Posted by Craig Jones on August 1, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Dear Sir/Madam
I would like some information on photographing Grizzly Bears ,eg, the best place's,the best times,etc, there is a time of year that the salmon swim up river and the bears are waiting to feed,this is what I want to photograph.Never been to Alaska,been to the USA though with the British Army working with your troops and had a great time!!.If anyone could help me with this matter and also tell me of trips/workshops that run there this too would be very helpful, thank you for yout time,and above is a sample of my recent work
My time is constrained this morning, preventing me from providing detail as specific as you request. In the meantime, there is terrific factual reading for you here. Wander through the site and you'll find more.
Posted by Craig Jones on August 1, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Sorry to be so slow to get back to your Craig. Busy times for Alaskans in summer.
I generally split my bear photography into two categories: Crowds or no crowds. Places like Brooks camp in Katmai set the world record for crowds, and I just won't go there. If you're not bothered by crowds of people, the bears are certainly there. Denali has fewer bears, but when seen certainly attract crowds of buses, if not people on foot.
I greatly prefer smaller group encounters. Being a local and knowing my way around, I do most of my shooting on self-outfitted trips to remote locations with small groups of family and friends. That's based on local knowledge and providing all my own transportation and camping gear-- good weather and bad. The alternative is to go with a lodge or guide, certianly a more expensive option, but with better facilities for comfort and no prior knowledge required of the animals, locations and equipment required.
McNeal River is more or less a crossover point between these experiences. It's small groups of people with admission determined by lottery. You'll have to provide your own camping and dining equipment and services, but you're guided into the field daily by one of the most knowledgeable bear biologists in the world. It's a superior experience, but not "outfitted" as we say here with the living and dining equipment and facilities.
There's a broad scope of timing for most bear viewing and photography. Some areas start early and some a little later. It's best to be very specific about location and timing, but in general terms the photo ops start warming up in early June when the bears in some areas are grazing on vegetation in coastl areas such as the Katmai coast. But once the salmon runs arrive, all coastal bear activity is focused on streams and rivers, with July and August the peaks. My favorite time for grizzlies in Denali starts in late August and extends into September as the blueberries ripen and the bears focus their activities on the densest patches of berries and wander less. The down side is that there are good berry years and bad ones, so they can be more or less of a factor. You simply can't get close to the bears in Denali except from the window of a bus, which carries its own liabilities for both shooting conditions and longevity of shooting opportunities. You might see bears up close, but the shooting will be complicated because your bus-mates will get restless and want to move after ten minutes, as they meanwhile bounce around in the bus and rock it ferociously. That makes long lens use very difficult, if impossible at times. Consider this: No matter which side of the bus the bear is on, at least half the people on the bus are on the wrong side and will move.
If budget allows, the best conditions and shooting opportunities for visitors will be found with lodges and guides, and the shorter your visit or more critical your timing, the greater the assistance they will provide in assuring that you get the photo ops you want.
Is that helpful?
Posted by Craig Jones on August 2, 2009 at 2:09 PM
Hank very ,very helpful, my kind of trip and I like the small group size etc,I feel if the animal is free to go about his/her business it makes for a better trip/photos/welfare of the bear, its a little late for me this year but I am planning on doing this next 100% and would love a 'local' to help me etc, I love camping and maybe teach you how to live of the land;army style!haha, if you can help me then we can work something out my email is;craigjones00@hotmail.co.uk,thats my direct email and I'll email me you tomorrow,all the best and thank you all and hank
Hello Craig.
I just came back from the McNeil River Sanctuary on the Katmai peninsular, about 100 miles west of Homer Alaska. Permis for this trip are required and can be obtained with the Alaska Department of fisk and game. I agree with Hank, that Brooks Camp is way to crowded.
Check it out and google it it is a very special place.
Cheers
Frank
I am a big fan of McNeil River Sanctuary. I've been there with people who were just back from safari in Kenya, and they told me McNeil was superior. As others have said, McNeil is a lottery, but the odds aren't too bad. You camp in a tent, cook food in a cook shack and walk about 3 km each day to the bear viewing platform at the McNeil "falls," actually steep rapids. You will see 10-40 bears at a time, engaged in fishing, eating, sleeping fighting and generally being bears. The behaviors are utterly fascinating. I've been to the other bear hot spots here: Admiralty Island, Karluk River, Brooks Falls and Denali National Park. You will not find a place with more bears, behaving naturally, with fewer people, and the opportunity to watch and photograph for hours - days - at a time than McNeil.
There's a nice explanation of the rules and procedures at the Alaska Department of Fish & Game McNeil River Website.
