A Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub in golden light

This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub was the star performer during my Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop last September. Join me for an incredible all-inclusive eight days of Brown Bear photography along the Katmai coast with departure from Kodiak, Alaska, September 17-24.

A Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub in golden light. (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. ISO 800, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full Frame Image (cropped slightly top & bottom to 4 X 5 aspect ratio).

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub showing off fresh salmon in golden light

The light was spectacular, the out-of-focus autumn background perfect, and the bear cubs played with dinner directly before us —what could be better?

This image was made during my Ultimate Fishing Brown Bears of Alaska Adventure last September.

There are still two spots left for my Sept. 17-24 Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Adventure Workshops. All-inclusive from Kodiak, Alaska, we spend eight full days (7 nights) photographing the many Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bears of Katmai National Park.

A Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub showing off fresh salmon in golden light. (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. ISO 800, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full Frame Image.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Eye to Eye

A Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear cub proudly shows off its prize: a freshly caught salmon during my Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop in Katmai National Park.

If you dream of fishing bears in golden light with unique autumn colours in the background, my Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska trip is for you! We are the last group in the park for the season, and the bears are enormous, with fur that glistens from eating so much salmon to prepare for their winter hibernation. The September sun in Alaska has started to move south of the equator for the winter, so the low light angle and light quality are spectacular.

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 with Salmon. Eye to Eye. (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. ISO 1,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

Coastal Brown Bear Fishing Workshop Update

Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Adventure Last Minute Openings:

A Coastal Brown Bear Sow (female) slams salmon during my Ultimate Brown Bear Fishing Adventure in Katmai, Alaska. I love the out-of-focus cub in the background, as it tells the story of who mom is fishing for :)

I still have a couple of spots open for the Ultimate Brown Bears of Katmai Fishing Bear adventure from September 17-24. Join me for the ultimate 8-day/7-night adventure along the Katmai Coast with loads of close-up fishing bears!

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Sow Fishing for Jr. (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my recent 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 2X Tele extender @1,200mm. ISO 3,200, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full-frame image.

Coastal Brown Grizzly Bear Sow with Pink Salmon

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.

Join me for my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Adventure Workshop

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Join me for my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Adventure Workshop 🧸

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Sow with Pink Salmon (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my recent 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 and Sony 2X Tele extender @1,200mm. ISO 8,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

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 Cub with Pink Salmon (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my recent 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 and Sony 2X Tele extender @1,200mm. ISO 2,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

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 Grizzly Bear Yearling PORTRAIT (Coastal brown bear, Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my June Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 1.4X Teleconverter @840mm. ISO 10,000, f/5.6 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image top to bottom.

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 Cub in Sedge Grass (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska last June. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@600mm) ISO 5,000, f/6.3 @ 1/1,600s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Clamming

Bears spend countless hours in the mudflats digging, chomping, slurping, and digging again along the shores of Katmai National Park and Preserve. We sat on the beach with this Brown Bear, watching it dig for clams for hours in the fog during my Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure in June. The biggest challenge for images was getting their eyes visible in the image; they spend most of the time looking down at the sand they are smelling, then dig holes down three feet to the razor clams (so their faces and heads are hidden).

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Clamming (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska last June. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@600mm) ISO 3,200, f/6.3 @ 1/2,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

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.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear in fog (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 200-600mm Lens (@600mm) ISO 6,400, f/6.3 @ 1/2,500s 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.

Join me for an eight-day Coastal Brown Bears Mothers & Cubs Adventure along the Katmai Coast of Alaska.

Coastal Brown Bear twin cubs (Ursus arctos) Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska from my Ultimate Brown Bear Photo Tour. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. 70-200mm @ 70mm ISO 400, f/8` @ 1/200s. Manual exposure.

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 Bear Cub with Salmon Dinner

A Coastal Brown Bear Cub with freshly caught salmon during my Ultimate Brown Bear Photography Workshop Photo Tour in September. We had some pretty epic opportunities with this bear cub throughout the trip, but the afternoon I made this image stands out as one of my favourite times in Katmai National Park; we were the very last group in the park, just us and the bears - smile!

Join me next year for my Ultimate Brown Bear photography workshop. Learn more HERE.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Cub with Salmon dinner (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my recent 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. ISO 1,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

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

HENRY’S Vancouver, BC - October 18, 2023

Keslow Camera Vancouver, BC - October 19

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!

Coastal Brown Bears: Wanna Play?

The Katmai Coast Ultimate Brown Bear workshop is a magical experience if you dream of getting up close and personal with Coastal Brown Bears; Mothers often bring their cubs to my groups for free babysitting services :)

These two siblings are about to erupt into a frenzied playful tussle, a necessary lesson to help them survive alone in the wild.

