Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bears Wrestling

The morning dawned with a heavy fog in Coastal Alaska, lending an air of enchantment to the world and excitement to my group during my Ultimate Brown Bears of Alaska Workshop. After a fantastic breakfast, we ventured out in the skiff, the engine's purr a soft counterpoint to the fog's stillness. We disembarked onto a shore carpeted in dew-laden coastal grass, and after a short, quiet hike, we were rewarded with a heartwarming spectacle. Two brown bear cubs, siblings bursting with energy, appeared out of the fog, their playful wrestling a magical moment for my group. As they moved out into the opening in the tall grass, the first golden fingers of sunlight reached through the mist, illuminating their antics and transforming the fog into a spectacle of diffused golden light.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bears Wrestling in golden light (Ursus arctos, Ours Brun) Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska. From my Ultimate Alaska Bear Boat Trip. 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 @ 1/1,250s Manual exposure. Full Frame. Join me in Alaska for the Ultimate Brown Bears Galore Workshop Adventure. LEARN MORE HERE.

Coastal Brown Bears Jousting

We spent nearly two hours with these two siblings jousting in Hallo Bay in the fog during my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bear Boat trip last June. Shooting at 20FPS when the action was hot and heavy left us with more images than some knew what to do with. To quickly cull the images down to a manageable portfolio, I always look for captivating expressions and at least one eye visible on each bear. I find Adobe Bridge (included in my the photographer’s subscription) renders the best quality previews from my Sony files; and they render much quicker than anything else I have tested on my Mac.

Coastal Brown Bear Cubs Jousting

Coastal Brown Bear Cubs JOUSTING (Ursus arctos) Hallo Bay, 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 1,600, f/5.6 @ 1/2,000s Manual exposure.

I'm just home from my Coastal Brown Bear boat photo tour in Alaska. We had amazing weather, epic opportunities with mothers and cubs, and one fantastic group of repeat clients who have all become great friends over the years!

We spent about an hour with these two siblings jousting in the golden last light at about 10:30PM. Shooting at 20FPS when the action was hot and heavy left us with more images than some knew what to do with. To quickly cull the images down to a manageable portfolio, I always look for captivating expressions, at least one eye visible on each bear & preferably a catch-light in both visible eyes.