Photographing Wild Alaska: An Extraordinary Bear Photography Adventure

There are some places that are almost impossible to describe without sounding like you are exaggerating. The Alaskan Wilderness is one of them.

I recently returned from teaching my fifth wildlife photography workshop in Alaska - and somehow, it never feels any less new or exciting. No two trips are ever the same. The light changes, the landscape surprises you, and the wildlife creates moments you could never predict or recreate.

A True Alaska Photography Adventure

Each morning, our group climbed aboard float planes and flew out over an immense landscape of mountains, rivers, lakes and seemingly endless wilderness. It’s hard to describe the thrill of flying into places that are still completely pristine. And the bears - so many grizzly bears! 

The flights themselves were actually part of the experience. Looking down on that much untouched land gives you an entirely different sense of scale. And we simply landed on the water, stepped out into the Alaskan wilderness and set off to see what we might find. We saw bears walking along the shoreline, fishing, resting, playing, interacting and moving naturally through their environment. At times, there seemed to be bears in every direction we looked. It gave us the chance to photograph not only classic Alaska bear portraits, but also the quieter moments and behaviors that tell a much fuller story. For a wildlife photographer, it is hard to imagine a better classroom.

More Than a Bear Photography Workshop

Of course, the bear encounters were incredible. But what made this Alaska photography workshop feel so special was the entire experience surrounding them. We are immersed in a landscape that invited us to slow down, pay attention and create with intention (getting a wifi or cell signal during the days we were out certainly helped with that!). We worked on photographing action, anticipating behavior, composing within a vast environment and adjusting quickly as the light and conditions changed. We photographed intimate wildlife portraits, wider environmental images and the extraordinary relationship between the bears and this immense Alaskan landscape.

That variety is one of the things I love most about teaching adventure photography workshops. It is never only about camera settings. It is about learning how to see more clearly, respond to what is happening in front of you and create photographs that actually convey what it felt like to be there.

Teaching Alongside fellow Nikon Ambassador Kristi Odom

I was also so happy to teach this workshop alongside my dear friend and fellow Nikon Ambassador, Kristi Odom! Kristi is an incredibly talented wildlife photographer, filmmaker and teacher. She brings so much heart and genuine enthusiasm to everything she does, along with an extraordinary ability to help people see wildlife and storytelling in new ways. I’ve always enjoyed teaming up with different workshop instructors over the years. I feel like we teach each other just as much as we teach others - as we also learn from those who join us. We were also joined by her workshop partner and husband Forest Gustavson this year, too, which made the whole experience that much more varied!

The Kind of Workshop Group You Hope For

A photography adventure can take you somewhere spectacular, but the people you share it with shape the experience in an enormous way. Our workshop group was warm, open, curious and genuinely supportive of one another. Everyone arrived ready to learn, explore and fully embrace the unpredictability that comes with photographing wildlife in a remote environment. There was none of the competitiveness that can sometimes creep into photography experiences. People celebrated one another’s images, shared ideas and gave each other space when the moment called for it. That kind of openness creates a better workshop, but it also creates better photographs. When people feel comfortable, supported and excited to experiment, they become more willing to try something new and more present for the experience itself. And, actually, one of the most meaningful parts of teaching a photography adventure workshop is hearing afterward just how much the experience meant to everyone. I love hearing from both experienced photographers and people who simply share a deep enthusiasm for photography, wildlife and adventure. To hear how much they loved the trip - not only the bear encounters and the photographs they created, but the entire experience of exploring Alaska together - means so much to me.

It is also incredibly rewarding to watch each person’s photography evolve in such a short period of time. Over the course of just one week, I could see participants becoming more confident, reacting more quickly, making stronger compositional choices and telling more complete stories through their images. People arrived with different levels of experience, but everyone left with stronger photographs, a deeper understanding of wildlife photography and a collection of images that felt distinctly their own. Seeing that growth happen so visibly - and then hearing how much the adventure stayed with people after they returned home - is one of the very best parts of what I do.

What It Feels Like to Photograph Bears in the Wild

Wildlife photography asks something different of us. You cannot direct the subject or recreate the moment. You have to observe, anticipate and remain ready. You learn to notice subtle shifts in behavior and recognize when something may be about to happen. Photographing bears in Alaska magnifies all of this. One minute, you may be creating a quiet portrait of a bear who is framed perfectly in the grass. The next, you are tracking sudden action as it moves through the water to catch a bright red salmon - or wrestle with another bear. Conditions change quickly, and the photographs that stay with you are often the ones you could never have planned. There is also something profoundly moving about seeing these animals in a place where they belong completely to the landscape. We are visitors in their world - watching, learning and photographing with tremendous respect for both the grizzlies and their environment.

Why I Love Adventure Photography Workshops

The best photography workshops are about far more than returning home with beautiful images.

They are about becoming a stronger and more thoughtful photographer. They are about learning in real time, surrounded by subjects and landscapes that genuinely inspire you. And they are about having the kind of experience that stays with you long after you have finished editing the photographs.

This Alaska bear photography workshop offered all of that.

Join Me for a Future Photography Adventure

I am continuing to develop immersive photography adventure workshops for people who want more than a standard photo tour.

These experiences are designed for photographers who want to explore extraordinary places, improve their wildlife and portrait photography, receive personal instruction and become part of a warm, welcoming group. You do not need to be the most advanced photographer in the room. You simply need to be curious, open to learning and excited to experience the world in a deeper way.

If you are searching for an Alaska photography workshop, wildlife photography workshop, a fun photography tour or a more immersive photography adventure, I would love to have you join me on a future experience!