Photojournalism is one component that can be overlooked when capturing wildlife. It is easy to use a long lens and focus on the animal in front of you.
Tight shots of the bear’s expression, eyes, ears or even teeth. But have you thought about taking a step back )metaphorically speaking, don’t move that much around Brown bears), but take a step back and look for other compositions that could better tell a story of your trip.
Yes, you can aim to capture that one “hero” shot of a brown bear with a silvery salmon in its jaws, but why not try and capture many different elements of your trip. Try to tell a story through a series of images. Help your viewer see what the whole trip entails, not the main event (Kodiak Bears)
Tips for capturing your whole trip
Enjoy The Journey !
Have your camera ready at each stage of your trip. Try and see different elements from the plane rides to the food to even the interesting flora or fauna. You will get plenty of shots of Kodiak Brown bears on your Kodiak Alaska Bear tour.
But what makes this tour so incredible is the remoteness and the area you get to explore with the bears. So, enjoy the journey to get out there and snap away.
You never know what you might capture!
Bring a wide-angle lens
Most likely your main lens on this trip will be some sort of long length telephoto lens. A telephoto lens will be great for capturing tight close amazing images of the Kodiak brown bears. By bringing a wide-angle lens, you can help capture images of bears in their natural environment and it allows you to show your viewer what the entire scene looks like.
It can help to create more dynamic looking images as well. Wide angle lenses often can help your viewer feel like they are part of the image. That they feel like they are right there with you seeing what you are capturing.
Pop that lens on when you are about to hop in the plane or when you’re walking to your location. Bring a second camera body if you have one and then you won’t need to change lenses.
Look for storytelling elements
Most likely your main lens on this trip will be some sort of long length telephoto lens. A telephoto lens will be great for capturing tight close amazing images of the Kodiak brown bears. By bringing a wide-angle lens, you can help capture images of bears in their natural environment and it allows you to show your viewer what the entire scene looks like.
It can help to create more dynamic looking images as well. Wide angle lenses often can help your viewer feel like they are part of the image. That they feel like they are right there with you seeing what you are capturing.
Pop that lens on when you are about to hop in the plane or when you’re walking to your location. Bring a second camera body if you have one and then you won’t need to change lenses.
Put it all together
When you get home from Kodiak Island, photojournalist images are great when paired together to tell a story.
These types of images mixed in with your key “hero shots’ ‘ could be great in a photobook or made into a collage or even an online gallery. Try and choose only 10 images from your trip and see if you can tell a story from just those 10 images.
The more you practice this type of photography, the better you will train your eye to see storytelling elements throughout your day.
