In Everglades National Park I noticed a narrow dirt track and wondered what treasures it might hold. The trees crowded in and not surprisingly I reached a point where branches completely blocked the path. My choices were clear, back a long way out or pull out the clippers and get to work.
As I cleared the road, I spotted an interesting, snail type creature hanging from a branch and paused hacking branches to snap a photo. Subsequent research revealed that these tree snails are a mollusc of the genus liguss, or Ligs for short. Curiously, Ligs were quite the coveted item back in the day and their interesting patterns attracted the attention of serious collectors.
Dr. G. Thomas Watters is Curator of Molluscs at the Museum of Biological Diversity at Ohio State University and wrote a wonderful article on the subject. “In Florida the Ligs occurred in three general areas: the Keys, the Gold Coast, and the Everglades. Collecting them, particularly in the Everglades, could be an adventure. And those adventurers called themselves Liggers. On foot, on horseback, in Model As, some of America’s most famous malacologists ventured into the chigger-infested, cotton-mouth crawling, gater guarded, sawgrass cutting landscape in the early 1900s. Long before GPS or even decent maps, these intrepid collectors produced hand-drawn maps and named and numbered hundreds of hammocks and cataloged the Ligs they found there. Archie Jones, perhaps the most experienced of the Liggers, once remarked that a Ligger needed two qualities: high stamina and low IQ.”
Great. I am all in.
A few weeks ago, I was back in Everglades National Park in a special spot where spectacular sunsets are the norm. As luck would have it, there was another photographer who asked if I had seen the tree snails. Excitedly I asked if he was talking about Ligs? Yes indeed and he showed me where this batch were hiding. Imagine that, another modern day Ligger.
Each Lig had a unique pattern and, as snails go, were quite beautiful. I particularly liked the subtle gray marbling on the white Lig. For those curious about the snail itself, I focused directly on the snail’s body in the shell with horizontal stripes.
The moral of the story – nature is endlessly fascinating, clear your own path forward and enjoy the discoveries that await.
Bears have been calling me. “Come visit. Photograph us. We are better than alligators and birds. We do things, interesting things.” When efforts to find the few bears in my beloved everglades failed, I visited Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and for the first time saw bears in the wild. As exciting as that was, it was only a warm up. I struck pure gold on a workshop led by Jared Lloyd and Annalise Kaylor in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Here we could hang with bears.
Mama Black Bear at Pocosin Lakes
The workshop included a day of instruction in Anchorage and then five nights at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge on Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park. The lodge is an ideal base, downhome comfortable with great people and food. Bears are everywhere.
During our classroom day, Jared and Annalise reviewed the shooting techniques that would yield the best results in the field. The short summary – keep it simple and keep it low. In most cases we would be wide open, a shutter speed of 1000 or 2000 depending on the activity of the bears and adjust ISO accordingly for a histogram to the right without blow outs. Shoot close to the ground to render otherwise boring foregrounds beautiful and depict the bears with the stature they deserve.
Tuned up for our adventure, the next morning we headed to a most enjoyable airport. They first piled our luggage and then all of us on a scale, loaded the baggage into a de Havilland Beaver and we were off for Lake Clark. Getting high always provides an interesting perspective and this area in Alaska is no exception. Looking out the window was a study in abstract art.
Baggage Loading Alaska Style
Alaska’s Abstract Art
Our plane landed on the beach. This alone propelled Lake Clark to the top of my “Places I Want to Be” list. We tumbled out into cool, misty weather. Moments later we were like kids running up the hill looking for bears. “Look, look!!” Off in the distance was a bear. Little did we know that was just a tiny promise of things to come.
The “Runway”
After getting settled, we headed to the sedge marshes. We learned several things. Bears eat a lot and they are also cows. This was the first inkling that bears are the mystical shape shifters of the animal world. Jared and Annalise called this manifestation “Cow Bears”.
Cow Bear
Another Cow Bear
We were also delighted to see cubs. Krimp and Old Sow, two mama bears who live near the lodge, both had “cubs of the year”, meaning they were born in January during hibernation, nursed through the winter and came out of hibernation with mom in May. While all of us are intrigued by bears, the cubs stole our hearts. They played with abandon, nursed, slept, climbed everything possible and spread happiness as babies do.
We also learned that the adult bears in the vicinity of Silver Salmon Creek Lodge were females (sows). Turns out the male bears (boars) don’t like humans and avoid the place. The sows don’t like the boars killing their cubs so they hang around the humans. Smart.
For the uninitiated like me there was another moment of realization. That hump on the bear’s back is disturbingly familiar. Why are we so close to what appear to be grizzly bears? Turns out coastal brown bears are the same species as grizzlies but just as environment impacts human behavior, the same is true for bears. There is enough food on the coast for all the creatures who live there and as a result the bears are more tolerant. Plentiful sedges, grasses, berries, clams and salmon make our new friends fat and happy.
Even though Silver Salmon Creek is remote, the sows see humans daily. Since the people at the lodge pose no threat and have predictable patterns, the sows tolerate them unless they do something stupid, come too close or interfere with their cubs. This makes for excellent and safe bear photography as long as no one thinks they are in a petting zoo. Regardless the guides always carry bear spray.
Perhaps lean and mean describes inland brown bears aka grizzlies. A National Park Service article on bears in Lake Clark National Park explains: “Because competition for resources is higher inland, brown bears here revert to their solitary nature and do not gather in high numbers. They will interact with fewer individuals in their lifetime than a coastal bear and are less tolerant of the presence of those they do encounter. They are also more likely to react to people from a greater distance so please use extreme caution when exploring the interior of the park.”
When we were not in the sedge marshes, we were on the beach. We hoped for bears fishing for salmon. Instead we were treated with endless opportunities to photograph cubs playing. The touching interactions with mom remind us we are all undeniably linked.
One of my favorite moments was when the cubs were trying to wake up Old Sow. When I was a young kid, Mildred used to babysit. She would take an afternoon nap and often I would park myself next to the couch and ask. “Are you sleeping? No, I am just resting my eyes. Are you sleeping now?” On it went until Mildred relented or actually slept. This scene brought that good memory back with a chuckle. Note the milk on the cub’s snout after they got their way and woke mom up.
We are hungry! Let me be, I am sleeping!
LunchHold on! Not finished!After Lunch Nap
One morning the photography gods were truly with us. The clouds broke for sunrise and the tide was very low. This is when the bears go clamming. Yogi Bear also made an appearance.
Downward Dog Bear
This effect was achieved by shooting at ground level. Pools of water in the sand reflected the light from the rising sun. It was spectacular.
Clamming Bear
Note the shoulder hump is actually “a mass of muscle, which enables brown bears to dig and use their paws as a striking force”. That comes in handy when digging for clams.
A bit later we moved further out where Krimp was having her way with some fish carcasses. We were kneeling waste deep with cameras just above the water. The sun was behind us and the light was amazing. Please meet Human Bear.
Human Bear
After tolerating us for awhile Krimp walked our way. We stood up and walked in the other direction. Being last, I turned around and noticed she was following us, closely. “You do know Krimp is right behind me? Yes just keep walking”. She moved us out of the way, returned to her previous position and resumed her morning snack.
Swimming Bear
After this I mentioned to Jared that I wished there was a photo of us and our tripods in the water. He laughed and said there were probably tons of those photos. We were the only group of photographers with full chest waders and boots. This allowed us to comfortably lay in the sand and water to get the sparkle shots. We could also sit in water and stay warm and dry when Krimp turned into a human. Everybody else was stuck ¼ mile away and will spend much time in photoshop cropping and removing us from their photos. Thank you, Jared and Annalise, for recommending my new favorite article of clothing.
Big Bear
We went salmon fishing, another first. I joked beginner’s luck would win the day. It did. After my tussle with the fragrant salmon, we were shooting a collared bear who walked quite close. At that moment Jared reminded us of bears’ incredible sense of smell and dubbed me “Salmon Hands Sue”. Later we saw this bear again. When she turned and looked at me, she asked “Is that you Salmon Hands”?
Is That You Salmon Hands?
We rarely saw the sun on this trip but another morning it did peek out at sunrise for some beautiful light. What is going through your mind Old Sow?
Nothing is quite like bears on the move. Aside from the wild motion of their feet, they exude power. This is Bear Bear. Compare Krimp’s photos below to Cow Bear above. Yup, they shift. I included several photos below to show her foot and leg motion.
Bear Bear
Let’s not forget the puffins who live on a nearby island. They are curious looking birds that fly about a million miles per hour. Perhaps that is an exaggeration, only 50 mph. Let’s just say I had an extremely low hit rate. Shooting the sea otter who floated by was much easier.
This was a first-rate photography workshop where I learned much in a spectacular setting. Jared and Annalise are excellent and patient teachers. Unlike every other photography group they also ensured we were properly outfitted to get the best possible shots. Dave, our guide from the lodge, put us in the right place at the right time. While I won the “hot mess” award on numerous occasions, I was still able to capture some wall worthy photos. We all did. I will go again. I love hanging with bears.
DETAILS
Silver Salmon Creek Lodge is fantastic. It is not surprising they are booked 6 years out. Don’t expect fancy but do expect solidly great with exceptional owners, guides, cooks and staff.
Feel free to visit Jared’s website PhotoWild and PhotoWild facebook page. PhotoWild magazine is one of my favorite learning tools as are his and Annalises’s podcasts. This is my second workshop with Jared and Annalise and while photography is normally a solo endeavor for me, I will likely do them all. I learn heaps about photography, wildlife and nature while having a blast.
