Grizzly Mom and Cubs

Gallery: WildlifePosted August 13, 2011165 views7 comments

I had hoped for a little more respect since I came several thousand miles to photograph these grizzly bears in Alaska. This mom and her first year cubs greated us upon our arrival via float plane in Katmai. The background shows the tones of the tundra around these beautiful animals.

Nikon D300 ISO 400 F8 1/250 Nikon 200-400

Comments and critiques please.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 14, 2011 at 12:12 AM

Sure would like to see a large version!
Detail looks good here, great poses (VERY tough to get several bears all in good position), cute small cubs and that tongue is icing on the cake.
Nice environment too -
A bit of selective lightning of the closest cub's belly might reclaim some detail - but a small nit.
Very well done!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Esme' Fantozzi on August 14, 2011 at 12:49 AM

I'd say disrespect works all right, that pink tongue is really cute ;-)
I like the position of the bears, with both cubs faces visible and the sequence of four little ears. Thank you for sharing.

Registered on July 27, 2006, 50 Posts, 300 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on August 14, 2011 at 1:09 PM

I also like the comp on this a lot Andrew and of course the tongue is an added bonus! I also find myself wishing for a larger version.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on August 14, 2011 at 2:58 PM

Hi Andrew,

Sandy made a valid point about the difficulty of getting multiple subjects in the correct position (and poses) - so good job on that! And, of course, that tongue DOES add just about the right amount of cheekiness as well!

My only nit here is minor and has been mentioned - I think the shadows on mother and cubs are perhaps a little darker than optimal and that there MAY be a little more detail to extract there...

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on August 15, 2011 at 9:18 AM

Neat capture. I love her posture, but wish you could find some reflection in those eyes. I agree with Brad that maybe a bit more shadow detail could be found. Visible claws are always a strong accent with bears!

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

Comment posted by John Blumenkamp on August 15, 2011 at 9:41 PM

Love the setting and overall position of the bears here Andrew. That tongue on the one cub is awesome. I'm in agreement with others about some more shadow detail if possible. Hope to see more!

Registered on February 26, 2011, 58 Posts, 313 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on August 15, 2011 at 10:24 PM

Excellent composition Andrew, fabulous timing. I sure would like to see improved dynamic range in dSLRs of the future to help us capture detail in the shadows and highlights. Might still be able to tease a bit more detail into the dark areas to make an awesome print!

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