This image was created hand-held using my Sony a9 camera with the Sony 100-400mm zoom lens with a doubler attached.

Coastal Brown Bear Cub Beauty Shot

That moment when a bear cub walks right up to you, lies down, and starts munching on the Coastal grass is priceless! It often happens during my Ultimate Alaskan Bear trip! The grass is sweet and loaded with protein.

I still have a couple of spots for my June Mothers & Cubs trip, and we are looking for a solo female traveller to share a room with another female for my September fishing bear trip.

Brown bear mothers with twins and triplets

We watched as the otherwise calm mother with triplets high-tailed it off the meadow and up to the protection of the high rocky vantage point. Amazingly, another mother with twins (a year older) was already there. Was the boar (male bear) chasing them a cub killer? We don’t know, but these mothers sure thought there was a threat.

Cub killer?

There are three leading theories: The first is that a male bear's killing of a female's cub or cubs will force her back into heat, whereby she might be receptive to mating again. A nursing female with newly born and helpless spring cubs won't go into heat. Forcing a female back into heat may give that male bear more mating opportunities and increased opportunities to spread his genes.

The second possibility is that bears aren't omnivores, but they can be cannibals, too. Bears will do what it takes to fatten up for the long, cold winter hibernation. And sometimes, bears will kill and eat other bears. In some instances, cubs might be easy calories.

Last, killing a cub reduces a bear's future competition — for females, fish, and territory.

ioSafe Solo Hawk Bearproof SSD mini-review

Coastal Brown Bear Sow and Spring Cub clamming (Ursus arctos) Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens  with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @800mm ISO 640, f/5.6 @ 1/1,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

ioSafe Solo Hawk bearproof SSD mini-review

I am constantly on the go and do take the utmost care of my cameras, laptop, and other electronics while travelling, but that doesn't guarantee that my valuable images are safe from disaster. My friends over at ioSafe sent over an (almost) indestructible and waterproof external ioSafe Solo Hawk SSD drive, and I thought I would share a mini-review of it for you. I'm calling this one bearproof!

Accidents happen all the time; The ioSafe Solo Hawk is as comfortable in the desert being pelted with blowing sand, as it is on the bed of a truck in heavy freezing rain. . . . . in my case (literally), it will likely stay safe, warm and dry in my laptop case, but it will handle any hell thrown its way in an accidental emergency; If I forget to zip my laptop case closed, accidentally drop it on the floor or in the toilet (or in the ocean while boarding a boat), spill coffee, or accidentally back my truck over it my images will be safe! It is my insurance policy for my images.

The ioSafe Solo Hawk is an external solid-state storage drive that can withstand total submersion in freshwater or saltwater for 72 hours (diesel fuel, oils, hydraulic fluids, aircraft fuels, 12′ depth for 1 hour). It can be dropped from ten feet, works at up to 30,000 feet and is crush-resistant up to 2,500 pounds.

The Solo Hawk SSD, available in 500GB or 1TB capacities, combines this military-class toughness with 550 MBps data transfer rates, the fastest read/write speeds available in the industry today via the waterproof USB C (USB 3 Gen 2) port. My 1TB version tested a write speed of 494.4 MB/s and a read speed of 519.6 MB/s using Black magic designs Disk Speed Test utility. These are the fastest results I have achieved with an external SSD.

MIL-STD-810G Specs:

Crush Protection Technology: Crush resistant up to 2500 lbs.

Full Suspension Drive™ Technology: Full suspension in all six axes of motion. Optimized for data loss protection from drop and shock of 10′ per MIL-STD-810G Method 516.5.

HydroSafe™ Technology: Waterproof yet heat-conducting barrier to protect against data loss in up to 10′ for 3 days in freshwater or saltwater per IP68. Protects data even when USB plug is in. No requirement for a connector cap to retain data protection.

ChemSafe™ Technology: Full immersion in diesel fuel, oils, hydraulic fluids, aircraft fuels, 12′ depth for 1 hour with no data loss per MIL-STD-810G Method 504

EnviroSafe™ Technology: Continuous exposure to UV, blowing sand, blowing dust, rain, salt fog, icing or freezing rain, 24 hours with no data loss per MIL-STD-810G Methods 505.4, 506.4, 509.4 and 510.

AltiSafe™ Technology: High altitude operation. 15K ft. (Alum.) and 30K ft. (SSD and Ti.) rated altitudes per MIL-STD-810G Method 500.4

Theft Resistant Kensington® Lock compatible slot solid metal construction — theft protection