Just Chillin'

Just Chillin'

Still catching up on my processing...and still in the ISO stratosphere. My last few posts have been more of the 'scape mode (enviroscapes or animalscapes)...so this one a little more intimate. Trying to exploit the "AWWW reflex" on this one!

Grizzly cubs are like young puppies - they have two speeds: flat out and, well...flat out! This cub is approaching the state of "flat out" where its feet aren't moving much (unless, of course, it's dreaming!).

Having a fully wild grizzly cub acting this comfortable and unconcerned (and trusting) this close to you is always an incredible experience. This one was made even more satisfying by the fact that only two days before this image was shot we couldn't get within a country mile (or a "country 1.6 kms") of it or its sibling without them scurrying off into the woods. But each time they ran off they noticed mom was cool with us and over the next couple of days they gradually warmed up to us. While it's impossible to know this for sure, it did appear as though they were following mom's lead and deciding something like "...well, if Mom thinks these guys with the one big eye in the middle of their head are cool, I guess they are."

Once a grizzly cub accepts your presence, it is like almost any youngster of any species - its curiosity abounds. When they're in the slow phase of "flat out" they will sit or lay and stare at you for ages. And, it's impossible to be at the receiving end of that stare and not feel you're the subject of intense curiosity. After I snapped this shot I half expected the cub to come over and ask me about my camera! He didn't.

Is there any moral to this story? Yes (of course!). This image is a prime example of why it doesn't hurt to experiment with pushing your ISO up a bit (OK, perhaps more than a bit - it was shot at ISO 8000), especially if you are using a new camera. To be honest, I really shot this with little expectation I'd end up with a usable image - it was truly shot with a "what the heck, why not?" attitude. But after I shot and saw this image (I did little preliminary processing on it later that day) I totally changed my preconceived notion about how high I could go on the ISO, which in turn dramatically changed even WHAT I photographed on this trip. I am SO glad that I risked a few electrons with my ISO "experiments" early on during this trip - it dramatically changed the nature of the images I came home with.

And a brief personal note: I have knowingly waded into a bit of a hornet's nest on a conservation-related issue that has turned my schedule upside down this week. So it is likely I will not have much time to post comments this week. Apologies. Interested or intrigued parties can check out the Feb 11 entry on my blog (linked to icon below) - probably best NOT to drag this one inside the virtual walls of NPN.

Subject: Grizzly cub (Urus arctos) slowly descending into a deep sleep
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 @ f6.3; ISO 8,000. --0.33 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: A bit more than I'd like - this is only 70% of full-frame

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