Lord of Khutzeymateen

Gallery: WildlifePosted June 13, 2011170 views4 comments

As I'm sure most of you realize through Brad Hill's and others great bear images that the Khutzeymateen valley is an incredible place. And it certainly is. I had the pleasure of visiting the valley last week and it was one of the great wildlife experiences of my life. Thanks so much to a few dedicated individuals who have fought to preserve this incredible ecosystem and to their tireless passion and enthusiasm in teaching others of the valley's rich and important biodiversity. This is truly a special place with incredible wildlife and I hope it stays that way for generations to come.

Thanks for viewing and comments are always welcome. I hope to post more grizzly bear images in the next few weeks as my tribute to this amazing place.

ISO 640 1/125, f/5.6 @260mm

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on June 13, 2011 at 4:07 PM

An interesting image. I like the pose and the way there is detail from front to back. The bear to me does not seem quite sharp, and the evergreen branch sticking out does distract slightly. I think you handled the light very well. I would be happy with this photo if I had taken it. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing more.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on June 14, 2011 at 8:32 AM

Hi Darren,

Well, I'm sure you know I'm in agreement with your views on how special the Khutzeymateen is. The fact that only very few individuals are permitted to visit it annually makes it even more special (at least in my view).

Interesting shot of "the big guy". I like how you've positioned him in the frame and how he's emerging from the forest here. On my monitor the greens seem a bit too "punchy", but that's quite a minor issue (and easy to adjust if you choose to).

One thing I found interesting about this bear this year - he's ruled the roost in the Khutzeymateen for a number of years now, but this year (as I'm sure you know) he's had a minimum of at least 3 other serious challengers (in the form of very large males). It seems to have altered his behaviour a little - he's now "all business" and rarely bothers to give humans even a sideways glance (which means capturing an image with a good look at his eyes is really tough now).

Anyway - enjoyed looking at this and looking forward to seeing more! Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on June 14, 2011 at 11:01 PM

Very nice picture Darren :^) From your description I can easily appreciate the sense of thrill, delight and privilege anyone would surely feel if they were lucky enough to be in such surrounding and have relatively close encounters with these magnificent animals.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on June 16, 2011 at 12:21 AM

Great setting for this fine bear. I like the mossy base he is standing on as well. I do find the greens in particular to be perhaps a bit over saturated or biright.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments