The King of Katmai
Bear #480 at Katmai National Park in Alaska is known by his fans as “Otis.” When I was at Katmai in 2022, Otis was 26 or 27 years old, and was the oldest bear currently returning to the falls each year to fish for Salmon. Otis has quite a following, and is known all over the world because of the webcam fandom of the Brooks Falls bears. Each year the “will Otis come back?” questions were growing louder, as everyone knew that one of these years would be his last. I feel privileged to have been able to spend a couple days observing him in person and shooting a series of portraits at the end of his reign as the undisputed “King of Katmai.” He did return in 2023, but was not seen the following year. A slow shutter speed here highlights the moving water, and the motionless patience of this expert fisherman.