Safety Tips for Photographing Bears in the Wild

Learn how to photograph bears in the wild without disrupting their natural activity and keep yourself safe. You must make noise so they know you are there, and be watchful of brush and wooded areas where they can emerge rather quickly.

Professional Photographers Doug Gardner and Jared Lloyd demonstrate exactly what to do when you are photographing bears in the wild. They photograph grizzly bears in the northern Rockies in the spring with they emerge from hibernation, and they have also shot brown bears in the wild of Alaska. The first thing they advise is to make plenty of noise so bears know you are there and you are moving around in their habitat. You don’t want to startle a wild bear. Keep your distance from bears in the wild so as not to disrupt their natural activity. This allows them to move around and do what they would do naturally if you were not there. Doug and Jared also demonstrate exactly what to do if a bear charges you, which is a situation you definitely want to avoid.

See all of the videos in our Wildlife Photography: Capturing Grizzly Bears Course:

• Wildlife Photography: Capturing Grizzly Bears – Course Preview
• Safety Tips for Photographing Bears in the Wild
• Photographing Grizzly Bears in the Northern Rockies