In a world of satellite imagery and real-time wildlife data, there is something unexpectedly thrilling about old-fashioned fieldwork. Sitting in the back of a safari vehicle in the early morning, windows down, antenna raised, listening for a faint beep—this is how some of the most important conservation work still happens today.

Spring is a season of urgency for bears. After months of stillness and fasting, the world reopens and everything suddenly matters. Food. Space. Safety. Opportunity. Nowhere is this more visible than in coastal estuaries, where spring bear behaviour unfolds in complex, often dramatic ways.

As snow retreats and daylight stretches longer, bears descend from their winter dens and re-enter landscapes that are very much alive.

A great expedition is more than the wildlife you see or the photographs you bring home. It’s how the experience feels while you’re there and how it stays with you long after you’ve returned. Guides are often introduced as naturalists or photo instructors, and those roles matter deeply. Knowledge shapes understanding. Photography helps people slow down and see. But the most memorable trips go beyond facts and techniques. They’re built on moments, quiet, shared, unplanned, that turn a journey into something meaningful.

At first glance, a pangolin looks almost unreal. Covered head to tail in overlapping scales, it’s easy to understand why so many people assume they are reptiles. But pangolins are mammals—warm-blooded, fur-bearing beneath their armor, and deeply connected to the ecosystems they inhabit. That misunderstanding has contributed, in part, to their tragic decline.

Photographing grizzly bears in the Khutzeymateen is a rare privilege. As Canada’s first grizzly bear sanctuary, this remote corner of the Great Bear Rainforest is protected, quiet, and profoundly wild. Access is limited, bears are free to behave naturally, and every encounter feels earned rather than staged. Creating strong photographs here requires more than luck, it requires preparation, patience, and an understanding of both photography and bear behaviour.

Conservation isn’t just something that happens in research labs or international policy meetings. Conservation happens every time a traveller chooses to visit a wild space, respectfully, intentionally, and in partnership with local communities. In Uganda, this connection is visible, measurable, and powerful — because tourism directly funds protection for the species we travel so far to see.

Anyone can stand in front of wildlife and take a picture — but the difference between simply witnessing a moment and truly creating an image that tells a story often comes down to one thing: The guidance you have beside you.

When you travel with an experienced photography guide, you aren’t just on a trip. You’re learning how to see — how to anticipate behaviour, read light, compose with intention, and walk away with images that hold emotion long after the moment has passed.

Established in 1994, the Khutzeymateen was designated as Canada’s first grizzly bear sanctuary, protecting more than 44,000 hectares of critical habitat. No logging. No roads. No trophy hunting. Just wild coast and wild bears. The estuary is the heart of this place. Where tides meet meadow, where bears feed, forage, and live out their daily lives. Our goal is to witness it respectfully, without imprinting on it.

Each fall, we gather in Churchill — a place often referred to as the polar bear capital of the world. For photographers, it’s one of the most extraordinary wildlife experiences on Earth. Nowhere else consistently offers the same density of bears, the variety of behaviours, or the intimate window into their lives as they wait for winter to return. You’re not only photographing animals, you’re photographing the moment before a transformation. The days before the sea freezes are charged with tension and energy. Every frame holds narrative weight.