Gabrielle’s first week of floating on her back after jumping in. She even started dog paddling this week. Loves the water and smiles constantly when swimming.

I’ve been working on a number of articles on nature shooting that I feel could add to the wildlife photography conversation, but particularly following my articles about brown bear photography, I have been asked over and over again about focal length. I thought I’d start with a much shorter discussion of why all shots should, absent perfection, be wide. If  our pics are not in need of cropping, we’re not doing our job. In general, if our pics don’t need a crop (no matter how small) we’re not doing our job.

This may seem counter-intuitive. Wouldn’t it be better to use the “right” focal length and assemble the perfect composition. Sure. The problem is that that’s impossible.

 

Benefits of Cropping

There are a four reasons why we should love to crop.

The first is that no matter the focal length, some things just require more reach. So we crop to give us the illusion of reach. Luckily, we have enough megapixels these days to still have remarkably useable photos.

The second reason is that there are numerous looks that we might want. Perhaps a look with extra space above (for text), or a long panorama. A magazine cover might want tons of space above your subject. Some formats may need context, others not so much. Sometimes, we can garner these looks from the very same image.

The third reason, and I think the most important, is that nature is entirely unpredictable. Sit with wildlife shooters and you’ll realize quickly that images are lost for several reasons, but the most frustrating is when our object is moving out of frame. Wildlife moves quickly, and often unpredictably – and we give nature some extra space so that our photos are not lost because we failed to predict the unpredictable.

The fourth reason why being willing to stay wide helps us get sharper images: allowing ourselves the extra space gives the wildlife shooter a technical advantage. It is easier to nail focus from a shorter focal length. We get a wider cushion at any given aperture, so you don’t have to stop down as much for fear of losing your image to depth. Perhaps we could also avoid the tele-extenders that might cost us some sharpness. Sometimes we need this stuff – but what can be avoided might just offer the wiggle room to nail a shot that would have otherwise been lost.

Discussing One Photo (of a Million) That Still Tortures Me

Let’s close with a discussion of this Red Fox on the North Slope of Alaska. He was obviously going to lunge, but I didn’t know when. I used a 500mm with a 1.4x tele converter so I was out pretty far. Then I guessed wrong and lost the shot. In retrospect, the framing was probably too close anyway.  I didn’t want him centered. Maybe I even lost some sharpness with the teleconverter. My focal plane was so narrow and the light was low that I then proceeded to slightly miss focus. It was getting dark and I was already stopping down, so the teleconverter just sapped even more light. I could have saved all of that, and I would have saved the shot too, if I’d just backed off a bit. Hopefully, at some point throughout the remainder of my life, I’ll get the chance to see this again.

What is the “Right” Focal Length?  Whatever gets you the shot. What’s the wrong length? Whatever doesn’t.

Brooks is a remarkable place. It is a fairly simple, remarkably remote place for the wanderer, or the fisherman, or the nature viewer.  It is most known as a primary destination for the professional nature photographer, and a jumping off point for the Alaskan traveler heading to other points more remote.

This review/travelogue of Brooks is no typical hotel review. I am a subjective visitor, interested in sharing my opinion of value rather than an objective dissertation and comparison. I either had a good time or I didn’t. I don’t compare everything to a five star hotel, and Brooks is no five star hotel – rather I judge my experience in a much more subjective manner.  Did I get what was promised – and was it worth the cost (both financially as well as in time).

At Brooks, there is no pool. Some visitors stay in extremely expensive cabins in which the primary amenity is a toilet and shower. Cabins have two bunks – so it is not the place for lovers – and the small showers do suffer from the old fashioned scalding/freezing bursts of water.  I did say that the cabins are extremely expensive – not overly expensive, or ridiculously expensive, or anything of the sort. Those judgmental words would imply that I share in the opinion that only wealthy fools would pay for this stuff. To the contrary, you are paying so that you don’t have to camp in a mosquito infested oasis. Is it worth it? For many, sure. Full disclosure: I stayed in the cabin.

Campers pay far less for the opportunity to enjoy Brooks. Given the expense of the cabin, the cost savings are more than worth it for the average individual. There are severe food limitations (in other words… no food in the campground), so this is not the typical camping, but the next time I visit Brooks, my plan is to camp during my stay.

No food may be brought in to Brooks, or carried around. Brooks wins big in this regard, as it sells you meals for high prices. The upside is that the meals are very good – buffet style, and at fixed times. Miss the meal times and you go hungry.

