While on a photography trip to Alaska's Katmai National Park this September, our group landed the float plane on Crossroads Lake and proceeded directly to the tents for the next 20 hours due to the incessant rain and blustery 40mph (65kph) winds. After much time for solitary reflection, we emerged from our respective tents at about noon the next day to begin the mission of the trip with a some rain and no wind - photograph Alaskan Brown bears in their natural habitat.

Here is my new Alaska gallery that contains the best 22 images from this year plus the best from last years trip.

Before we get going, it's important to clarify the difference between Brown bears and Grizzly bears as people tend to use the terms interchangeably. In short, they are not wrong because both bears are from the same species - Ursus Arctos. Brown bears are the ones found on the coast and enjoy a marine diet while Grizzly bears are found more inland and enjoy a non-marine diet.

My wife and many of my friends asked me how would I be protected from the bears while sleeping in a tent in the middle of prime bear habitat on the Alaskan Tundra? The answer is fairly straightforward and has two components: 1) portable electric bear fences and 2) don't be stupid.

All together, we had three different sets of fences in our camp. The first protected the tent area which was always closed and electrified at night, so that was good. The second protected the industrial strength coolers that contained all of our food as well as anything with a scent (deodorant, lip balm, toothpaste etc). Fun fact: Brown bears can pick up a scent from as far away as 32km (20 miles), have a sense of smell 10 times better than a bloodhound and 2100 times better than humans. Next, the 'don't be stupid' component comes into play. If you put everything with a scent in the industrial strength coolers behind the electric bear fence then they won't come sniffing around you and your tent. The third and final bear fence was always activated and encircled the latrine (blue tent image below). I will refrain from elaborating further on the latrine but if you must know, just reach out and I will share.

That first day after the rain and blustery winds, I set out onto the Alaskan tundra while carrying 14 kg (30 pounds) of camera equipment in my backpack. Additionally, I wearing various layers of clothing, a hat and gloves and chest waders so I could walk through the streams and find the best photographic compositions.

After returning to camp that evening having logged about 10km (6miles) of tundra hiking and feeling reasonably satisfied about the images captured that day, I settled into an awkward camp chair to enjoy my freeze dried lasagna dinner. To conclude the long day, I zipped myself inside my cozy sleeping bag at dusk and quickly fell asleep.

Below please find some images from the trip.

photo credits - denise, alex and max

As you can see from the above images, the camp was laid out well except for the group tent which allowed a good portion of the wind and rain to permeate the area where we ate meals and chatted.

Today was the last possible opportunity for photography as we had to break camp and fly out the following morning. Enthusiastically, I left camp on foot at about 10am and 30 minutes later saw a few bears by the creek as well as on the tundra as they napped after stuffing themselves on the plentiful salmon from Moraine creek. At about 3pm, the light became intense and unfavorable for photography so we returned to camp to eat lunch and rest. It was decided that anyone who wished to head out again after lunch could do so for another 2+ hours tundra hike to look for more bears. Initially hesitating about going out again, I forcefully reminded myself that I travelled 10 times zones to be here so there was no choice but to go out again even if it meant a total distance of 14km (9.5 miles) for the day. Happily at 6pm, I was feeling reasonably recharged and proudly joined the late afternoon group having forgot about the extra hiking distance I would endure. Alex the guide and four of us headed back out across the tundra in search of more bears on a pleasantly sunny Alaskan afternoon.

A short half hour later, we arrived atop a plateau and immediately spotted a large bear moving along the creek to our left. Alex lead the way as we proceeded down a small hill to try and get into a better position to compose an image of him arriving around the bend of the creek. Normally, I am the last one in the group because I am constantly looking up, down, around and behind to make sure that I have not missed any cool images. That's when it happened.

All I heard was a massive SPLASH!!!. 2 seconds later to my left, I saw a frightened bear running at full speed in the creek and I managed to squeeze off about 40 photos at 10 frames per second. The best image from that sequence is the very first one above ("Eyes of Fear") in which you can both see and sense the fear in the eyes of the bear. Since bears run very fast, he quickly reached the shore about 50 meters (165 feet) away and began to walk up the hill and out of sight. Turning to the group, I asked about what happened and one of the guys admitted to slipping and falling down. Although I have no recollection of hearing his fall, It was the sound of his body hitting the ground that sent the bear into a fear-induced sprint. All I heard was the splash and relieved that he was gone, we all joyously chatted about what kind of images were captured of the frightened bear sprint while privately thinking how lucky we were that the bear left so quickly.

You will recall that I am the guy who is always last in the group and constantly surveying the area for any and all images. Suddenly, I look to my left towards the top of the hill and I see the bear! From a distance of about 25 meters (80 feet) he was approaching the edge of the hill to find out who and/or what scared him. The large bear then stopped at the top of the hill, looked down and we made eye contact. The image below entitled: "Confused and Drooling" is from that moment and one that I will not soon forget. Looking back on it, I recall being afraid because if the bear came barreling down the hill, I was the first person he would meet and I literally had nowhere to go. That would not end well for me. Calmly yet forcefully, I called out to our guide who was still in the creek down and to my right: "Alex, get your ass up here with the bear spray because the bear is looking at us from the top of the hill!!".

Instinct took over and a thought popped into my head. I told myself to think about being a harmless photographer and project towards the bear the vibes of a non-threatening being. So, that's exactly what I did while at the same time not moving other than to look into the viewfinder of my camera. I'm not sure if he felt those vibes or not but it sure as hell made me feel better. Several seconds later, I knew we were going to be OK when the bear shook off all the excess creek water and scratched his neck with his hind paw as if to settle himself down by doing something familiar. Shortly thereafter, he cautiously stood up, moved across the top of the plateau and away from the clumsy humans who sent him on a solo stampede of fear only a few minutes earlier.

And this, boys and girls, is why you should NEVER frighten a bear.

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