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
Tom and I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For June we chose an image from our Bears of Lake Clark. The image was taken by Tom McDonald in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Tom is a wildlife photographer from the great state of Wisconsin. You can view his other work here.
Congratulations to June 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Tom McDonald
Tom McDonald – our June 2026 Photographer of the Month
The Story…
This was a bear that passed within 10 feet of me. Rob was behind me. Being with bears previously, I knew that these bears were very conditioned to humans. Rob kept saying “You’re okay, you’re okay.” I was not frightened at all and just kept on shooting.
My last shot is of the bears legs. They were so close they were going out of focus. The minimum focus distance on the lens is 8 ft. I was close. It was somewhere between 10 and 5 feet. When it started happening I did not get the blond bear that went by first. They were both female bears. I captured focus on the second, darker bear. I could see drool coming out of her mouth. It looked like she was shaking. It was pretty amazing.
I think she was fully aware that we were there. I think the blond bear was using us as a tree blind. She used us so that the chasing bear could not cut her off.
I knew it happened that people got so close there. But having it happen to me!
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon 400mm 2.8
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/4000th second
ISO: 450
Manual Mode, auto ISO
Exposure Comp: -.7
Two second year cubs play in the meadow
About Photographing in Lake Clark National Park
I had thought about going to Brooks Camp. I don’t think you would ever have that kind of experience that we had at Lake Clark. It was the best bear shooting that I have ever seen. I’ve shot bears in Wisconsin, the Tetons, Yellowstone, Canada, and Glacier. It is just not comparable. Lake Clark is magical.
The hosts and guides at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge were terrific. I have had guides all over the world. Our guides were thinking like a photographer. They got us in position for great photography. It was just amazing.
I couldn’t believe it, There were so many good opportunities there. I was looking for one good image each day and there were multiple.
I sent some of my images off to BayPhoto right away.
Bald Eagle flying over the tidal flats
Tom’s Tips for Photographing Bears
1) Backgrounds. A clean background makes a big difference.
2) Keep shooting. There is so much action going on. You never know when the bears are going to turn around and look at you.
3) Try different angles. Move to the left or the right. Get low.
4) Try adjusting your settings for high key images out on the mud flats.
5) Shoot wide for environmental images. I liked the ones with Slope Mountain in it.
Tom and Cree just returned from theirBears of Lake Clark Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Our group was excited about the mother bear with cubs in the area. We followed Long Nose through the meadows and tidal flats hoping to catch her cubs at play.
What’s Next: We will be leading a new workshop in Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula next week. Our photographers are hoping for close up photos of sea otters and a chance to photograph breaching whales. We are headed to Iceland at the end of July to photograph puffin and some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
Interested in Bear Photography? We have a few openings:
Tom and Cree just returned from their Bears of Lake Clark Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Nine photographers joined us in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska to photograph Brown Bears in their natural habitat. Highlights of the workshop were photographing bears courting in the meadows and clamming on the tidal flats
To see photos from our Bears of Lake ClarkWorkshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are traveling with a workshop group to Redwoods National Park in California to photograph their favorite forest in the world. They just returned from the “Top of the World” Utqiavik (or Barrow) where they photographed eiders and other arctic birds in the midnight sun.
Our new workshop Alaska Kenai Explorer has space available: July 7-12, 2026 Calving glaciers, whales, snow capped mountains, eagles and more. Read details
Our Iditarod Workshop for 2026 is starting to fill up. Photograph Northern Lights and the Last Great Race during the best month for winter photography in Alaska. Read more
Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For August we chose an image taken on our Katmai Bears Workshop. The image was taken by William Janssen while photographing brown bears in a remote part of Katmai National Park in Alaska. William is a wildlife photographer from Canada and has a strong fondness for bears.
Congratulations to July 2024 ‘s featured photographer – William Janssen
Photographer William Janssen
The Story…
We were all watching the mother with her cubs fishing. She lifted up her head and noticed something in the water. I knew she saw something. I anticipated that she was going to go after a fish. I was on Nikon 3D auto focus mode and decided to stay with that.
Photo of the Month – August 2024
As she brought up her left paw I made the decision to follow her with animal detect mode turned on. She went into a full trot right towards us in the stream. I took 30 images of her going after the salmon. She ended up catching it and I also got a few frames with the sockeye in her mouth ( image below).
Brown Bear with Sockeye Salmon
We all had slightly different angles. Annette caught the bear in full pounce. We were all shooting at 20 frames a second but have different final results.
I chose this image from the series because the tail fin of the sockeye really shows up. I also liked the splashing in the water and the catch light in her eye. I found that in the images where she is diving into the water the amount of splash dominated the scene. In this image there was just enough splash and the fish stands out.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon Z series 100-400 mm with 1.4 teleconverter
Aperture: f8
Shutter: 1/4000 second
ISO: 1250
Mode: Manual with Auto ISO
In the image below I really wanted to capture a bear from a lower angle. I had the camera’s collar turned around and the live view screen puled out and turned on. I could look down at the screen and hold the lens about six inches from water level. I was sitting in the water right next to the dead salmon. I was shooting with the auto focus mode in animal detection mode. Fortunately the image was really level. You can see the blood on its mouth, where it had just finished eating a fish.
About Photographing in Katmai National Park
This was exhilarating to be so close to the bears. We were very deliberate about our approach. We observed them and saw which way they were traveling and then the guide decided where we would position and sit down. This method helped us be around the bears without impacting their behaviour.
