Edition of 950 Size 20 x 24"unframed

Few sights are more memorable than a face-to-face encounter with a monster grizzly. Standing over eight feet tall, my 600mm lens only magnified the bear's power and my own sense of vulnerability and awe.

Weighing in excess of a thousand pounds, these huge males keep to themselves and are rarely seen. Since I was downwind, the bear couldn't catch my scent and stood, nostrils flaring. I spoke in a calm tone.

"Hey, big bear...Hey, big bear...Hey, big bear".

I kept talking as he dropped to all fours and slowly ambled away.

Edition of 950 Size 20" x 24"unframed

This image of a charging grizzly bear was one of the most exhilarating moments in my thirty years as a nature photographer. I was photographing brown bears fishing for salmon along the Mikfik Creek in Southwest-Alaska when a female grizzly in heat made her way to the stream. One of the male bears began to "court" this female when out of the brush charged this magnificent bear. With a loud roar and a frightening burst of speed this brown bear crashed his way across the stream kicking up rocks and gravel as he bolted after the suitor. I was thrilled to have captured this on film as it is a very rare opportunity to safely take a picture of a wild grizzly bear in full charge.

Edition of 950 Size 16" x 24" unframed

Each summer dozens of brown bears gather along Alaska's coastal rivers to feed on salmon that return to spawn each year. This female bear arrived late one evening with her three yearling cubs. She caught a half-dozen salmon and made sure the cubs stayed close by her for protection from other bears and so they could learn how to fish. The gull waits patiently for fish scraps.

Edition of 1800  Size 11" x 14" unframed

Grizzly bear female with two yearling cubs stand to look for other bears in McNeil River State Game Sanctuary-Alaska. Along the glacier-fed McNeil River on the western shore of Cook Inlet's Kamishak Bay, grizzly bears congregate in unusual numbers to feed on salmon.

Feeding can be dangerous for the females with cubs as male grizzlies have been known to attack and kill young cubs.

On this June day a mother grizzly was attempting to traverse the deep sedge grasses along Mikfik Creek where a lot of other bears were fishing. Anxious to locate the other bears, she often stood to get a better view. Once to my great pleasure, the cubs imitated their mother and stood beside her.

Edition of 1800 Size 20" x 24" unframed

Grizzly bear female with two yearling cubs stand to look for other bears in McNeil River State Game Sanctuary-Alaska. Along the glacier-fed McNeil River on the western shore of Cook Inlet's Kamishak Bay, grizzly bears congregate in unusual numbers to feed on salmon.

Feeding can be dangerous for the females with cubs as male grizzlies have been known to attack and kill young cubs.

On this June day a mother grizzly was attempting to traverse the deep sedge grasses along Mikfik Creek where a lot of other bears were fishing. Anxious to locate the other bears, she often stood to get a better view. Once to my great pleasure, the cubs imitated their mother and stood beside her.

Edition of 950 Size 20" x 24" unframed

I photographed this female grizzly and her spring cub during Alaska's first heavy snow of winter. At the time, I was on assignment a National Geographic story on grizzlies and the storm delayed my scheduled departure by a week. When it finally cleared a helicopter transported me back to civilization while the bears retired to their winter dens.

Edition of 950 Size 11" x 14" unframed

For thousands of years the polar bear has walked the Arctic ice in a mist of myth, legend and superstition. Mother bears are fiercely protective and devoted to their cubs. The twins in this image are sharing a tender moment with mom before resuming their never ending search for food.

Edition of 950 Size 20" x 24" unframed

For thousands of years the polar bear has walked the Arctic ice in a mist of myth, legend and superstition. Mother bears are fiercely protective and devoted to their cubs. The twins in this image are sharing a tender moment with mom before resuming their never ending search for food.

Edition of 950 Size 20" x 24" unframed

A spectacular Arctic sunset illuminates two polar bears playing. The Arctic is a powerful place. The cold is brutal, the wind incessant and the polar bear is the undisputed king of this frozen world. Uniquely adapted and totally fearless, polar bears are fascinating to observe and photograph. This image of two bears playing together at sunset is one of my favorites. I wanted to show the viewer some unique bear behavior and at the same time convey a sense of the vast beauty of the Arctic.

Edition of 950 Size 16" x 20" unframed

The strength and tenacity of the Eskimo sled-dog is legendary. These dogs played a crucial role in helping early man inhabit the arctic. They were highly valued not only as pack animals but for their hunting ability and their courage. The polar bear in this photo encountered that legendary bravery the day it tried to steal food from a dog yard near a remote arctic village. The stand off between the polar bear and sled-dog happened quickly and ended without injury. The bear was unwilling to risk a wound and left the area. Churchill - Canada