The Great Alaskan Adventure

THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING ALASKA PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITION

SEPTEMBER 1 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

8 DAYS IN ALASKA

In this extremely unique and completely packed photographic adventure, we will chase the Aurora Borealis, experience an incredible two days at a remote bear lodge accessed only by tundra or sea plane, take in the stunning golden light that glows on Alaskan glaciers, visit the visually remarkable fjords, experience fall colors in Denali National Park (Denali NP), search for bears, whales, eagles and so much more!

Not Sure You'll Make It To Alaska More Than Once In Your Lifetime?

This tour was made for you.

We plan to cover all of the parts of Alaska that stand for what it truly is, so you can return home feeling you experienced the beautiful land in its authentic entirety - with stunning, professional-level, once-in-a-lifetime photographs to prove it!

Why This Is The Only Alaska Adventure You’ll Ever Need

Here is what makes our Great Alaskan Adventure stand out from all of the rest:

• This adventure is exclusively limited to eight participants!

• With two photographer guides, including award-winning conservationist and Alaskan photographer, Carl Johnson, and eight participants, you will receive the one-on-one attention you and your photography efforts deserve!

• Our local photographer guide knows this last frontier intimately and will be giving us the most authentic Alaskan experience - including a home-made Alaskan dinner at his stunning gallery!

• Our expedition includes everything that is iconically Alaska: wildlife, like bears, eagles, whales, puffins, seals; gorgeous landscapes with silky waterfalls, dramatic mountains, fall colors in Denali NP, sweeping glaciers - not to mention our nightly hunt to capture the awe-inspiring Aurora Borealis in our lenses!

• LIGHT! We know how golden hours have the ability to dramatically light up and alter our perspectives on a scene, so we chase many sights when the light is right! Why have a regular photograph when you can have one that appears to glow?

• Our expedition is a mixture of photography opportunities and experiences. We hunt these beautiful landscapes, and we also aim to experience Alaska by offering engaging activities like trekking on glaciers and walking amongst coastal brown bears in the wild alongside bear experts.

OUR MISSION

solving a major photography tour problem...

opening your eyes (and lenses) to a new way...

We strategically organized this expedition so that it includes a mixture of beautiful photography opportunities and engaging moments. Because we believe the most stunning images are the ones that have special moments attached to them and messages dripping through them.

We think the most empty photography tours are the ones where you get plopped on a bus and shuffled from one spot to the next, given only "15 minutes in this spot!" to take your photos. How can you connect to your landscape, garner a feeling that you want to capture through your lens and translate into your photographs like that!?

So, to solve this unfortunate issue we see all around us with other photography tours, our Alaskan guide, Carl, and I have challenged ourselves to strategically pick a mixture of authentic and downright breath-taking Alaska landscapes, and experiences that snap our photographer participants out of their normal routines in order to open their eyes and lenses to seeing and capturing in a new way.

We do this through making a concerted effort to take you all the way from the visuals of Anchorage to a complete season-change of fall in Denali, and activate new sensations within you by truly engaging with our photography subject, Alaska, such as trekking on glaciers and dining incredibly at a remote lodge in the setting of bears.

We will not just plop you on a bus. We will chase moments. :)

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Itinerary

AUGUST 31 - (optional) early arrival day

Arrive in Anchorage, located on the edge of Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains. After settling in to our Anchorage hotel accommodations, we will join our local Alaskan guide at his Anchorage hillside home and gallery for an authentic Alaskan welcome dinner and preview of the days ahead.

(OPTIONAL) Meals included: D

(OPTIONAL) Overnight at Lakefront Anchorage Hotel

SEPTEMBER 1 - chugach national forest and broad pass to denali

We awake early to capture first light in the Chugach National Forest and Turnagain Arm areas, visiting rainforest waterfalls and turquoise glacial ponds. We then proceed north to Denali National Park and spend the evening exploring the entrance to the park to the Savage River. Along the way, we will photograph autumn colors and the rugged mountain landscapes of the Alaska Range, and look for moose, caribou and other wildlife that frequent this area in autumn. At night, we will look for the Aurora Borealis.