The staff and guides are pleasant and helpful. No problems there either. If you don’t like someone, which is not uncommon on the travel road, and particularly given the diverse collection of people who leave civilization to hang out in the bear-infested wilderness, get over it. You’re not here for them. This, however, is not the place for strong wills. You listen to them and stay safe. But on the travel road, diversity of character is embodied in places such as this. I love it. If you don’t, there are other places on the planet that may be more suitable to you. Go to the zoo if you want. Here, you’re here for bears in their natural habitat, or the fishing, or whatever. Personally, I don’t like the zoo.

Shooting the Bears

Brooks Lodge is most famous for its bears, and it is perhaps the best Brown Bear (Grizzly Bear) photography in the world. There are a handful of elevated platforms for safe shooting, but the bears have fairly free reign, so they may appear anywhere at anytime. Guides offer a mandatory 10-15 minute bear education, and there have been no maulings in the history of Brooks (unless there is a nasty secret), but at Brooks humans and bears do cross paths, sometimes in very close quarters. During our stay, running (courting) bears practically ran into some people. Our job, however, is to offer a 50 yard (100 years from cubs) buffer zone and behave in a bear safe manner (and make lots of noise when we walk around).

Through the day, rangers monitor the location of the bears, particularly from the platforms and at the “bridge”. If a bear approaches either side of the bridge, the bridge is closed and people are forced to maintain position or move out of the way. This is typically known as a bear jam (like a traffic jam).

Here is a pic of the bridge under ‘normal conditions’.  Notice how the people just move across comfortably. Just no big deal. The rangers on both sides of the bridge are keeping an eye out and talking to one another, so the folks on the bridge know that there are no giant brown intruders.

Here is an image of a bear blocking one end of the bridge. He ultimately decided to take a nap, and this bear jam lasted for about an hour or so. This bear jam was interesting, particularly because it happened as the bears were transitioning from a rather passive day to a very active hour or so – with fishing, running, playing and some close approaches to some fishermen. One bear took a fisherman’s catch, and we saw the mom catch something to share with her cubs. The “interesting” part is that the day was so quiet that many of the pro shooters just tucked into the lodge. I had a good feeling so I spent nearly 2 1/2 hours on a platform while nothing happened.  When the activity picked up, the bear jam made it impossible for many pros to shoot because they got stuck well away from where the action was happening (see my related article on Patience for the Nature Photographer).

In this image, some fisherman found themselves in trouble as bears approached from multiple sides. This image shows a bear approaching from down the river. We were watching this closely as bear after bear came into the fishermen’s space – not intentionally, just randomly. The fishermen were zigging and zagging to separate themselves from each bear only to find themselves approached from another direction.

Photography

Of course, the meat and potatoes of the place is in the bear viewing. There are two main areas, one by the bridge (the above photos were taken in that area), and the other by the falls. With that said, bear sightings can happen anywhere at any time, and under most circumstances you can keep your distance and fire off a few rounds quite comfortably. The only “safe” area are on the platforms.

You’ll hear that Brooks “discourages” tripods on the platform. Maybe, but that is mostly to keep the guests respectful of one another. They’ll move you along as well after about an hour if there are folks waiting. No big deal. Hang out long enough and the action will present itself to you. Be respectful by squeezing the legs a bit (the tripods, not other peoples’ legs) and adjusting the tripod angle so that you limit your real estate.

You might be asking what kind of lens you should bring. Answer: There is no answer. There are the landscapes shot wide.  The falls were ideal with a 70-200mm lens for the most part. A little crop here and there and the frame could be filled, or left spacious. My preference is for there to be a bit of space, so the 70-200mm was perfect (I added a teleconverter for a fair bit). Looking through the longer glass is amazing, but I did find the awesomeness of the moment, such as looking inside the bear’s mouth while he devoured a salmon, did not result in great images.

Some photographers used the 100-400mm (Canon) or 200-400 (Nikon) and found that range quite suitable. I did miss the area longer than 200mm (that the 500mm just was too close to handle), so the 100-400mm might have been a better choice. My copy of the 100-400 lens is brilliantly sharp, and since I was stopped down a little bit anyway probably wouldn’t have lost too much in the translation.

