In September 2023, I led my semi-annual workshop in northern Finland to photograph the wild wolves, bears, and wolverines of the Taiga forest. Perhaps this year, I should have renamed the workshop Wild Bears of the Taiga forest, as the local brown bears put on a daily show for us during the week-long expedition. Wolves were thin on the ground this year, the result of an illegal shooting of the Alpha male and female that had grown up in this area and that I had photographed as pups several years ago (they are featured in my book Never Cry Wolf). The good news is my local operator has advised that the pack has now returned to the area and is being seen most days again.
Throughout this workshop, we photographed five different bears. Often, multiple bears were very close together, providing opportunities to photograph their interactions. This time of year, the bears are on an eating frenzy as they try to fatten up before the long winter hibernation.
From our hides, we photographed the bears at a range of as little as a metre to 800mm. I prefer longer lenses in this part of Finland because I can use telephoto compression to place the bears against the forest. Wide-angle can also work exceptionally well, however, when the bears approach close to the hides. Throughout this workshop, I personally shot several thousand images and am currently still editing and processing my favourites. As time permits, I will update this post with additional photographs.
Many of the hides have the option to shoot from a low-angle port for both ground and eye-level photography. My preference is always to try and shoot as low as possible, both to create a more intimate eye-level capture and to help clean up the foreground, which can often be muddy this time of the year.
During the 2023 workshop, we photographed almost exclusively at the ‘Paradise hides’, which are set up in front of a large open area inside the Taiga forest. Experience has shown me that this is the best location for clean backgrounds that provide a wonderful sense of environment. We also took the opportunity to photograph at the Lake hides, where we photographed two brown bears swimming in front of the hides. Some of us also took the opportunity to photograph the squirrels nearby to our accommodation.
I will be returning to northern Finland in the Autumn of 2025. The workshop will run from the 15th to the 22nd of September, typically the peak time for Autumn colour in the Taiga forest at this latitude. In this workshop, you can expect close encounters with Wolves, Bears and even Wolverine. Typically, on an average day, we will enter the hides in the early afternoon and return to our accommodation in the evening. We stay in nearby local cabins that are cozy and comfortable. For 2025, I will take just five photographers with several places already spoken for. If you want to photograph these fantastic animals, please drop me a note to register your interest.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 