Welcome to the "Magic Of Alaska" Photo Tour

June 2, 2022: Unless you are already in the Anchorage/Kenai area, please book your flight to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC airport code) in Anchorage, Alaska. Most flights arrive from the lower 48 states and overseas later in the evening, so you will most likely need to plan to spend the night in Anchorage. Taxi, Lyft and Uber transportation services are readily available at the Anchorage airport (ANC). Please book your travel and accommodations yourself as this is not included in the tour.
HOT TIP: Hotels can sometimes get pricy as it gets closer to peak summer season. Consider trying AirBnB or VRBO. If you have never used http://www.AirBnB.com , as a frequent user of this service, I personally recommend using homes that have “Superhost” status, have a 4-5 stars rating and consistently positive reviews. Here is a code to use that will save you $40 off your first rental: https://www.airbnb.com/c/lisal1922?currency=USD

Day 1

Morning Departure: Fly from Anchorage (ANC) to Kenai (ENA) on Grant Aviation https://www.flygrant.com/ or Rav’n Air https://ravnalaska.com/fly. (You must book your own flights. This is not included in the tour.)

This is a short, but STUNNING flight and you will arrive at the Kenai airport in about 30 minutes. If you can snag a window seat, it’s worth it for the view flying over the Turnagain Arm, Fire Island, Cook Inlet, Skilak Lake and Kenai Fjords National Park!

Grant: This airline tends to have a more flexible baggage policy (https://www.flygrant.com/flying-with-us/faqs/) and can easily handle a standard carry-on bag, plus generous checked baggage weights.
Rav’n: Carry-on bags must be no larger than 14” L x 16” W x 9” D. Their baggage policy is here: https://ravnalaska.com/bags
When to fly: These airlines have very regular flights to the Kenai—about every 2 hours.

Choose a departure time between 8:00am and 11:00am if at all possible. It’s a 30-minute flight. We will pick you up from the airport in Kenai and transport you to the lodge (about a 30-minute drive).

Your Arrival at the Lodge:

From here you will join your fellow participants. They will also be arriving at the lodge around the same time window..

Unpack and get settled: As you arrive, take time to settle in, unpack, familiarize yourself with the lodge, get to know your tour-mates, and enjoy your surroundings. This is home for the next six days!
Lunch: Lunch will be provided for everyone at the lodge.
Sundries: After lunch, we will take a brief trip to the nearby Fred Meyer (attendance optional). This is a massive supermarket and department store. You may purchase sundries and necessities here. Alternatively, you can stay and enjoy the sights at the lodge.

Afternoon Photography at the Lodge & Instruction:

Wildflowers, lilacs, Bonaparte’s gulls, Arctic terns, mew gulls, bald eagles, merlin, alder flycatchers, Stellar’s Jays, black-capped and boreal chickadees, violet-green swallows, several species of warblers, mergansers, common loon, wigeon and more that can commonly be spotted and photographed from the lodge property or the area nearby. Moose are regularly spotted on the property or nearby as well.

Get your gear and skills warmed up during this time by capturing what is right around us! Practice your birds-in-flight photography or hone your exposure settings! Go macro with the flowers, or capture a slow-shutter shot of the Kenai River! This is also a great time to get to know your fellow tour-mates!

Dinner: We will have dinner at the lodge. Prepared by our award-winning caterer, she will provide delicious meals each day that feature Alaskan salmon, halibut, and much more!

Evening Eagle Photography:

Welcome to the land of the midnight sun! Weather permitting, we will drive to Eagle Beach and photograph an iconic, historic Russian Orthodox Church along the way. Then we will head to a favorite and photogenic spot on the beach for eagle photography!

Across the inlet from the beach, you will see several mountains and volcanoes! All while photographing eagles in the evening “Magic Hour light” that lasts several hours here this time of year. The sun sets at about 11:30pm, so get ready for a great night!
- Eagles: Lenses with an upper limit of 400-600mm are recommended. Tripod with gimbal head is suggested unless you are comfortable hand-holding for long periods.
- For Russian Orthodox Church: Wide angle (e.g., 15-30mm, 24-70mm, 35-150mm or similar) are recommended. Tripod optional.

