Brown Bear, Katmai National Preserve, Alaska.

And now, for something a little different.

Brown Bear Stalking Salmon, Katmai National Preserve, Alaska

Stay tuned…

Link 1

Link 2

And here is a link to my article on this area published on Photo Travel Review’s website.

Regardless of the weather, I can’t wait to get back up there. It’s vast beauty incarnate.

I also just read a comment on one of my recent posts and thought I would republish it here. A little shameless self-promotion. As some of you know, I just led a solo client workshop/tour earlier this month. My client, Matthew M., was from New Jersey. He contacted me after seeing an old ad I had placed in Outdoor Photographer Magazine. Here is his trip report from the epic adventure.

“Dave,
Loved your shots of our recent trip. Each one I saw brought back such strong memories. For those reading, I’m the solo client Dave just went out with. I had never met Dave but was intrigued by his ad in  Outdoor Photographer. I spoke with him on the phone and shared both my experience and my goals for this once in a lifetime trip to Alaska. He seemed like the perfect blend of logistics planner, pro photographer, Alaska guide, and patient teacher. Throughout the planning phase of the trip Dave carefully listened and expertly tailored the trip to meet both my needs and my abilities. I really appreciated his transparent approach to the costs and options while planning as well as his open and honest input as to where to put the money I had. His advice on what to bring (and what not to bring) was extremely helpful and saved me from spending hundreds of dollars on gear I didn’t need.
My arrival in Anchorage on a rainy Tuesday was was short lived as Dave met me at the airport and off we went to Homer. The drive was a great chance to get to know each other and Dave’s knowledge of the wildlife and terrain was encyclopedic. We arrived in Homer late that night, but already having shot photos of moose and a beautiful evening landscape outside Homer. Day 2 was a bit of a washout as our trip to Katmai was canceled due to weather. Dave was already thinking of ” plan B ” and off we went to shoot fireweed. The next day dawned overcast but we managed to get to Katmai via Bald Mountain Air Service. The team at Bald Mountain was knowledgeable and professional and the rest of the day was filled with shooting wonderful pictures of the bears. Dave really worked hard to help me see other ways to use my equipment and I quickly began to see an improvement in the photographs I was taking. The rest of the trip was just as rewarding. Dave was an outstanding teacher and guide and I would recommend him to anyone photographing in Alaska. Please feel free to contact me though Dave if you would like a personal reference. As for me, I’m already planning to return next spring for another great Alaskan photo experience with Dave. Thanks again for making this a once in a lifetime trip.”

Thanks Matthew, it was a real pleasure to work with you. Photo workshops are very rewarding for me, I really love doing them. Everything from the logistics planning ahead of time, the workshop itself, and the friendships made along the way. And all of my clients know that the learning doesn’t end when the workshop is over. I always make myself available beyond the workshop experience, and it is always great to keep hearing from past clients & new friends.

Workshop Client Matthew M. scoping out a field of tall grass at Tonsina Point, near Seward, Alaska.

It was a great trip. And like I said, and as you read what Matthew typed – I’ve got another one coming up early next summer. This will be a group tour, and a cooperative effort with a great friend and fellow photo workshop owner/instructor. But that’s all I’m going to tell you for you now… so check back often, I’ll have an announcement soon.

Now get out and shoot!

To quote Grandma, "Don't worry, there are more fish in the river..."

Brown bear on tundra, Katmai National Preserve, Alaska.

Spencer Glacier, icefall, seracs and crevasse. Prince William Sound, Alaska

God beams over Turnagain Arm, near Girdwood, Alaska

Remember to get out and shoot. Take care and stay tuned.

Anyway, back to my “eureka” multi-ment… I’m a lucky guy. No not with women – I’ve tripped and fallen through most of my relationships with the fairer sex (a few of which didn’t seem so fair, in the end); not with money – I probably owe more than my net worth; not with luck – if I had that perhaps the relationships would have been one with a really rich woman and I’d be retired by now.

