I'm Leaving

i quite like the windswept landscape and the way the blond bears are looking at the departing one.
a wider frame might be interesting as well !

Hi Neil,

I very much like how the frame is divided here and how the smaller bears are positioned with their heads above the near ridge and stand out agains the darker background (well, at least 2 of 3 of them!). And the image - totally on its own - tells or suggests a story - before I read your commentary I wondered "Ok, what's going on here?". Compositionally there couldn't be a better image to illustrate the power of the rule of thirds - the horizon of the ridge plus both primary subjects (or subject groups) are sitting on those sweet spots. Visually very interesting...

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

Nice shot. Really like the expanse of land in the image. Like the placement of the bears as well.

This IS a story teller Neil! Very nice, great backdrop. I might consider a small crop from the bottom only.

I am left feeling bad for the lone bear. Another bear image where I want to place human emotions on these incredible creatures. Love your placement of both sets of bears in the frame. I like the rich greens of the vegetation with the warm browns of the bears. This image does tell a story. Do you know the story of the young female and why she was alone and not with her siblings? She doesn't look any older than the individuals in the other group.

The composition is terrific. To me, the three bears look a little too bright when compared to the light hitting the ground. If they were a touch browner.

Cliff

Yes, I do know the story, Sally,
During matting season (June), the sows will leave there one, sometimes two year olds to fend for themselves. It depends on whether she comes into estrus or not. These young are very noticable from other bears in that they are expending energy playing and carrying on like kids. Using up precious calories needed for the long winter hybernation. They will den together in the fall and spend most of the next summer together as well.
The three in the upper left were very precosious and were the only bears to get too close for my comfort on this trip. Actually, just the blond gave me pause. She was the ring leader of the trio. The solo bear was considerably larger and just wanted to be with company her own age, would be my guess.
Cheers!

Thanks for the comments everyone.
Neil

This is a wonderful image Neil. I really like the wider angle to capture the whole story. It would be so tempting to zoom in and focus on the three sitting together but you resisted the temptation and got a much better shot for it.

There is nothing like a great shot to tell a story, way to go Neil, well done.