Bear Photography in Alaska

[Abinoone]

Greetings,
I'm seriously considering a brown bear photo tour to the western coast of Cook Inlet, in Alaska, this September, and I'm wondering if anyone has personal experience or knowledge about what the weather is like this time of year. I've read that the rainiest months are in the early fall (Sept & Oct) but I don't know if this is true for all of Alaska, or just certain areas (it's a HUGE state!) . I don't mind a little inclement weather but don't want to spend a solid week in the rain! Ironically, the outfit offering the tour is named Backcountry Journeys. Would I be better off scheduling the trip for another time? Any advice you might have would be much appreciated.

Thx,
Abinoone

 

[Anjin San]

We were in AK in July through mid August and in Katmai NP about Aug 10 or so. It did rain some but not overly much…maybe 1 day out of 3 or.4 but not all day. Temps were cool. It not overly so. Going any earlier to get more out of the rainy season means no salmon runs which cuts down on bears at the rivers. We were not at Brooks Falls but on a day trip where we landed on the beach instead so all the shots we got were of them fishing in streams…no snapping at them as they snatched fish out of the air. OTOH…we ended up a lot closer to t(e bears than possible at Brooks Falls…about 12 feet max was the closest one came to us. There re no rangers on the beach but 5he rule which the pilot enforced was no closer than 75 yards. Nobody told the bears about the rule though and this one big boy decided to get up from his nap and wander along the river fishing…hence the close approach while the 6 of us stood still and together to look big and the pilot had his bear spray ready since they weren’t allowed to carry a firearm.

 

[Larry Shuman]

I've been in Alaska shooting brown bears in Geographic Harbor and Kodiak Island. Ahead net is invaluable. The mosquitoes are terrible. In Sept I use Gortex insulated pants and my Danner 10" boots. If I was going today I'd use my fleece lined jeans and cotton fleece shirts along with a water proof boots. Take the biggest lens you can. I used either a 600mmF:4 or my 800mmF:5.6 and 3 bodies. Also a sturdy tripod. Here is a shot of a bear in Geographic Harbor use a manual 600mmF:4 and a F5

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[Calson]

What is most important is that the salmon runs vary by location and time of the year. Fewer bears is not at peak of the runs. I went to Brooks by float plane and stayed for 6 nights in a pup tent and on another trip we chartered a 60 ft power boat. Overall I recommend being based in Anchorage and flying out in a float plane to where the bears are at that point in time. The planes can set down beside a beach where the bears are active and there are no worries about a bear feeling threatened or cornered and a small group of 3-4 photographers makes for greater productivity in photographing the bears.

 

[Viathelens]

I went in September 2016, Katmai NP for five days camping. No rain at all. I went with Alaska Expeditions, his trip is very different from the others. Ask your tour guide, that's what you pay them for, to know the best months and times and to answer your questions.

 

[Biggest Fan]

I've been in Alaska shooting brown bears in Geographic Harbor and Kodiak Island. Ahead net is invaluable. The mosquitoes are terrible. In Sept I use Gortex insulated pants and my Danner 10" boots. If I was going today I'd use my fleece lined jeans and cotton fleece shirts along with a water proof boots. Take the biggest lens you can. I used either a 600mmF:4 or my 800mmF:5.6 and 3 bodies. Also a sturdy tripod. Here is a shot of a bear in Geographic Harbor use a manual 600mmF:4 and a F5View attachment 18053

Wow! Looks like a big one!

 

[Birger]

As Alaska is huge weather varies a lot according to location. I live in the southeast which is a temperate rain forest so we count on rain at some point each day. Further north has less rain, usually. Lots of bears around here. In town we have mostly black bears (come in different colors) and as you travel to other areas like Admiralty island you find lots of brown bears (grizzlies). Keep in mind that bears are mainly motivated by food so where the salmon runs are located you will find bears. We are just starting to see bears coming down from their alpine winter caves and finding their food sources closer to sea level. I can highly recommend getting to see these amazing creatures. Different kinds of salmon have different spawning times at each river so make sure if you go at it on your own to research details like this. Best of luck and stay safe.

 

[Janice Stevenson]

I went to Brooks for 4 days in August of 2019 prepared fo cool rainy days. We never saw rain and it got into the 80’s! Just be prepared for anything! And remember, you can always buy a t-shirt just about anywhere if you get too warm..View attachment 18314View attachment 18314

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[Abinoone]

As Alaska is huge weather varies a lot according to location. I live in the southeast which is a temperate rain forest so we count on rain at some point each day. Further north has less rain, usually. Lots of bears around here. In town we have mostly black bears (come in different colors) and as you travel to other areas like Admiralty island you find lots of brown bears (grizzlies). Keep in mind that bears are mainly motivated by food so where the salmon runs are located you will find bears. We are just starting to see bears coming down from their alpine winter caves and finding their food sources closer to sea level. I can highly recommend getting to see these amazing creatures. Different kinds of salmon have different spawning times at each river so make sure if you go at it on your own to research details like this. Best of luck and stay safe.

Many thanks for your advice. My target area is Katmai, in mid-September. Am I likely to experience a lot of rain then? I don't mind some wetness but don't want to be soggy for the entire 10 days!

 

[Anjin San]

I went to Brooks for 4 days in August of 2019 prepared fo cool rainy days. We never saw rain and it got into the 80’s! Just be prepared for anything! And remember, you can always buy a t-shirt just about anywhere if you get too warm.

Excellent shots. You don't get as close at Brooks Falls as we did over in the beach areas of Katmai where there are no rangers, facilities, or protected viewing points…but you do get the trying to leap the falls shots. Assuming we carry out our plans to go back to AK one day…going to Brooks is on my list but I gotta check on facilities there as we won't be taking camping gear with us. I know you can order all meals to eat vice bringing your own and cooking but don't remember on accommodations.

 

[Janice Stevenson]

Excellent shots. You don't get as close at Brooks Falls as we did over in the beach areas of Katmai where there are no rangers, facilities, or protected viewing points…but you do get the trying to leap the falls shots. Assuming we carry out our plans to go back to AK one day…going to Brooks is on my list but I gotta check on facilities there as we won't be taking camping gear with us. I know you can order all meals to eat vice bringing your own and cooking but don't remember on accommodations.

Neil,
If you want to go to Brooks Camp, you have to enter a Lottery for rights to get a cabin 2 years prior to going. Google Brooks Falls Lottery and you will find the NPS site via Katmailand.com with info on this. We entered last year, our name was picked for a cabin for 2022.

 

[eaj101]

I've spent a lot of time in the Anchorage/Kenai area and the weather is... variable. I've had a week of clear skies, and a week of solid overcast with occasional rain. The Katmai/Shelikof Straits are is renowned for changeable weather, though. I spent some time in Denali with two photographers who'd just come from Lake Clark who said it was pretty damp when they were there. I'd take the bet that you won't have solid rain and you'll have good shooting, but I'd also bring good rain gear for you and your camera.

 

[Anjin San]

Neil,
If you want to go to Brooks Camp, you have to enter a Lottery for rights to get a cabin 2 years prior to going. Google Brooks Falls Lottery and you will find the NPS site via Katmailand.com with info on this. We entered last year, our name was picked for a cabin for 2022.

Thanks Janice…guess I ought to check that out…we don’t usually plan that far ahead though but might have to. OTOH…the flights to the beach nearby are readily available, cheaper, and you get closer to the bears albeit no leaping waterfall shots.

 

[eaj101]

I went in September 2016, Katmai NP for five days camping. No rain at all. I went with Alaska Expeditions, his trip is very different from the others. Ask your tour guide, that's what you pay them for, to know the best months and times and to answer your questions.

Alaska Expeditions or Expeditions Alaska? Not finding a website for the first one and I'm in trip planning mode.

 

[Abinoone]

E

Alaska Expeditions or Expeditions Alaska? Not finding a website for the first one and I'm in trip planning mode.

Expeditions Alaska. I got an email from them yesterday that they have a spot open for their fall trip. I'm booked!

 

[Viathelens]

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Expeditions Alaska. I got an email from them yesterday that they have a spot open for their fall trip. I'm booked!

Sorry I got it slightly wrong. Is this the Katmai trip that you booked? Camping out in a tent?

 

[Marcus Slade]

Many thanks for your advice. My target area is Katmai, in mid-September. Am I likely to experience a lot of rain then? I don't mind some wetness but don't want to be soggy for the entire 10 days!

I see from further replies that you have a group with whom you are booked. I’ve been to Katmai twice (2017 in Sept, Kinak Bay and Aug 2019, Hallo Bay). Both trips were 9 and 10 days and we camped with a guide. Everything flown in and out...leave no trace, as they say. I would say be prepared for anything weather-wise or as is said, “pack for the worst and hope for the best”. They were both phenomenal experiences and remarkably different from one another. As for weather, in Sept 2017 we had a bit of everything...rain, sun, cool, mild and what you might typically expect. Aug 2017 in Hallo Bay was completely different in that we had a record heatwave that matched and then exceeded in length an Alaskan heatwave from 60 years prior. It was bizarre and our guide who’d been doing this for over 20 years said he’d never experienced anything like it. We’d hike back to our campsite around the tidal schedule and, thinking you’d catch a nap in your tent, found you couldn’t lie there because it was far too hot. That was probably an aberration but do press your guide for insight as to what you should expect.

The other big challenge you haven’t mentioned (but hopefully is discussed with your guide) is power, memory cards, back-up and all those shooting logistics. For my trips, we had no access to power so if that’s the case for you, you need to think batteries, memory cards and lots of preparation. Expect to shoot a lot of frames and give that a lot of thought. Happy to offer further guidance if it’s of value.

 

[Abinoone]

I see from further replies that you have a group with whom you are booked. I’ve been to Katmai twice (2017 in Sept, Kinak Bay and Aug 2019, Hallo Bay). Both trips were 9 and 10 days and we camped with a guide. Everything flown in and out...leave no trace, as they say. I would say be prepared for anything weather-wise or as is said, “pack for the worst and hope for the best”. They were both phenomenal experiences and remarkably different from one another. As for weather, in Sept 2017 we had a bit of everything...rain, sun, cool, mild and what you might typically expect. Aug 2017 in Hallo Bay was completely different in that we had a record heatwave that matched and then exceeded in length an Alaskan heatwave from 60 years prior. It was bizarre and our guide who’d been doing this for over 20 years said he’d never experienced anything like it. We’d hike back to our campsite around the tidal schedule and, thinking you’d catch a nap in your tent, found you couldn’t lie there because it was far too hot. That was probably an aberration but do press your guide for insight as to what you should expect.

The other big challenge you haven’t mentioned (but hopefully is discussed with your guide) is power, memory cards, back-up and all those shooting logistics. For my trips, we had no access to power so if that’s the case for you, you need to think batteries, memory cards and lots of preparation. Expect to shoot a lot of frames and give that a lot of thought. Happy to offer further guidance if it’s of value.

Thank you! Very good advice. Quite honestly, I hasn't even thought about the lack of power, but I'm pretty sure that will be my situation too. Our guide mentioned that we'd be camping inside an electric fence enclosure but I'm assuming that will be powered by batteries. I have six batteries for my D850s, but should probably check into a solar charger too. Thanks again!

 

[Abinoone]

Sorry I got it slightly wrong. Is this the Katmai trip that you booked? Camping out in a tent?

Yes, we're camping in tents - not my first choice but the bear viewing opportunities seem incredible, so it (probably) will be worth it.

 

[Viathelens]

Yes, we're camping in tents - not my first choice but the bear viewing opportunities seem incredible, so it (probably) will be worth it.

When I went, it was very cold, my wet socks froze on the tree limb where I had put them to dry. You get up each morning, put on your full waders and head out to the river. You spend hours in the river photographing bears. You get quite close to them. Even when you walk on the road they can sometimes be all around you. It took me a bit to get my "river legs." If you have a long lens that you can use without a tripod that helps: I wish there was a 500PF at that time. I took two long lenses, a Tampon 150-600 and a Nikon 80-400 with a TC. On the second day I almost fell into the water backwards and my Tampon lens, on my tripod, barely hit the water but it was useless for the rest of the trip; it fogged up and it was too cold for it to dry even though I left it in the campground office. I loved the food, our cook was great. If it is like my trip no one else will be around, there is no hot water, so any bathing is done in the cold water. I washed my hair in the cold water but one of the guys had brought dry shampoo and he washed the other guys hair for them! I think Carl tells you all of this and some things may have changed, I went in 2016. It's a challenge to get a "clean" shot as there are birds and bears everywhere eating all of the dying salmon, which you will be walking in. Be sure to bring the right shoes. This is not that "bear catching salmon at the falls" kind of trip. I was probably one of the very few women photographers who took this trip. I loved every minute of it, great bear experience. I'm sharing some pics so you can see my trip experience. There was a lot of water that year.

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[Abinoone]

When I went, it was very cold, my wet socks froze on the tree limb where I had put them to dry. You get up each morning, put on your full waders and head out to the river. You spend hours in the river photographing bears. You get quite close to them. Even when you walk on the road they can sometimes be all around you. It took me a bit to get my "river legs." If you have a long lens that you can use without a tripod that helps: I wish there was a 500PF at that time. I took two long lenses, a Tampon 150-600 and a Nikon 80-400 with a TC. On the second day I almost fell into the water backwards and my Tampon lens, on my tripod, barely hit the water but it was useless for the rest of the trip; it fogged up and it was too cold for it to dry even though I left it in the campground office. I loved the food, our cook was great. If it is like my trip no one else will be around, there is no hot water, so any bathing is done in the cold water. I washed my hair in the cold water but one of the guys had brought dry shampoo and he washed the other guys hair for them! I think Carl tells you all of this and some things may have changed, I went in 2016. It's a challenge to get a "clean" shot as there are birds and bears everywhere eating all of the dying salmon, which you will be walking in. Be sure to bring the right shoes. This is not that "bear catching salmon at the falls" kind of trip. I was probably one of the very few women photographers who took this trip. I loved every minute of it, great bear experience. I'm sharing some pics so you can see my trip experience. There was a lot of water that year.

This is incredibly helpful - thank you!! Your photos are great! The small huts in one of your shots - are these used for sleeping or are they just for eating/gathering? What exactly are the sleeping arrangements? I'm not a huge camper anymore but am willing to do it if it gets me closer to the bears. I would greatly appreciate any additional advice you could provide, however small it may be. If you would rather communicate via email than on the forum, my address is [email protected]. Thanks again!

 

[Marcus Slade]

Thank you! Very good advice. Quite honestly, I hasn't even thought about the lack of power, but I'm pretty sure that will be my situation too. Our guide mentioned that we'd be camping inside an electric fence enclosure but I'm assuming that will be powered by batteries. I have six batteries for my D850s, but should probably check into a solar charger too. Thanks again!

Likely a 12 volt motorcycle battery or something similar and don't expect to tap into that source.

I'm assuming the batteries you're referencing are EN EL15s? Six is a good start. Not sure if you're using or have access to EN EL18s in the grip of a D850 or D500 (or if you have, for instance, a D4/5/6?) but recharging an EN EL18 in the field is very challenging because of the higher amperage required. I mention this because hauling in the kind of charger needed for that is highly unlikely in more remote parts of Alaska. I had four EN EL 18s I used in my D850 on my last trip to Katmai and I actually didn't drain them.

Another strong recommendation is to have two or three 27000 milliamp power bars that, in turn, can be used to recharge your EN EL 15s via USB cable and portable cradle. I did exactly that for my D850 and D500. Each bar could do seven or eight recharges. A solar panel (I have an Anker 21 watt panel...folded up about the dimensions of an iPad) is also extremely useful. I had that on both my trips. Because of the heat and sunshine in 2019, I was able to recharge my EN EL 15s everyday and I left camp with the power bars fully charged. However, back to your weather questions, if the weather is poor, it will be of little use. In your prep, try to think of redundancy and "what if" scenarios. Bear in mind also that cooler temperatures will compromise battery capacity and you will be well below their typical upper limits.

If you're shooting RAW with the D850, also give a lot of thought to memory card capacity and backup protocols. Will you have a laptop, for instance, with portable external hard drives (I now use two Sandisk Extreme 1 and 2TB SSDs) to which you can back up images? If not, and with no backup protocol, you can functionally achieve the same with multiple memory cards.

 

[Abinoone]

Likely a 12 volt motorcycle battery or something similar and don't expect to tap into that source.

I'm assuming the batteries you're referencing are EN EL15s? Six is a good start. Not sure if you're using or have access to EN EL18s in the grip of a D850 or D500 (or if you have, for instance, a D4/5/6?) but recharging an EN EL18 in the field is very challenging because of the higher amperage required. I mention this because hauling in the kind of charger needed for that is highly unlikely in more remote parts of Alaska. I had four EN EL 18s I used in my D850 on my last trip to Katmai and I actually didn't drain them.

Another strong recommendation is to have two or three 27000 milliamp power bars that, in turn, can be used to recharge your EN EL 15s via USB cable and portable cradle. I did exactly that for my D850 and D500. Each bar could do seven or eight recharges. A solar panel (I have an Anker 21 watt panel...folded up about the dimensions of an iPad) is also extremely useful. I had that on both my trips. Because of the heat and sunshine in 2017, I was able to recharge my EN EL 15s everyday and I left camp with the power bars fully charged. However, back to your weather questions, if the weather is poor, it will be of little use. In your prep, try to think of redundancy and "what if" scenarios. Bear in mind also that cooler temperatures will compromise battery capacity and you will be well below their typical upper limits.

If you're shooting RAW with the D850, also give a lot of thought to memory card capacity and backup protocols. Will you have a laptop, for instance, with portable external hard drives (I now use two Sandisk Extreme 1 and 2TB SSDs) to which you can back up images? If not, and with no backup protocol, you can functionally achieve the same with multiple memory cards.

Thanks for the advice Marcus! Great suggestions. I only have and use En El 15s, so having a couple of power bars is a great idea - I will definitely buy them. With six EN EL 15s, do you think I would need more than two power bars? Currently, I have two Sony 120GB XQD cards, and four SD cards for backup. Not sure what I will take into the field for image backup - a laptop without a reliable power source to keep it charged doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

Thanks again for sharing such great tips. If you think of any more, please let me know!

 

[Marcus Slade]

Thanks for the advice Marcus! Great suggestions. I only have and use En El 15s, so having a couple of power bars is a great idea - I will definitely buy them. With six EN EL 15s, do you think I would need more than two power bars? Currently, I have two Sony 120GB XQD cards, and four SD cards for backup. Not sure what I will take into the field for image backup - a laptop without a reliable power source to keep it charged doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

Thanks again for sharing such great tips. If you think of any more, please let me know!

The challenge with the laptop is it's more gear, the weight (if that's an issue for you) and definitely powering it. If you're a Lightroom user @Steve has a brilliant segment in his "Lightroom Library" tutorial (unit 19 in Module 3) about backing up and using catalogs on the road. As previously mentioned, I now have two portable SSD hard drives and I can quickly make twin backup copies of files in the field and then confidently reformat those memory cards so they can be re-used for the next session. I did this for the first time on a camping trip last summer when I was shooting Grizzly Bears here in British Columbia. The protocol had me beaming, was straightforward and a massive bonus when I got home and reintegrated those pics (and catalog) into my home setup. Absent this, you arguably need many more memory cards which, if you're otherwise shooting in an environment where you have access to power, seems a waste of money. Add to that, using XQD or CF Express cards of higher capacity (they're also much faster than SD in your D850) can quickly eclipse the cost of those external SSD drives. Plus, once you have those SSDs, it gives you dramatically more flexibility, comfort and reassurance in the field when backing up. Unless and until there's a better solution, this is now my mode when I'm travelling. Also, you don't have to have the laptop on for long to do this...you would however need to resist the urge to start viewing and editing in the field. Ha.

Another thought: Katmai is a target rich environment, although I saw fewer bears on my second trip, likely because of the bizarre heat. However, for each of my trips which were nine and ten days, I planned such that I would be able to take 20,000 frames (RAW). That may seem like a lot but on my first trip I shot about 12000 images (and I probably could've or even should've shot more...and I don't spray and pray). More importantly, because of the cooler weather and lack of sun, I would not have had capacity to shoot another 8000 frames. For my second trip I was yet better prepared. Ironically, I only shot about 8000 images on that trip as there were fewer bears (and we had one day where we didn't see a single one) but because of the heat, sun and ability to readily recharge via solar, I could easily have shot another 20,000 frames. You never know what's going to happen. The key is to make an estimate of what might be reasonable for you and then work backwards from that.

Lastly, if the weather sucks, don't despair as you might get some really nice atmospheric images in the rain. From Sept 2017.

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[Abinoone]

The challenge with the laptop is it's more gear, the weight (if that's an issue for you) and definitely powering it. If you're a Lightroom user @Steve has a brilliant segment in his "Lightroom Library" tutorial (unit 19 in Module 3) about backing up and using catalogs on the road. As previously mentioned, I now have two portable SSD hard drives and I can quickly make twin backup copies of files in the field and then confidently reformat those memory cards so they can be re-used for the next session. I did this for the first time on a camping trip last summer when I was shooting Grizzly Bears here in British Columbia. The protocol had me beaming, was straightforward and a massive bonus when I got home and reintegrated those pics (and catalog) into my home setup. Absent this, you arguably need many more memory cards which, if you're otherwise shooting in an environment where you have access to power, seems a waste of money. Add to that, using XQD or CF Express cards of higher capacity (they're also much faster than SD in your D850) can quickly eclipse the cost of those external SSD drives. Plus, once you have those SSDs, it gives you dramatically more flexibility, comfort and reassurance in the field when backing up. Unless and until there's a better solution, this is now my mode when I'm travelling. Also, you don't have to have the laptop on for long to do this...you would however need to resist the urge to start viewing and editing in the field. Ha.

Another thought: Katmai is a target rich environment, although I saw fewer bears on my second trip, likely because of the bizarre heat. However, for each of my trips which were nine and ten days, I planned such that I would be able to take 20,000 frames (RAW). That may seem like a lot but on my first trip I shot about 12000 images (and I probably could've or even should've shot more...and I don't spray and pray). More importantly, because of the cooler weather and lack of sun, I would not have had capacity to shoot another 8000 frames. For my second trip I was yet better prepared. Ironically, I only shot about 8000 images on that trip as there were fewer bears (and we had one day where we didn't see a single one) but because of the heat, sun and ability to readily recharge via solar, I could easily have shot another 20,000 frames. You never know what's going to happen. The key is to make an estimate of what might be reasonable for you and then work backwards from that.

Lastly, if the weather sucks, don't despair as you might get some really nice atmospheric images in the rain. From Sept 2017.

Thank you, Marcus! Sound advice based on experience for sure. I really appreciate your willingness to share. If you don't me asking, what brand and model of external SSD drives do you have, and what exactly was your backup methodology when transferring images from the XQD card without a laptop in the middle?

Thanks again,
Clark