Wildlife Photography_ From Snapshots to Great Shots - Laurie Excell [48]
• Windblock fleece jacket. Even on nice days it can get a bit nippy on the water.
• Sunglasses, hat, sunblock, and bug spray are a must and are close at hand at all times.
• Gortex rain jacket, just in case. Odds are I’ll need it at some point during the week.
• Thick and thin socks to layer in my waders.
• Slippers for the lodge because it has a no-shoes policy.
• Comfortable loungewear for evenings in my room-preparing for the next day.
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Note
Everything must fit in two checked bags or less and cannot weigh more than 50 pounds each!
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Where
After learning from previous visits that it is a wonderful place to photograph wildlife, I decide Alaska will be my destination of choice. I then narrow it down further to a specific geographic area and lodge based on one of the best locations that I’ve found to observe bears. Since my first visit in 2003, I’ve been returning yearly to a remote lodge in Katmai National Park, Alaska (Figure 9.3). When searching for a place to go, I look for a location that provides a quality wilderness experience with abundant photographic opportunities. It is best if the place is remote with few visitors so that I can enjoy my wildlife adventure without jostling for position with a crowd, and the wildlife is not bothered by my presence, so I can approach within photographable distance. However, I do like the comforts of electricity to power my computer and charge my batteries; running water for a hot shower after a day in the field; a good meal under my belt to sustain me through the day of trekking after my subject; and a cozy, warm bed to climb into at night (Figure 9.4). The lodge and its staff provide all that and so much more, which is why I return year after year.
Figure 9.3 A remote lodge in Alaska is accessible only by boat or seaplane.
Figure 9.4 My cabin provides all the comforts of home while maintaining a rustic, wilderness feel.
When
The season for photographing brown bears in Alaska is relatively short. It starts when the bears appear in early to mid-May. The boars and single females emerge first, and the sows with cubs arrive a bit later (Figure 9.5). Spring is a time of rebirth, and an Alaskan spring is like rebirth on steroids: The grass pushes up; flowers emerge, bud, and bloom all in a matter of a few days; bears begin to clam and graze on the sedge grasses; active boars often display a bit of sparring; eagles nest with their young chicks; harbor seals have their young; Black-legged Kittiwake build nests and choose their mates; Puffins return to offshore rocky islands to find a burrow to make their home while they raise their young. It’s a very lively and energetic season.
Figure 9.5 A sow with cubs seek higher ground for safety from boars. This photo opportunity yielded one of my favorite photos to date.
The summer pace slows down a bit as the bears sate their first hunger and settle in to fatten up on more grass and the first fish run of the season. There are several “runs” a season beginning with the pink and chum, followed by the red, and finally the silver as fall approaches (Figure 9.6).
Figure 9.6 A bear pauses for a brief moment with its prized catch before taking it to shore to eat.
Fall comes early to Alaska with the beginnings of a chill to the air in late August. The cold increases in earnest as September wears on. It is a wonderful time to visit Alaska to photograph the bears. The tundra turns to warm reds and oranges, the fireweed blooms to the top of the stem, and the bears become fat and healthy from the summer’s bounty (Figure 9.7). The final salmon run winds down, providing the opportunity for some good fishing photos still to be made. You can feel the bears’ urgency as they look for those last calories to sustain them through the winter months of hibernation. Fall is the season I’ve chosen to share with you here.
Figure 9.7 Bears are at their prime in the fall.
How
With