish. The fish was on the ground and it was hard to tell if it was still alive. I liked how it lined up with the bear perfectly.
August 2021 Photo of the Month
I was not afraid of the bear. I had done the same trip two years ago and had the same experience of getting close to grizzly bears. I was pretty calm. I just wanted to get the shot.
The last time I went to Katmai, I used aperture priority as my preferred shooting mode. This time I shot in manual mode to make sure my shutter speeds were high enough. This was also the first time I used auto ISO on Tom’s recommendation. It was exciting and it really works. Now I will use it a lot.
EXIF Data:
Nikon D5 with 200-500 Nikon zoom lens at 480mm
Manual mode with auto ISO F11, 1/2000 sec
Sow with two cubs strolling along Moraine Creek
Teri’stips for photographing brown bears:
Don’t be scared. You will get closer to the bears than you imagine. The first time I photographed brown bears was at Silver Salmon Creek. I was a tad afraid. We were in a buggy and a blond bear started chasing the cart. I was in the very back of the buggy closest to the bear. That experience was a bit nerve wracking. Now I realize that I can be close to bears and not worry when I’m photographing.
Large brown bear looking for sockeyes in the river
About Katmai National Park
I loved every part of Katmai National Park. You can’t imagine that you can walk so closely alongside the bears. It’s unreal. I liked looking for bears and finding them around almost bend of a creek.
The day when we saw 22 bears in one 360 view was amazing. We also had wonderful weather. We never had to put on our raincoats.
On Teri’s Horizon
Botswana
Ouray, Colorado for fall color
Death Valley
Galapagos
New Zealand
Bucket list: Antarctica
Teri and the crew at Moraine Creek in Katmai National Park
There is one space left on a bear workshop for 2022 . Click here to read more . Our 2022 schedule is getting full, but we have openings for 2023. For our full schedule Click Here
We plan to post a new Ecuador Hummingbirds Workshop soon. Join the interest list
