5643. PHOTOGRAPHING BEARS.Travel advice, gear recommendations and camera technique. Charles Glatzer

PHOTOGRAPHING BEARS OF KATMAI NATIONAL PARK.

Travel advice, gear recommendations and camera technique. Charles Glatzer

 19 Feb 2024.
www.outdoorphotography.com   June/July 2021.

1. Seasonal habits of the bears of Katmai. Conducted over 150 trips.
2. Bear behaviour and safety.
3. Gearing up for Katmai National Park.
4. Photo gear for bear photography
5. Tips for bear photography success.

 

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Photo gear for bear photography
 

 CAMERA AND LENSES. Bring two camera bodies. He uses Canon EOS R5.
At least 3 lenses. Canon RF 24-105mm wide-to-telephoto zoom,  RF 100-500mm tele-zoom, either Canon EF 400mm f/2.8Lsuper-teleprime or 600mm f/4 super-teleprime.

If he wishes to go lighter,

Canon RF 24-105mm wide-to-telephoto zoom,  Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 Extender 1..4X which has a built-in 1.4X tele extender.

Filters: Rarely used as animals are most active at dawn or dusk. Does bring a polarizer and a 3-stop neutral density for times he need a blur effect or reduce glare in water highlights, 1-5 hard stop graduated ND for video. 

Stuff sacks.
Photo backpack
Raincovers
Tripod - no use if you intend to freeze motion at fast shutter speeds.

 Tips for bear photography success.

Visualise and figure out tools and technique to capture that vision. Look for the best vantage point, angle of view and direction of light. Your image should tell a story, not fill the frame with the subject. H maintains a subject size 25 - 30%  of the image to provide viewer with a sense of context and scale.
Composition and background.

As the Alaskan weather is overcast for most day, same light equals to same exposure. So he uses manual exposure mode, lock the exposure in-camera. Check histogram frequently, making sure youare close to the right edge without clipping highlights.

Try to get low. Shooting on the same level as the subject provides a more intimate and impactful glimpse into the animal's domain.You observe and share the world from the bear's perspective.