Brooks Camp felt awfully commercial with boardwalks and viewing platforms. It seemed more like a tourist attraction. When we were in remote Katmai National Park all of that was gone. You land on a lake and walk a few kilometers to a bluff.
On the way we saw ptarmigan and bears lying on the tundra. As Tom says, “Katmai is the land of the happy bears”. They do not see the people as a threat because of the way that the groups approach them. I would not be on the trip if I didn’t feel it was safe.
This was a very bear oriented trip. Some of my other bear photography trips involved many other species like marine mammals, Bald Eagles, sealions, harbor seals. We focused just on brown bears.
It far exceeded any expectations I had.
William’s Tips for Bear Photography
Tip 1
I am used to being in close proximity to animals. Trust your workshop leaders. Try to pick up as many tips as possible and try new techniques. On this workshop, I switched to manual mode from always shooting in aperture priorty. I practiced at home with red fox kits. Using manual mode gave me better control of the ISO
Tip 2
Use your exposure compensation button even when shooting in manual with auto ISO. I started using it more on the second day of the workshop and it helps with correct water exposure and backlighting.
Tip 3
Try to stay calm. I get excited every time. Maintain focus. Check your settings and review images even if you are excited.
Tip 4
I ended up with over 15 thousand images because I shot at a frame rate of 20 frames per second for the whole trip. Don’t be afraid to fill your cards.
On William’s Horizon:
Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in Canada
Gray Wolves on Vancouver Island
Alaska Black Bears
Great Bear Rainforest Komode Bear
Katmai Brown Bears – Rafting
William at Lake Iliamna, Alaska
Want to join us in Katmai National Park for Bear Photography in 2026? We will be rafting to where the bears are. August 28-Sept 2, 2026 Read more
Ready to join us before then? We have space on one of our most popular stretches of Route 66. Use speed lights to illuminate classic cars, sleep in a WigWam and join us “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.”
Route 66: Albuquerque to Winslow, Arizona from Oct 23-27, 2024 Learn more
Tom and Cree just finished their Katmai Bears Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They joined 9 photographers on daily flights in small planes to locations all over Katmai National Park in Alaska. Photographing multiple sets of triplet cubs was a highlight for everyone.
To see photos from our Katmai Bears Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Interested in seeing images from our workshops this Summer? Join us for a free online Summer Image Celebration on Sunday, August 25 at 6 pm MDT Denver time. We will be showing images from photographers on our workshops to Lake Clark NP, Badlands NP, Katmai NP, Nome and the Pantanal. Click here and request a link if interested in viewing or participating.
Any upcoming openings?
Route 66 Albuquerque to Winslow: Oct 23-27, 2024 Read more Photograph iconic locations like the WigWam Motel, Route 66 Diner, and Petrified Forest National Park. Learn more about using a speed light to add color and creativity to your images.
Arches and Canyonlands: Nov 3-7, 2024 Read more An all time classic. Photograph brilliant red rock arches on crystalline blue skies.
Bosque and White Sands National Park: Dec 8-12, 2024 Read more Perfect workshop for photographers who want to improve their birds in flight photography. Photograph the dazzling white gypsum dunes at White Sands National Park.
Tom and Cree just finished their Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Their group of 10 photographers flew down the remote Alaskan coastline to Lake Clark National Park. Numerous opportunities to photograph bears on the beach digging for clams were a highlight for everyone.
To see photos from our Brown Bears of Lake Clark, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Our address is new! Please add our new address to your contact list for future mail:
Tom and Cree just finished their Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. Spring cubs and roosting puffins were the highlights this year. Cold wet weather meant we had diffuse light for the trip and the bears stayed active all day. This is a great workshop for photographers interested in both bears and puffin, with very little walking to get to either.
To see photos from our 2023 Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop, check out our trip report, click here
Cree and Tom are on their way to California and Oregon for the Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshop next. We’ll be looking for foggy, sun beams illuminating the forest canopy.
Just getting back from our Brown Bear Safari in Katmai National Park and what a workshop! Seeing more than 100 bears in a single day was a definite highlight. We were also lucky with the weather and were able to fly to all the best spots for bear photography. Take a look at our trip report to see the photos and find out more.
If you are interested in the Bear Safari in 2024, we have a few spaces open. They are sure to fill quickly. Click here for a link with more info.
We are traveling to Norway and New Zealand with workshop groups for the next few weeks. We plan to be back in the office on October 4 and will answer al your inquiries as soon as we get back. We will also check messages when we have good wifi.
Thanks for reading our posts. We hope to photograph with you soon!
We just returned from our Lake Clark Bear Workshop and are already longing to go back next year. The spring cubs were just wonderful. Take a look at our trip report to see the photos and catch up on what Crimp’s Cub looks like this year.
Tom has been busy working on articles for Nikon in his spare time. Check out his new piece on the Pre-release Feature of the Nikon Z9. If you are an Olympus user you probably already know about it. If you are a Nikon user, this allows you to record images before you push the button and capture a burst of activity. Great read! Click here. Most of the images for the article were taken on our Texas Birds Workshops in May
Tom and I will be out of the office for several weeks in August with workshops in both the Galapagos and Greenland. We want to be able to answer all of your questions as soon as possible and will check messages whenever we have coverage.
We will be readily available and in the office from August 8-12. We are also around for the next several days (end of July) if you need anything.
Thanks for reading our posts. We hope to photograph with you soon!