The 500mm was ideal for much of my stay on the platform near the bridge. Not only that, some of the action (like the bear with cubs image below) was so far off that I used the 500mm with a 1.4x T.C. on the Canon 1D Mark IV which has a 1.3x crop factor. That makes my zoom like … holy hell far (910mm). There were other times the 500mm was just way too far, and I put that on the 5d Mark II body (full frame) so that I could lose some of that focal length, and I’d put the 70-200 with the TC on the Mark IV. My point… two bodies with two different crop factors allowed me to constantly customize my shooting. One thing  is for sure – the bears don’t care about your  focal length, and what is far could become close very quickly. I did learn quickly to keep both bodies out and ready.

Here are some shots at the falls. Just an amazing place to catch this incredible action.

Be cognizant of mosquitoes and moisture. Brooks is a haven for both. Bring (or buy) spray and use netting if it makes you more comfortable. As every nature shooter knows, comfort is key or your images will suffer. Bring a rain cover. Avoid changing your lenses as much as you can to avoid sucking moisture and dirt inside your lens. I try to shoot with these awesome gloves that I picked up at REI, but found myself so caught up that I’d often forget to pop them on.

So that’s it. I’ve been home only a few days and have tried to offer some examples from the place. Still quite a few images to sort. More to come!

In Conclusion

My review of Brooks concludes by saying that Brooks is very much what it advertises to be. Bear viewing in the middle of nowhere, with mosquitoes and a moisture in rustic cabins and campgrounds.

The food however, while expensive, was quite tasty.

I’d go back again in a second.

As a photographer, I am a witness to nature, not a controller of it.  I take what it gives me.

Patience is, quite simply, an act of force. We cannot just “be” patient. Sometimes we just pretend to be. It can agonizing, particularly during days such as the one I had today. I was sure that there was some Grizzly bear action somewhere, and yet I stood, and sat, and stood, and sat, on another platform surrounded by water and fish – yet surrounded by nothing worthy of a photograph.  No bears at all.  My experience told me not to panic, although my flight out of Brooks Lodge on Katmai Island in Alaska was going to depart only a couple of hours later.  If I lost the shot today, I possibly lost it forever.

I stayed and more than a couple of hours of nothing passed by.  Unlike many of the other more photographers, I forced myself not to leave. My experience told me that things could be coming my way.  I was not going to follow the action (and the restless). Today I was going to let the bears come to me.

Photographers can become impatient and frustrated, particularly those who make their living shooting.  Some went back to the lodge grumbling a bit.  If you want the shot, tuck in.  The words of an old mentor echoed in my mind that being at the right place at the right time means… in this case… not being inside the lodge. Today Momma Nature would decide when and if I would get what I wanted. Or maybe she might offer something else entirely.

Then, almost to prove my point, without pomp, barely noticeable, a bear walked along the beach on the other side of the bridge and took a nap near the foot of a bridge leading to our vantage point. In doing so, the park rangers closed the bridge so that ironically the photographers who were not on my side of the bridge could no longer get across (to any good photographic angle). Then, another bear wandered over near some fishermen. A third approached from our back quarter to start fishing, and running. Then… big momma bear and her three cubs were participating in the action.  Another two bears in the bush popped their heads up and down.  Things became active and animated and the shutters from those of us on the platform started firing.

It’s hard for me (like everyone) to be perfectly patient. Nature shooting not only demands sitting through the quiet times, but also requires a tacit (even a pretend) agreement not to be jealous of our colleagues’ shots when they are somewhere else creating magnificent posters. Even two side-by-side photographers will not see, or shoot, the same things, and oftentimes one shooter gets those brilliant moments to the frustration photographers standing just a couple of feet away. It is hard for me not to kick myself when I mis-focus, or fail to capture something in the periphery.  And it really is hard to celebrate others’ successes when we “losers” were so damn close.

There is payback sometimes as well. I’ve gotten my share of wins – and today was another of them. If I ran around following the action I might never catch anything at all. I’ve learned that I don’t get to shoot everything, but hanging tight, being technically ready and aware is the key to getting something brilliant – from time-to-time.

That is, after all, what we’re here for.

Here are a few of the shots from that period of time.

As I get things done, I’ll post – and accordingly I am happy to share a little compilation of some of our bear shooting at Brooks Lodge on Katmai Island, Alaska. A great trip to the Alaskan Outback!

This was a photo trip, so the video was an adjunct to the photography – so I didn’t have proper video sticks or a head (only using my Really Right Stuff ball head – awesome for pics, very challenging for video), particularly given the focal lengths I was shooting at (some were at 500+1.4xTC). Also, since I didn’t anticipate when I’d shoot video, I didn’t change the shutter speed to give it more flow – so it is still a bit jerky at a very high shutter speed. Should have been more aware. Anyway, the video will bring back some incredible memories.

Here is a sample shot of a bear at Brooks Lodge. As I get the pics edited, I’ll post a bunch of others – many that I think are probably going to be really quite awesome.  This really was a terrific trip and some of the best bear viewing in the world.

I’m a Canon guy, shooting with Canon 1d Mk IV, Canon 5d Mk II, Canon 500mm IS and Canon 70-200mm (sometimes each with a Canon 1.4x tele-converter).

A more complete review of Brooks Lodge to follow soon.

 

Here is a shot of the Crescent Nebula with the new camera. It was a single shot through a H-alpha (red) filter. There continue to be challenges during these sessions as I learn the new gear, but I was pleased to see that things continue to get better and better.

Unlike my last session, I figured out how to get the autoguider working.  The answer… use the correct cable.  This wasn’t my fault – rather the store sold me the wrong cable.  Ok – so that problem is fixed.  Still there are guiding problems that I’m not sure what to do to fix.  Maybe flexure.

The next problem related to some problems with the dark frames.  Again, I don’t know what happened, but there were artifacts all over the calibrated image. So this image isn’t using the darks.  Next time I’ll shoot a fresh batch.

Shot with QSI 583, Takahashi FSQ-106N, Losmandy G11, SBIG STV guiding, etc. Diggin’ it!

 

Nature/wildlife photographers who travel have a unique challenge – our scenes often involve places of less than easy travel.  Right now, for instance, I sit on the floor of an airport in a town (King Salmon, AK) with no internet or cell phone. Several flights tonight have already been cancelled, but ours is still scheduled – if only 7 hours late. Our connection has already been missed, our hotel room deposit at our destination is lost, and there is no longer any guarantee that we’ll even make our rescheduled flight.

My travel companion (thankfully I have one on this trip) and I have been back and forth to the local dive several times already this evening – and we are preparing to head back one last time.

Do not be fooled. This is not a complaint. This, to the contrary, is par for the course. I’ve been on small flights powering dangerously through heavy weather, and have slept on airport floors more times that I care to think about. The traveler, despite his or her ego/arrogance, is nothing special en masse. We are cattle – and more so than we are traveling, we are being shipped.

Is this frustrating? Of course. I am craving time with my family, and can’t wait to give my daughter a stuffed bear and big hug. I am tired. I’d get a local room if they only could tell me if my flight will be ultimately cancelled. By the time we get that notice, the rooms will be taken.

Instead, I write this blog entry on the dirty floor. This photo is me, at this exact moment in my drafting. On the upside, I have some pretty killer grizzly bear photos. For instance, see the photo that follows. The travel is the cost of admission.

We’ll visit on lots of issues to come. We’ll talk about packing gear and being an effective shooter – but tonight it is just about finding a comfortable spot in a remarkably uncomfortable place. I sure wish that I could call home – but that’ll just have to wait. That’s the unfortunate part.

UPDATE: We not only missed our connection, but the next two flights out of Anchorage the next day.  Our flight is scheduled to depart now at 5:30pm.  If that goes well, it will have been a 32 hour journey and I’ll miss Gabrielle’s bedtime the following day as well.

UPDATE UPDATE: I did get home 33 hours after leaving Brooks Lodge.  To avoid waking my wife I slipped into Gabrielle’s bed.  She woke up and saw me next to her and was super excited with hugs and kisses. Travel!  What travel?

 

After our spill into the chilly water outside of Seward (we flipped the kayak), I was introduced to a family of Dall sheep (particularly a ewe and lamb) on the highway back to Anchorage. Here are a couple of the shots – unedited.

Now… back in the hotel room we are finally ready to head to Brooks Lodge in search of some bears. This is a trip I have thought about for several years, and tomorrow should be a very special opportunity. Fingers crossed.

We’re back on shore after a chilly unexpected dip.

Randy and I took a surprising swim after our kayak was swamped by a breaker that hit us broadside. No photos at all on this much-abbreviated trip; with our cameras safely tucked into our dry bags. Randy had snapped a couple of photos earlier in the trip, but I hadn’t even had time to take the camera out. For what it’s worth, that is a big deal as we are finally getting ready for our journey to Brooks Lodge to photograph some Grizzlies. Would hate to go without our cameras.

Here is a shot of Randy, just getting ready to dry off.