Can I See?

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 18, 2009322 views11 comments

Sow and cub Brown Bears in Katmai NP. They swam across from the far side of the river and parked themselves right in front of us. There was a big school of salmon swimming by and they just watched them for a few minutes before wandering off down stream. I guess the cub couldn't see b/c it decided to use mom to get a better look.

This sow was a very attentive mother, keeping her yearling cub very close at all times. Unlike many of the other sows we saw. I also liked the contrast between the much darker colored sow and her very blonde colored cub. All the other sows we saw this trip had nearly identical coats as their cubs.

A lower angle would have been nicer but considering how close they were, moving around for a better angle wasn't an option.

Suggestions are always appreciated!

Canon EOS40D, 100-400L IS @ 220mm, F5.6, ISO 500, 1/800

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by john hansen on December 18, 2009 at 6:37 PM

great shot

Registered on September 11, 2007, 95 Posts, 369 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on December 18, 2009 at 7:20 PM

Sweet One Joe!!!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on December 19, 2009 at 2:33 AM

Nice poses Joseph.I think your angle in this case is fine because of the green grasses. A lower angle would have turned these into obstructions and I like it that the bears are now in a triangle of these three green patches of grass. You would have lost the one behind them with a lower angle.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on December 19, 2009 at 9:30 AM

HI Joe,

Cute shot that nicely shows the mother-cub bond and the feeling of security the cub gleans from its close association with mom. I tend to agree with Vincent that while in general catching a low angle is preferable, in this case - even if possible - I don't think it would have worked well. One suggestion I'd make: if the image were mine I'd experiment with selectively reducing the brightness of the water - I'm thinking the bears would "pop" even more if you toned it down a little. Just a thought...

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on December 19, 2009 at 12:40 PM

Hi Joseph,
Interaction is very good and I like the way you captured them surrounded by the clumps of grasses. Perhaps a hair over sharpened but I am on my laptop so take that with a grain of salt! Nicely done!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments

Comment posted by Shane McDermott on December 19, 2009 at 1:11 PM

Nice scene, interaction and composition, just seems a little over sharpened to me?

Shane

Registered on November 12, 2007, 49 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on December 19, 2009 at 3:17 PM

Nice interaction with the two bears. It really makes one wonder what they are looking at. Nice environment too. I agree that the bears look just a tad oversharpened.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Hayden on December 19, 2009 at 5:55 PM

Joseph,
Another great bear shot. I agree that the two fur tones enhances the image. I like the grass in the foreground. Not sure this is over sharpened, as some have suggested. The fur on these guys has an extremely textured look when wet. In my opinion, they photograph better when wet.

Registered on November 21, 2009, 41 Posts, 201 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on December 20, 2009 at 2:03 AM

Very well done and a couple of stunning models as well. Some very good suggestions already made.