Return to the lodge and bedtime. We will return from eagle photography and even though it is still light out, please make sure you back up your images and get some rest. Your room includes blackout curtains and we have an early day tomorrow!

Day 2

• Depart at 5:30am for Homer, AK

Enjoy breakfast in your cabin. Promptly at 5:30am, we will depart for Homer, AK. There is a good chance we will spot and photograph moose along the stunning 2-hour drive to Homer. This iconic town is the base point for our private boat tour in Kachemak Bay.

Weather permitting, our captain and expert birder will take us throughout the bay to locations that are known for a variety of bird species including horned and tufted puffins common murre, pelagic cormorant, harlequin duck, marbled murrelet, black oystercatcher, bald eagle, pigeon guillemot, black-legged kittiwake, glaucous-winged gull, glaucous gull, and more. If we are lucky, we will locate the elusive Aleutian terns, yellow-billed loon, and an active eagle’s nest. Other species of mammals we may see include harbor seals and northern sea otter.
Gear: We will be on a boat for the first portion of the day; therefore, a tripod is not needed or permitted while at sea. We will lock extra gear in our vehicles. A lens with an upper zoom range of 400mm to 600mm is recommended, as well as a 24-70mm for seascape images. You will want the reach of your zoom to photograph the smaller birds and puffins.
Lunch in Homer: We will eat at a delicious restaurant in Homer so that you can capture some of the great local flavor this iconic town serves up. (Included in your tour.)

Explore Homer:

There are several other locations in/near Homer we may explore for birds, mammals, tide pools (tide permitting) that contain sea life and more. Your 24-70mm lens will come in handy as well as your longer zoom lens to capture what is around you in the harbor, along the docks, water’s edge, townscapes and more.
Return to the Lodge. We will take a break after such an early morning excursion. Use this time to review and backup your work, photograph in the back yard, rest and relax. We will have dinner at the lodge.

Dinner, then a dessert cruise on the Kenai River:

Group 1: 7pm-9pm (estimate)
Group 2: 9pm – 11pm (estimate)
After dinner, enjoy a dessert-to-go while boating on the Kenai River--one of the world’s most renown rivers, made famous for its king salmon fishing. It is also is host to wildlife and birds, including arctic tern, Bonaparte’s gull, mew gull, common merganser, greater and lesser yellowlegs, spotted sandpiper, bald eagle (and nests), common loons, and moose if we’re lucky!

We will leave right from the back yard of the lodge and explore the Kenai river by boat. With the sun setting at 11:30pm, we will have plenty of beautiful light.
We will also take a side trip up a serene portion of the Moose River to view possible sandhill cranes, red-necked grebes, and trumpeter swans. Belted Kingfishers are also possible.

While each half of our group takes their turn with the Kenai river trip, the other half is welcome to relax or photograph nature from the lodge.
Gear (for boat): Lens with upper reach of 400-600mm. A 24-70mm is handy as well for capturing the scenery. No tripod.
Gear (for lodge): Zoom lens such as your 150-600mm, 100-400mm. Close-up lens such as a macro may be useful. Tripod optional.

Day 3

Seward, AK: Dog Sled ride on a glacier, photography opportunities

Breakfast in your cabins
Depart at 5:30am.
We will head to Seward, Alaska, entry point to Resurrection Bay and the Gulf of Alaska. The seaport boasts gorgeous scenery and more. It is also home to our departure location for one of the highlights of this tour!

We will board helicopters and head toward Godwin Glacier while we fly over incredible blue glacier ice and by immense waterfalls. Next, we will stand on a real glacier and meet our sled dogs and mushers who will take us on a real sled dog ride for about 30 minutes while we explore the snowy glacier terrain. Incredible photography opportunities exist here. We will spend up to 30 extra minutes up on the glacier for photography opportunities with the landscape, dogs, and mushers. The entire tour lasts about 90-120 minutes, weather depending.
- Gear: 24-70 or similar wide-angle lens, 70-200 zoom (or similar). Keep gear minimal for this excursion. No tripod.
- Clothing: Hiking boots, jacket, rain coat, gloves. Hat and sunglasses. It can be reasonably warm at sea level, but quickly gets cold up on the glacier! The weather also changes quickly and the temperatures on the glacier can vary from 30-80°F due to the sun reflecting off of the snow.
- NOTE: If you are not comfortable flying in a helicopter, or your weight is over 300lbs (per flight safety requirements), you are welcome to stay at the lodge and enjoy the morning. Our chef can make a special breakfast for you and we look forward to seeing you upon our return. Or you can take the trip with us and sit inside at the tour base. Then rejoin us after our adventure on the glacier is complete.

