Cunningham Outdoors LLC
  • Home Page
  • Alaska Brown Bear Photography/ Katmai National Park in 2018
  • Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Photography 2017
  • Bio
  • Contact Us
  • Registration Forms
  • Blog
  • Gallery
    • Brown Bears from 2012 Workshop
    • Brown Bears from 2013 Workshop
    • Large Mammals (Big Game species) >
      • Mule and White Tailed Deer
      • Elk and Moose
      • Bighorn Sheep
      • Pronghorn
      • Bison
    • Waterfowl (puddle ducks)
    • waterfowl (diving ducks)
    • Bosque del Apache
    • Arizona Birds
    • Landscape Photography >
      • Grand Canyon
      • Navajo Country
      • Fall Colors
    • Arctic Tundra
    • Reptiles and Amphibians
    • South Africa and Namibia >
      • African Wild Dog - Elephants
      • Gemsbok through
      • Leopards and Lions
    • Game Birds >
      • NA Grassland Lek Species
      • Quail
      • Ptarmigan
    • Birds of Africa A - H >
      • African Birds Continued

Photography Equipment for Shooting Brown Bears in Alaska

3/16/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
What will I need?
Obviously an excellent question but not one with an obvious answer.  Short version would be the best you have, but here is a more informative list.
The two items you really can't do without is a camera that shoots well in low light and at least one long lens.  
It's going to be cloudy most of the time, and you will be shooting over bright water so you will have to overexpose, usually more than one stop.  Plus to bring out the bears sunken eyes it's usually best to push at least another 1/3 stop.  Hence to get the speed I need for a running bear in the water and to stop the action I'm usually set at ISO 1600.  If you have a camera body that can handle that speed without grain, you are good to go.  If not, I'd really suggest renting one for a week.  You're not going to get this opportunity often and you want to make the best of it.  Many bear photographers I know shoot a higher ISO than 1600 (3200 for a few) so I can't emphasize that enough.
What size long lens is harder to answer.  However, for the Katmai Trip I think a 500 is the ticket.  I've had people come with a 400 but I think they were a little disappointed. Especially since most cameras that shoot high ISO are full frame you will need distance "most of the time".  I personally like to have another camera close by with a shorter lens, I use a 70 - 200 with a 2x.  But the new Canon or Nikon 1 - 400 are much sharper than the old ones so they are great as well.  Teleconverters are great, as long as your camera body can handle the loss of light.  We will get close, too close for a long lens at times but I try to keep those encounters to a minimum. 
I had one person use a walking stick instead of a sturdy Tripod, but I would strongly suggest a sturdy tripod that is somewhat heavy.  You will be setting it up in moving water and you want it heavy enough that the current does not take it away.  Most graphite tripods are fine as long as you have a heavy Gimbal type camera mount that will let you swing with the bear.  I have a ball head that claims it's a gimbal mount but I would never use it for my camera in the water, not sturdy enough.
Filters such as a polarizing lens or ND are not really needed.  It would be nice to cut some of the glare from the water but I don't think you want to lose that much light.  I like my shutter speeds to be at least 1/400, and 1/250 at the lowest.  Rushing bears often blur at slower speeds.
Even though the larger camera companies claim much of their gear is water or weather proof I think it's silly to tempt fate.  I arrive with at least 4 rain sleeves to cover my camera and lens.  You can spend from $8 to $180.  I personally go with the $8 ones, and have not had a problem.  See this item on BandHphoto.com http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022872-REG/op_tech_usa_9001252_25_mega_rain_sleeve.html
They work fine for me but if you want a better one go for it.  I don't have a lot of need for rain sleeves in AZ.
You also will need a good sturdy camera bag, preferably one you that has a backpack type feature.  And it needs at least a rain poncho over it to keep it and your gear dry.  Each day we will leave the lodge and drive to the float plane dock, there you will load your gear in the plane.  When we land we may have as short of walk as 25 yards, or one as long as half a mile.
I think a helpful list for you to decide what to take would be to look at my own packing list
Camera bodies
Canon 5D Mark III (high ISO but full frame)
Canon 7D Mark II (not as good in low light but a superior video DLSR and I'm moving in that direction more and more)
Lenses
Canon 500 F 4, (I've had clients bring an 800 and were happy with it but it's not necessary; If I was going to rent a large lens it would be a 600 only because my best high ISO camera is full frame)
Canon 70 - 200 2.8 (I will almost always have one of the below on)
1.4 and 2X teleconverters
24 - 105 F 4.0 (I do like to get some landscape shots of the areas we visit as well).
I carry all of this in a LowePro backpack bag which is my "older version".  It's tougher, waterproof with a rain cover, and I don't care if it gets muddy, because it will.  My more often used Think Tank Traveller stays at home to stay cleaner.
I hope this list helps anyone that reads it, but most importantly any one that comes with me.  If you are on one of my trips, and you have any questions please drop me an email with your phone number and a time I can call so I make sure you understand what I'm suggesting.
Good shooting.



2 Comments
David Boldrick
6/8/2018 08:20:27 am

Great info. Coming in July and look forward to the experience
What about clothing to wear on the excu soon? David b 2018 /6/8

Reply
Stan link
6/20/2018 12:04:41 pm

Glad you found it informative, if you click clothing in the blog if will bring you to my suggestions. Where are you planning on going

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Stan Cunningham

    Archives

    September 2017
    November 2016
    March 2016
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    July 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Alaska
    Aspen
    Bats
    Battiste
    Bears
    Behavior
    Bill Forbes
    Biology
    Bird Photgraphy
    Birds
    Black Bear
    Bosque Del Apache
    Brown Bear
    Brown Bears
    Bugling
    Clothing
    Deer
    Digestion
    Elephant Head Pond
    Elk
    Florida
    Geese
    Gray Fox
    Grizzly Bear
    Harlequin Quail
    High Island
    Landscape Photography
    Migration
    Montezuma Quail
    Monument Valley
    Navajo Reservation
    Navigation
    Photography
    Quail
    Reddish Egret
    Safety
    Se Arizona
    Silver Salmon Lodge
    Texas
    Video
    Waterfowl
    Weather
    White Tailed Deer

    RSS Feed

  • Home Page
  • Alaska Brown Bear Photography/ Katmai National Park in 2018
  • Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Photography 2017
  • Bio
  • Contact Us
  • Registration Forms
  • Blog
  • Gallery
    • Brown Bears from 2012 Workshop
    • Brown Bears from 2013 Workshop
    • Large Mammals (Big Game species) >
      • Mule and White Tailed Deer
      • Elk and Moose
      • Bighorn Sheep
      • Pronghorn
      • Bison
    • Waterfowl (puddle ducks)
    • waterfowl (diving ducks)
    • Bosque del Apache
    • Arizona Birds
    • Landscape Photography >
      • Grand Canyon
      • Navajo Country
      • Fall Colors
    • Arctic Tundra
    • Reptiles and Amphibians
    • South Africa and Namibia >
      • African Wild Dog - Elephants
      • Gemsbok through
      • Leopards and Lions
    • Game Birds >
      • NA Grassland Lek Species
      • Quail
      • Ptarmigan
    • Birds of Africa A - H >
      • African Birds Continued