Fuzzy Wuzzy

Not sure if my title is spelled right (never had to write that phrase from the old nursery rhyme out before!) but this guy and his sibling sure were fuzzy cubs when we found them last month!

This adorable black bear cub and his sibling put on quite a show for us earlier in the evening, boxing and wrestling for nearly half an hour (but of course a little further away from our lenses than we would have liked). Some time later I found an angle that would allow a brief view of the family as they moved through the forest at dusk and got set up.

Mom spotted me from about 100yds and gave some great looks (if I ever get though my "to-do" list on processing, I'm sure you'll meet her as well), but this cub was oblivious for several minutes. When he did spot me (or heard me, as I like to make sure bears know my whereabouts!), he scrambled up a tree for a few seconds before realizing "oh, it's only that guy again!" (or something like that) and rushing back down to play with is brother or sister again. Given the extreme lack of light and being mounted only on a monopod this time I was very pleased to have pulled this off, even if it's not exceptionally sharp.

Softness and vignette effect in the LRC is from foreground foilage.

Still can't get over the length on that coat...he was ready for a colder winter than Alberta dished out this time around!

I am 99.something% sure this is true vertical...the trees in this section of forest are all a few degrees different from each other and it creates quite a project for Jenaya and I when we photograph bears here! You never know where true vertical is without a level!

Comments and critiques welcomed and appreciated.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor AF-S 200-400mm f/4 IF-ED VR with TC-14EII
ISO 1600
1/40sec @ f/7.1
monopod, VR on (set to active given the effective focal length and lack of light)

***NOTE: Catchlights are natural and caused by the open dusk sky behind me as the mountain slopes abruptly here.