Explore Seward and Tern Lake:

On the return journey back to the lodge, we will stop by several locations in Seward for nature photography. We will focus on finding Trumpeter Swans, ducks, pine grosbeaks, chestnut-backed chickadee, various woodpeckers, and more. We will also be on the lookout for moose, bear, and visit a fishing weir to watch salmon spawning upstream. We will also take a drive to Lowell Point and explore the area to find wildlife.
Lunch: We will either have a picnic lunch in Seward, or depending on the weather, return to the lodge for a late lunch. Snacks provided during the trip prior to lunch as well.
Afternoon: Download images and prepare for an image review session and post-processing tips.
6pm: Dinner at the lodge.

8:00pm: Evening land-based photography.

We will explore the backroads, nooks and crannies of the Sterling, Soldotna and Kenai area to search for moose, caribou (which can be elusive), sandhill crane, semipalmated plover, eagles, greater and lesser yellowlegs, American wigeon, green-winged teal, pintail, a variety of other shorebirds, and more. There are also opportunities for photographing seascapes with the fishing boats sprinkled around the mouth of the Kenai River. It’s an iconic shot if the boats and weather cooperate.

Return to the lodge. Bedtime.

Day 4

Bear Fly-Out and Glacier Flightseeing Tour:

Breakfast in your cabins.

6:00am departure. We will take a short drive to Windemere Lake where we will board our private planes -- iconic DeHavilland Beavers -- and fly off toward the eastern edge of Lake Clark National Park. This scenic 30-minute flight provides abundant abstract photography opportunities as we fly over mud flats, tundra, and more. Watch carefully from your window as you may see moose, bear, seals and trumpeter swans below us!

We will land in Big River Lake and transfer to small fishing boats to explore the shores for coastal brown bear, black bear, wildflowers, eagles, American Dipper, Northern Waterthrush, and more.

Lunch: If the salmon are running, and luck is on our side, our guide will catch a fresh sockeye for us to have as a treat while lunch is served on the boat. A picnic lunch is also provided.

After about five hours boating for bear and wildlife, we will board our float planes head to Double Glacier (weather permitting). From the (closed) window of the plane, you will see spectacular scenery perfect for aerial and abstract photography as we glide over the ice below.
- Gear: Long zoom/prime lens (400mm – 600mm reach). Shorter zoom lens (e.g., 50-250 or 70-210, etc.) as sometimes the bears are quite close to the boat (but not a danger to us). A 24-70mm, 35-150mm or similar lens is great alternative to a mid-range zoom as we may encounter some wide-angle scenes you may wish to photograph by boat or plane. A super-wide-angle lens is not likely necessary (e.g., 10-15mm range). No tripods. A monopod could be helpful on which to rest your lens while in the boat, but it is not ideal for active shooting.
Afternoon: We will take a mid-afternoon rest break so that you may nap, backup and process images, explore the property for photography opportunities, catch up on calls or emails to family or friends, and just take in the beauty of our surroundings.
Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.
8:00pm: Evening land-based photography: After dinner, we will explore back roads and other areas in search of additional wildlife and landscape photography opportunities.
Return to the lodge and wind down for the evening.

Day 5

Breakfast in your cabin.

Depart at 5:00 am for Seward, AK:

7:30am: Alaska’s rugged and stunning coast is a must-see experience. We will take a private 42’ boat and explore approximately 130 miles of coastal Alaska in search of not just seascapes, but plenty of birds and wildlife.

