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
Tom and Cree just returned from theirIceland Puffins & Waterfalls and are sharing the highlights with you. Our group was thrilled to have favorable weather for the trip. Sunny skies helped us shoot puffins in flight and capture sparkling bokeh behind them.
What’s Next: We are headed to Wrangell, Alaska to photograph Black Bears and marine life. Later in the month we will be with a group in Katmai National Park. It has been a great year for cubs there.
Tom and Cree just returned from their Kenai Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Our group was excited to watch a Humpback Whale breach twelve times in a row right in front of us. We also enjoyed getting so close to Sea Otters in Homer on the docks.
What’s Next: We are headed to Iceland next to photograph puffin and beautiful waterfalls. In August we will be leading two different bear workshops and fishing for halibut in between.
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 I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For May we chose an image from our Texas Birds Workshop. The image was taken by Brian Kennedy at the Laguna Seca Ranch near McAllen, Texas. Brian is a bird and landscape photographer from Fayateville, Georgia.
Congratulations to May 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy – our May 2026 Photographer of the Month
The Story…
I like photographing birds in flight, but I really like portrait shots of different species. On this particular trip I brought the big glass to make better portraits. I shot everything wide open and thought the backgrounds turned out beautifully. Like butter, as Tom would say.
I purchased the 600mm f4 lens from Nikon. I am shooting Nikon now. It is a beautiful piece of glass. I plan on using it for my astrophotorgaphy as well. It will give me some beautiful images when mounted. For birds in flight I used the Nikon 100-400mm.
When I first started bird photography 20 years ago, it was all about getting the classic bird portrait. I had the 600 6.3 lens but it is not the f 4. The auto-focus flicks on and stays put. I love being able to switch the converter on and off. It was perfect for when the Painted Buntings came in and I could snap from 600 to 840mm. The Black-crested Titmouse also looked great at 840mm.
I liked the sharpness of the Green Jay image. The body pose and head placement both appealed to me because it is a classic portrait pose. There is eye contact but also an interesting shape to the body. Those are the two elements I always look for.
When I sit there with my hand on the shutter, I am waiting for the perfect pose. This is just what I wanted. The eye contact is key. I am not a fan of birds starring out to space.
I only see Green Jays in Texas. I am coming back in February 2028. I love the bird workshops, Texas Birds, Bosque. I also like landscapes, Monument Valley, Death Valley.
The perches add so much to the images at Laguna Seca. Gene sets up perfect perches. He really knows what he is doing. The perches have to be interesting to compliment the birds.
They cannot just be twigs. I am trying to create the same kind of perches in my own yard. I have some property in Fayateville. I am thinking about getting a kiddie pool, creating a drip and then setting up some perches. I’ll use local perches, probably from flowering trees.
May 2026 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon 600mm f4
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/1600th second
ISO: 250
Manual Mode, auto ISO
Exposure Comp: -.3
About Photographing at Laguna Seca Ranch
Absolutely go to Laguna Seca Ranch. It is an incredible experience. The amount of birds you will see at the ranch sitting in the blinds, you would never catch that variety on your own. Being in the blind is really advantageous. They come in so close. They are constantly coming back and forth into the blinds.
With someone like me with bad knees, it is the perfect thing for me. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. It is easy. The longest walk you are going to do is from your car to the blind.
Summer Tanager in the shade
The Summer Tanager was elusive at first. He was in the trees to the left and would not come out. The background was perfect from where I was sitting. He came down to take a bath in the water. He was not interested in landing on the perches, I switched to 840mm with the TC and tried to capture different head positions. I liked the head tilt in this one.
I kept missing the Caracara and the Scissortail Flycatcher on the first raptor shoot. On the second shoot I was in the blind with Gene Gwin. I stood up with my 100-400 mm and saw some movement on the left by the tree. I swung my lens around and the auto-focus just locked right on him. I was using the Wide-Area large pattern with bird eye detect.
Crested Caracara with a Scissortail Flycatcher riding on it’s back
Brian’s Tips for Bird Blind Photography
1) Bring water. It’s hot.
2) Keep your eyes open and look around. Don’t just stare through the viewfinder because you’ll miss a lot. You will not see things coming in from the left and right side. It is easy to get wrapped up in a single bird
3) Try to listen to what’s coming in. The bird calls would clue me into whether I was looking for a big bird or a little bird.
4) The bird activity comes in waves. Be patient. You cannot expect to see everything in a day. It is a matter of time. Be ready
5) I found myself taking a lot of images that I probably should not have taken. You just cannot take your finger off the trigger. Those are the reddest cardinals I have ever seen in my life. I probably took 15 thousand images over 4 days.
6) If have 2 slots in your camera, use both slots. You will fill them up pretty quickly. Don’t be in the position where you miss a shot looking for a card.
Tom and Cree just returned from theirTexas BIrds Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. We maximized our time to work on birds in flight this year with two raptor sessions and a new flight perch set-up. Northern Bobwhites were very common this year and everyone was able to photograph Painted Buntings and Greater Roadrunners.
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be leading workshops in Alaska for most of the summer: three bear workshops and a jump across the pond for puffins in Iceland. We have 2 spaces on our workshop on the Kenai Peninsula. We are hoping to head up the Dalton Highway in early June on our own to look for Musk Ox and Eiders.
Interested in Bird Photography? We have a few openings:
Tom and I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For April we chose an image from our Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop. The image was taken by Melissa Stanton at the Perica Sloth Garden on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. Melissa is a wildlife and travel photographer from Chardon, Ohio.
Congratulations to April 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Melissa Stanton
Melissa using her macro lens to photograph a Poisonous Dart Frog
The Story…
So we were at the Sloth Garden and we had been there for a little while seeing the different sloths. We thought there was a baby in there but had only seen the paw so far.
It started moving and I really hoped it would stick it’s face out. It did! He had his tongue sticking out and he gave us a big yawn. Then he just sat there staring art us.
I shot it at 20 frames a second because it was dark back there. I was hoping to get something in focus. The image I chose was one of the few that were in focus.
I was shooting at 1/60th second on a 600mm lens. I was at 6400 ISO and that was the highest I could get for shutter speed. I had capped my ISO at 6400. I tried to stay as still as I could. It was exciting because it was a cute little critter.
Tom was standing right next to me. I was saying, “Oh my gosh, there’s the paw, there’s the face. Oh, it’s yawning.” I have photographed a baby Two-Toed Sloth a total of one time.
April 2026 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon 600mm
Aperture: f6.3
Shutter: 1/60th second
ISO: 6400
Aperture Mode, auto ISO
About Photographing on the Osa Peninsula
It is just so beautiful. There are animals everywhere. You can hear them from your room. You feel like you are in nature, becasue you are.
The guides are amazing. They can spot the tiniest birds 8 miles away in dense jungle. They tell us all about the behavious of the animals. They know all the calls they make. Sometimes the guides will imitate the Howler Monkeys call, which is a bit shocking at first. I am sure the Howler Monkeys appreciate that.
Squirrel Monkey mother and baby
Photographing in the rainforest had a learning curve for me. I think I got way better images on the second trip than on my first. I would absolutely encourage people to go back to Costa Rica a second time. I saw a lot of things on the second trip that I did not see on the first. With technology advancing and better cameras, it made it easier to get what I wanted.
I did not see the anteater on my first trip. I did not photograph a scorpion. On the first trip I did not get what I’d consider a usable photo of a Spider Monkey. Now I have the whole monkey collection.
My favorite outing of the trip is between the Sloth Garden and the Macro Day. They are both interesting experiences with very different wildlife. I would never encounter venomous animals on my own. It is nice to be able to photography them with someone who is experienced and do it safely. I am not about to photograph venomous snakes on my own. It is just not happening.
Eyelash Viper on a heliconia stem
Melissa’s Tips for Macro Photography with Reptiles and Amphibians
1) The macro lens was awesome for the tiny frogs. I could get closer to them and let their body fill the frame. I would not have wanted to be that close to the snakes.
2) I used the 100-400mm for the snakes. I recommend that you just keep shooting at 20 frames a second. They keep moving and flickering their tongues.
3) For the frog on the leaf you have to hunt therough the jungle and wait for the sun to come out at just the right angle…..ha ha.
The elusive frog on a leaf shot
On Melissa’s Horizon:
Alaska – Kenai Peninsula
South Africa
Antarctica
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Melissa and Brian at the Perica Sloth Garden
Upcoming Online Events:
Happy Hour – Spring Image Celebration: Join us to celebrate images created by our community of photographers. Send in 3 of your best images from this spring and see what others have created. Tuesday May 19, 2026 at 6 pm Denver time. Everyone welcome! Send a note for the link.
Just 1 Space Left: Alaska Black Bears August 8-14, 2026 Photograph huge Black Bears in Alaska’s coastal rainforest near the town of Wrangell. Cruise the pristine waters in a small boat and photograph whales, sea otters, calving glaciers and flaming sunsets. Read more
Just 1 Space Left: Iceland Puffins and Waterfalls July 23-31, 2026 Walk right up to puffins on the cliffs of Iceland. Photograph some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Read more
