This One's Mine?

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 20, 2011418 views14 comments

This One's Mine?

A few posts ago I coined the term "active portrait" to describe tightly framed wildlife shots where the subject is doing something (other than JUST looking at me or into the distance) and where I'm trying to capture a bit of the "essence" or personality of the subject. Anyway - here's another example of one. Judging by the scars on it's snout, this smallish black bear has had a bit of a rough go fitting in with his "pals" and when he approached me closely, snagged a salmon from right in front of me, and then looked me in the eye, it was almost like he was saying "Please let me keep this one!" Anthropomorphic? Probably - but, inadvertent or not, he was definitely communicating something to me!

There were some challenges in capturing this image (including enduring bootfulls of very cold stream water!), but the bigger challenges were in processing the image. Between the whiter-than-white belly of salmon and the dark black-on-black tones of the bear this image pushed the limit of what my camera's sensor could capture. As always, I exposed to retain highlight details and left retrieval of the black-on-black detail to post-processing. I'm not a fan of the shadow/highlight tools of raw converters or image editing programs so I use a more time-consuming (but, I would argue, more precise and less prone to noise creation) exposure blending technique. It's similar to HIgh Dynamic Range (or HDR) processing, but instead of combining multiple exposures captured in the field (which is pretty impractical with wildlife photography), I combine multiple versions of a single converted raw file where each version differs in the exposure assigned to it. This image was one of the most complex I've ever blended and I ended up blending 5 exposure versions before (over a 2.5 stop range) before I got this one to suit my taste (and, I think, recreate what I saw through the viewfinder).

This image is going to be used shortly in a conservation campaign to draw attention to the increasing number of threats to a region of the BC coast known as the Great Bear Rainforest. It's probably not appropriate to include a long conservation spiel here - interested parties can check the full rant out on my website (link below).

Anyway...all I'll say now is this: Good luck little bear - I hope that despite mankind's actions that hamper you, I truly hope you can find enough fish to sustain yourself over a long life...

Subject: Young Black Bear (Urus americana kermodei) trying to drown a salmon!
Location: Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D3
Lens: Nikkor 200mm f2 VR - handheld (VR on an in "normal" mode)
Exposure: 1/160s at f2.8. ISO 220. -0.33 stop compensation from matrix metered exposure.
Crop: More than I'd like - this is about 50% of original vertical capture

Besides the usual info (field notes, processing, etc.), you'll find a bit of a conservation rant here on my website...

http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/.

(just click on the "In the Field" tab under the image to see the discussion).

Comments & critiques welcomed. Probably better to view larger version first...

Cheers...thanks for looking...

Brad

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on April 20, 2011 at 3:29 PM

Great shot Brad, hard to believe that it's a 5-image blend. I find my eyes searching for the ears, but the lack of them is made up for by the detail in the bear's face and the fish. Definitely a worthy shot for the campaign!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on April 20, 2011 at 3:52 PM

Hey Guy,

Thanks - I agree with your comment on the ears and they ARE in the original. We debated including them (this is the crop we're using in the campaign), but in going to a wider crop the eyes were less compelling (and yes, we're "using" the "bambi eyes" to maximize the impact!

). The whole campaign circles around the salmon, so it was essential we included the whole fish (except the part the bear is trying to drown!!).

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 20, 2011 at 11:36 PM

Another stunning capture - I love how the battle scars on the snout can be seen - the details on the fish (the tail-fin in particular and that semi-sad look in the bears eyes. I think your synopsis is quite accurate (at least in what emotion it evokes in us humans). Certainly blending all of those layers was not an easy task but it paid off. Could you possibly post "the original" (which of course doesn't exist because what's "original" when dealing with RAW files) - basically how you would process it if you were unable to blend multiple conversions so we can see how blocked the blacks were and how hot the whites were? A sort of "before and after"? Thanks

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on April 21, 2011 at 12:07 AM

Nice portrait Brad. It certainly meets the needs of your campaign. The salmon, being the central focus of your campaign, ties the bear and the river together with his tail in the mouth and his head in the river. More effective than a salmon completely out of the water thrashing around in the mouth of the bear. Great detail, clarity, and color as well.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on April 21, 2011 at 12:49 AM

The eyes pulled me right into this scene! Amazing capture and professionally processed. Any who skips opening up the large version will miss much. So refreshing and real.

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 21, 2011 at 4:24 AM

The first HDR pictures I ever saw blew my mind; I loved the richness in colour and the way everything "popped" so well, but I quickly appreciated this technique was unlikely to benefit me, as you suggest Brad, in wildlife photography; the images I saw were all of landscapes and sunsets.

