Back from Alaska: Brown Bears, Big Moments, and One Adorable Little Rock Star

After 24 hours of travel, I’m finally home—shaking off the jet lag, but still completely immersed in the wild, breathtaking beauty of Alaska. I’ve just returned from leading my Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop, and all I can say is… wow. What an experience.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather on the Katmai Coast. While it rained during our travel days in and out, we had just a couple of brief sprinkles during our eight full days in the field. For coastal Alaska, that’s nothing short of miraculous!

The group this year was absolutely wonderful—curious, adventurous, supportive of one another, and full of great energy. And my crew? Truly exceptional. Captain Angus kept us safe and steady at sea. Ruben expertly handled the skiff—getting us out to the bears and back to the ship safely—while keeping everyone entertained throughout. Joan worked culinary magic from dawn to dusk, and James was a tremendous help assisting our legendary bear guide and long-time friend, Brad Josephs. As always, Brad’s deep knowledge of both the bears and the landscape kept us safe and made every encounter more meaningful.

And the bears? They exceeded every expectation. Bigger, bolder, and more photogenic than ever. I came home with memory cards absolutely overflowing—intimate moments, golden light, misty mornings, and scenes that looked like they were highlights from a wildlife documentary.

But among all those moments, there was one tiny rock star who stole the show—and our hearts.

Meet this little “COY” (Cub of the Year)—a playful, curious, and slightly clumsy bundle of energy. Watching this cub explore the world was pure joy. Every tumble, head tilt, and wide-eyed stare reminded us of just how magical and fragile these early moments of life in the wild can be. It’s encounters like this that keep me coming back to Alaska year after year.

I captured this image with the Sony a1 II mirrorless body paired with the phenomenal Sony 300mm f/2.8 lens. The combination delivered stunning clarity and detail, allowing me to freeze a perfect moment that still makes me smile.

There are so many more stories and images to share—from quiet bear interactions to epic landscapes and the beautiful chaos of life on the Katmai Coast—but for now, I’ll leave you with this first favourite.

Stay tuned—more bears (and bear stories!) coming soon.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub of the Year Shaking (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mark II Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens. ISO 1,600, f/2.8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Louise, Chris Dodds, Jos, Kristy, Sarah, Mike, Janice, David and James. Image courtesy of Brad Josephs (Thanks, Brad).

Coastal Brown Bear eating fresh salmon

Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop Update:

Join me for my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Adventure from September 17 to 24 for an incredible 8-day/7-night photographic adventure on a private charter along the Katmai Coast of Alaska. We will photograph the numerous Coastal Brown Bears congregating along streams overflowing with salmon as they fatten up for the long and harsh Alaskan winter. Unlike many other tours, our Itinerary starts by flying out to the ship from Kodiak, Alaska, on day 1 (flights from Kodiak to the boat and back are included), and we remain there until we fly back to Kodiak on day 8. We photograph bears from day 1 to day 8, so eight days of epic brown bear photography! There are only two spots left!

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub Eating Fresh Salmon (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X Tele extender @840mm. ISO 20,000, f/5.6 @ 1/1,000s Manual exposure. Full-frame image.

Brown bear mother with cute spring twins

The significant advantage of using a research vessel for my Ultimate Brown Bears of Katmai Photo Tour is the ability to move around the diverse landscapes and scenery of the Katmai Coast. We can seek flat water anchorage if the wind or waves kick up.

This mother was a dream model with her super cute spring cubs in tow: she was headed down to the flats at low tide to dig up some clams. I love how the cliffs in the background give a sense of scale and how small the spring cubs look.

Bears are opportunistic feeders, and a study has shown that they will also eat vegetation, clams, and seals in addition to salmon. This steady diet of marine resources provides energy for foraging, mating, and nursing and also helps bears pack on the pounds needed to survive winter hibernation.

Coastal Brown Bear with cute spring twins (Ursus arctos or Grizzly Bear) from June 2010. Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, Alaska, from my Ultimate Brown Bear Photo Tour. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. 500mm with 1.4X Teleconverter @700mm ISO 800, f/5.6 @ 1/320s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Katmai Brown Bear Mother and Cubs

Another image from my Ultimate Brown Bears Galore of Alaska Bear Boat Adventure Workshop on the Katmai Coast in June. This image was made with my Sony Alpha 1 and Sony 200-600mm zoom lens set to 478mm. Spending so much quality time with the bears is always such a thrill and a privilege!

Grizzly Coastal Brown Bear Mother and Cub

Another image from my recent ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP in Alaska. After another of Melissa’s epic home-cooked meals on our private charter ship, we returned to shore in heavy overcast and foggy conditions and spent a few hours waiting for this mother and cub to wake up from their afternoon nap :)

Coastal Brown Bear Mother with cub

At the end of a very long day hiking around Katmai National Park (Alaska) in the rain knee-deep in mud this mother and cub seemed to look as wet and muddy as I felt - smile. As always in Katmai, we respect the bears from a distance, but they usually tend to gravitate to my group as a trusted shield from the roaming adult males (called boars) and move closer to us. I can see from the timestamps on the images that we spent 44 minutes waiting for both of them to look our way at the same time; we were lucky to have the added bonus of the cub touching mom :)

Since the sky is much brighter than the bears, it was extremely bright and washed-out in the image, so I replaced the background sky to make the scene resemble more closely what my eyes saw.

Bald Eagle Eaglet

Here’s an older image from my Ultimate Brown Bear by boat WORKSHOP in Katmai, Alaska. The Bald Eagle nests are always a nice distraction from the bears. Some years they are plentiful and easily approached from the comfort of our live aboard ship. We returned to the ship after a successful morning in the rain and the captain treated us with a warm and dry Eagle cruise while the rest of the crew spoiled us with an awesome lunch.