Journal #1 - The Cub and the Windsock
Cub and the Windsock - Lake Clark National Park. On the shores of the Cook Inlet this coastal brown bear stared at us as we piled out of a little airplane onto his beach.
The Cub and the Windsock
Hello! Welcome to my rebuilt website! I feel almost like I’m inviting you home! Hah! So, take a look around, make yourself comfortable, stay awhile.
I’ve said I was going to do a blog for ages because I love telling the stories behind so many of my images. So, for this first entry, I wanted to share the story behind one of my favorite images. I call it “The Cub and the Windsock.” There are a lot of things technically wrong with this photo - and a lot of things so totally right.
It was taken eight years ago on my very first photography workshop, just moments after we landed in remote Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
We’d timed our flight to land at low tide, because we landed on the beach. Not a runway, not even a gravel strip—the beach. I’d just stepped out of the smallest plane I’d ever flown in and looked up to see this coastal brown bear cub stepping through the grass.
I froze.
Then everything hit me at once:
Excitement. Fear.
“Where’s his mom?”
“Take the photo!”
“What are my settings?!”
“Should I run?!”
I was a mess of adrenaline! HAH! My settings were totally off, but I fired away, oblivious. Fortunately a few are worth sharing, including this one - wind-blown fur, backlit grasses, and that bright red windsock breaking the frame. I just love this image.
What we didn’t realize at the time was that a fishing boat had pulled in nearby. Momma bear and her cubs were heading down the beach to look for scraps and we’d unknowingly landed in their path. She didn’t care a bit about us, just calmly led her cubs around the plane while we stood in stunned silence (except for wildly clicking shutters!).
We spent five incredible days photographing brown bears along the shores of Cook Inlet, sharing the experience with a dozen other photographers - including Thomas Mangelsen, who I’d idolized forever. I learned so much on that trip: about photography, about wildlife, and about the joy of being around other passionate photographers.
That workshop was a milestone in my career - what started as a hobby began to feel like something more. And while this photo has its flaws, it holds cherished memories and feels like the perfect story to kick off this blog!
Thanks for being here!
