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Charging Brown Bear
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Charging Brown Bear

by Joe James

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 20, 2009268 views12 comments
I'm a brand new member and this is my first post. This was our first hour at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and it was incredible. This sow brown bear was chasing salmon right next to the pontoon bridge and putting on quite a show. Any helpful comments always appreciated. Thanks for looking.

Canon EOS40D
ISO - 500
Shutter Speed - 1/800
ISO - F6.3
Canon 100-400L F4-5.6 @ 400mm

Comments

12 comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 20, 2009 at 3:29 PM
A great image. A slightly lower angle would have helped, but that's not always possible. I really like how the claws can be seen through the splashing water.

- Luke
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Neil Rossmiller on November 20, 2009 at 4:23 PM
Hello Joseph,
Very nice first post! The highlights seem a little hot for my taste. IMO an exposure tweak would bring out the water droplets, enhancing this dramatic action.
Thanks for sharing!
Neil
Registered on October 30, 2009, 156 Posts, 749 Comments
Comment posted by Sandy Young on November 20, 2009 at 7:02 PM
very nice shot. Congrats. Only nit - I would crop so the bear is not in the center perhaps a little ower into the right corner.
Registered on April 24, 2006, 39 Posts, 173 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on November 20, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Enjoyable photo, glad you explained the bear was after salmon, not photographers! I also think the water could be alittle darker, but have no problem with the position of the bear in the image.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 20, 2009 at 11:35 PM
Fine action shot! I would be trying to trim just a little (not much!) off the bottom and right side. I also like the claws coming so clearly out of the spray. It would have been nice to see a larger version to appreciate the eyes. Exposure looks fine to my eye.
Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments
Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on November 20, 2009 at 11:42 PM
Hi Jospeh and welcome to NPN :wavey: What an excellent image to start with! You managed to capture a dramatic action pose which could very well be interpreted as a charge towards the viewer instead of a salmon. Like the others, I also like the visible claw and the splashing water. I do not think the highlights are really 'hot' but the image could be just a little darker overall IMO. I do echo Lon's crop suggestion for a slightly better presentation.
Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Archer on November 21, 2009 at 5:56 AM
:biggrin: Sweet first post Joseph!!! Great action and perspective!

Ken Archer
Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments
Comment posted by Don Wagner on November 21, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Welcome aboard, I too just joined! I think the exposure is fine, but I agree on the cropping issues. I also know that when you find yourself in such an adrenalian pumping situation, the fact that you captured a sharp image is good enough for me!!
Besides the comp. its an AWESOME shot!!

Don(Wags)
wagnerwildlife.com
Registered on November 19, 2009, 12 Posts, 21 Comments
Comment posted by Joe James on November 21, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments and ideas. I'm going to putting the bear a bit further right and see about toning down the highlights to see how it looks. Thanks again!
Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments
Comment posted by Mike Bonar on November 21, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Great shot! I am a new member as well. This image really drew my eye when I opened the gallery! IMO the exposure looks right on. :toast:
Registered on November 11, 2009, 25 Posts, 50 Comments
Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 22, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Hi Joseph,

Welcome to NPN and to the Fauna Gallery in particular. I hope this is only the first of many images (and comments) you contribute. A special thanks for jumping right in and starting to comment on the images of others - may new members are (understably) a little hesitant to do this!

The is a great first post. Your timing was perfect and the bear cooperated nicely. There's already been a lot of good suggestions made on this image, so I'll stick to just one point: I'm not sure a square (or squarish) crop is optimal for this shot. I like the strong horizontal line made by the splashing water, and think that a crop from the bottom to convert this more to a 3:2 ratio would help subtly emphasize this line and improve this already very good image.

Cheers...looking forward to seeing more...

Brad
Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on November 23, 2009 at 11:31 PM
Great Grizzly photo Joseph. I like the way the water is captured by the fast shutter speed. The composition is quite good, but a little more room on the left (in front of the bear) might work even better for me. Nice colors! :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments