My group was treated to more than a few phenomenal moments during my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Adventure Workshop. This is the mother of the Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Yearling with Pink Salmon I posted yesterday. She put on quite a show with her yearling twins, and my “secret spot” on the Salmon River, with its amazing backgrounds, made the images surreal.
Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Yearling with Pink Salmon
Here is another favourite from my Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop Adventure: Our favourite yearling showing off his prize. We were in the right place for the light and fantastic autumn colours in the background, but there were no bears when we first set up. All of my experience told me to hold tight and wait - smile!
Join me in June or September for the trip of a lifetime! Learn more about my Ultimate Brown Bears of Katmai workshop HERE.
Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear on the beach
A Coastal Brown Bear on the hunt for Razor Clams on Ninagiak Island delights my group with a close encounter of the bear kind during my Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure in Alaska.
The Katmai coast is known for the large number of brown bears congregating to feed on salmon. The bears also scavenge on marine mammal carcasses that wash ashore and have developed the unique skill of digging for razor clams. They have also been observed swimming relatively long distances to gain access to ground-nesting birds. In Hallo Bay, brown bears swim 2 miles (3.2 km) from the mainland to Ninagiak Island to feed on the eggs and chicks of glaucous-winged gulls and puffins.
These bears are most often young males or sows and their cubs. It is advantageous for a mother bear to take her offspring to islands because of the ready supply of food and because the islands are likely safe refuge from adult males. Likely, cubs taken to an island by their mother will return.
Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear Portrait in sweet light
This image from last June’s Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop of a boar Brown Bear grazing was made after the group sat quietly for more than half an hour waiting for it to lift its head and look towards us. The Alaskan golden light was magical and seemed to last forever.
Portrait of a Brown Bear Yearling
A simple portrait of my favourite yearling from last year’s Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure. This guy was an entertaining showman and sure did show off for us!
Coastal Brown Bear Yearling Grazing by Pond
Here is another image from my Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure in Katmai National Park, Alaska, last June. This male yearling stole the show many times, including our afternoon in the wet and soggy sedge. I loved the freedom of walking around with only my Sony Alpha 1 camera body paired with my Sony 200-600mm G Master lens.
Join me in Alaska for the ULTIMATE Brown Bear June 12 to 19, 2024 (8 days / 7 Nights) MOTHERS & CUBS Adventure June 12 to 19, 2024 (8 days / 7 Nights)
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Join me in Alaska for the ULTIMATE Brown Bear June 12 to 19, 2024 (8 days / 7 Nights) MOTHERS & CUBS Adventure June 12 to 19, 2024 (8 days / 7 Nights) 🐻
Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear Mother and Yearling on the run
Seeing a bear explode from a nap to 56km/h (35MPH) is impressive! Even more so as they head directly towards you! My Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska group saw this several times during my workshop in the sacred Halo Bay on the Katmai Coast in Alaska.
Not to worry, although they look like they are about to run us over (especially while looking through a zoom lens @347mm), this intelligent mother is running behind us to use us as a shield from the boar who turned away when he saw us.
Few sights are as terrifying for a mother brown bear in Alaska as a big male brown bear. Adult male bears (boars) are known to kill cubs —and sometimes the mother that defends them. A new study suggests that intelligent mama bears have found a surprising way to protect their young. To shield her cubs from male attacks, mom has to raise them near an adult bear's No. 1 enemy: humans.
Join me in Alaska for the Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska for eight days of brown bear photography! Learn more HERE.
Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear female yearling cub in fog
Here is another image from my Ultimate Brown Bear Photo Adventure last June. We had countless hours with this curious Coastal Brown Bear Yearling (1-year-old cub). I chose my Sony Alpha a1 camera body paired with the ultra-portable Sony 200 to 600mm zoom lens set at 378mm.
