Eye to Eye with Bears

Does this sound like your kind of adventure?

Being eye to eye with a coastal brown bear is one of the greatest privileges of my life. It’s humbling, exhilarating, and deeply moving all at once… and for the first time I will have the additional privilege of sharing that experience with five lucky individuals on my 2026 Alaska & the Bear Coast photography workshop. The trip sold out shortly after announcing it, so I’m looking ahead to 2027 and and gauging interest in the hopes of running this workshop again. The dates I’m looking at are August 7-14, 2027. Those dates will include four nights at a lodge in the heart of bear country where we’ll fill our days photographing these incredible animals, often from just a few steps away.

Going into my first trip to see and photograph these bears, I knew I would be close… but I had no idea how close! On my first outing, it didn’t take long to realize my 600mm lens was far more than I needed. After we located a bear, our guide positioned us along a line he suspected she would follow as she grazed. Moments later, my first brown bear was only feet away, too close to focus on. It was a gift. I set my camera down and just watched. Experiencing her size, her presence, and looking into her eyes brought more reward than any photograph ever could. I didn’t feel fear. I didn’t feel adrenaline. I felt calm. Grounded. At peace. That was the first of many close encounters.

The most meaningful came on my final day. Once again, we waited quietly along a grazing line. And once again, a bear drifted toward us until she was just feet away. I had a different lens with me, much wider, and I could have kept photographing her, but I lowered my camera so I could just watch and enjoy the experience. I could hear her breathing. I could hear the grass being chewed between her jaws. I could see every hair, every patch of shedding fur, every bit of sand and grit clinging to her coat. The intimacy of it was so overwhelming that it brought tears to my eyes.

When she finished grazing, the sow turned her back to us, laid down, and closed her eyes… think about that. That was the greatest compliment she could have given. It showed that she had complete trust in us.

For 2026, tuition for this all-inclusive workshop is $9,750, and I expect 2027 to be similar. If you’d like a better idea of what to expect, you can take a look at this year’s listing HERE.

If you think you might be interested in joining me in 2027, send me a note through my contact page. This isn’t registration, and it doesn’t hold a spot or commit you to anything. It’s simply a way for me to gauge interest. If this sounds like your kind of adventure, let me know so I can start planning for 2027!

I captured all of these images, and many more, during a single week in Alaska. You can view the full collection from this trip on my website.

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More upcoming workshop opportunities:

June 1-5, 2026

Join me for one of my favorite events of the year… firefly season in the Smokies! The highlight of this workshop is photographing the world-famous synchronous firefly display, a rare natural wonder that happens only once a year and only for about two weeks. After nightfall, beneath a dense canopy of old-growth trees, thousands of fireflies flash in unison, filling the forest. Believe me, it is unlike anything you’ve ever seen… and that is just the beginning!

Join me in both the Smokies and in the Finger Lakes (see below), and you’ll receive $400 off registration!

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June 9-13, 2026

Join us for a photography workshop in the beautiful and incomparable Finger Lakes Region of New York! We will visit several parks and explore the gorges and waterways of this unique landscape while photographing countless waterfalls and cascades. We will visit well-known locations such as Rainbow Falls in Watkins Glen State Park, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The number of cascades and waterfalls in the area is astonishing, and the fairytale views, like that of Rainbow Falls, are plentiful throughout.

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