Ursus Americanus + repost

Great detail and absolutely perfect exposure and processing for my taste. Comp is nice, but that brown strip on the bottom is not helping. I wonder how it would look cropped just a little bit tighter, to keep a similar aspect ratio, but chopping that bottom off. Really easy fix for a great shot.

I agree, the brown at the bottom can go without hurting the photo. I like the pose with grass in the bears mouth and the detail in its coat. Thanks for sharing.

I had enough image to work with so here is a recrop as recommended.

Hey Dan,

Hmmm...while I DID notice the brown strip, it didn't seem like much of a problem to me. And, I think I prefer the positioning of the bear in the frame a bit more in the original composition (i.e., a bit higher in the frame). A good example of "different strokes for different folks" I guess! Black bears can be tough to photograph effectively, partly because of how challenging it can be to bring out the dark-on-dark detail. But you managed this one quite well. I am wondering if a slight selective bump in exposure might reveal a LITTLE more detail, such as in the ears and throat region? Hard to judge this, tho', without seeing what's on the original file.

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

Thanks for the input, Brad. I think I like the original crop as well because it avoids some of the messy BG and gives more of the sense of the low angle that the shot was taken from. I was shooting from a small boat and the bear was on a low bank at waters edge. I like the feedback from others who are just looking at the image and don't have the same context as me due to having been there. Sometimes I'm so focused on my perspective that I don't even notice some things, like the brown in the FG. Looking back at the original file there was more detail in the ears/neck. I actually lost it by kicking up the contrast. I'll mask the bear and give it another go when I get a few minutes.

Good looking bear. I like the positioning in the original post, but do find the grayish region in front somewhat distracting. I also like the brown around the nose and the grass toothpicks.