On the left, a wet bear runs through water in black and white. On the right, two brown bears stand in a meadow, embracing each other against a blurred, green background.Photographer Matthew Trabold was standing in the same field as the bears.

After a trip to Petersburg, Alaska, photographer Matthew Trabold crossed paths with his first brown bears, but left frustrated having never gotten close enough to capture a compelling shot.

However, Trabold’s guides, Arthur Lefo and Brooke Bartleson, told him about a lodge located in Lake Clark National Park where close encounters with brown bears happen on a daily basis.

Naturally, Trabold booked a trip, and it did not disappoint. “I witnessed some of the most extraordinary scenes of wildlife behavior in my life,” he tells PetaPixel.

The pro photographer went during mating season and watched as male bears courted females for extended periods. “There is a very interesting dance that happens between males and females as they decide whether or not they will mate,” explains Trabold.

Two brown bears stand on their hind legs facing each other, appearing to play or wrestle in a grassy field with green trees and purple flowers in the background.

Two brown bears stand in shallow water; one bear mounts the other from behind, likely engaging in mating behavior, while water splashes around their feet against a bright, blurred background.

Two brown bears stand face to face, playfully interacting in a grassy field with wildflowers, surrounded by dense green pine trees in the background.

A large brown bear stands in tall green grass, looking toward the camera with a blurred forest background on a cloudy day.

Two brown bears stand close together in shallow water, with one bear slightly behind the other. The scene is calm, with soft lighting and blurred water in the foreground.

A brown bear runs through shallow water, splashing as it moves forward with a focused expression. The background is bright and blurred, emphasizing the bear’s motion.

A large brown bear stands on a grassy riverbank, gazing toward the water. The background is lush and green, with light rain visible, and the scene appears calm and natural.

He also witnessed the bears go clamming during low tide. “This is not something every bear knows how to do; it is a learned behavior passed down from their mother. Watching them dig into the sand, pull out a razor clam, snap the shell open, and slurp the creature inside was wild to see.”

Trabold says that some of the best images came during the early evening as the sun was setting. “If you were in just the right place, you could get this beautiful rim light on the bears’ fur as they grazed through the meadow, making for some truly striking images,” he reflects.

A large brown bear with wet fur walks through shallow water, looking to the left. The background is misty and light, making the bear stand out as the main focus of the image.

A brown bear stands on a grassy riverbank, looking into the water on a rainy day. Lush green grass surrounds the calm river, with droplets visible in the air and a forest blurred in the background.

A large brown bear stands in tall green grass on a rainy day, with a blurred forest background.

A brown bear walks through tall green grass in a sunlit meadow, with a forest and mountains blurred in the background and small insects floating in the air.

Two brown bears stand on their hind legs, playfully sparring in a grassy field with trees blurred in the background.

Two brown bears stand on their hind legs in a grassy field, facing each other with their front paws touching, as if playfully hugging or wrestling. Blurred trees are visible in the background.

Trabold says that humans and bears coexist at the lodge and that his photos were taken while standing in the same field as the potentially dangerous bears.

“We have wildlife guides alongside us ensuring we are safe the whole time,” he adds. “This allowed us to get down at eye level with the bears in very close quarters.”

He notes that photographing bears in such close proximity requires a “delicate approach”, but the lodges he stayed in — Silver Salmon Creek Lodge and Alaska Homestead Lodge — were built specifically so that humans can coexist with the bears.

“This meant no hunting of any kind in their area among other things. Bears are creatures of habit. They are very smart. If you treat them well and respect their space for a long enough period of time, they can coexist alongside humans,” he says.

“That is one of the most beautiful parts about this area. Many of the bears we were photographing had been there since the inception of the lodges or were born there and grew up alongside people.”

Two brown bears are mating in a grassy field with a blurred forest in the background. One bear stands behind the other, with its front paws resting on the other's back.

A brown bear walks alone across a flat, misty landscape, with a blurred foreground and a pale, overcast sky in the background.

A brown bear sits on sandy ground with sparse green grass, looking slightly over its shoulder. The background is blurred, showing more grass and an open, natural landscape.

A brown bear stands in tall green grass with a forest of evergreen trees in the background, looking directly at the camera under soft natural light.

A brown bear stands in tall green grass, with its fur appearing wet. The background is softly blurred, showing hints of trees and a blue sky.

A brown bear stands in tall green grass, looking to the side. The background is blurred, with hints of blue sky and distant greenery.

A brown bear stands in tall green grass with a blurred forest background, looking alert and slightly toward the camera.

Trabold says he learned that humans and wildlife can coexist if there is mutual respect for one another.

“Bears are often seen as these brutal killers, but that is far from what I experienced. Polar bears are a different story; they will kill a person at a moment’s notice,” he says.

“My time with the brown bears couldn’t have been more different than that. We had some of them grazing well within 20 feet of us, not having a care in the world that we were there alongside them.

“It was truly one of the most powerful and surreal experiences of my life. With an appropriate understanding of brown bear psychology and their habits, people can happily live amongst these beautiful animals without having to harm them.”

A brown bear walks through tall green grass in a sunlit field, with its head lowered and a blurred background highlighting its profile.

A brown bear sits in tall green grass with a blurred forest background, looking slightly to the side. Small insects are visible around its head.

A close-up of a large brown bear facing the camera, with its fur illuminated by sunlight. The background is blurred in blue and green tones.

A brown bear walks across a shallow, rippling body of water on a foggy day, with its fur highlighted by soft light and a misty blue background.

A brown bear stands in shallow water on a misty day, with its reflection visible in the calm, blue surface. The background is blurred with fog, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

Two brown bears stand closely together in a grassy field, appearing to hug or nuzzle each other, with a blurred forest in the background under a cloudy sky.

A grizzly bear stands in a grassy field, looking downward with a focused expression. The bear’s thick fur is brown and its nose is close to the green grass. The background is softly blurred.

Trabold took a Fujifilm GFX100 II with a Fujinon GF 500mm F5.6 attached and a Sony a1 II with a Sony 400mm F2.8 G-Master lens for the trip.

“Depending on the situation, I switch my 400mm out for the 70-200mm GM F2.8 Mark II. These cameras did a fantastic job of keeping up with the rapidly changing conditions,” he says.

“The GFX isn’t the fastest camera out there, but nailing a shot on a digital medium format camera of any wildlife gives you images that are simply mind-blowing. That level of detail simply can’t be matched.

“The Sony a1 II is a workhorse, shooting at a max frame rate of 30 frames per second — which is overkill in my opinion — is a fantastic tool to have on hand. The autofocus on that body is really good as well.”

More of Trabold’s work can be found on his Instagram and website. Special mention to Arthur Lefo (Silver Salmon Creek Lodge) and Brooke Bartleson (Alaska Homestead Lodge).

Image credits: Photographs by Matthew Trabold.