Evening Dip

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 30, 2013594 views17 comments

Evening Dip in the Great Bear Rainforest

Sometimes the simplest images are the toughest to pull off...

Adult grizzly bears are completely comfortable in water - and even young cubs quickly get over their initial hesitation to "hang out" in water. Watch grizzlies in water for awhile and it's easy to understand how some of them diverged a few thousand years ago and became even more aquatic (that would be their close brethren - the polar bear).

When I'm photographing grizzly bears - or any animal for that matter - in calm water I like to do two things. First, shoot from a very low angle. Second, use a fairly wide aperture. Combined these two little things can create a very soft, silky, and aesthetically appealing look to the water. And, it can help to make your subject (which is hopefully sharply focused!) absolutely "pop" visually. But, if you're working with multiple subjects, effectively using a wide aperture (and thus a thin depth-of-field) can be extremely tough - in most instances one or more of those subjects will be out-of-focus and detract from the image.

So...when this female grizzly bear and her cub swam out into a channel in soft, late-day light, then absolutely stopped and "hovered" in the water while watching something in the distance (the "something" being another bear) AND then both lined up in the same plane of focus...well I knew it was my lucky day. And I suppose it was even luckier that I had my uber-sharp 400mm f2.8 VR lens in my hand and was in a zodiac in the channel and close to the water level. Not a bad way to end the day...

Subject: Female Grizzly (Urus arctos) and cub "treading water"
Location:Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VRII lens - hand-held from floating zodiac. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/400s @ f5.6; ISO 1800. -1.0 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: This is about 80% of full-frame on horizontal axis - slightly more cropped from top/bottom

Like almost always, additional details about the image (including processing details) available here:

http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/.

Comments and critiques welcomed - probably best to view the larger version prior to doing so!

Cheers...

Brad

Comments

17 comments

Comment posted by Cristina Strudthof on January 30, 2013 at 4:51 PM

Most definitely an excellent way to end the day. I like that you go into a little detail of what you look for and how go about getting the shots you do. Certianly helps out those who are in constant learning mode here on NPN.

And of course, nice shot. No critique from me.

Registered on January 14, 2011, 53 Posts, 363 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on January 30, 2013 at 4:56 PM

Cute shot, great low POV

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

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on January 30, 2013 at 5:56 PM

You sure were fortunate to get both in the plane of focus, Brad. Good photographic luck is made when a prepared photographer is presented with a brief fortuitous moment and is able to seize it properly.

Lovely depth and soft light.

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

Comment posted by Don Westbrook on January 30, 2013 at 6:25 PM

Excellent. This was a great way to end the day!

Registered on January 4, 2013, 11 Posts, 332 Comments

Comment posted by Clinton Bauder on January 30, 2013 at 7:50 PM

I'm 100% certain that if I saw this image independent of context I'd know immediately it was taken by you. And I mean that in a good way.

Clinton

Registered on December 8, 2009, 31 Posts, 231 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on January 30, 2013 at 9:03 PM

Amazing photograph Brad, and as usual, thanks for the tutorial/commentary!

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on January 31, 2013 at 12:26 AM

Very pleasing image. Makes me feel as if I was right there. Thanks for the story and sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 31, 2013 at 1:31 AM

Well I'd say you pretty well nailed this one Brad. Nice addition to your library of wonderful bear photos. I like the slight underexposure compensation you dialed in, certainly helps to retain the feel of the dark depths of the inlet. The interface of water and bear appears just a little bit contrasty perhaps, in other words there seems to be a slightly unnatural appearing bright line there. I know this is an incredibly picky point, but just wonder if you were to reduce the sharpening at that margin it might allow an even more pleasing transition of bear to water. By the way, thanks to you I'm thinking about grizzlies on the west coast constatnly as I go about my day. It's like an ear worm, but of the visual cortex...

Hey Brad, do you rest your lens on the Zodiac pontoon? Is your Zodiac large enough to have seats where you can sit and hold the lens, or use a monopod. Just curious. I know these Zodiacs can range from 8' to huge beasts with dual 90 horse Mercs, trying to get an accurate mental image.

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

Comment posted by Brad Hill on January 31, 2013 at 8:52 AM

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback to date. Always appreciated.

Gary - on the bright line you're referring to. I think it's just light catching the small ripples caused by the bears themselves. I didn't bump the contrast or sharpen much in that region. Interestingly, no one has noticed (or commented on) the thing I expected to hear about - the faint line on the rock face that is about 1/2 way up the frame and stretches from the left edge to just above mom. It's totally natural - just the hide tide line on the cliff face. I could have easily removed it during processing but see no reason to do so (nor is it the kind of thing I like to do).

On your Zodiac questions: 19' with 50 hp motor. No room for seats per se - you sit on the pontoons or kneel on the bottom. I never recommend placing a lens on the pontoon - always best to have something under them...a bean bag, foam pad, towel, or even your arm. That's because vibrations can transmit them very easily and you need something to dampen those vibrations (even if using VR). Some folks have used monopods, but I personally don't like to in this situation - I find they get in the way more than they help. But in general I'm not a big fan of monopods myself (but that's just me).

If that visual cortex worm about getting to the coast for some quality shooting gets too strong - feel free to contact me. I have just the elixir...I have a few spots left on both my spring trips (4 or 5 day options in the Khutzeymateen) and autumn trips (7 or 8 day options deep in the Great Bear Rainforest).

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Guy Runco on January 31, 2013 at 9:17 PM

Great shot Brad, such a calm scene. The high tide line on the rocks doesn't bother me at all, my eye is drawn straight to those bears. Nice one, as always!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on February 2, 2013 at 8:27 AM

Another wonderful bear image Brad! I especially love your mother-cub shots because you seem to capture the intense bond between them so well.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on February 2, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Great image, very nicely done!
Although water is dominant in the frame, what I find very appealing apart from Bears is the BG, it looks quite like that of water colour painting.
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Clinch on February 3, 2013 at 3:20 PM

Excellent composition and exposure that make the bears pop in a unique scene. I would not want to see that mom's stre coming at me.

Registered on January 5, 2013, 37 Posts, 261 Comments

Comment posted by Josiah Launstein on February 3, 2013 at 5:28 PM

This is an awesome picture! It's so cool to see them swimming! I hope I can get pictures of a bear swimming sometime too. We've seen them swim a couple times in Waterton but I haven't been able to get any pictures yet. I love how sharp they are how they are together.

Registered on January 26, 2013, 52 Posts, 126 Comments

Comment posted by Rebecka on February 6, 2013 at 6:58 PM

Congrats on the WP - a well-deserved merit for this unique image.

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on February 6, 2013 at 11:37 PM

Congrats on the well deserved EP Brad!!! Somehow I missed this one on the first go round.

Another great bear photograph!!!

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 9, 2013 at 3:14 PM

Very excellent - great that all the variables came together so well for you - plus, of course, your good tecks.
Congrats on the WP!
Sandy

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