Join me in Alaska for the Ultimate Brown Bear adventure of a lifetime
🐻
Join me in Alaska for the Ultimate Brown Bear adventure of a lifetime 🐻
Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear Mother and Yearling Cub in heavy fog
We had some fantastic moments with this mother and her yearling in Halo Bay along the Katmai Coast during my Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure. The fog was incredibly dense, but it gradually lifted, offering different views and special images.
In Katmai National Park, brown bear cubs stay with their mothers for 2.5 years. During a cub’s first year of life, they are considered cubs-of-the-year (COYs) or spring cubs. In their second year, they are generally called yearlings and will den with their mother for at least one more winter.
Coastal Brown Bear Cub in Sedge Grass
This Coastal Brown Bear Cub was photographed eating sedge grass in heavy fog during my June Ultimate Brown Bears of Katmai Workshop.
Brown bears in Katmai National Park spend an incredible amount of time grazing on one of the few reliable food sources for bears in the spring, Lyngbye's sedge (Carex lyngbyaei). As it grows, Lyngbye’s sedge is relatively high in protein and lower in crude fibre, making it easy for bears to digest and extract nutrition after hibernation.
We spent several hours with this beautiful blonde Brown Bear cub down low at eye level - what a gift!
Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear in fog
Here is a Coastal Brown Bear (Grizzly Bear) strolling along the beach looking for clams during my June 2023 Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Adventure. I chose the ultimate portable combination of the Sony Alpha 1 camera and the versatile Sony 200-600mm zoom lens. I rotated the lens foot to the top of the lens so I could use it as a handle to hold the camera just above the ground to get this low perspective.
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.
Unlikely Friends in Alaska: The Brown Bear and the Wolf
This is an image from my June 2010 Ultimate Brown Bear Photo Tour in Katmai National Park, Alaska. This wolf spent the day foraging the bear’s leftovers. As the tide rose over the open flats, the bear and wolf slowly moved away from the rising water towards each other. This image was made at 10:34 PM after the sun had set. I remember this like it happened yesterday!
In Katmai, the documented encounters between the species include wolves stealing fish from bears, wolves harassing courting bears, wolves displacing bears from a moose carcass, bears briefly chasing wolves, wolves travelling with bears, and wolves fishing alongside bears.
Join me in Alaska for the ULTIMATE Brown Bear Photo Tour
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Join me in Alaska for the ULTIMATE Brown Bear Photo Tour 🐻
Join me for an eight-day Coastal Brown Bears Mothers & Cubs Adventure along the Katmai Coast of Alaska.
Every photographer dreams of getting close to bears safely, and that is precisely what we do during my 8-day Ultimate Coastal Brown Bear photo tour in Katmai National Park in Alaska. We live on board a privately chartered research vessel but spend most of our time in Katmai National Park in front of the highest concentration of Coastal Brown bears in the world while surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth!
The ship is spacious with two lounges and a galley, and each stateroom has a private bathroom, complete with a walk-in shower, sink and toilet; there are no water restrictions, so grab a shower anytime you like! We spend most of our time on land with the bears and return to the ship to eat some incredible meals and sleep.
Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear with Pink Salmon at last light
A Coastal Brown Bear (Grizzly Bear) with its trophy: a pink Salmon. The fish-eye auto-focus works remarkably well on the Sony Alpha1 - Imagine if the bear had looked up at me - smile.
Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear with Pink Salmon
There was no shortage of salmon or bears during my recent Ultimate Brown Bears Galore Workshop in Alaska. The bears don’t often look directly at anyone; in this case, her cub (the one in my last post) was now behind us, and she kept a watchful eye on him.
I rotated the lens foot on the 600mm lens around the top to use it as a handle to hold the camera slightly above the ground with the read LCD flipped out as my monitor.
Coastal Brown Bear Cub Showing Off Fresh Salmon
A Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear shows off a fresh pink salmon in gorgeous light against out-of-focus Alaskan autumn colours. My group was treated to some incredible moments during my ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS of KATMAI SALMON FISHING WORKSHOP.
