Photographing Bear Behavior — Part 2: Mothers & Cubs

Few wild animals are as charismatic as bears, majestic in their countenance, endlessly entertaining in their antics, and constantly engaged in activities that thrill photographers. Naturalist guide and bear expert Brad Josephs has spent years capturing exhilarating images of bears, and his shots of mothers with cubs are among those that garner the most acclaim. In this second installment on bear photography, Brad focuses on bear reproduction and the raising of cubs. He’ll explain mating season behavior, illustrated with summertime photos from Alaska’s Katmai coast, followed by infant births and the cubs’ emergence into the world. Witness the joys of watching mother bears teach their little roly-poly bundles of fur how to make their way in the world, and learn about the behaviors you’re likely to observe that make for delightful photographs. Whether it’s the mighty polar bear roaming the Arctic sea ice, China’s adorable pandas, or the grizzlies of Katmai, with cubs frolicking on the beach as mothers forage for food, mama bears and their babes make for some of nature’s most charming wildlife photography subjects.


Originally presented January 20, 2021