But I do travel, and I meet people. Fascinating people, brilliant people, talented people, passionate people – people that shape lives. Mine to be more appreciative. I’ve compared my travels with old friends, I’ve done better than most – like I said I’m a lucky guy. I’ve been to Europe: Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina. I’ve been across the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean. Most recently, I live in Alaska – if there was a postcard for planet earth, Alaska could generate the best wild-lands/wildlife shots. Along with some of the most eclectic people. I have plans/dreams to visit Europe again, the Far East, the Mid-East (possibly the most misunderstood region inhabited by the most misunderstood people on planet earth), Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand, etc. 

Back to those people. Each and every one has been a life changer. Another multi-ment here. No matter who you are, or what you do – you shape others through your actions or lack of action. You shape opinions, biases, conceptions or fuel misconceptions. How you treat people will forever alter those peoples lives, consciously or not. Some people are generous, some are guarded, some are rude – but all are life changing because you react, again consciously or not. Reactions are like dominos, tip one over and the line topples. The butterfly effect… a butterfly flaps it’s wings in Australia and a few days later it rains in L.A. See? I told you this was deep.

My travels in Alaska have been the best yet. I’ve met a family of travelers from Holland (hello Jos, Jeroen, Sophie, Emma! Thank you for the Christmas Card!) experiencing America for a summer. Met them in Ken and Chris Day’s prepping cabin by Beluga Lake before we all boarded a floatplane for Katmai to visit the bears. I don’t know what it is about the Dutch and Swedes, but they don’t seem to produce unattractive people – or mean ones. The Berings could have modeled as a family, and given lessons on friendliness to the Dalai Lama – not just good, but great people. I hope they won’t mind, but here’s a pic they emailed me that I took with their camera as they posed in front of “Peaches”.

Copyright Bering Photography 2008

Then there are the aforementioned Ken and Chris Day of Emerald Air Service – a bear guide service based in Homer. Generous with their knowledge of bears and business, I will forever be indebted to them for their kindness and the experiences that I have due only to the same knowledge. I’ve met The Eagle Lady of Homer, Jean Keene. She’s been feeding tons of fish to the Bald Eagles on the Homer Spit since the late 1970′s, and just turned 85 this past October. She averages about 40,000 pounds of fish thrown to the eagles in a 130 day “season”. It’s late, so I won’t attempt the math. But suffice it to say, that’s a lot of stinky, slimy fish. But she loves the eagles, and all the other avians that frequent her yard. Those of us who visit her, some just get that once in a lifetime chance, others – like myself – see her several times a year to photograph the gathering of the eagles, will be forever changed by the spectacle of seeing 200-300 Bald Eagles gathered so close in such an idilic setting. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. And thank you to Steve, another Homer local, that helps nearly every day with Jean’s responsibilities.

Jean "The Eagle Lady" Keene taking a well earned break.

This weekend I met a Iranian born American named Ali Darvish. He’s possibly the most talented photographer I’ve ever seen, or met for that matter. And you won’t find a more passionate photographer and lover of life. This past Iditarod, he was flying in a small plane in rural Alaska (rural Alaska is different than rural Illinois…) when the plane suffered a catastrophic failure (I love that description, almost as much as this one…) and key pieces of the airplane fell off – namely, THE WINGS! I’m not a pilot or an aeronautical engineer, but even I know, planes don’t stay aloft very well when they lack wings. They tend to take on the trajectory of a lawn dart – remember those things? You can’t buy them for your kids anymore, but you can send your kids to pilot school… My dad has a phrase, “any landing you can walk away from”. But I take issue with what Ali went through as being a “landing”, don’t you need to have your gear down and still have the majority of the plane you took off with, to be considered a landing? Anyway, Ali is a fascinating guy – great stories from his world travels. I’d love to be able to post a link here to his online portfolio, but he actually knows less about computers than my own grandfather… sorry grandpa… But the key to Ali is – and he readily admits it – he has not desire to learn Photoshop and image manipulation. Seems ok with me, especially when you look at his raw, untouched images straight out of the camera. They don’t need to be worked on, immediate and perfected artwork. The guy just has raw talent, Photoshop CS4 (or whatever version is out now) be damned. He took about 50,000 images during his coverage of the Beijing Olympics. I’ve only seen a couple of them, but they are iconic in a way that I’ll probably never fully understand. They are a mixture of color, motion, and emotion. I hope he does a book soon, because I could look at his images over and over. They are just that inspiring. He has dreams of shooting for National Geographic, they could only be so lucky.