Coastal Brown Bear (Grizzly) Chasing Salmon in Alaska
A Coastal Brown Bear (Grizzly Bear) chasing a salmon during the salmon run in Katmai National Park, Alaska. This image was made on a dark and cloudy morning during my ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS of KATMAI SALMON FISHING WORKSHOP with my Sony Alpha 1 camera, Sony 600mm f/4 and the Sony 1.4X teleconverter. I held the camera slightly off the ground while using the rear screen as the viewfinder to get a low-perspective view. I chose 20,000 ISO, knowing that the Sony Alpha 1 has an incredibly capable sensor that can record the finest details at that “high” ISO if the image is exposed correctly.
2023 Christopher Dodds Sony Roadshow update
I am thrilled to be making another trip across Canada to present at some of Canada’s finest Sony retailers. Sony sponsors the roadshow, and all of the presentations are free. Get your tickets here:
VISTEK Ottawa, ON - October 2, 2023
HENRY’S Toronto, ON - October 3, 2023
HENRY’S Winnipeg, MB - October 6, 2023
DON’S PHOTO Regina, SK - October 7, 2023
LONDON DRUGS Saskatoon, SK - October 8, 2023
VISTEK Edmonton, AB - October 11, 2023
VISTEK Calgary, AB - October 12, 2023
McBAIN CAMERA Red Deer, AB - October 13, 2023
McBAIN CAMERA Lethbridge, AB - October 14, 2023
HENRY’S Vancouver, BC - October 18, 2023
Keslow Camera Vancouver, BC - October 19 JUST ADDED!
Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Slamming Salmon
We had some of the most epic bear encounters during my recently concluded ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS of KATMAI SALMON FISHING WORKSHOP. This image was made from the river's edge, with my Sony Alpha 1 and Sony 600mm f/4 lens on the ground and the screen tilted up. Everyone got more images of fishing bears than they imagined possible, and the weather was “Alaskan Awesome” with a mix of everything!
2023 Christopher Dodds Sony Roadshow update
I am thrilled to be making another trip across Canada to present at some of Canada’s finest Sony retailers. Sony sponsors the roadshow, and all of the presentations are free. Get your tickets here:
VISTEK Ottawa, ON - October 2, 2023
HENRY’S Toronto, ON - October 3, 2023
HENRY’S Winnipeg, MB - October 6, 2023
DON’S PHOTO Regina, SK - October 7, 2023
LONDON DRUGS Saskatoon, SK - October 8, 2023
VISTEK Edmonton, AB - October 11, 2023
VISTEK Calgary, AB - October 12, 2023
McBAIN CAMERA Red Deer, AB - October 13, 2023
McBAIN CAMERA Lethbridge, AB - October 14, 2023
Cutest Bear Cub with Lipstick & Announcing Christopher Dodds Cross-Canada SONY Roadshow
Have you ever caught a bear cub playing with lipstick? LOL. This Coastal Brown Bear cub has just finished eating a freshly caught salmon. I used the tilting rear screen and placed the camera on the ground to get a low and intimate view in beautiful Alaskan autumn light. Loads of fishing bear images to follow after an amazing Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Alaska Adventure Workshop.
Announcing the 2023 Christopher Dodds Sony Roadshow
I am thrilled to be making another trip across Canada to present at some of Canada’s finest Sony retailers. Sony sponsors the roadshow, and all of the presentations are free. Get your tickets here:
VISTEK Ottawa, ON - October 2, 2023 SOLD OUT!
HENRY’S Toronto, ON - October 3, 2023
HENRY’S Winnipeg, MB - October 6, 2023
DON’S PHOTO Regina, SK - October 7, 2023
LONDON DRUGS Saskatoon, SK - October 8, 2023
VISTEK Edmonton, AB - October 11, 2023
VISTEK Calgary, AB - October 12, 2023
McBAIN CAMERA Red Deer, AB - October 13, 2023
McBAIN CAMERA Lethbridge, AB - October 14, 2023