Acerca de

July 26th - July 31st 2025

Join Nikon Ambassadors Kristi Odom and Tamara Lackey on an Adventure to Remote Alaska!

Bears, Float Planes and Photography

Welcome to the ultimate photography adventure deep in the Alaskan wilderness! This is your chance to capture breathtaking images of some of the most awe-inspiring wildlife in the world, in the company of two Nikon Ambassadors: Tamara Lackey and Kristi Odom. Our seven-day workshop is designed for photographers and filmmakers of all levels who are passionate about capturing the beauty and power of bears and other wildlife in their natural habitat. Our base camp is located in the wildest part of Alaska, on the North shore of Lake IIiamna, surrounded by 18 million acres of roadless wilderness. This remote location is accessible only by bush plane, and our lodge is nestled between the pristine and wild Bristol Bay and both Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks & Preserves.

Every day will be its own adventure! Our expert guides will lead us on a journey to discover the best opportunities to observe and photograph Grizzly Bears and other Alaskan wildlife. We will have our own float planes, bush planes and boats to transport us to the most stunning locations for photography and filming. After our daily transport into the wilderness, we will embark on hikes to seek out the local wildlife such as Grizzly Bears. Keep in mind, the bears dictate how far we hike and we expect to average 3-5 miles (or less) roundtrip per day based on previous experiences in this location. So if you're ready for an adventure in addition to an incredible photography experience, this workshop is definitely for you.

With the flexibility of having our own planes, we'll have the freedom to explore and discover the wilderness, and create memories that will last a lifetime. And with two Nikon Ambassadors by your side, you'll have the opportunity to learn from the best and take your photography and filmmaking skills to the next level.

So pack your bags, grab your camera gear, and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Join us on this epic photography workshop in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness, where every day is a new opportunity to capture unforgettable images and create unforgettable memories. Book your spot now and experience the magic of Alaska like never before!

Animal conservation and ethical travel are at the core of everything we do. We believe that as photographers, it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the wildlife and their habitats that we capture through our lenses. That's why we only work with outfitters and partners who share our commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism practices. We strive to ensure that our workshops not only provide incredible photographic opportunities but also make a positive impact on the environment and the local communities we visit. By promoting ethical travel and animal conservation, we aim to inspire others to use their cameras as a tool for change and help create a better world for all.

Photo Credits: Kristi Odom, Tamara Lackey, Steve Lackey, Jane Takagi and Charlie Finn

ITINERARY

The Following is a sample itinerary and will change. With the flexibility of having our own planes, each day is its own adventure!

Day 1

You will have an afternoon flight from Anchorage to Iliamna getting our first glimpses of remote Alaskan wilderness from the small plane. If the weather is clear, you might see glaciers and mountain tops. Following arriving at the Iliamna Airport, you will be greeted and transported to the lodge. After introductions, the crew will help get everyone’s gear into their cabins. Once you’ve had a chance to settle into your cabin, we’ll all meet in the main lodge, for our first meal. After dinner we will meet in the main lodge also called the “great room,” with its amazing panoramic views of Lake Iliamna and Roadhouse Mountain, this will be our natural gathering place. You can relax, socialize, play a game of pool, or just sit back and soak in the view. We will have an opening class, getting you ready with technical tips and tricks for photographing and filming bears!

Day 2

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, we will board one of the lodge’s aircrafts, and our bear adventure begins! One of the main things that sets this workshop apart from most is that we will have access to a fleet of five aircraft throughout our stay. In addition, the seaplanes are capable of landing on rivers and lakes and the bush planes can land on beaches, gravel bars and ridge tops. These planes will be paired with boats, all set aside for our use.

We will land in Katmai on a small alpine lake in one of the lodge’s float planes. After landing, our guide will lead us on a walk through the Alaskan remote wilderness. There, we will spend the day hiking and photographing the wildlife that we see. Our guide has led bear-viewing trips there since 1978 and knows the area intimately. They will help to ensure that we get the best images and bear-viewing experience possible. Afterwards, we will return to the plane and begin our short flight back to the lodge.

After a delicious dinner, we will review some of the images we all captured, with the opportunity for additional image critiques and photography technique walkthroughs. Lastly, we will step through our plan for the following day.

Day 3

Once we’ve enjoyed our full breakfast, we will fly to Brooks Falls to capture iconic images of fish jumping up the falls - often to be greeted by the jaws of countless hungry bears!

On our flight back to the lodge, we will fly over the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, past mount Katmai, over the giant caldera of Crater Lake, and then past Novarupta with its many steaming volcanic vents and its 30,000-year-old glaciers. We’ll arrive at the lodge with appetizers already waiting, followed by another incredible dinner, image sharing and critiques as preferred.

Day 4

On this day, we will leave the lodge in the late morning, after a hearty breakfast, and arrive on the Katmai coast. We’ll land on a remote lake with our float planes. Our mission for the day will be to photograph bears digging for clams on the coast and eating sedge grasses. It is also common to see a wolf on or near this secluded beach. There will be more walking on this day because the bears may be spread out anywhere along the tidal flats, or they may be napping in the tall grasses.

Day 5

Today, some of our workshop participants will choose to fly to Twin Lakes to view and photograph the Dick Proenneke log cabin. (One Man’s Wilderness). We’ll shoot photos while flying over the turquoise water of Lake Clark, the Dall sheep in the higher tundra, caribou, and the extraordinary glaciers of Lake Clark National Park. The plane will touch down on Upper Twin Lake, a mere 100 yards from the historic homestead site built by Dick Proenneke. The history is well documented and preserved by the Park Service.

The other group will head out to spend more time with the bears and get more photos of them in the remote Alaskan wilderness.