Has anyone done Gastineau Guiding in Juneau?

[ntvsdgrl]

Last year when I was in Juneau, I did Harv and Marv. Next year, friends that I met on the last cruise that I'm going with next year, are going to do Gastineau Guiding. I've checked out their website and they look great and the photography support on the tour will be perfect with my new camera. I'm just curious if anyone else has been on a tour with them.

Edited June 8, 2014 by ntvsdgrl

[go4ak]

I took the Mendenhall photo safari/Whale watching cruise in early May. I can't say enough good things about it. I can't remember the young man's name - but he was wonderful.

 

From the ship to the beginning of the "safari" he talked about camera settings (aperture, speed, composition, white balance, etc.) and when to use which ones.

 

We did an easy hike/walk through a forested area and took pictures along the way. He explained how to get photos with aperture control (mushroom, glacial ice) and with shutter speed control (waterfall, creek).

 

We were then shuttled to the dock for the whale watching portion. He continued to talk about settings, lighting and composition. We boarded a small boat and headed out. He explained to use the "sports" setting so we have a better chance of getting the whale tale. The boats were small and you had the option of being inside or out. If you were inside - there were large windows that they would "flip up" and fasten to the ceiling so you could lean out the padded window to shoot. They raced to and following any whale sighting.

 

We certainly could have spent 10 more hours with him - but we never felt rushed and came back with knowledge and some great photos.

 

You are given a snack (granola bar, nuts, water, fruit leather) and as much personal attention as you need. We has some people with small point and shoot cameras and we had one personal with a Cannon DSLR and a white 300mm lens.

 

I would do it again in a minute!

[ntvsdgrl]

I took the Mendenhall photo safari/Whale watching cruise in early May. I can't say enough good things about it. I can't remember the young man's name - but he was wonderful.

 

From the ship to the beginning of the "safari" he talked about camera settings (aperture, speed, composition, white balance, etc.) and when to use which ones.

 

We did an easy hike/walk through a forested area and took pictures along the way. He explained how to get photos with aperture control (mushroom, glacial ice) and with shutter speed control (waterfall, creek).

 

We were then shuttled to the dock for the whale watching portion. He continued to talk about settings, lighting and composition. We boarded a small boat and headed out. He explained to use the "sports" setting so we have a better chance of getting the whale tale. The boats were small and you had the option of being inside or out. If you were inside - there were large windows that they would "flip up" and fasten to the ceiling so you could lean out the padded window to shoot. They raced to and following any whale sighting.

 

We certainly could have spent 10 more hours with him - but we never felt rushed and came back with knowledge and some great photos.

 

You are given a snack (granola bar, nuts, water, fruit leather) and as much personal attention as you need. We has some people with small point and shoot cameras and we had one personal with a Cannon DSLR and a white 300mm lens.

 

I would do it again in a minute!

 

Thank you. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Did you post any of your pictures here on CC? I would love to see them.

[lmoo1698]

 

We did an easy hike/walk through a forested area and took pictures along the way. He explained how to get photos with aperture control (mushroom, glacial ice) and with shutter speed control (waterfall, creek).

 

 

 

My husband and I are also interested in this excursion. How long was your hike? Which trail did you hike at the glacier? I am cautious about hiking with a group of people, since I have some physical limitations.

[go4ak]

The "hike" was really more of a nice walk. There was a well maintained dirt trail - very easy walking. Because we were seeing so much of the forest we all walked very slowly. It was maybe about 1/2 mile (if you call them I'm sure they can give you a better idea).

 

I can't really say what the trail was. We were dropped off in a dirt parking lot and after the walk kind of "popped out" of the forest above the visitor's center. We walked down towards the visitor's center and towards the glacier.

 

We had one woman on the tour that had bad knees and she would drop back a bit and then catch up while we were all stopped either taking pictures or listening to the guide. At no point did we feel that she was holding up the group and I really don't think she felt that she was. The walk really is at a nice slow pace.

 

I finally found the card from the tour and the name of our guide was Eric Oravsky. He was just amazing.

[lmoo1698]

The "hike" was really more of a nice walk. There was a well maintained dirt trail - very easy walking. Because we were seeing so much of the forest we all walked very slowly. It was maybe about 1/2 mile (if you call them I'm sure they can give you a better idea).

 

I can't really say what the trail was. We were dropped off in a dirt parking lot and after the walk kind of "popped out" of the forest above the visitor's center. We walked down towards the visitor's center and towards the glacier.

 

We had one woman on the tour that had bad knees and she would drop back a bit and then catch up while we were all stopped either taking pictures or listening to the guide. At no point did we feel that she was holding up the group and I really don't think she felt that she was. The walk really is at a nice slow pace.

 

I finally found the card from the tour and the name of our guide was Eric Oravsky. He was just amazing.

 

Thanks so much for the very detailed description of the hike. That definitely sounds doable. I also found info on the princess website that states about a mile hike. We booked the tour and are very excited. We just bought a new camera (Sony a6000) and are looking forward to a tour focused on photography.

[Crew News]

Last year when I was in Juneau, I did Harv and Marv. Next year, friends that I met on the last cruise that I'm going with next year, are going to do Gastineau Guiding. I've checked out their website and they look great and the photography support on the tour will be perfect with my new camera. I'm just curious if anyone else has been on a tour with them.

 

I took this excursion several years ago. We received our bagged snack but were instructed to leave it on the bus which dropped us off at the Visitor Center to avoid attracting bears with a sweet tooth during the hike.

 

Our hike was about 3/4 mile down to the water's edge. Here are the pictures of the glacier that I took on the hike:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=455

 

With the exception of the last photograph, here are images taken of plant life near the glacier:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1105