Chilkat Eagle Workshop

Dates: November 15-20, 2026 – 2 Spaces Available

Location: Haines, Alaska                    See our 2023 Trip Report                   

Cost: $4899, single supplement  $800

Details: Every fall in Haines, Alaska bald eagles congregate along the Chilkat River.  A fall salmon run attracts these magnificent birds, resulting in the largest gathering of bald eagles in the world.  Their numbers are staggering.  More than 3000 eagles arrive, and it is not uncommon to have hundreds of birds in trees across the river.  This is a bucket list trip for wildlife photographers.  Imagine listening to the constant chattering of bald eagles while viewing multiple birds in your camera viewfinder feasting on salmon.  Amazing!

We will meet our group in Haines at the ferry dock to begin our adventure. After checking into the hotel, we will have an afternoon photography session in the field.

For the photographer, there is no easier place to photograph bald eagles in the wild than Haines.  Each day we will take a short drive to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and spend our day photographing the birds.  The eagles often fight over salmon giving photographers ample chances to photograph these encounters.  Frequent flybys give photographers plenty of chances to capture birds in flight against the rugged snow-capped Takinsha Mountains.  In the evenings we will review images and work on editing.

You will have a lot of fun, improve your photography, and create images worthy of hanging in your home.  

What you will learn:

• Exposure
• Composition
• Wildlife Photography techniques
• Photographing birds in flight
• Editing in Lightroom and PhotoShop

A typical day: Our days  focus on photographing the eagles. Our goal is to help you learn how to take compelling eagle photos with hands on instruction. We will cover camera settings, anticipating behavior, and specialty topics like auto-focus patterns. and pan/blur techniques.

Alaska Weather: Occasionally the weather in Alaska will cause travel delays.  This time can be used for editing images or photographing the area. This is a regular part of photographing in Alaska and may result in rescheduling flights or hotel stays at the participants’ expense.

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Hotel:  We will be staying at the Captain’s Choice in Haines. The hotel is right on the waterfront and is within easy walking distance of local restaurants. Lodging is included in the workshop fee.

Closest Airport: Juneau, Alaska

Getting to Haines: The dates of the trip were planned to coincide with the Alaska State Ferry Schedule. The easiest and most reliable way to travel to Haines is to fly to Juneau and take the morning ferry to Haines on Sunday. Consider flying to Juneau on Friday to give yourself an extra day buffer in case of weather delays. We are happy to recommend hotels, restaurants and places to photograph in Juneau.

Ferry Schedule: The Alaska State Ferry sets its yearly schedule less than 12 months in advance of departure. In the event that the ferry schedule changes, we might change the start and end date of the workshop to coincide with the ferry schedule. We recommend waiting to purchase your plane tickets until the ferry schedule is published. Our schedule is subject to change due to changes in weather, ferry schedules or other unforeseen events

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Recommended camera gear:

• 1-2 camera bodies (back up body recommended)
• Lenses ranging from wide angle 24mm to 70-200mm
• Wildlife telephoto lens – 300mm or more (200-500mm or similar works great)
• Tripod
• Polarizing filter
• Laptop for editing and critique

Included in the fee:

• Lodging in Haines at the Captain’s Choice
• Some meals, including deli lunches while in Haines, breakfasts at the hotel
• Welcome and Final Dinners at local restaurants
• All instruction
• Location and permit fees
• Copy of Tom’s ebook Create Better Photographs
• Transportation to and from ferry terminal in Haines
• Daily transportation to the eagle site

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Students will provide their own:

• Round trip transportation to Haines, Alaska
• Meals. lodging and transportation while getting to Haines
• Dinners that are not listed
• Alcoholic beverages and gratuities

Itinerary:

Day 1: Sunday: Meet Tom and Cree at the Haines ferry dock mid afternoon. We will pick you up and take you to the hotel for check in. Evening field session and welcome dinner. 

Dat 2-4: Tuesday-Thursday : Breakfast at hotel then drive to Chilkat Eagle Preserve to photograph eagles. Deli lunch provided. Photograph until late afternoon and return to Haines for dinner.

Day 5 : Friday: Breakfast at hotel and morning field session. Transportation to ferry dock for return to Juneau at 4 pm. Arrive in Juneau after 8 pm. 

Know Before You Go: Rated Moderate. This workshop requires walking up to 1-2 miles per day and standing or sitting in a cold environment for up to 8 hours at a time. A wildlife lens is recommended.