Watching you watching me (+ repost)

Gallery: WildlifePosted March 20, 2011176 views5 comments

We observed this black bear (Ursus americanus) feeding on buffaloberries or soapberries (Shepherdia canadensis). The bear was along the road; but, for once, in a photographically more appealing location than the usual roadside ditch. This was taken the same day than the grizzly bear pictures, but this time I was on foot.

There was no compostion to speak of. I looked at the bear and the bear looked at me. Head-on. Center of field of vision. I think that "composition" fits the situation.

I believe I hit the focus better than with the grizzly.

Comments and feedback are welcome, as always. Thanks in advance. Is there a way to reduce the noise further (used LR3) without degrading the picture?

Canon 7D, Sigma 150-500 at 500, 14.9 m.
ISO 3200 (way too high and I have changed the custom setting now to 400 based on feedback from NPN), f/6.3, 1/800 sec, handheld, no crop.

Note: the identification tag in the left ear has been edited away.

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by richard remington on March 21, 2011 at 8:38 AM

Roger,

The bear looks very strong and intimidating. What a magnificent creature! Great capture!

Rick

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on March 21, 2011 at 9:34 AM

The center comp works for me and I like the accent of red berries. The eyes are a little out of the focus zone. I would try adding a little selective sharpening to just the eyes and maybe to the non-highlighted areas of the face. Bright, rich colors are a plus.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on March 22, 2011 at 2:05 AM

This is the type of shot I love, illustrating perfectly the bear in its environment.

Noise does not look to bad to me, but I have always been told never to use intermediate ISO as these tend to generate more noise, so in this case 400 or 800. It would be interesting to know what otheres think of this.

Cheers

Ken

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on April 2, 2011 at 9:49 PM

Thank you all for your comments: composition and tech. This is most helpful to me. I'll try selective sharpening as suggested by Lon and also revisit other captures from the same series. Ken, thanks for the info about the intermediate ISO; I did not know this. Unfortunately, over the last couple of weeks, I have not had any time to spend on photography. I should have time this week, or even tomorrow depending on the light :-). If the light is good, my day will be "for the birds". In any case, I will follow up and repost if I can improve the sharpness. Regards.

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on January 29, 2012 at 9:47 PM

Reposted

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments