There are times when working with wildlife that discretion is the better part of valor. This was one of those times.
This is an image of a male grizzly bear who has just been spending some quality time with his current "girlfriend", for lack of a better term (she's the bear in the background). Seconds before this image was shot the bears were playfully wrestling on the ground in a beautiful patch of purple lupines (presumably as a precursor to some other more intimate activity). The wrestling seemed to get the male bear a little worked up, and he apparently decided that this was a time when he'd prefer to be without the company of those funny-looking two-legged uprights So, he popped up and decided to tell us, in no uncertain terms, to get our butts (and our Zodiac) out of there - NOW! There was no mistaking his intent!
Our group consisted of an eclectic mix of individuals - from neuro-surgeons through to engineers, physicists, and biologists. Despite our very different backgrounds we were united by two things: our love of wildlife photography and our ability to understand the basics of bear communication! So, rather than having a high level debate about what to do, we quickly put down our gear and our trusty bear guide put the Zodiac in reverse and gave the Mr. Bear exactly what he wanted - a little space and privacy
It was simply an unforgettable moment that will be etched forever in my mind. And, fortunately, it's etched in pixels as well!
Subject: Male grizzly (
Ursus arctos) showing off for his girlfriend
Location: Khutzeymateen Inlet, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 400mm f2.8 VR) - hand-held
Exposure: 1/250s @ f5; ISO 720; no compensation from metered exposure setting.
Crop: This is about 75% of full frame
All the contextual information surrounding this shot (including processing details) can be found here:
http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/detail_6.html.
All comments and critiques welcome, but probably better to view larger image first.
Cheers...
Brad
Comments
22 commentsI am going back and forth in my mind however and might also like to see the female and more of the lupines around her in focus as well. Either way congrats, another extremely fine print.
My intent (pardon the pun) with the image was to show the focus/determination of the male bear, which is why I chose an aperture that kept his entire head (and especially the eyes) in focus, but little else. In doing so I wanted the viewer's eye to be drawn to the male bear's eyes first and I really wanted that second bear blurred a little and thus de-emphasized. Not sure if I fully succeeded (it's always hard to judge these things on your own image - it will be interesting to see what others have to say), but the "effect" shows better (and I hope the viewer's eyeflow pattern) on the larger image.
Cheers...
Brad
I guess this is a case where I'd really be interested in seeing a version of the photo with a lot more DOF - which your ubercamera would probably allow for at a very high ISO. In this version I do find the second bear to be distracting and in particular the fact that her right eye is very obvious leaves me bouncing back and forth between the two bears. I like the OOF background but it probably wouldn't be hurt much by stopping down since it's a completely different color than the bears. I find the blurry foreground is a bit distracting too.
Still - as usual an excellent image and certainly much, much better than any bear picture I have. Also appreciate the story behind the picture.
The hard stare combined with the delicate lupines is great.
The sow bear doesn't do anything for me and is a small distraction.
For the first time in over a year, I'm going to comment because I find this image compelling and the DOF debate surrounding the composition understandable, but a little off. I'm not an expert, but I also wasn't there and that fact and the tension you describe is missing for me in the image itself. At face value, without your story, both bears look a little punchy or high from smelling the lupines and in fact, the OOF female in that case is a perfect lead-in to the skewed and slightly goofy face of the in-focus male. Part of it is due to the lavender/purple colors of not only the flowers, but your watermark which leads to gentle, sweet emotions and not terror. Kind of like Ferdinand the Bull smelling the daisies. They look kind of stoned. I don't read or feel menace without your written narrative.
That said, I'm really fond of this piece and the detail and natural history vignette it displays and conveys. Lovely field work and the sense that I could be standing right next to you as the male approached.
Cool stuff.
Lee
My eye goes straight to the male bear and he holds my attention, then a glance to her, but quickly back to him. So I think your DOF did what you hoped for. Having said that, I would prefer she not be there at all. I do see menace on his face but still in the early warning stages. (akin to a horse with pinned ears but still no teeth showing)
I like it!
Peter
Unfortunately, stress of the moment isn't always conveyed in the image without some visual keys and the boars slightly cocked back left ear gets lost in the sows head, diffusing the tension of his posture. Put him in the Lupins and the tension disappears. IMO.
The shot is technically excellent as usual.
Keep 'em coming!
Neil
Jagdeep Rajput
My favorite from your most recent expedition - the wet fur really makes this image stand out. I like how the female is looking off into the distance, as if she is thinking "please don't embarrass me" and the lupines add that great splash of color.
- LUke