Itinerary

Due to the unpredictability of weather in Alaska, the itinerary below is subject to change.  We will optimize our time to give you the best possible bear photography experience.

• Day 1 (July 7): Optional arrival day in Anchorage.  If arriving today, you will be responsible for your overnight lodging. About a month prior to the workshop we will hold a zoom meeting with all participants to ensure you are setup for success.
• Day 2 (July 8):  We will meet at 7AM at Merrill Field near downtown Anchorage for our flight to the wilderness lodge. The flight is absolutely breathtaking as we pass over mud flats, sedge meadows, glaciers, and jagged peaks! Once there, we get fitted into our chest waders, grab our lunches, and  immediately fly out for our first photo shoot at the infamous Brooks Falls!  We'll shoot the bears as they catch fish at the falls and also walk the river to get eye-level shots.  We'll return for a late dinner at the lodge.
• Day 3 (July 9):  We convene for an early morning image critique and classroom session. After breakfast, we load up in the float plane.  We fly over snow-capped volcanos, huge glaciers, and lakes. We spend the day photographing brown bears against a stunning mountain backdrop as they are foraging, clamming, and caring for their small spring cubs.
• Day 4 (July 10):  After another morning classroom session, we fly out to remote location far away from other people.  The bears are busy doing their thing as we walk the creek and chase after the spawning salmon.  We get some incredible action shots.  Time flies and before we know it it's time to fly back to the lodge for dinner.
• Day 5 (July 11):  With the potential for bad weather in the afternoon, we fly out very early today. We land on a small river where we are greeted by a guide in a small boat.  He transports us to some remote mud flats where we observe several bear families clamming. We get lots of shots of the curious cubs as they cautiously check us out! by mid-afternoon we return to the river and boat back to the plane.
• Day 6 (July 12):  We meet for a final image critique session before flying out to another river with spawning salmon.  We photograph numerous bears and family groups in the river corridor. The small spring cubs are a highlight as they wrestle and fight with each other. We return late to the lodge for our final dinner.
• Day 7 (July 13):  After breakfast we pack up our gear and return to the airport for our flight back to Anchorage.  The workshop will conclude by noon after we land at Merrill Field.