Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop

July 19-25, 2025 - Sold Out!

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The Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop takes place deep in Katmai National Park. During this all-inclusive workshop we'll be staying in a remote backcountry lodge on the shores of a beautiful lake. Each day we'll don our chest waders and fly out to a new location, allowing us to photograph the brown bears in many different environments! The dates are timed for peak salmon runs in many river corridors throughout Katmai. We will be able to capture bears fishing, clamming, and foraging in the sedge meadows. Short walks of 2-4 miles will be required to reach the shooting locations.

Tuition

  • $10,500
  • All-Inclusive

Max Group Size

  • Max 5 Students

Instructor(s)

  • Josh Miller

Physical Intensity

Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife Photography Brooks Falls Catching Fish

Highlights

  • With a population of more than 2000 brown bears, Alaska's Southern Coast is a premier location to photograph and observe these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.
  • Exclusive daily charter flights from our remote wilderness lodge will allow us to photograph the bears in many different environments
  • Dates are timed for salmon runs in several of Katmai's rivers.
  • All-inclusive workshop with 5 nights lodging and all meals included.
  • Pro instructor David Swindler will help you get the best possible shots.  Expect plenty of individual attention with a small group of 5 people.
  • Post Processing Instruction and Image Review sessions will be scheduled throughout the workshop.

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 19): Optional arrival day in Anchorage.  If arriving today, you will be responsible for your overnight lodging. Prior to the workshop, we will hold an in-depth zoom meeting with all participants to ensure you are setup for success.
  • Day 2 (July 20): We will meet at 3PM at Merrill Field near downtown Anchorage to check-in for our flight to the wilderness lodge. The route is absolutely breathtaking as we pass over mud flats, sedge meadows, glaciers, and jagged peaks! Once there, we get fitted into our chest waders, get settled into our rooms, and have our first dinner along with orientation.
  • Day 3 (July 21): 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 22): 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 23): 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 24): 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 25):  Today we fly out for a photo shoot at the famous 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 to the lodge, pack up our belongings, and head to the airport for a 6PM flight back to Anchorage.  You can expect to be back in Anchorage by 8PM at the latest.
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife Photography Spring Cubs

Logistics

You will need to arrive at Merrill Field in Anchorage by 3PM on July 20th.  You can either choose to arrive the day before and stay overnight in Anchorage or arrive in the morning on the 20th.  Our flight to the wilderness lodge departs at 4PM.  Each person gets 50 lbs of gear for free.  Additional weight is charged at $1.18/lb.  Information on how to book your flight to/from the lodge will be sent after the 2025 schedules and pricing are available. As a reference, the round trip ticket is priced at $630 in 2024.

To protect your investment in this trip, we STRONGLY suggest you purchase Travel Insurance.  We have partnered with Squaremouth, a website that allows you to compare policies from multiple providers to choose the best one for you.

The lodge we are staying out is on the shores of a beautiful lake and is very remote.  Do not count on having Wifi or cell signal. Also, do not expect luxury-style accommodations. The rooms are spacious but basic (see photos in the lodge section below).  The base price assumes double occupancy. Single rooms are available for an additional fee. Delicious gourmet meals are provided by the in-house chef.  Lunches are of the sack-lunch variety as we will be out in the field.

We will have five full days of bear photography where our pilot will fly us to a location of our choosing.  This will allow us to visit new locations each day or return to the same place if activity is really good.  We will be able to access places where other people don't go.  The pilots and guides at this lodge know the locations and bears intimately.

In lieu of an in-person orientation session, we will hold a zoom meeting with all participants prior to the trip to answer questions and ensure you are setup for success.  We don't want any last minute surprises before running to the airport!  Once we have the flight info for next year, we will email you detailed information along with checklists for clothing and gear to bring.

Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife Photography
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife Photography Brooks Falls Long Exposure
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop

Take A Tour of The Lodge

**Flying is always subject to the weather.  In the event of bad weather, our outings may be delayed.  If we cannot fly at all, we will schedule an alternate location/activity for that day.

Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife

Pricing

$10,500/person + Tax

Trip Includes:

  • 5 nights double-occupancy lodging at the wilderness lodge.  Single-occupancy rooms available for an additional $1000.
  • 5 days of exclusive charter flights to different bear viewing areas in the greater Katmai, Lake Clark, and McNeil areas.
  • All meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages.
  • In-field photography instruction and guiding.
  • Chest waders
  • Post-processing and image critique
  • Pre-Workshop Zoom Meeting

Trip Does NOT Include:

  • Transportation to/from your home to Anchorage, AK.
  • Flight to the Wilderness Lodge. The 2024 round-trip ticket price was $630/person. We won't have next year's prices until sometime in 2025.
  • Alcoholic beverages.
  • Gratuities for Instructors, Local Guides and/or Pilots.

When you complete the checkout process, you will be given the option to either pay the full amount or put down a 50% deposit.  If you pay the deposit, the remaining amount will be charged 120 days prior to departure.  Since this workshop is done in collaboration with a third party operator, no loyalty discount is offered. See the full Terms and Conditions.

Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife Photography
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop David Swindler
Alaska Brown Bears Photo Workshop Wildlife Photography

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Josh Miller

Josh Miller

Photography Instructor

Josh has been a professional photographer and educator for more than
twenty years. His work has been published by National Geographic, Sierra Club, Audubon, Microsoft, The Wall Street Journal, and Outside Magazine. Josh is also passionate about the environment and shares his photographs and knowledge with conservation projects whenever possible.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Josh developed a passion for “the high country” and “bad” weather. He became interested in photography while working at Denali National Park for a summer job during college, and after graduation he moved to the mountains of northern California to spend as much time as possible climbing, skiing, and photographing in the Sierra. In addition to being a professional photographer, Josh is a California
credentialed art and science teacher. Josh and his wife spent seventeen years running an environmentally focused high school academy in Northern California where they were both honored as teachers of the year. Josh also loves to travel, and after the Covid pandemic, he and his wife spent nearly two years abroad traveling and photographing the world with their two young boys.

During workshops, Josh loves sharing his passions for the environment and travel, and his expertise as both an educator and photographer helps students improve their technical skills and feel comfortable pushing their creative boundaries.

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