Posted by Craig Jones on August 4, 2009 at 8:25 PM
Thanks Jim, brillant site, that seems to be the place-McNeil, cheers
Posted by Julie Roggow on August 5, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Craig,
My husand and I have been all over in Alaska to film bear. Our very favorite place is Haines. The best time to go is normally toward the end of August or the fisrt part of September. We have an August 23, 2010 photo tour planned. You can see the flyer on my website: www.JulieRoggowPhotography.com (click on the travel specials tab). A maximum of 8 couples will be going. The tour includes other Alaskan wildlife too as we will be spending 3 nights in Juneau AND 4 nights in Haines. In Juneau we have a private whale watching tour scheduled as well as a visit to Mendenhall glacier (a great place to spot black bear). In Haines, we'll be going everyday to our favorite spot for Grizzlies (Brown) bear. We'll also go to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve (a wonderfully scenic area for eagle photography) & much more....You can have a look at our photos from last year's photo shoot tour on our website. Look in the "Alaska Wildlife" album.
Julie Roggow
www.JulieRoggowPhotography.com
Posted by Craig Jones on August 10, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Discussion
9 repliesI would like some information on photographing Grizzly Bears ,eg, the best place's,the best times,etc, there is a time of year that the salmon swim up river and the bears are waiting to feed,this is what I want to photograph.Never been to Alaska,been to the USA though with the British Army working with your troops and had a great time!!.If anyone could help me with this matter and also tell me of trips/workshops that run there this too would be very helpful, thank you for yout time,and above is a sample of my recent work
I generally split my bear photography into two categories: Crowds or no crowds. Places like Brooks camp in Katmai set the world record for crowds, and I just won't go there. If you're not bothered by crowds of people, the bears are certainly there. Denali has fewer bears, but when seen certainly attract crowds of buses, if not people on foot.
I greatly prefer smaller group encounters. Being a local and knowing my way around, I do most of my shooting on self-outfitted trips to remote locations with small groups of family and friends. That's based on local knowledge and providing all my own transportation and camping gear-- good weather and bad. The alternative is to go with a lodge or guide, certianly a more expensive option, but with better facilities for comfort and no prior knowledge required of the animals, locations and equipment required.
McNeal River is more or less a crossover point between these experiences. It's small groups of people with admission determined by lottery. You'll have to provide your own camping and dining equipment and services, but you're guided into the field daily by one of the most knowledgeable bear biologists in the world. It's a superior experience, but not "outfitted" as we say here with the living and dining equipment and facilities.
There's a broad scope of timing for most bear viewing and photography. Some areas start early and some a little later. It's best to be very specific about location and timing, but in general terms the photo ops start warming up in early June when the bears in some areas are grazing on vegetation in coastl areas such as the Katmai coast. But once the salmon runs arrive, all coastal bear activity is focused on streams and rivers, with July and August the peaks. My favorite time for grizzlies in Denali starts in late August and extends into September as the blueberries ripen and the bears focus their activities on the densest patches of berries and wander less. The down side is that there are good berry years and bad ones, so they can be more or less of a factor. You simply can't get close to the bears in Denali except from the window of a bus, which carries its own liabilities for both shooting conditions and longevity of shooting opportunities. You might see bears up close, but the shooting will be complicated because your bus-mates will get restless and want to move after ten minutes, as they meanwhile bounce around in the bus and rock it ferociously. That makes long lens use very difficult, if impossible at times. Consider this: No matter which side of the bus the bear is on, at least half the people on the bus are on the wrong side and will move.
If budget allows, the best conditions and shooting opportunities for visitors will be found with lodges and guides, and the shorter your visit or more critical your timing, the greater the assistance they will provide in assuring that you get the photo ops you want.
Is that helpful?
I just came back from the McNeil River Sanctuary on the Katmai peninsular, about 100 miles west of Homer Alaska. Permis for this trip are required and can be obtained with the Alaska Department of fisk and game. I agree with Hank, that Brooks Camp is way to crowded.
Check it out and google it it is a very special place.
Cheers
Frank
There's a nice explanation of the rules and procedures at the Alaska Department of Fish & Game McNeil River Website.
My husand and I have been all over in Alaska to film bear. Our very favorite place is Haines. The best time to go is normally toward the end of August or the fisrt part of September. We have an August 23, 2010 photo tour planned. You can see the flyer on my website: www.JulieRoggowPhotography.com (click on the travel specials tab). A maximum of 8 couples will be going. The tour includes other Alaskan wildlife too as we will be spending 3 nights in Juneau AND 4 nights in Haines. In Juneau we have a private whale watching tour scheduled as well as a visit to Mendenhall glacier (a great place to spot black bear). In Haines, we'll be going everyday to our favorite spot for Grizzlies (Brown) bear. We'll also go to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve (a wonderfully scenic area for eagle photography) & much more....You can have a look at our photos from last year's photo shoot tour on our website. Look in the "Alaska Wildlife" album.
Julie Roggow
www.JulieRoggowPhotography.com