As promised, here’s another sea otter mom with pup. This time from a considerably lower angle. This little pup kept venturing out its own, but never got far before mom pulled it back in. When wet, it’s sometimes hard to distinguish where one otter ends and the other begins. Their thick coats just sort of blend together.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second

In total, I probably saw about 14 or so bears on my recent trip to Alaska. Most of them were mothers with cubs. But there were also several adolescent males around — too old to be with mom anymore, but too young to venture off deeper into the forest to compete with the older males, most of which had moved away from the coast in search of more salmon-rich rivers. The adolescent males that were around seemed to actually seek us out, preferring the safety associated with the presence of humans. This sweet young guy was hanging out very close to the lodge, content to stay put until it was time to go eat some more grass and attempt to catch some more fish.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second

Here’s another sea otter from last weekend in Morro Bay. Always nice when the water is in shadows and the subject is getting the first, soft rays of the rising sun. Perfect conditions for both warm and cool tones.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second

I’m just back from shooting a commercial in LA. But over the weekend I had some down time so I took a trip three hours north up to Morro Bay in search of sea otters. Sea otters, of course, being one of the cutest creatures alive. But even better — sea otters with babies. I was able to get many photos, both from eye level and from above of about twenty or so different otters (at least two, if not three of the mothers seemed to have pups). Thought I’d start with this shot from a higher perspective. It was just past sunset and the water was picking up the colors from the sky above. Momma otter was making a move from the dock area at Morro Bay, out to the open water with her pup. Stay tuned for many more otter posts to come.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

I had one morning in Lake Clark National Park that produced a bit of color in the sky. Luckily it coincided with low tide when the bears were out in the shallow water fishing for silver salmon. I liked the pastel hues of this particular image as a mother bear snagged another snack.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

While mom was out fishing, these two young siblings were showing each other a bit of affection. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second

Here’s another look at one of the bull moose that I saw in Chugach State Park in Anchorage. Of the three males that I watched going after the one female, this guy seemed to have the best chance of success.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second

As I mentioned last week, when the brown bears weren’t fishing, they were in the open fields of sedge grass filling up on their vegetables. I was worried going to Alaska so late in the season and not having the nice green grass to frame the bears. That said, I really liked the bright yellow fields with patches of green mixed in. This cub doesn’t exactly look like a cub without the reference of mom being nearby, but the little guy was a yearling cub, getting ready for his second hibernation.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

This red fox was quite a hunter. We saw it it stalk and catch about four voles in about ten minutes. Great for the fox, not so great for the voles. He/she was one of two foxes that we saw in and around the lodge at Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

This mama bear was standing to get a better angle on any possible fish to pounce on. It seemed as if gallons of water continued to pour out of her paws as she stood there looking around. This is another one that I had the camera down on the ground giving this large bear and even more imposing stature.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second