Meals included: B, L, D

Overnight at Denali Grizzly Bear Resort

SEPTEMBER 2 - denali, talkeetna and northern lights

We take a morning drive through a stretch of Denali National Park before heading south to Talkeetna. We stop along the way to take in sights of the highest peak in North America and photograph bears, moose, caribou, and hopefully the ever-elusive wolves. Throughout the day we keep our eyes peeled for Dall sheep prevalent in the high mountains, and learn about their impressive impact on the creation of the national park. We continue taking in sights of the Alaska Range in the visually stunning Broad Pass. After checking in to our lodging in Talkeetna, we will explore the iconic small town, said to be a model for the fictional town of Cicely in “Northern Exposure.” After dinner, we will head back out in hopes of capturing the Aurora Borealis.

Meals included: B, L, D

Overnight at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

SEPTEMBER 3 - rest, learn and optional denali flight-seeing

Today we have our free time to catch up on rest, look through our photographs thus far, or walk through the authentic small town of Talkeetna. Breakfast and lunch may be There will be time for photo reviews in the afternoon, and those who would like to experience the optional add-on of flight seeing over Denali — an unforgettable experience — will have their opportunity to do so today. We will photograph evening light at the convergence of the Chulitna, Susitna and Talkeetna Rivers, and keep our eyes peeled for the Aurora Borealis.

Meals included: D

Overnight at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

SEPTEMBER 4 - matanuska glacier trek

After breakfast, we will continue south to the Matanuska Valley and explore this vast landscape that divides the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains. As part of the day, we will take a 3-hour guided hike out onto the Matanuska Glacier, to explore the ice formations and photograph them up close. We will continue south and explore the coastal landscape and waterfalls of the Turnagain Arm. We will overnight in the isolated coastal town of Whittier.

Meals included: B, L, D

Overnight at The Inn At Whittier

SEPTEMBER 5 - prince william sound and wildlife

We will spend most of the day out on a boat in Prince William Sound, exploring this network of islands, coves, bays and glaciers to capture this iconic landscape and look for marine mammals and sea birds along the way. We will explore the small boat harbor in Whittier in evening light and at sunset.

Meals included: B, L, D

Overnight at The Inn At Whittier

SEPTEMBER 6 - coastal brown bear of lake clark national park

We depart Whittier early to head back to Anchorage and catch our small plane flight with incredible views of volcanoes and mud flats out to an exclusive lodge in Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. There, we will have the assistance of a lodge guide to take us out to view and photograph the Alaskan coastal brown bear. In the evening, we will retire to the lodge for a gourmet dinner, wine and photo review.

Meals included: B, L, D

Overnight at Lake Clark National Park

SEPTEMBER 7 - coastal brown bear of lake clark national park

We spend the day with more opportunities walking amongst the Alaskan bears in the wild, getting a further look into their lives and behaviors. We observe their behavior amongst different areas of land, ocean, and streams. We observe as the bears intently hunt for and chase salmon. Between photo opportunities, we retire to our lodge for gourmet breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Overnight at Lake Clark National Park

SEPTEMBER 8

We take a small plane flight in the morning back to Anchorage and complete our amazing voyage in Alaska!

Meals included: B

PRICE: $7,650

• Per person in double occupancy room

• Single room accommodation is available for an additional fee of $600 per person (Please note that accommodation at our lodge in Lake Clark National Park is very exclusive and limited. Therefore, this one night usually includes double accommodation. In special circumstances, single accommodation may be possible at the lodge, based on availability, at an additional cost on top of single accommodation supplement. Please contact us directly to discuss what options are available.)

Booking

ADD-ONS AND OTHER PAYMENTS

• Optional Denali flight-seeing with glacier landing (from Talkeetna on rest day): $450 per person

• Single supplement: $600 per person. (Accommodation at our lodge in Lake Clark National Park is very exclusive and limited. Therefore, this one night usually includes double accommodation. In special circumstances, single accommodation may be possible at the lodge, based on availability, at an additional cost on top of single accommodation supplement. Contact us directly to discuss what options are available.)

• Remainder of expedition payment (due May 28, 2021): $4,865 per person

All add-ons and final expedition balance may be paid through a check or wire transfer. please make all checks payable to further photo expeditions, 319 clematis street, suite 708, west palm beach, florida 33401. email us for wire instructions.

