Just a couple of spots remain in my late July and early August Katmai bear tours in Alaska – now is the time to sign up if you’ve been thinking about attending this workshop! For some time now, we’ve been leading two trips here a year. Next year there will likely only be one on the calendar due to scheduling trips for upcoming book projects. I anticipate that sole trip will sell out quickly, so if you want to ensure a spot on this epic trip, why wait?
One of the biggest selling points of our workshop is the amazing support we have on the ground. The team we work with lives and breathes the Alaskan wilderness, and are as familiar as anyone on the planet with the locations and habits of the bears we aim to photograph. With a lodge, our own pilot and meals included, your only job is to pack your gear and make it to Anchorage – we will take care of the rest!
Lets talk about the real reason you go on a trip like this – the adventure into the Alaskan wilderness to photograph the great Alaskan brown bears! While they fish, play, and wrestle they show us all why it’s so important to protect these natural spaces. This is, after all, their home – as familiar and important to them as our own back yards are to us. With great respect, we are in their territory. The unique life-long connection you’ll find you now have to these bears is enriching far beyond our time here. It’s definitely left an impression on me!
Check out photos from last year’s trip, then reserve your spot to come along in July and August!
The Carmel coast in California is a captivating blend of rugged natural beauty and abundant wildlife, making it a haven for photographers. This coastal landscape offers the rocky cliffs and pristine beaches you’d expect, with seals, sea lions, otters and shore birds animating the landscape. When I’m here, I’m keeping an eye out for the abstract opportunities reflected upon the water, and familiar forms on oxidized rocks and minerals.
Variety is an important factor when I’m picking out workshop locations. Many of my personal trips in specific for book projects have me making a long trip just hoping to capture a few iconic shots of a certain species, event, or culture. When I have the opportunity to lead a workshop, variety is a huge factor in determining how frequently we might revisit a location. The Carmel coast has variety in spades as described above, but also the many forests, redwoods, and other inland sights within striking distance.
Needless to say, this is also a top-tier location for enjoying wine and food with good company as well. Looking forward to the next visit!
March was a return to two favorite places for US workshops – Moab, Utah and Sedona, Arizona. You’ll find photos of these locations adorning postcards and in establishing shots of any films that might take place in the region. While we are there, participants are encouraged to get these iconic shots. However, our focus is on a process I mention a lot – seeing beyond the obvious. To that end, abstractions in reflections or studies of texture become works of art using your camera as your brush – unique shots most tourists won’t be coming away with!
During this trip we made a stop at a local junkyard where shots of old, rusted vehicles became our subjects. It’s an interesting transition to go from shooting an actual landscape to visualizing an abstracted vista in the rusted side-panel of a dilapidated truck. Unless I have very specific goals in mind for a wildlife trip, or something absolutely dedicated to culture, I try to find the time to shoot abstract images everywhere I go. It’s an exercise akin to keeping a sketchbook as a fine artist – a way to exercise your photographic muscles, and perhaps creating your own inspiration for future projects along the way.
I recently used a shot from this trip to illustrate the importance of using a polarizing filter, so don’t forget to pack yours if you head Southwest! it’s an invaluable tool for any landscapes to ensure colors are vivid, and especially important in a location with clear, sunny skies with so much reflected light.
Witness the Real Bears of Katmai featured in my videos and latest book Wild Lives! There is just as much drama happening out in the Alaskan wilderness as there is in any Real Housewives show!
A few spots available in both of my upcoming Katmai Bear tours – they’ll fill up as we get closer to summer, and people begin to make their travel plans – don’t miss out, sign up today and ensure your spot! This is the location where I captured the cover of my least book, Wild Lives. Join me and capture your own iconic photographs!
10 REASONS TO JOIN ART WOLFE IN KATMAI, ALASKA THIS SUMMER!
1. Coastal Brown Bears are beautiful and powerful, and to be in the presence of an animal in it’s lush and beautiful natural habitat is humbling.
2. Experienced leadership! I’ve been coming here for years and our operation is a well-oiled machine at this point. We have a great relationship with our contacts on the ground that will allow for participants to focus on what matters most – taking memorable photographs, and having a great time!
3. Speaking of our contacts, we have two dedicated pilots and four planes at our disposal. Not only is this convenient, but it means we have the utmost flexibility to change our plans depending on weather conditions. If the group cannot fly, we can always take the group up to Lake Clark to see the bears digging for clams, or numerous other opportunities.
4. The remote Katmai Coast is the largest intact stretch of uninhabited coastline left in North America, and provides a rich and contextual backdrop for the bears.
5. The lodge has a top-notch cook, so the group can enjoy delicious meals while reminiscing about the day’s adventures on the tour.
6. Late July and early August is the peak of the salmon run, and is why we reserve these times with our local experts and accommodations well in advance. The rivers are running with beautiful red salmon, which is an excellent secondary element for fantastic photographs.