We will search for birds that include bald eagle, pigeon guillemot, mottled murrelet, black oystercatcher, sooty shearwater, rhinoceros auklet, parakeet auklet, horned puffin, tufted puffin, pelagic cormorant, and more. Additionally, we will be treated to the palpable sights and a cacophony of sound as we boat near giant sea stacks and cliffs that host massive black-legged kittiwake rookeries.

We will also view rafting common murres (with an occasional thick-billed murre tucked among the other murres). Lastly, we will seek out Dall porpoise, humpback whale, orca whale, and possibly fin and Minke whale. There is a very high likelihood we will see the endangered and massive Stellar’s Sea Lions. We will also see glaciers and tour “Spire cove,” one of the coast’s most photographable seascapes. If we are especially lucky, we will encounter red-faced cormorant, Kittlitz’ murrelet, Ancient murrelet, pomarine jaegar, and possibly even mountain goats along the cliffs of Resurrection bay.
Lunch served on the boat.
5:00pm: Return to Sterling, AK and the lodge for dinner. We will relax on the property for the evening after a long day at sea. This will also give you time to do initial packing and prepping for your afternoon departure tomorrow.

Day 6

Breakfast in your cabin.
6:00am: 1^st half of the group will depart for Skilak Lake boating tour.
8:00am: 2^nd half of the group will depart for Skilak Lake boating tour.

Weather permitting, we will visit Skilak Lake, a fresh-water, pristine 128 square mile lake located in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge located about 30 minutes from the lodge. It is both glacier and spring-fed. It’s turquois blue waters offer beautiful landscape photography, compression landscapes, and abstract photography opportunities.

We will board the boat, four per group, for an intimate tour as we hug the shore searching for wildlife. Additionally, we will search for birds such as peregrine falcon, common merganser (often with babies), raven, bald eagle, Bonaparte’s gull, common loon, pine grosbeak, spruce grouse, Barrow’s goldeneye, three-toed woodpecker, and more. Additionally, black bears are often spotted from our boat on the shores and mountains nearby. If we’re lucky, a lynx will cross our path.

Gear: Long zoom lens (e.g., upper range of 400-600mm, wide-angle lens such as 24-70mm or similar; tripod not useful on boat, but may be useful for our shore-side stops.

Return to lodge.
11am: Lunch at the lodge. We will return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch we will say our final goodbyes and take you to the Kenai Airport so that you may catch your flight back to Anchorage.

TRAVELING HOME FROM ALASKA:

Fly from Kenai to Anchorage:
Bear Extravaganza Participants -- Please download the proper PDF at the top of this page for your specific travel planning information.
All other participants:
Book your return flight to Anchorage International Airport. Choose a departure time between approximately 2pm to-5pm from the Kenai Airport on Grant Aviation or Rav’n Air.
Once you arrive in Anchorage, you may connect to your final destination. Most flights to the lower 48 states depart in the evening or overnight hours from Anchorage. This should give you plenty of time to connect from the Kenai airport and board your next flight. Check with your airline originating at the Kenai airport as to whether you can check your luggage “through” to your final destination. Often, this is possible and makes it easier for you.
Alternatively, you may continue your Alaska exploration from Anchorage to other locations within the state. If you choose to rent a car, I highly recommend Midnight Sun Car rental. Feel free to use my name as a reference.

GENERAL INFORMATION: PACKING, GEAR & PLANNING

What to expect? Alaskans have a unique way of life—a life where plans are always fluid. It’s part of the culture and reality of the environment. Weather, mechanical issues, and other factors can influence how and when things happen.

It is important to remember that Alaska can be harsh. It is a different way of life. There are always chances for delays, weather changes, environmental changes, and unforeseen events that could alter our plans, flights, and even how long we stay at the lodge. If weather or other circumstances make it so that we cannot keep our schedule as planned, we will do our best to accommodate and adjust as smartly and respectfully as possible. Your patience, understanding and respect of everyone involved is expected and appreciated. Odds are that all will go well, but if there are delays or other challenges, know that everyone working for us is doing their best to cope while providing quality, safe service in a timely manner. Safety comes first.