PRICE INCLUDES

• Accommodations as per itinerary

• Welcome orientation dinner on August 31st, 2021

• Meals as described in itinerary

• Transport to and from airport in Anchorage

• Private-to-our-group transportation to all locations in Alaska

• Private air charter to and from remote bear lodge

• Expert guides and bear biologists in Lake Clark National Park for exclusive bear viewings

• Private boat charter in Prince William Sound

• Two expert photographers' guidance

• Expert local Alaskan photographer guide

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

• Airfare to and from Alaska

• Optional, early-arrival hotel accommodation on August 31st, 2021

• Activity Add-On (Denali flight-seeing with glacier landing, from Talkeetna): $450 per person

• Alcoholic beverages

• Guide gratuities

• Travel insurance

• What is not mentioned as included

GEAR LIST

HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO BRING TO ALASKA

• DSLR camera

• At least two camera batteries

• At least two memory cards

• Your favorite lens (We recommend bringing at least a wide-angle, mid-range and telephoto lens so you are able to seize all photographic opportunities in Alaska.)

• Tripod

• Shutter release cable

• Laptop (If you would like to follow along with us during our post-processing instructions, we recommend that you bring a laptop to be able to participate and edit your photographs while with us.)

• Headlamp (We recommend something like this because it can switch between a regular and a red, night vision light. While having a regular light will be important for hiking or seeing paths, having red lights are important for night photographers because this type of light preserves your night vision and does not negatively impact other photographer's exposures in the way that regular light does.)

• Camera bag (At certain places we will be walking distances from parking areas to the viewpoints, and therefore you will need to have a bag that can hold the gear you'd like to shoot with. Keep in mind that this usually includes your tripod. You will also want to have some extra room for a water bottle and a packed meal on the days we take our meals to-go.)

• An overnight bag (For our trip to Lake Clark National Park, our flight luggage is limited to 30 lbs per person including camera gear. Carl will be staying behind in Anchorage this night, so he will hold all of our extra gear safe and sound.)

TAKE YOUR alaska PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THIS GEAR:

• Cable release

A cable release will allow you to take exposures longer than 30 seconds and multiple successive exposures (for star trails), help prevent camera shake, and more.

(These can be purchased on Amazon for approximately $9 and arrive within two days. Make sure you are getting the one that is appropriate for your particular camera. This one is for a Canon Rebel t6i. You can search Amazon or Google for the terms "remote cable release" + [your camera name and model].)

• Neutral density filter for your wide-angle / landscape lens

An ND filter will allow you to take longer exposures when you normally wouldn't be able to because the scene is too bright. This is the key to nice soft clouds in landscapes, milky waterfalls, etc. 

(I recommend anywhere from a 3-stop to 10-stop ND filter, but make sure it is of decent quality. I use B+W brand, but HOYA also makes great filters. LEE square filters are good too.)

• Graduated neutral density filter for your wide-angle / landscape lens

A graduated ND filter serves the same purpose as the ND filter described above, however the darkening effect takes place only on the top half of the filter, which allows your lighter sky to be exposed more similarly to your darker foreground. A 2-stop GND is a good start.

• Polarizing filter for your wide-angle / landscape lens

A polarizing filter will help deepen colors.

• Hand warmers (approximately $7 on Amazon or $5 at your local Walmart) and rubber bands

As your camera is brought from warm interiors to cooler settings, dew can accumulate on your lens glass and completely fog up your images! Photographers have come up with the ingenious solution of securing a couple of hand warmers onto the lens with a rubber band, which keeps the lens temperature regulated enough that it prevents the condensation from occurring!

CLOTHING:

We recommend you take a look at historical and current weather for the areas we’ll visit in Alaska since you know your body and comfort levels best. Last year, our weather ranged from highs of 65 degrees to lows of 45 degrees in Anchorage, which is one of the most southern areas we visit. In the more northern areas of Alaska, like Denali, last year our weather ranged from highs of 65 degrees to lows of 37 degrees.

Keep in mind that as photographers, we spend more time outside than the average person, so while one may think that a night temperature of 50 degrees is comfortable with just a light jacket on, a photographer stands in that weather for longer than the average person. Always good to pack an extra layer — you don’t want to miss an amazing shot because you’re too cold to stay out! Many Floridians come on this trip and manage quite fine!

• Hiking boots or sneakers with good grips on the soles

• A high quality base layer (pants and top) like one from brand Hot Chillys (try their Micro Elite Chamois or Micro Elite XT) — we’d say this is one of the most important pieces as they do wonders to keep you warm

• A mid layer fleece type of sweater

• A good outer layer jacket. Marisa uses a Northface jacket that has a rainproof shell, and there is a light down layer than she can zip in and out of it. The jacket goes to the waste — yours doesn’t have to be longer

• A few pairs of warm socks

• A beanie cap or something to keep your head warm

• If your ears are sensitive, bring ear warmers

• Gloves

In the daytime, we tend to gradually take these layers off. With great base layers, you may find yourself taking off your jacket and wrapping it around your waste as we’re walking around.

BOOK NOW

Reserve your spot with a 30% deposit and agreement to our Expedition Terms & Conditions.

THIS TRIP IS FOR

*All* levels of photographers

Those looking for a nature photography *experience*

Those looking to translate their connection with nature into their images

DATES

September 1 - September 8, 2021

Price

$7,650

LOCATION

Alaska

Denali National Park

Anchorage

Talkeetna

Susitna River

Matanuska Glacier

Turnagain Arm

Whittier

Price William Sound

Lake Clark National Park

Education

Field instruction

Class instruction

One-on-one critiques

photographic themes

Landscapes

Natural light

Nature

Wildlife (Bears, eagles, whales, puffins, seals, salmon, etc.)

Astrophotography (Aurora Borealis, Milky Way, stars)

Fall Colors

Your Expedition Pros

A Further Photo Expeditions pro and expedition leader will accompany this trip. Local Alaskan photographer and conservationist Carl Johnson will join this trip alongside an expedition and photography guide.

“Carl Johnson... One of the best aurora photographers anywhere.”

—STEVE FRENO

What makes our great Alaskan adventure stand out from all the rest:

• Exclusivity: Limited to eight lucky photography participants!

• One-on-one attention: Two photographer guides for eight participants promises the help you deserve!

• Expert local knowledge: Award-winning conservationist and Alaskan photographer, Carl Johnson, offers us an intimate experience of the land he calls home!

• Everything iconically Alaska: We make sure to bring it all to you in one expedition: wildlife, gorgeous landscapes, our nightly hunt for the Aurora Borealis, and more!

• Light: We chase many sights when the light is golden and right!

• Experience: Our expedition is a mixture of photography opportunities and engaging experiences.

GETTING TO ALASKA

RECOMMENDED TRAVEL TO ALASKA

Our day starts with inspiring morning light photography on September 1st, so we recommend you fly into Anchorage on August 31st (and join a welcome dinner on us, with us!) and stay at The Lakefront Anchorage, which will be our hotel the following night when our expedition officially kicks off.

The Lakefront Anchorage is situated on Lake Hood / Lake Spenard, the largest float plane base in the world. Take a walk around the beautiful lake and watch beautiful planes of every color take off and land amongst the autumn trees.

On August 31st, we also have an authentic Alaskan “welcome dinner,” prepared with local ingredients by Carl and his wife at their mountain home. This orientation dinner will begin at 5:30p.m., so plan to arrive to the hotel by 3 p.m. to check in and get settled. 

At 5 p.m., we will all meet in the couch area of the lobby (first floor, across from the restaurants) of The Lakefront Anchorage. We will chat for a bit and get to know each other before we head to Carl’s gallery and home.

AIRPORT TRANSFER

The Lakefront Anchorage will provide free shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. The shuttle runs every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day.

The shuttle pick up location is where the other buses and taxis are. The shuttle is a silver Mercedes Sprinter with The Lakefront Anchorage logo on the side. You can always call the Lakefront if you have questions, or are looking for the shuttle.

departure from alaska

On the last day of our exciting adventure together (September 8th), we will travel back from our remote bear lodge and arrive to Anchorage by 12 p.m. Carl will then take us to the main airport in Anchorage for our departing flights to our homes.

Many participants choose to book a late departure on September 8th in the event of a delay coming back from the bear lodge. Others choose to depart a day or so later to use the 8th to rest.

We require our Participants purchase travel insurance so they are able to feel the peace of mind in the event of any weather delays in Alaska.

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DISCLAIMER

Expedition Terms & Conditions apply. This itinerary is subject to change. The opportunity for photography and astrophotography is based on proper weather conditions. If the weather conditions are in any way hazardous or unfavorable, the photography guides reserve the right to cancel in-the-field instruction for affected days.