Khutzeymateen Sunrise...

Gallery: WildlifePosted August 15, 2012672 views14 comments

Khutzeymateen Sunrise...

I don't normally shoot sunrises or sunsets, but right when I was working this one a small obstruction wandered in front of my camera! This young adult male grizzly was definitely checking me out, but posed no threat at all. These guys aren't really known for their table manners, and I wasn't about to tell him to not drool when he's eating...

There's been some shots posted lately that have had some really nice lighting, including some interesting silhouettes from Lon and Jagdeep, plus Morkel's recent "Forest King" post that had some pretty sweet early morning light. Personally I'm a big fan of side-lighting and while it can be tough to handle during image capture and processing, I like the "drama" (and depth, of course) that it gives to many images.

One big problem with portraying strongly side-lit shots online is that it's hard to determine how much one should open up the shadows. This is complicated more when prepping an image for online presentation because it's impossible to control the brightness level your audience's display device. In this case I actually opened up the shadows slightly more (1/3 of a stop) than I normally would, simply because I was assuming that many of the folks viewing this shot might be using monitors that are a little less bright than my main working monitor. Of course, when you're presenting images like this as prints (rather than online) you can control the appearance of the final "product" much more precisely. On my monitors the left eye of this bear (right side of frame) is clearly visible...hopefully it will be on your monitor too...

i'm off early tomorrow AM for 10-days of shooting just off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This trip will be focused on capturing images of Steller sea lions, sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, and any other aquatic mammals we can conjure up. So consider this my "parting shot" for awhile...

Subject: Male Grizzly (Urus arctos) enjoying a sunrise snack
Location: Khutzeymateen Inlet, Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VRII lens - hand-held. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/400s @ f5; ISO 320. No compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: Captured vertically - small amount cropped off sides and top (this is about 75% of full-framed image).

Comments and critiques welcomed - probably better to view larger version prior to doing so...

Cheers...

Brad

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on August 15, 2012 at 5:39 PM

One of these days this guy is going to want some meat to go with all of that salad.

I like this one, Brad. Just the right amount of dof, so not too much oof foreground or background. The sidelighting works well too. Have a great trip!

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on August 15, 2012 at 5:43 PM

Very powerful image. The side lighting and pov is very impressive.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Rebecka on August 15, 2012 at 6:12 PM

Holy cow, the angle/perspective here is amazing. I bet you grabbed the shot and then RAN for your LIFE!!

This individual looks enormous, but you say he was young? Must be the low angle that really makes him seem so large and imposing. The eye contact while he's casually munching away is just over-the-top cool. Very, very impressive image.

Registered on February 5, 2009, 170 Posts, 924 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Simpson on August 15, 2012 at 8:35 PM

Great shot Brad (as always)! Love the light and eye contact. Just saw some of your prints in Vistek downtown Calgary today... they look pretty sweet! I'm a big fan of your work!

Wayne

Registered on December 11, 2006, 303 Posts, 924 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on August 15, 2012 at 8:54 PM

Hey folks,

Thanks for the feedback...a few specific responses:

1. To Rebecka: You say: "This individual looks enormous, but you say he was young?"

Young - yes, but not small! This is a bear that could be classified either as a "sub-adult" male or as an adult. It would be about 7 or 8 years old and somewhere around 200 kg (or 440 lb). He would be ready to breed but would likely be prevented from doing so by the REALLY BIG (500 kg - 1100 lb - or bigger) dominant males who would chase him away from the receptive females. Which, in turn, can make these younger bears a bit frustrated and cantankerous. Fortunately...this guy was more interested in, as Charlie said, "the salad" rather than the "meat"!

On the "ran for your life" comment - well...given these guys go about 50% faster than Mr. Bolt (and I go probably only about 10% of his speed) - and given that running can trigger THEM to run after you - well...I think I'll take a pass on the running!

2. To Wayne: Thanks...our paths have ALMOST crossed several times. Maybe one of these times we'll actually meet! Funny thing - I was totally unaware of that exhibit you're talking about (it HAD been in Vistek Calgary months ago, but it then travelled around the country and I thought it was over by now). So thanks for the heads up on that...

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Ester van Dam on August 16, 2012 at 4:54 AM

He seems so close good for you that you stayed so calm! The eye that catches the light is beautiful it always makes the animal more alive ; ).
Ester

Registered on August 30, 2011, 50 Posts, 103 Comments

Comment posted by Robbie Knight on August 16, 2012 at 12:58 PM

Brad thanks for the story behind the shot. One think I really like about your www-site is the shot, then the story behind the camera, then the story behind the CPU..... I don't have to look very hard to find an entire room full of people that know ALOT more that I about CV/EV/Comp/AV vs P etc....) so it REALLY helps to have those details presented. On this one I am using a MacBook Pro with factory settings on the monitor and the settings you chose are great.... I have been reading lately about monitor calibration and have experimented with 3 other monitors and have learned a lot about the presentation considerations you outline..... I love the eye shine, OOF up front, implied action (lumbering movement and juicy munching), crop, and shaded side inclusion (drama drama).... Again thanks for sharing a great capture in an educational way !
RK

Registered on April 10, 2010, 30 Posts, 135 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on August 16, 2012 at 4:02 PM

That mouth is compelling and the moisture dropping from his snack makes me look more than twice. I think I would have liked this with more dof to include the sense of that foreleg striding toward the lens, but perhaps your background made that a less favorable choice.

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on August 16, 2012 at 5:58 PM

This is intense Brad!!! Great facial expression and eye contact, along with incrediblely nice side light to enhance the mood.

Have fun around Vancouver Island, looking forward to seeing your take.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Jaymes Dempsey on August 16, 2012 at 6:50 PM

Wow! I love the low angle and the sidelight. The droplets falling from the mouth are a great addition.

Registered on June 28, 2010, 47 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on August 17, 2012 at 4:18 PM

I like seeing something different and this is a very interesting angle. The one eye and open mouth with those teeth showing draw me right into image to check things out. From your comments I guess you were on land and not in a zodiac, which even makes this a lot more interesting. Excellent shot and use of light, well done Brad.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Edwin kats on August 18, 2012 at 9:48 AM

Amazing capture. Full of excitement and the light is just perfect, just as your processing. Well done.

Edwin

Registered on April 24, 2006, 177 Posts, 399 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on August 20, 2012 at 4:59 PM

Very powerful with the sidelight and the bear filling the frame (sub-adult or not!) Brad!

Exposure on the dark half looks fine to me.

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on August 20, 2012 at 5:29 PM

amazing, love tide crop and the stunning look

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments