Agenda: August 20-24, 2022 Nature Photography Workshop #1
Agenda
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Saturday, August 20, 2022
- Floatplane from King Salmon to Brooks Camp in Katmai
- Mandatory NPS bear safety course at Brooks Camp
- Lunch at Brooks Lodge
- Afternoon photography and introduction to the area
- Dinner at Brooks Lodge
- Late afternoon and evening photography (photograph until ~ 10:30 PM)
-
Sunday – Tuesday, August 21-23, 2022
- 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
- Early morning landscape and wildlife photography
- 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Breakfast
- 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
- Field photography
- 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Lunch
- 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
- Break, rest period. Download and backup photos.
- 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- Field Photography
- 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Dinner
- 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
- Field Photography
- 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
-
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
- Morning photography in the field
- Breakfast
- Pack and floatplane back to King Salmon for your return flight home
Agenda: August 24 - 28, 2022 Nature Photography Workshop #2
Agenda
-
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
- Floatplane from King Salmon to Brooks Camp in Katmai
- Mandatory NPS bear safety course at Brooks Camp
- Lunch at Brooks Lodge
- Afternoon photography and introduction to the area
- Dinner at Brooks Lodge
- Late afternoon and evening photography (photograph until ~ 10:30 PM)
-
Thursday – Saturday, August 25-27, 2022
- 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
- Early morning landscape and wildlife photography
- 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Breakfast
- 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
- Field photography
- 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Lunch
- 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
- Break, rest period. Download and backup photos.
- 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- Field Photography
- 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Dinner
- 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
- Field Photography
- 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
-
Sunday, August 28, 2022
- Morning photography in the field
- Breakfast
- Pack and floatplane back to King Salmon for your return flight home
Agenda: Sunday August 28 - September 1, 2022 Workshop #3
Agenda
-
Sunday, August 28, 2022
- Floatplane from King Salmon to Brooks Camp in Katmai
- Mandatory NPS bear safety course at Brooks Camp
- Lunch at Brooks Lodge
- Afternoon photography and introduction to the area
- Dinner at Brooks Lodge
- Late afternoon and evening photography (photograph until ~ 10:30 PM)
-
Monday – Wednesday, August 29-31, 2022
- 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
- Early morning landscape and wildlife photography
- 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Breakfast
- 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
- Field photography
- 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Lunch
- 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
- Break, rest period. Download and backup photos.
- 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- Field Photography
- 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Dinner
- 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
- Field Photography
- 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
-
Thursday, September 1, 2022
- Morning photography in the field
- Breakfast
- Pack and floatplane back to King Salmon for your return flight home
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the workshop limit is not reached?
If the workshop limit of two photographers per 5-day workshop is not met for the workshop you registered for I will fully refund your workshop fee. I will let you know as soon as the minimum is met.
Will there be bears in late August at Brooks Camp?
In past years I have photographed bears in August at Brooks Camp / Brooks River. In early-mid August, many of the bears will go to creeks around Naknek Lake to optimize their salmon fishing. Most of these bears return to Brooks River in late August when the spawned out salmon provide easy food for the bears.
In recent years I am noticing more bears staying at Brooks River in August.
Here is a 2018 article discussing bears in August on the Brooks River.
Here is a 2021 video that shows and discusses bears on the Brooks River in August.
Here is a NPS 2015 article on bears in August.
We will take one day trip to a remote area of Katmai National Park to photograph bears in a smaller stream. I will pay for this one day trip. If we decide as a group to make additional trips to any of these remote areas, you will be responsible for paying for those additional trips (approximately $250/person/day). In my past workshops I have found that one remote trip is optimal.
How much hiking will we do each day?
The mileage from the Brooks Camp campground to the lodge and ranger station is 1 mile and flat, along the shores of Naknek Lake. We will do this walk at least two times per day. There is a gear storage locker at the ranger station where you can leave items while you are out photographing.
The mileage from the lodge area and lower river area to the falls platform is 1.5 miles. We will hike this at least two times per day. Often we will wade up the Brooks River and then access the trail close to the elevated walkway that leads to the Riffles Platform and the Falls Platform.
How difficult is wading in the river?
We will wade through a marshy area to access the Brooks River. We will cross the Brooks River in the wider and shallower areas. When we wade the river we will be very “bear aware” — which requires us to move upstream, downstream, in/out of the river to give the bears and salmon lots of space. Sometimes we have to stay put at a given location until the bears move, on their own accord.
Having one extendible/collapsable hiking or trekking pole, with an attachment leash and carabiner, helps you to stabilize yourself while wading.
We will stay in a group for safety while wading and for minimizing our presence and impact on bears while we wade and hike.
Having a small waterproof daypack (drybag pack) is helpful for carrying your expensive camera equipment while wading.
Getting to Brooks Camp, Katmai
- You need to arrive in King Salmon, Alaska (AKN) on the first day of your photography workshop unless you plan on spending a night in King Salmon (sometimes difficult to do…)
- Flights from Anchorage (ANC) to King Salmon (AKN) can be booked with Katmai Air or Alaska Airlines.
- Please ensure your arrival time in King Salmon is early in the day, before the last Katmai Air floatplane flight into Brooks Camp.
- Katmai Air. 800-544-0551
- Alaska Airlines
- You will then take a floatplane from King Salmon into Katmai National Park
- IMPORTANT: Please contact Katmai Air to book your floatplane flights — let them know your arrival time in King Salmon.
- Please book your roundtrip flights: King Salmon –> Brooks Camp –> King Salmon so you arrive at Brooks Camp on the first day of your workshop, and leave Brooks Camp on the last day of your workshop. You will not be able to arrive earlier or stay longer in Brooks Camp – since the campground reservations are all booked.
- I will reimburse you ($290) for the floatplane portion of your travel. AKN –> Brooks Camp –> AKN
- You are responsible for booking your flights.
- You need to coordinate your flights into and out of Anchorage so that you arrive/leave King Salmon in conjunction with the Katmai Air flights
Please coordinate/communicate with me your proposed flight itineraries.
Register
You will get an email confirmation if your registration is successful, if you did not receive an email confirmation, please contact me
