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 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 Cree just returned from theirCosta Rica Photo Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. We had terrific mammal sightings this year. We photographed two species of sloths, two species of Dolpins, a mother Northern Tamadua Anteater with a baby and 4 species of monkeys. This is a great location for animal lovers.
What’s Next: Tom and Cree are headed to Louisiana and then South Texas next. We have one space available on our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop if you would like to join us on May 11-16, 2026. Great way to improve your bird photography skills.
FREE EVENT: Join us for our free online Spring Image Celebration: May 19 at 6 pm Denver time. Send in three of your best images from this spring and see what everyone else has been photographing. Everyone is invited! Send us a note here for the invite, or leave a comment below requesting the link.
Tom and Cree just returned from Arctic Alaska on their Arctic Lights Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. We were delighted to have aurora for three nights of the workshop. In addition to the Northern Lights, our group photographed the Enchanted Forest, landscapes in the Brooks Range, reindeer, dog mushing and ice sculptures.
To see photos of the Arctic Lights Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be at home in Alaska looking for aurora and photographing the Last Great Race for our Iditarod Workshop at the beginning of March.
FREE EVENT: Join us for our free online presentation on Aurora Photography: March 18 at 6 pm Denver time. Tom and Cree will share our favorite tips for shooting and editing aurora images with the TBPW community. Everyone is invited! Send us a note here for the invite, or leave a comment below requesting the link.
Openings on a photo expedition on the opposite side of the world. We have a special Antarctica Workshop that will travel below the Antarctica Circle, a place so remote that few boats go there. When: December 2027.
Want to visit Alaska in the summer when all the animals are out and the flowers are blooming? Alaska Kenai Explorer. Whales, Sea Otters, wildflowers, calving glaciers and beautiful mountain scenery. July 7-12, 2026