That said, this example of what you've been able to achieve by combining multiple images has my mind racing once again with all sorts of possibilities, the only thing is, with so many other techniques and skills I'm trying to learn and get my head around, I reckon it's gonna' to be a while yet before I can afford the time to fathom the finer points of this technique out and make the best of it ;^)

Nevertheless, you've planted yet another seed in my ever-fertile mind, and I thank you for that :^)

Much like Luke, I'd be very interested to see the original with whatever basic adjustments you would have made had you not gone the multiple layer route, as this would offer a clearer idea of how much more you were able to bring out of this image, but I'd also understand if you'd rather not ;^)

The image you've presented here is thoroughly captivating and compelling and, I think, very well suited for drawing the attention you're aiming for. Great job Brad :^)

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on April 21, 2011 at 10:11 AM

Hi Brad !
I find it amazing, the way you go into great details in processing the image.

I like Luke's idea to post the image before processing, so that less skilled, like myself can learn from it.
The image straight away stares at the face, as if asking the questions, it will be very effective in conservation campaign ! If this was mine, I would prefer to darken the whitish (water reflections)area around the fish.
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 21, 2011 at 1:17 PM

As always Brad, excellent work on the processing, the exposure throughout is simply perfect. My first reaction when seeing your techs though was why f/2.8 at this close range (how did you manage to get so close to a fishing bear btw?), but after studying the image a bit more I concluded the DOF is actually perfect and the focus spot on. I would have like to see a bit more room all around though to include the ears and the virtual fish head.

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

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 21, 2011 at 7:33 PM

This shot really engages the viewer. The scarred snout, his stare at the photographer, and the fish all work so well. It looks like his right eye is looking further out of the image. Is that an injury or can bears do that?

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on April 22, 2011 at 2:58 AM

Brad, at the risk of being too emotive I simply LOVE this image. Yes, your processing and techs are outstanding...perfect, really. But it's the richness of the moment captured, the way the eyes hold you and almost make you hold your breath while you remain locked in the stare, the water dripping off the ventral fin...it's just simply all here.

I think you know how much I like black bears from previous comments, but you just completely nailed an exquisite capture and representation of the species here. I'm sure the pp helps make this as good as it appears here, but the beauty of it is that the pp is completely out of the viewer's mind. The power of the image holds you.

I'm stretching to find anything to suggest (why bother?), but it did suddenly cross my mind: what if you cropped a little extra off the top and eliminate any hint of the ears altogether? Kind of like your suggestion on my muley shot legs?

I really doubt you can improve this more than you have, but if I use the scroll bar to slide the crop down a little while viewing, there are some intriguing results with just a little more shaved off. The thing is, the darker, less-wet fur at the top really helps frame the face.

Just stunning, Brad...did I mention I love this image?

Thanks SO much for sharing this one with us...I am almost pacing with impatience for the bruins on this side of the rocks to start foraging!

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 22, 2011 at 5:19 AM

An highly attractive photo for sure Brad. I especially love the expressive eye contact. Great detail and texture in the fur too. Your PS work is amazing, makes me feel the need to furthur my education with photo-shop technique. It sounds like the perfect image to use for a grand cause, I'm not up to speed on that cause yet, but I will be soon.

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by Brad Hill on April 22, 2011 at 9:24 AM

Hello,

Just a few responses...

Luke & Jagdeep: I'm on the road right now and don't have access to my images (coming to you now from my iPad!). I can post a couple of the "before" variants when I return (in just over a week). By then the image will be old news, but I'll ping you via email after I've added the "un-post"

John: Thanks! I was wondering if you'd suggest the slight crop on top. Can't argue with the logic and my only hesitation is that this is quite the crop already and going further seems almost like "cheating" (soon it will be a 1-pixel image

!).

Vincent: You ask "...how did you manage to get so close to a fishing bear btw?". I did the "disappear in plain sight thing" - simply positioned myself in the creek a safe (and approved by bear-viewing guidelines) distance long before the bear was around. It first popped out about 100 meters downstream and slowly came in my direction as it worked the stream. It knew I was there the whole time - I wasn't hiding or in a blind. After catching the fish the bear moved off a few feet, ate the fish, then calmly proceeded upstream past me and kept doing his thing. Other than casting me a few glances the bear pretty much ignored my presence. To be honest, even tho' the bear was quite rude and didn't offer me any of his catch (

) the whole "encounter" (if you could even call it that) was very calm, quiet, and peaceful (and, if I'm being honest, quite pleasant).

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Nathan Lovas on April 22, 2011 at 2:12 PM

Superb job pulling out all that detail.

Nate

Registered on December 30, 2007, 27 Posts, 176 Comments

Comment posted by Keshav Kumar on April 24, 2011 at 6:52 AM

When I saw this image the first time, all I could think about was the intensity in the eyes, the amazing fur details and those priceless water droplets.

I took time before deciding on commenting on this image. I don't know precisely what I like about it, but there is something (perhaps the eyes, the fur and those marks on the snout) which makes me come back to it again.

If there is only one thing I could ask for more in this image is, perhaps, the head of the salmon. But then, it would be asking for too much. :-) That white patch on the salmon is a tad bright and distracting, but then again, it is how it is.

As always, the amount of details that you have here is something only you can get out. The processing is top notch and as always, provides a great insight into how to go about making an image from the field to the computer.

Registered on June 3, 2008, 16 Posts, 42 Comments