I’ve been collaborating with a friend and colleague on a children’s book on Alaska grizzly bears. The cover image was selected by the publisher, and the choice was not a big surprise since it is one of my all time best selling wildlife stock photos. While the bear cub sitting on the mother’s back is…
To take a little break from winter and the subzero temperatures hovering over Alaska’s interior, I went back in my summer archives and reviewed some photos taken in June. This picture is from a great encounter with a young grizzly bear, that curiously posed for a long time, which in wildlife photography, is anything longer…
Off the far north arctic coast of Alaska lies the Beaufort Sea. On windy days the surf pounds the outer barrier islands which are inhabited by polar bears waiting for the sea ice to form. The broad sky in this composition hints at the wide open space that goes on for miles and miles beyond…
The polar bears are abundant along Alaska’s arctic coast as they wait for the ice to form on the Beaufort Sea. Warm weather has kept the snow at bay, at least at this point. This curious polar bear stood up for a better view and I’ve learned by their posture when this is about to…
This is a cropped version of a photo I took on coastal Katmai last month. Even at 700mm, I could have been closer, but thanks to the great quality of the 500mm lens and the file of the 5D Mark III, I am able to crop in and still have substantial file size for reproduction.…
An open grassy meadow, with white daisies dotting the perimeter serves as a good spot for this brown bear to scratch its back by rolling around on the surface. I liked the display of both the pads of the bear’s feet, and its long, distinctive claws. Those claws can do some serious dirt removal, in…
Coastal Katmai is famous for its large brown bear population. They forage voraciously during the rich and productive summer season, enjoying clams, fish, berries, and other plants, as they pack on the fat for a winter hibernation. This bear had walked through camp early one morning, so we grabbed our camera gear and followed it…
If you have watched bears along the coast of Alaska in the summer, it is clear that they have busy days filled with eating. This is particularly true when salmon are not available and their intake consists of the ubiquitous flora that fills the lush meadows. While photographing this particular bear for hours, or rather…
After a rainy night along the Katmai National Park coast, I was startled by a brown bear when walking from my sleep tent to the cook tent. Both tents were encircled with a portable, battery powered electric fence. The bear curiously walked around the cook tent and I took this shot after quickly grabbing the…
I’ve had a few exceptional grizzly bear photo encounters in Denali Park over the years, and the session I recently had with this bear ranks up there with them. There are many factors that play into what distinguishes an interesting and enjoyable wildlife sighting between a good photographic one. While I’ve photographed countless bears, they…