Then there were the Gullett’s. Spent a day with them on a boat in the Kenai Fjord’s National Park, near Seward. I don’t think I’ve ever met a happier or closer family. They welcomed me into their Alaska experience for a day, “forced” me to join them for dinner that evening, and I happily am still in touch with them. I hope to see them again next time they visit my “post-card state”. 

Team Work on the Mariah - Father Son "Gullett" Style

There are many more people that I’ve met in just 3 years, if you’re not named directly here – please know that you’ve shaped me just as much. I am only running out space in this novel;)

I overheard a conversation about me today, mostly by accident. I think it was meant as a criticism (which is fine, I can take it – I’ve found that once you’ve been shot at (oddly enough, not in the military), or walked near an unmarked mine field in a region torn apart by war and genocide, a persons criticisms are a pretty easy thing to handle – no matter how damning). This person said that I “approached photography to socialize, instead of take pictures”. I take issue with the second part, there’s nothing that I like more than taking photos, anyone who knows me understands that quickly. But the first part, “socialize” doesn’t seem as damning as it did when I first overheard the conversation. To meet people & share a moment (or if you’re really lucky, a multi-ment) of each others lives (even if just for a cab ride, or a weekend) – to socialize – what a lucky guy I am. Up to very recently, I’ve always resisted taking group photos or being a part of them – now, these people and having a photo memory of them, are some of my fondest photographs. I will endeavor to take more group shots, because traveling (and life in general) isn’t about where you’ve been or where you are going, it’s about who you meet along the way. To the life changers, each and everyone of us.

p.s. – watched a great documentary tonight. It’s about a guy that quits his great paying job to travel the world on the cheap for a year. It reaffirms my idea that it’s the people that make your life better, rather than the places you visit. A world tour is something I’ve wanted to do for some time now. I’m making a promise to myself right now, if Sixtyone North allows it, I’m taking a year off in the future, to do just that.

A Map for Saturday – documentary about a life changing backpacking trip around the globe. Highly recommended.

