PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Barrett Hedges | Massive Migration

Name: Barrett Hedges
Picture title: Massive Migration
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: Canada
Occupation: I am a full-time photographer and have been working full-time for 10 years.

Technical information
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR
EXIF: 1/320 at f/7.1, ISO 1000

Handheld, Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapter, Polarizer Filter

Barrett Hedges says:

The salmon migration is one of the greatest migrations on Earth. Every year, I have the opportunity to witness the salmon run and photograph it, and it’s always exciting. I had been photographing brown bears chasing after salmon for many years and was happy with the photos I was getting. However, I started to seek a new perspective beyond just eye level with the bears. Finding an area that could provide the shot I envisioned was challenging. I explored many locations where brown bears chase fish, but none of them offered the perspective I was looking for.

When I found this cliff, so close to the river, I was thrilled by the possibilities that vantage point could offer. However, salmon runs vary each year in terms of how many fish return and when they return, so you never know what the salmon run will be like until you arrive on location. With salmon runs dwindling in many parts of Alaska, I wasn’t sure if the type of shot I was hoping for would even be possible. But when the day finally came and all the elements aligned—the salmon at peak migration, a large return of fish, the weather, and a brown bear swimming by—it was an incredible moment. I was able to capture so many sockeye salmon swimming around the brown bear in the river as it tried to catch them!

Taken in Katmai National Park. Ursus arctos horribilis and Oncorhynchus nerka.