Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear Ultimate Brown Bear a la Sony a1 mark II and 50mm F1.2 GM lens

Unforgettable Encounter From My Katmai Brown Bear Adventure!

I'm just back, still buzzing with excitement, from my "Ultimate Brown Bear Adventure Workshop" in the breathtaking Katmai National Park, Alaska! What an incredible experience it was. We captured so many phenomenal images, it's genuinely hard to know where to begin.

But let's start here, with one of the many close encounters that made this trip so special. This image was made with my trusty Sony 50mm F1.2 GM lens and the Sony Alpha 1 Mark II camera.

On the second day of the workshop, we found ourselves perched on the edge of a serene stream. We had just been examining a broken egg we'd discovered in the grass when, almost as if on cue, this magnificent male brown bear began to approach us. It was a truly humbling and exhilarating moment.

It’s highly likely this impressive animal was following its incredibly sensitive nose to investigate the scent of the broken egg. Brown bears possess an astonishing sense of smell – far superior to that of a bloodhound, and estimated to be up to seven times better than a domestic dog! This incredible ability allows them to locate food, find mates, and even detect danger from miles away. It's truly one of their most remarkable adaptations, and we witnessed it firsthand.

Speaking of remarkable, I have to give a massive shout-out to the Sony 50mm F1.2 GM lens. While it's known for its incredible low-light performance and beautiful bokeh, it's also a surprisingly versatile lens. For this shot, I stopped down to f/16 to ensure I captured not only the bear in stunning detail but also the breathtaking Katmai scenery that surrounded us. Even at this narrower aperture, the distortion-free, edge-to-edge sharpness is simply outstanding, delivering incredible clarity from foreground to background.

Join me next June for an eight-day, unforgettable trip of a lifetime, immersed in Earth's highest-density brown bear population along the Katmai coast. Learn more about my Ultimate Brown Bears of Katmai Adventure HERE.

Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear (Ursus arctos, ours brun) from my Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai adventure workshop in Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 mark II Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master lens. ISO 500, f/16 @ 1/500s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

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 Mother and Yearling on the run (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 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony 200-600mm Lens (@347mm) ISO 3,200, f/6.3 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Coastal Brown Bear Spring Cubs Sparring & Kudos

Coastal Brown Bear Spring Cubs Sparring (Ursus arctos) Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a7R III 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 image.

Here's a couple of spring cubs sparring at first light on a lightly foggy morning from my recent Coastal Brown Bear boat trip in Katmai National Park, Alaska. We had so much fun with these cubs at close range over the course of the trip - smile.

KUDOS

 

It is definitely not an overstatement when I say that I had one of the most incredible times of my life this past June while on Chris’ Alaska Coastal Brown Bear Boat Trip. This experience was much more than just a workshop: From start to finish, it was an extremely well-organized adventure into a pristine wilderness area that produced many unforgettable memories and images for each member of our group.

After meeting Chris and the rest of the team in Homer, the weather cooperated, so soon the floatplane was loaded with our gear and supplies, and then we all climbed on board to begin our journey. For the next hour and twenty minutes, we flew over breath-taking scenery to the boat that would act as our home base for the next 6 days. Chris had worked hard at finding a vessel that was of ample size and had what it would take to better meet our needs and be much more comfortable for us than the other available boats – and I can attest to the fact that he was successful.

The crew was extremely warm, friendly, and eager to assist us in any way that they could, both while onboard the ship, as well as during our times on the smaller boat that was used to transport us to and from our daily drop-off and pick-up locations. The food was plentiful and simply out of this world meal after meal. It was amazing to see what could be done by one very creative and talented cook in the middle of a wilderness area. It didn’t take long for all of us to feel at home and develop a real sense of friendship and enjoyment of each other’s company, which only grew as the days of our adventure together went by. Although we had to obviously keep our voices down while in the field, there was more and more joking, laughter, chatter and other signs of camaraderie in the dining area and while travelling in the shuttle boat as we got to know each other better and better. It was one terrific group, which just added to the fun of experiencing a new place! Chris couldn’t have done a better job of putting the team together.

Before our flight out of Homer, Chris shared with us that he was delighted that he had been able to get us an exceptionally experienced bear guide and naturalist for our trip, and it quickly became apparent that Chris knew what he was talking about. Chris himself also has experience as a guide and is very familiar with bears and the areas that we would be exploring. So… when a bear was spotted, it was very interesting to watch and listen to the two of them work together to “get inside of the bear’s mind” and attempt to predict what it was going to eventually do. Time after time, within a few minutes, the bear that we had chosen to photograph did exactly what Chris and the guide had told us what it was likely to do. Therefore, since we had already moved into position and had our camera gear all set up for action, we were ready to greet the bear as it casually approached us in an ideal location to photograph it. This ability to anticipate the bear’s next move was especially helpful when it was a sow with cubs. As a result, we got to photograph them when they came out of the tall grasses that had pretty much concealed them because of their small size – enabling us to get unobscured images of them eating, nursing, playing, standing, and exhibiting all of the other entertaining things young bears do! Chris and our guide coached us in techniques as to how our group could earn the bears’ trust and, as a result, the bears were completely comfortable with us and went about their routines just as if we weren’t there. Amazing job gentlemen!
- Mike Fuller NY | USA