Brown Bears

Saturday was an amazing day. Tim and I drove to Homer the night before, arriving in the early hours of the morning. At 8:15 we met our guides & fellow travelers at the float plane dock of Emerald Air Service, on Beluga Lake. I’ve travelled with Ken and Chris Day before – they offer an incredible bear viewing service, travelling to the Katmai Coast throughout summer, and deeper into Katmai in the fall. Ken is a consummate pilot, and also guides during the fall. Chris (his wife) is also a renowned bear guide, and she has nearly 25 years of experience in Katmai. This dynamic duo consistently put photographers and bear viewers alike in safe situations near bears – how near? Well, keep reading!
As Ken preflighted the plane, Chris gave us a safety briefing and a detailed bear etiquette discussion. I’ve been through this briefing several times now, and she does an excellent job preparing you for the day ahead. Nothing is left to chance with Emerald Air, they take care of your every need each step of the way. They don’t skimp on adventure either, and the sights you see are immense and awe-inspiring. I can’t recommend their service enough.
We took off around 9 am, and quickly made our way over the absolutely glass-like seas of Kachemak Bay and the Shelikof Strait. Then we approached the Katmai Coast, approaching from Cape Douglas, passing Mount Douglas, Fourpeaked Mountain, Swikshak Bay and finally into Hallo Bay. We landed gently on the ocean and taxied closer to shore. Finally, we waded through the North Pacific Ocean to the shore in our hip waders. It was a beautiful day, with a slight breeze coming in off the ocean and slightly overcast skies (good shooting weather). Right on the shore, not far away, we saw a good omen. I’ve often thought of bald eagles as good luck, and right there were 2 of them, perched on drift wood. We prepped for the hike to come and set off, quickly sighting bears not too far off, and a few red fox (mother and kits) near their den. We photographed the mother fox as it approached us without fear, then skirted around us, leisurely poking in the driftwood and nearly oblivious to our presence. We moved on to photograph a few bears in some mud flats as they interacted and dug for clams. Further along we found ourselves being paralled by a large grazing male brown bear; he stuck close by as we photographed him and our group become more relaxed in the presence of these giants. All along, Chris pointed out fascinating facts regarding the bears, their diet, wildflowers, and other wildlife. Everything was amazing, and we soaked it all in. Soon, it was lunch, and we all sat on a group of driftwood in a lush meadow to share our lunchtime with 8 bear. After lunch we moved off into the meadows bathed in brilliant green sedge grasses, carefully stepping over and around bear scat (some people less successfully than others). We stopped frequently to photograph to our hearts content, and the opportunities kept improving every minute. In the mid-afternoon we approached a beautiful blonde female bear named “Peaches”. We stopped about 15 yards away and sat quietly, the frequent click of shutters the only human sound. Peaches was a bear that Chris was very familiar with, and the beautiful animal continued to graze lazily in our presence. She would nibble on grass as she walked, rarely lifting her head – so intent on her meal. Then she moved closer, and closer, and closer! I was on the far right side of our group, Tim to my left, and Chris (with the rest of the group) just beyond. Peaches kept meadering closer, and then – here she was – less than 2 feet away from me! Her coat shimmered in the soft light, her breathing easy, her eyes sparkling. I could hear several things: the soft chomping of her jaws on the grass, Tim’s fast camera blazing away at high speed (capturing every moment), a quite whisper from the group “Oh my god…“, and my beating heart. This was an amazing moment – it seemed to last forever, but was over all too quick. When she got closer (which the group agreed was about 18 inches from me), Chris slowly walked forward and said softly, “Ok Peaches, that’s close enough”. And Peaches just moved on, slowly continuing around my right side and away from our group.

Image copyright Tim Smith/Sixtyone North 2008    

I’ve been inches from bald eagles and just feet from dall sheep. But this was, by far, the most incredible experience of my photographic career. Absolutely amazing. I can’t admit to being totally fearless during the encounter – this was a first. But I wasn’t shaking from fear, just pure excitement and joy at such a gift. A gift that would not have been possible without Chris’s expertise with these beautiful creatures.
But this was not the end of our day. We moved to photograph a few bears not far away. One bear was rolling lazily in the grass, frequently on it’s back scratching it’s belly, one rear paw in the air.

Soon afterwards we watched (and of course photographed) another bear on the edge of a shallow stream laying down with its fierce looking paw beneath its chin. On the way back to the plane we encountered a lone young bear with a bit of an attitude. He quickly strode towards us, only a few steps, but Chris quickly put it in its place. Not with a word, or by clapping her hands (which she was preparing to do), but just by her pose. Dominant for such a tiny woman, she stood directly in front of our group and the bear quickly stopped and moved on. Amazing strength and knowledge.
Soon we were back to the beach, the tide quickly moving out. Ken brought the plane in as close as he could without running the pantoons into the mud. We waded out to him, water cresting our hip waders and quickly filling them with the cold North Pacific Ocean. As crazy as it sounds, it was the perfect end to an incredible day. I wouldn’t change a thing, except to maybe have stayed out there for several more days:)
Another BIG thankyou to Ken for an amazing flightseeing trip over and back, and Chris for keeping us safe and showing us once again that, when you look into a bears eyes – you glimpse eternity.