The Mission

Eight Species. One Mission.

There are eight bear species left on Earth. Each one lives in a different ecosystem facing a different conservation crisis. No photographer has built a dedicated body of work across all eight. That's the gap — and I was made to fill it.

Brown bears fishing for salmon, Alaska

The question I can't let go of

I've been within arm's reach of a brown bear at Katmai — close enough to hear it breathe while it fished for salmon. That experience changed how I see the world. But it also planted a question: this is one bear species, in one ecosystem. What about the other seven?

The sun bear is losing its forest to palm oil plantations. The moon bear is being kept in cages for bile farming. The Andean spectacled bear — the only bear in South America — is retreating higher into the Andes as agriculture swallows its habitat. The polar bear is watching its world melt.

Each species is a different ecosystem. Each ecosystem is a different conservation crisis. Each crisis is a different chapter of the same story: what we stand to lose, and who is fighting to prevent it.

The Eight Bear Species

A global documentation project spanning every continent where bears still survive.

Species 01
Brown / Grizzly Bear
North America, Europe, Asia

Human-wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation, hunting politics.

In Portfolio
Species 02
American Black Bear
North America

Urban encroachment, coexistence challenges, habitat loss.

In Portfolio
Species 03
Moon Bear (Asiatic Black)
Asia — 18 countries

Bile farming, poaching, habitat loss. 950+ rescued by Free the Bears alone.

Expedition Planned
Species 04
Sun Bear
Southeast Asia

Bile farming, illegal wildlife trade, deforestation. The smallest bear on Earth.

Expedition Planned
Species 05
Andean Spectacled Bear
South America — Andes

Deforestation, agricultural expansion, isolation of populations. The only bear species in South America.

Future Chapter
Species 06
Sloth Bear
India, Sri Lanka, Nepal

Human-bear conflict, dancing bear history, habitat fragmentation.

Future Chapter
Species 07
Polar Bear
Arctic — circumpolar

Climate change, sea ice loss. The climate crisis made visible in a single species.

Future Chapter
Species 08
Giant Panda
China — Sichuan

Habitat fragmentation, captive breeding. The most restricted access of all eight species.

Final Chapter

Conservation Philosophy

The photography is the tool.
Conservation is the purpose.

This isn't passive documentation. The business model I'm building commits a percentage of all workshop, tour, and print sale proceeds directly to named conservation partners at each location.

Content is produced in service of these organizations — giving them media they can use for fundraising and outreach. Every expedition partners with local conservationists, credits them in all published work, and directs audiences to their donation infrastructure.

The photography funds the conservation. The conservation gives the photography meaning.

Brown bear on tidal flat at sunset, Alaska
Each species is a different ecosystem. Each ecosystem is a different crisis. Each crisis is a different chapter of the same story.