7. I’ve been such a frequent visitor of this location that I can recognize individual bears by sight and in many cases can predict their behavior and identify their strengths, giving us a distinct leg up in capturing them at their best. If an individual is known to be an expert fisher, rest assured I can point them out to ensure we capture the best possible action on the river!
8. We work with the local lodge owner whom scouts the area before our group arrives to ensure we have a good idea of where the bears are going to be. This cuts down the amount of hiking the group needs to do so we can get right into photographing.
9. We always find several mothers with young cubs and they are generally not intimidated by humans, so our groups can sit and photograph the cubs as they run and play for hours if we like.
10. As mentioned, this is where I captured the cover of Wild Lives as well as numerous other iconic shots – and every year I seem to come away with new ones. The opportunities here are unlimited. Come and create your own epic shots!
Check out the events page for more information. These workshops always sell out, so reserve your spot today to ensure you don’t miss out!
This April, my workshops come home with a special two-day Seattle event focused on helping you find YOUR creative vision! This was such a success last time that we are doing it again and I can’t wait to share what the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
We will kick things off with a meet and greet at my home with Hors d’oeuvres and beverages. I’ll also be sharing photos and stories from my latest book Wild Lives. The following day we’ll be off and running, with lectures, field sessions and critiques – all with the purpose of helping you find and/or hone the personal creative point of view that will allow your photos to stand out.
As we get closer to the event, spots will fill quickly – reserve yours today!
Spring is just around the corner and this is the time of year where I really focus on all the beautiful shooting locations the season provides on the west coast of the United States. This year is no different!
March kicks off in Moab, Utah and Sedona Arizona. These locations represent the red-rocky structures and wild landscapes of the South-western U.S. and the variety of subjects makes them a great trip for anyone who wants the postcard shots of these epic locations along with much more in terms of abstract imagery and thinking outside the box.
To celebrate the release of the Collector’s Edition of Wild Lives, Sedona participants will receive the gift of a free copy of this definitive edition of my latest wild life magnum opus.
Two workshops in my back yard follow the Southwest, with Creative Seassions in Seattle, and the evergreen (pun most definitely intended!) Olympic Peninsula workshop. These are great opportunities to, as I say, “expand your visual vocabulary”.
Finally, we have another workshop taking place on the beautiful Carmel coast, a breathtaking backdrop to all kinds of subjects and wildlife. Things wrap up in Astoria, Oregon for what has become a staple Abstract workshop. It’s my hope to some day be mentioned in the same breath as The Goonies when people talk about the oldest city on the West Coast – lets make it happen!
Happy New Year – hopefully everyone had a rejuvenating holiday season! If you found a new camera, lens, phone, or other equipment under the tree and you’re looking to get out and shoot, you might be wondering where to start. Obviously there are technical hurdles to leap that are going to be specific to your setup, but the easiest way to learn is to just get out and do it, learning from mistakes, and focusing on one aspect at a time until it all comes together.
I also have a couple of well-reviewed how-to books on the subject, packed with great information on how to get going – sold individually, or as a bundle. And, when you’re comfortable enough with your camera – why not check out one of the many upcoming workshops and put your new equipment and knowledge to use in the field? Either way, I’m excited for you and your upcoming photography adventures in 2024!
In November the first Wild Lives photo journey took us to Kanha and Kaziranga National Parks in India. Set on The Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Madhya Pradesh, Kanha provides breathtaking vistas of grassy plains and sal forests. It is the ideal habitat for both tigers and their prey, and we were able to see and photograph these magnificent cats, chital (axis deer), and langurs. Located to south of the great Brahmaputra River, Kaziranga National Park is home to the largest number of one-horned rhinoceros in the world. The swamps were purple with water hyacinths which made a painterly backdrop for wildlife photography.
I have several Wild Lives photo journeys on the calendar for 2024 and beyond. These immersive, small group tours focus on providing the best opportunities for capturing awe-inspiring moments of untamed beauty.
2024 is on the horizon, and it’s time to think about where you might want to travel! New locations as well as return favorites are on the slate, with several trips highlighting locations where I captured just some of the hundreds of photos you’ll see in my latest book, WILD LIVES. From Alaska to the Pantanal, there’s something for everyone – including two much-requested tours in New Zealand.
Happy Friday! The Grand Teton workshop is a wrap & it was fantastic, to say the least. Never before have we had such great luck with finding wildlife, bears in particular. We were blessed by the presence of Grizzly 610 and her three second-year cubs. Not only is 610 a hero mother, she is a tough survivor—in early October she was struck by a car, but came out of it OK. Born in 2006, She is a famous bear with her own Instagram and X accounts with thousands of followers (including me). Bison abounded, moose were off foraging in the lakes and willow thickets, and birdlife was all aflutter. Of course, the landscapes were breathtaking, with robust fall color.
All-in-all, a fantastic workshop full of variety and most importantly, great company. Check out what’s coming up this spring and take a trip with us!
