Thoughtful Scrutiny
by Ashley Vincent
Canon EOS 7D, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM + 2x TC @ 400mm, Aperture Priority @ f/5.6 (1/320 sec), 0 EV, ISO 640, Handheld, JPEG from RAW, Cropped 20% from Full Frame
Subject: Asiatic Black Bear AKA Moon Bear
Seeing as lately it seems like open season on bears – at least in the context of shooting them digitally and posting them up – I thought I'd throw a different species into the mix ;^)
I really haven't spent much time with the bears at my local zoo yet, although I know I will be dedicating more time to them in the not too distant future, as they do make for excellent subjects, as I know they can offer up some wonderful poses and expressions, as you can see here.
This bear was very relaxed and at ease (I happened to be the only one around at the time) and would occasionally sit up and look directly at me as though scrutinising my camera technique in a very thoughtful manner … I half expected it to offer some advice, but whatever opinion it had it chose to keep to itself ;^)
Not much (for me!) work in post-processing, although I did clean up the fur a little, grooming the bear by removing tiny flecks of dirt or dust it had picked up.
Comments and critique always welcome :^)
Comments
6 commentsI really like the pose you have captured of this black bear. The background with its OOF trees helps to give the impression of a bear in a natural setting. The detail you have in the coat of the bear is outstanding. Thanks for sharing.
Great shot, I'm not sure why it doesn't have more comments!
-Cam
Welcome to the bear bandwagon! Very amusing shot - just a slightly anthropomorphic pose, eh? I love the pose (who wouldn't?). I initially felt that the trees in the background were a little distracting (mainly the one to the left and above the head), but John brings up a good point about the tree making it look like a natural setting. The techs look good here. I have a few minor "in a perfect world" nits - I'd like to see a little more of the log the bear is resting on (looks a little "clipped" to me) but I suspect you had a reason for cutting it off where you did? And - if possible (and it probably wasn't) - I think if you were able to shoot this from a slightly higher angle and capture perhaps a little of of the right eye and a little more of the bear's head it might have strengthened the shot. But I'm guessing you were constrained by circumstances and this wasn't an option (tho, arguably, a little less constrained than the bear!
Thanks for sharing this - definitely a shot that produces a smile...
Brad
Brad: Couldn't really get a higher elevation for this one. Re your thoughts of this appearing better with a little more of that log showing, looking at this again I agree and, fortunately, part of the crop I made cut some from the bottom edge, so I'll be sure to add that back in before I print this up again, thanks for the suggestion :^)