In very rare circumstances, weather-related or other unavoidable delays could result in flight delays. This may result in your need to stay in the Kenai Peninsula and/or in Anchorage additional night(s). Because of our consecutive tour schedules, it may not be possible to properly accommodate you at our lodge earlier or later than your scheduled tour dates. In this extremely rare circumstance, it will be each person’s responsibility to cover the costs for your own lodging and transportation. We will make every effort to assist you with making arrangements and transportation wherever possible as a result of these delays.

Though these inconveniences are rare (but do happen), it can be easy to become negative and cranky. We like to keep things fun and consider all of it an adventure! That said, we DO realize it can be difficult to accommodate these circumstances—as rare as they may be. Please try to remember that everyone is trying to do their best to get you where you need to be.
Mosquitoes: Typically, mosquitoes are not terribly thick on the excursions we take. We will provide mosquito spray for the limited areas in which we are likely to see them.
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi at our lodge can be unpredictable due to the satellite connection that is influenced by weather and our far-north latitude. Access is best for email and text access, with basic internet lookup. Please do not stream video (e.g., YouTube, Netflix, etc.), upload or download high resolution images, video, software, etc.

Please upload or download whatever software and files you need before you arrive at the lodge. Of course, you’ll be able to upload low-resolution images of your trip to share on social media or send as a few email attachments.
Phone/Data Service: Cell service (with or without 3G or 4G) is spotty at the lodge. Some services fair better than others, but each can be spotty and the quality varies day by day. A land line is not available except for serious emergencies. Cell and data service are better in many areas where we are driving to/from our excursions and/or when we are in Homer, Seward, Soldotna or Kenai.
Meals: We plan to have a continental breakfast and home-cooked dinners at the lodge. Lunch is typically served picnic style during our daily excursions unless noted otherwise in your itinerary. We also provide snacks. We will do our best to accommodate your dietary restrictions that you have listed in your registration form. You are welcome to purchase additional food or beverages and store them in your cabin.
Furnished cabins: Each cabin is equipped with a modern kitchen, dining area, living room and outdoor deck that are shared among two, or four individuals, depending on your assigned cabin. You will have access to a stove, microwave, toaster, refrigerator, drip coffee maker, pots, pans, silverware, glassware, paper towel and utensils. Quality ground coffee, filters, cream and sugar are provided. Alternative sweeteners and creamers are not provided so please purchase or bring them as needed.

A hair dryer is also provided in each bathroom. One bathroom and shower are available per every two guests. Unless a shared room is requested, everyone will have their own private bedroom. Each cabin is equipped with heat, but not air conditioning (it’s rarely necessary in Alaska!)
Laundry: A coin-operated washer and dryer are available on-site. Quarters are available for purchase in the main office and detergent is included.
Drinking Water: The drinking water at the lodge is cold, fresh, clean and absolutely delicious! In an effort to curb the use of plastics that pollute our environment, we will give you a beautiful stainless steel water bottle to keep permanently. Please fill it as needed. Bottled water will be provided as a backup solution when we are out on excursions. Or you may buy your own.

How we help ensure equity and respect:

Rotate Seats: Each day we rotate who sits in each vehicle and whether they get a front or back seat. This ensures everyone has a fair experience.
Timeliness: We expect each person to be ready to depart at the stated times. Tardiness can mean we miss opportunities, chartered boats, and more. If necessary, we will need to depart without you in order to meet our scheduled excursions on-time.
Respect for everyone: Everyone has their strengths and areas of struggle. We simply ask that you treat everyone with respect, kindness, and fairness at all times. This isn’t the time to be competitive about how much gear you have, how many places you’ve been, how many contests you’ve won, etc. There are people on this tour across all levels of skill, travel experience, and more. Each person is a valuable and respected member of our group.

You registered for and chose a small group Not a one-on-one private tour. This means everyone gets fair treatment, equity, and has the right to an enjoyable tour while maintaining the benefits and composition of a group environment.
Don’t be cringe-worthy:
- Ever wonder what drives people nuts most when on a group tour? Here is the list according to a poll of photographers who take workshops and tours repeatedly. Review it carefully and conduct yourself in a way that ensures you do not meet these criteria:
- The Over Talker: This is the person who repeatedly interrupts and hijacks someone else’s story to turn it into their story. This is also the person who cannot stop talking (and has a hard time actively listening), and rarely gives anyone else the chance to speak.
- The Glasshole: The person who has to let the group know that he/she is extra smart/knowledgeable about nearly everything, has the best camera, best lenses (glass), and otherwise tries to elevate themselves at others’ expense.
- The Shot Hog: The person who steps in front of others who are shooting, or who always takes the best spot, doesn’t allow others to take turns, etc. and is generally a “me first” person in most every circumstance.
- The Bad-Habit’er: The person who chews or speaks with their mouth open, belches without apology, etc.
- The Negative One: The person who thrives by setting unrealistic expectations and continually being disappointed. These people continually complain, are not ever quite happy, notice every flaw, glitch, challenge, etc. and finds fault/problems as if on a treasure hunt. This person usually also talks behind others’ backs. Or puts people down right to their face.
  
  We will do everything realistically possible to meet our commitment, show you wildlife, great scenery, feed you wonderful meals, share incredible moments and help get you great images. But we are not miracle-workers. Weather, wildlife and more are unpredictable. That said, no matter the situation, having fun and enjoying the tour is still your choice and personal decision. Whether or not you choose to make the most of it and have FUN is your responsibility, not that of your leaders or fellow participants.
- The Disrespectful One: This person harasses nature, gets too close to nests, tromps down plants, talks loudly at the wrong times, blares bird songs incessantly on their phone to lure birds in, litters, etc.
- The Slob: Expects others to clean up their dishes, clean up the bathroom after use, or otherwise do duties that are not their responsibility. Keep your space tidy so everyone can enjoy the lodging and their vacation.
- The Liar. Enough said.

PACKING & PLANNING FOR THE TOUR:

The following are items to consider doing or packing in advance of your trip:

Travel Insurance is recommended due to the “no refund” policy in place for this tour. Unless you have chosen to self-insure your trip, travel insurance is a wise choice. Most travel insurance must be purchased within a short window after you register for a tour. Consider the “cancel for any reason” policy for added protection.
Auto insurance: In Alaska, you must carry your auto insurance card with you at all times when driving. You will not need to drive on this tour; however, if you are extending
your vacation beyond this workshop, you will need your insurance card to rent or drive a vehicle.
Medications & related items: There is a major grocery/department store (Fred Meyer)
about 20 mins from the lodge with a pharmacy. Pack all of the following in your carry-on:
- Prescriptions / Pain meds
- Motion-sickness / anti-acids
- Allergy / anti-histamine / hydrocortisone
- Motion Sickness: Dramamine/Bonine, magnets, candied ginger, or whatever your choice of treatment is if you tend to get motion sickness on boats or flights.
- Glasses / readers / sunglasses / contacts
- Suntan lotion/block
- Lip balm with SPF (some prefer with SPF for long, sunny days here)
- Ziplock bags (inevitably come in handy!)

Clothing

Weather can range from 40’s to 80’s (and sometimes more). Layers are key to a successful and comfortable trip. As they say in Alaska, “There is never bad weather. Only bad clothing!”
Waterproof pants and jacket (Recommended: Easily rinse/dry, re-wear daily over your regular pants). I prefer https://www.froggtoggs.com/ for affordable, lightweight rain gear.
Hiking shoes / boots—I recommend a boot for mud/rain and a backup pair of sneakers or athletic shoes in the case one is wet and needs to air out for a day or a pair becomes uncomfortable. Water resistant boots are recommended.
Long underwear: Some prefer long underwear or a thin pair of yoga type pants under your pants for cold or windy days, especially on the water.
Easy slip-on shoes / slippers / flip flops for around the cabin or quickly dashing to/from car as needed
Jacket or fleece, and/or windbreaker—you will need a waterproof/resistant jacket with hood for the rainy days and/or at sea
Umbrella (hope we don’t need!)
Light to medium-weight gloves
Hat and/or visor for sun and/or rain (a hood also works)

Electronics / Camera
*PLEASE LABEL ALL OF YOUR GEAR*** A silver “Sharpie” or gaffer’s tape on your caps, lenses, bodies, accessories, etc. are easy options. With so much gear in one area, across 6 participants and 2 guides, it can be easy to misplace things or get them confused with others’ gear. A label on everything helps SO much.

