Tom and Cree just returned from their Bears of Katmai Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Our group was treated to exciting bear encounters and daily scenic flights. We photographed sparring bears and several sows with cubs
To see photos of the Bears of Katmai Workshop check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and I will officially be on vacation for the first part of September. We plan to head into the field to work on our own images of musk ox and bull moose. We will be in Nome and Denali NP. In late September we head to South Africa in search of leopards and other big cats.
Tom and I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For August we chose an image from our Alaska Black Bears Workshop. The image was taken by Tim Crull in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Tim is a wildlife photographer from Indiana. He travels to Alaska frequently for bear photography.
Congratulations to August 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Tim Crull
Tim Crull on the upper rail
The Story…
I was in the lower level blinds and had just come back up. First I had to get a good place on the rail. The bear was walking up the log. He stoped and turned to look at us. As soon as I took the shot, I knew it was the one.
There were three cubs together. He was the last one in the group. The trick is getting eye contact with the cubs. They are usually running around doing little bear things like getting in trouble, playing or fighting with siblings.
The cub activity was very good. There was a mother with triplets and another mother with twins. The cubs were the highlight of the trip for me.
August 2026 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Camera: Canon EOS R5m2
Lens: Canon 100-500mm at 400 mm
Aperture: f8
Shutter: 1/1000th second
ISO: 400
Manual Mode, auto ISO
Exposure Comp: 0
Two spring cubs play on a spruce log
About Photographing near Wrangell, Alaska
Overall the variety and quality of the photo opportunities is what impressed me the most.
There was a tremendous amount of black bears all in one space. Black Bears are usually solitary, so this was great for photographing them.
The whales were better than expected. It was great to see the bubble net feeding so many times in one day. I had only ever seen this one other time. The hard part is figuring out where the whales will pop out of the water. The cool thing this time was that we had a hydrophone to hear the whales communicating with each other. When the noise got louder we knew they were ready to surface.
The glacier had a lot of big ice breaking off. One humongous piece broke off and created a big wave. The seals on the iceburgs were closer than I thought we would get.
Bubble net feeding Humpback Whales
Tim’s Tips for Photographing Black Bears
1) Try to get eye contact with the bears. This was harder in the lower blinds with bears so close to us. I tried to find locations where I could shoot them farther away and get eye contact.
2) Get more than just a static picture. Try to capture their personalities or get them doing something like walking or fishing.
3) We had various conditions from sunny to cloudy. Constantly watch your exposure and adjust for different conditions.
4) I was surprised that I was underexposing a lot to keep the highlights on the water down.
Walking through mossy boulders
On Tim’s Horizon:
Yellowstone
Chilkat for Eagles
Florida Everglades
Yosemite in Fall
Denali National Park
Tim in the lower Black Bear blind
Upcoming Events: Summer Image Celebration – Sept 3 at 6 pm on Zoom. Send in three images and see what everyone else has been doing. Send note for link.
Tom and Cree just returned from theirAlaska Black Bears Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Our group was thrilled to have so many animal encounters on the workshop. We photographed whales bubble net feeding and bears gorging on pink salmon.
What’s Next: We are headed to Katmai National Park in Alaska to photograph Brown Bears chasing Sockeye Salmon with a group of 9 photographers. We will fly to a different destination in small planes each day looking for the best bear activity. In early September we will be headed into the field to work on our own images of musk ox and bull moose.
Upcoming Events: Join Tom and Cree for a free SUmmer Image Celebration. Submit 3 of your favorite images from this summer and see what everyone else has to show. Thursday, September 3 at 6 pm Denver time. Ask for the Zoom invite here
