Daniel has photographed grizzlies in the wilds of Alaska for well over a decade. His guidance and experience assist in giving guests the opportunity to take their own amazing images. We invite you to join us in this exceptional bear-viewing location where no viewing platforms are used. Peaceful encounters with these magnificent giants of the north—there is nothing more exhilarating than photographing these bears! Beware: this trip can be addictive!
Tag: Alaska
Whales, Bears and the Best of Southeast Alaska with Wendy Shattil
The calm waters of southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage teem with captivating wildlife and breathtaking scenery. At this time of year humpback whales congregate in large numbers and may indulge in impressive bubble-net feeding, breaching, tail lobbing and other dramatic behaviors. We’ll travel from Sitka to Juneau, Alaska, aboard the historic wooden boat, the M/V Westward, exploring the land and waters for whales, bears and other wildlife as well as landscapes ancient glaciers with giant icebergs calving off its face. We’ll search for brown bears catching salmon, walk through lush and serene rainforests, explore the diversity of creatures in tide pools and skiff or kayak through the gentle waters, drifting quietly past hanging gardens and waterfalls.
Benefit from Wendy Shattil’s 30+ years of field experience as a professional wildlife and conservation photographer. The remote wilderness we’ll see from our comfortable wandering home evokes a tranquility of the soul. Expect to be stimulated by the quiet solitude and reminded of our place in nature. We’ll do our best to capture these feelings and experiences with our eyes and our cameras and learn the power of our own storytelling through compelling imagery.
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Whatever your skill level, you will learn tips, techniques and strategies to create memorable images. In the comfort of the Westward’s salon we’ll project our images and review the day’s experiences in a friendly group setting. Rather than snapping pictures and hurrying to find the next encounter, we’ll take time to savor each moment. Every scene is constantly changing, each animal is an individual and every behavior has a purpose.
Nome Alaska Birds and Wildlife with Ken Archer
Join professional photographer Ken Archer to photograph the breeding birds of Nome, Alaska and the Seward Peninsula. The dates of this workshop are planned to take full advantage of the unique variety of bird life that migrate, live and nest and in the area during this beautiful time of year. We should find the arctic tundra blooming with a variety of wildflowers making for the high possibility for colorful and unique compositions. The main focus of this trip will be the incredible bird life, including a wide variety of shorebirds, passerines, raptors, jaegers and waterfowl. Rarities we will be especially looking for include the Bluethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Northern Wheatear, Bristled-thighed Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Aleutian Tern among others. A good variety of mammals also live here. There is a good probability we will see and photograph Musk Oxen, Red Fx, Moose, Reindeer and Arctic Ground Squirrels. Wolves, Lynx and Grizzly Bears also live here but are less visible. And the arctic landscape is irresistible to photograph, especially early and late in the day.
Eagles of Homer, Alaska with Lewis Kemper
Every year thousands of eagles winter in and around Homer, Alaska. During this tour we are going to spend 4 days concentrating on photographing eagles in their nature habitat. The tour is limited to just 5 participants, so there is plenty of time for one to one help. There will be images of eagles flying, fishing, fighting and more. And all at close range, where lenses from 70-200 and 100-400 will be all you need. When on shore with the birds you can be as close as 4-8 feet away and a wide angle may be more appropriate.
We will be going out in a boat on five excursions with a wonderful guide/captain that I have known for years. We will have ample opportunity to work on our flight images. I will teach you how to photograph on manual and what settings you need to take razor sharp eagle images. I will be talking about shutter speeds, aperture, metering patterns, and ISO settings. Be prepared to take lots of pictures! Bring lots of memory cards as you will be taking between 2000-3000 images a day, downloading at night and doing it again the next day!
Beside just eagles, we will also have the chance of seeing, otters, seals, sea lions, other seabirds, and beautiful scenery. To take full advantage of being in one of the most scenic areas of the world, I have scheduled an extra day of sightseeing, where will go out in a van and tour the area surrounding Homer. We will visit Old Ninilchik Village and its very scenic Old Russian Church with great views of views of Mount Illiamna and Mount Redoubt, weather permitting. While on the van excursion we will also be on the lookout for moose and other wildlife.
Brown Bears at Lake Clark, Alaska with Dawn Wilson
Join professional and award-winning wildlife photographer, Dawn Wilson, for a chance of a lifetime to photograph brown bears in their natural coastal habitat in Alaska. We will travel to scenic Lake Clark National Park and Preserve to be in the bear’s world where we will watch and photograph them as they chase salmon, dig for clams in the mud flats, feed on sedge grasses in the meadows, play, and possibly see little cubs.
Additional optional activities and opportunities include fishing, photographing the lush landscape of inactive volcanoes and beaches, and a boat trip to Puffin Island (weather permitting). Here we will have the opportunity to photograph puffins as they fly about bringing sand eels back to their nests, sea otters lounging on the beach, and other shore birds on the island and floating on the water.
Limited to six participants. $4800 NANPA member price.
Alaska Brown Bears with Daniel J. Cox
Daniel has photographed grizzlies in the wilds of Alaska for well over a decade. His guidance and experience assist in giving guests the opportunity to take their own amazing images. We invite you to join us in this exceptional bear-viewing location where no viewing platforms are used. Peaceful encounters with these magnificent giants of the north—there is nothing more exhilarating than photographing these bears! Beware: this trip can be addictive!!
How to Chase and Shoot the Aurora
Aurora borealis over Turnagain Arm in Chugach National Forest, Alaska, in mid-March.
From the Editor: Award-winning landscape and nature photographer Carl Johnson has been living in Alaska for almost 20 years and is an expert on shooting auroras. On Friday, August 17th, at 2 PM EDT, he will present a NANPA Webinar, “Chasing & Photographing the Aurora Borealis.” This webinar covers the science behind the aurora, the tools available to predict and plan for it (including websites and apps that provide real-time and forecasting information), tips on when and where to photograph it, and what gear and techniques to use. For more information or to sign up, click here.
Above the Arctic Circle
One of the most stunning sights in Gates of the Arctic, the sharply serrated Arrigetch Peaks shown here in the warmth of late evening light. © Jerry Ginsberg
Megapixels and Sensor Size
Trees in fall color reflect in still pool at Upper Whiteoak Falls in Shenandoah National Park, VA. © Jerry Ginsberg
Backing Up
View from atop Hunt’s Mesa in Monument Valley Tribal Park of the Navajo Nation, AZ. © Jerry Ginsberg
Story and photographs by Jerry Ginsberg
To apply some advice that I received several years ago, one hard drive will annoy ya….two are a paranoia. The hard truth is that only three things in life are certain: death, taxes and hard drive failures. They all have finite life spans. No matter how sophisticated your drives may be, given enough use over enough time, they will fail. Not if, but when.