Camera body(ies): A back-up body is strongly recommended in the case of failure
Batteries for camera
Battery charger for camera
Mobile devices and chargers (labeled)
Laptop computer and charger (labeled)
Power strip (for plugging multiple devices in to charge/use) – highly recommended (and labeled)

Lenses & Tripods

Minimally, you will want a lens that reaches 400mm, with 600mm reach preferred. A teleconverter may be useful. Consider renting if needed.
Wide-angle (e.g., 15-30mm, 24-70mm, etc.) for landscape and close-up shots with creative lens distortion
100-400mm or 70-200mm, or similar. Many times, we can photograph wildlife from the car at close range. The zoom and wider end of the zoom can be handy in these circumstances, as well as for compression landscape shots.

Lisa’s gear she brings on this tour

- Canon R5 Mirrorless
- Canon 5D Mark IV
- Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2
- Tamron 70-210mm f/4 Di VC USD
- Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2
- Tamron 35-150mm F/2.8-4 Di VC OSD
- Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2
- Fotopro Eagle Series Tripod (http://www.langellphotography.com/Fotopro)
- Neutral density filters (optional)

Additional Gear

Polarizer or other filters (optional)
Lens cleaning tools
Adapters / camera mounts for tripod (e.g., arca-swiss type mounting plates, etc. and the screwdriver or Allen wrench if they need to be loosened/tightened)
Lens caps and lens hoods (hoods are helpful to keep your lens clean and reduce lens flare)
Binoculars
Memory cards / card holder: Plan on taking up to at least 500 to 2k RAW photos per day—perhaps more if the shooting is especially amazing. Ideally, enough cards to carry you through the week without downloading is recommended. That way, you’re not burdened at night with a sleep-versus-downloading decision. That said, we recommend regular backups of your images during the week, while still keeping your originals on your cards in the case of a memory failure on your external hard drive or cards.
Data Storage: Ensure your computer has a hard drive big enough to download substantial images daily. If not, I recommend picking up at least a 2TB external portable hard drive (or more if you shoot mirrorless with massive file sizes in RAW). I personally love the LaCie Rugged drives as they are sturdy and rated to be damage-resistant with falls up to 4 feet.
Transfer cords/card readers to move images from your camera to computer/hard drive.
Weather protectant (i.e., a rain shield) for camera and lens (the inexpensive plastic ones are fine, minimally.) 1-2 should suffice.
Consider a small camera bag for carrying 1-2 lenses, etc. with you on short walks
Camera straps / shoulder straps
*** BRING YOUR MANUALS**** Bring for camera or gear (paper copy or download PDF to mobile device)
Remote trigger (can be the inexpensive wired kind for <$20 on Amazon). Helpful for low-light exposures of waterfalls, etc.
USB Flash Drive (we do show-and-shares at least 1-2x during the workshop and this will allow you to share your images with Lisa for the show-and-share nights!)

Other Tips:

Check your insurance policy to ensure you are insured for damaged/lost/stolen gear, including data recovery. We don’t anticipate that happening, but better to be safe.
Small microfiber towel or similar to wipe gear down if wet from rain or sea spray
Consider ThinkTank Airport or similar type of rollaboard bag as main carry-on
Pack tripod carefully in checked bags if needed (wrap in clothing to protect)
Pack gimbal head in checked bag if needed (wrap in clothing to protect)
Pack clothes that can be re-worn 2-3 days (i.e., jeans, waterproof pants, etc. and t-shirts under other layers). Washer and drier are available at the lodge.

You will receive additional information every few months or as needed leading up to the tour. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to contact me with questions! I am SO very happy to help you! This is a trip of a lifetime--I want to make sure you feel comfortable, prepared, and excited about your photographic journey through Alaska!

Thank you so much for joining this tour and I look forward to seeing you in Alaska!

Kindest regards,

Lisa Langell
Langell Photography, Inc.
602-345-0883

Lisa A. Langell
Langell Photography, Inc.
602-345-0883 (business)
480-737-6115 (mobile)
lisa@langellphotography.com